Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

wall by the door a tiny lizard clung to the whitewashed plaster. It had been motionless since Daniel entered the room, only the slow blink of its eyes showing that it was alive. Its grey and black mottled body was almost lost in the shadows. The light was dim, with the overcast hues from outside filtering through the curtains.
    Daniel sat up again, kicked off shoes and socks, and put his hands to his shirt. And then let them drop away. Sometimes Jacob liked to do that, both of them laughing at his fumbled haste. And Daniel was torn between impatience and the desire to slow things down. He'd let Jacob decide. He pulled his little notebook out of his pocket and licked the stub of his pencil to blacken it. The little lizard took shape with just a few strokes, the flat disks of its clinging toes and the curve of its tail cleanly delineated.
    He was working on getting the shine in those swiveling eyes down on paper when there was a soft tap on the door. Daniel stuffed the notebook hurriedly back in his pocket and went to pull it open. Jacob squeezed through, his hair and clothes dark and sopping. Daniel shoved the door shut and leaned in for the first kiss.
    "Oh, yeah," Jacob murmured after a long, breathless time. "Been waiting for that."
    "Me too." Daniel locked his hands behind Jacob's neck and did it again. So good. So right, that soft welcoming heat of Jacob's mouth. Their tongues tangled, stroked, and then Jacob drove into his mouth as Daniel gave way. Daniel whimpered, and the heat that rushed through him was welcome. Over Jacob's shoulder he saw the damned lizard blink at him. He broke the kiss.
    "What?" Jacob asked.
    "I don't want an audience."
    Jacob's blank stare become comprehension as Daniel reached past him and unhooked the little gecko from the wall. Jacob pulled open the door a crack, and let Daniel put the little fellow out. For a moment the gecko sat on the doorstep, peering out at the rain, and then it scurried off. Daniel pulled the door tight and locked it.
    As he turned, Jacob slid to his knees and pressed his mouth over the bulge in Daniel's trousers. "Get naked," Jacob growled. "Now."
    Between them they stripped off Daniel's pants and skivvies, laughing as he wobbled, tugging the fabric over his ankles. Jacob tossed the clothes over his shoulder and turned to take Daniel deep into his mouth.
    Daniel gasped. There was something so decadent, so perfectly desirable about the innocent sexuality of Jacob, fully dressed and on his knees. Maybe innocent was the wrong word for a man who currently had his mouth stuffed with Daniel's erection. But there was still something about Jacob that brought it to Daniel's mind. He stroked Jacob's wet hair, fighting to hold still and not get too wrapped up in this.
    He tugged on one dark strand. "Trip. Wait."
    Jacob pulled off, his mouth wet and glistening. "What? I want this. You can return the favor in a minute."
    "I had something else in mind."
    Jacob paused, his hands sliding up and down Daniel's hairy thighs. "What?"
    Daniel couldn't say it. But he stepped away and stripped off his shirt. Then, naked and hard, he went to the bed. The little fabric bag was on the night stand, and he pulled out the small clay jar and set the lid aside. And then got on the bed slowly, rolled over onto his stomach, and raised his ass in the air.
    He heard Jacob suck in a startled breath, but Daniel had buried his face in his arms and he didn't look back. There was a soft rustle of fabric as Jacob undressed. Then the bed dipped as Jacob's weight jostled it. Daniel closed his eyes. He could feel Jacob moving up alongside him, not between his parted legs. He waited.
    When the touch came it was a slow sweep of Jacob's hand along his back, from lowered shoulders to the base of his spine. He shivered under that touch.
    "Are you offering what I think you are?" Jacob's voice shook slightly.
    "Yeah."
    "We've never done that."
    "About time don't you think?"
    Perhaps his attempt at nonchalance didn't come off as well as he'd hoped, because Jacob responded by leaning in to kiss his neck and then rub that sweet mouth softly down to his jaw. He kept his eyes closed.
    "Are you sure you want to?" Jacob whispered in his ear.
    "Do you?"
    "Hell, yes!"
    Daniel took some comfort in the vibrant intensity of those two words. At least he hadn't got it all wrong.
    Jacob's hands slipped over Daniel's ass, stroking him, cupping his buttocks in warm palms. "I'm scared I'll hurt you."
    "I'll let you know," Daniel