Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 1

on his way back inside for a beer for himself. He grabbed everything they needed for dinner and piled it all on a tray to save trips.
    Leaving the tray on the table, Jordan took a stack of plates to the grill and started serving. "I can pretty much manage medium rare or charred beyond recognition. The medium rare are ready now. If you want charred, you'll have to wait."
    Cal chuckled. "Well, temped as I am by the latter, I'm too hungry to wait."
    "You got it." Jordan glanced over his shoulder, and then did a quick double-take. "You look good there."
    Cal groaned and rubbed his face.
    "What?"
    "You have to stop." Cal's cheeks flushed. He twisted the bottle of beer in his hand. "I don't know how to respond to these things you say."
    "Then you haven't heard them enough."
    Cal grunted, and Jordan turned his attention back to the grill, swallowing the anger at whatever or whoever had caused Cal to reject any attention he received.
    With the internal timing only hungry teen-aged boys seem to have mastered, Thomas and Kody clattered up the steps to join them at the table. Thomas dealt with the tray, handing the loaded salad to Cal to serve himself and pass along.
    The weight of silence that descended around the table made Jordan feel a bit guilty. People only concentrated on their plates with that kind of intensity when they were beyond your basic hungry.
    Not surprisingly, it was Kody who spoke first. "Dude, you gonna be hiring workers for your restoration job?" Kody asked Cal. Jordan noticed he hadn't actually eaten a bite yet. Probably been busy staring, he thought with a sigh, and then stabbed his fork towards Kody's plate in the universal parenting sign for 'eat your dinner.' He grunted with satisfaction when the boy stabbed a tomato from his salad and obediently ate it.
    "Probably." Cal nodded. "I'm sure I'll need some general laborers."
    "We're general laborers!" Thomas and Kody reacted at exactly the same time. Jordan and Cal laughed.
    Cal narrowed his eyes at them. "I have one condition."
    "Anything!" Kody was on the edge of his seat. Jordan shook his head and focused on his food.
    "You have to stop calling me 'dude,'" Cal said.
    Kody just stared at him blankly for a second before breaking out a huge grin. "Yes, sir!"
    Cal groaned and dragged a hand over his face. "Ugh. Okay. 'Dude' it is."
    "Me too?" Thomas asked, eager to cement their summer employment.
    Cal sighed loudly. "Fine. You can call me 'dude,' too."
    Jordan choked on his laugh, and Thomas rolled his eyes. "I mean do I have a job, too?"
    "Oh. Sure. Yeah." Cal grinned and chuckled at the excited teens.
    ****
    Jordan settled into the corner of the sofa and took a sip of his fresh beer before setting it on the coffee table. Thomas and Kody had not so subtly decided they should go 'hang' at Kody's, so they'd finished the dishes quickly and he and Cal were finally alone. Jordan had left the dogs happily exploring the backyard and getting to know each other.
    Arms spread casually across the back of the sofa, Jordan watched intently as Cal made his way towards him. When he hesitated, weighing his seating options, Jordan grabbed his hand and tugged. Propping one leg up against the cushions and one foot on the floor, Jordan tucked Cal back against him. "Put your feet up and relax."
    Cal shifted a bit to get comfortable, sliding down far enough to settle his head against Jordan's shoulder. But he was still tense. Jordan wrapped one arm around Cal's torso, while he combed his fingers through Cal's silky black curls. His hair was even softer than he remembered.
    Saying nothing, just combing and enjoying the feeling of the man in his arms, Jordan waited as Cal relaxed in painfully slow increments. When his head finally rolled against Jordan's shoulder with an accompanying exhale, Jordan spoke. "I know we should talk, but this just feels so damn good."
    "No." Cal groaned. "Can't we just—" He squirmed as if to rise.
    Jordan held him tight and sighed, rubbing his cheek in Cal's hair. "For now."
    He was surprised when Cal initiated the kiss, a little awkward but determined in a way that twisted Jordan's heart. Cal shifted so he could turn his face towards him, breath skittering over Jordan's parted lips. Jordan didn't need any more invitation than that. Doubting he'd ever get enough of Cal's mouth, Jordan struggled to keep it gentle, but from the first touch of their lips, he was fully erect, pressing insistently against Cal's back, which was rapidly expanding and