Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 2

pointed out with a frown, seeing brownish red through the hole.
    "Huh," Grady poked at his flesh, tearing the hole wider until his entire knee was exposed. "So I am. I didn't even feel it."
    "You probably don't want to leave that dirty for long," Craig warned. "All sorts of nasty stuff is out here."
    Grady snorted. "I'm so clumsy, I've probably been exposed to every bacteria and microbe known to man. But you're right. I should flush it with drinking water. You're on the first aid kit."
    Startled, Craig sat up and twisted to check out what he thought was a tackle box. He wrestled it to the middle of the truck bed in a shower of dirt. Carefully, he opened it and found some alcohol wipes and Band-Aids.
    There was a gallon of water tucked in the corner under the tarp, and the sound of the cap popping off was loud over the quiet hum of insects and distant birdcalls. Grady poured a generous amount over his knee, revealing a shallow gash. He must have scraped it over a rock.
    When Grady gestured, Craig held out his hands and let them be rinsed off as well, shaking them in the air to dry them. He retrieved the packet of alcohol wipes and looked at Grady questioningly.
    "Go ahead, I hate this part," he said, obviously bracing himself.
    Craig opened the packet with just the tips of his fingers and dabbed at Grady's wound. Grady flinched with each contact, so Craig finally just slid his hand around the back of Grady's knee to hold him still.
    Electric shock. Three hundred feet of free fall. Diving to the darkest part of the river.
    Just that little touch of skin on skin had every nerve in Craig's body attuned to the man in front of him. He sucked in a sharp breath, alcohol wipe dangling useless from his fingers.
    Grady was staring at him in wide-eyed surprise.
    "What was that?" he breathed.
    Craig just shook his head slowly. "I don't know."
    "How—?" Grady mirrored his head shake. "I— it's like— I felt you. I still do."
    Tentatively, Craig reached out again, hand gently caressing Grady's knee. The tingle was back again, until he could feel nothing but where he was touching Grady. His entire consciousness focused down on just those little points of contact.
    Grady reached up, hand cupping Craig's jaw. Slowly, inexorably, he leaned forward until their breath mingled and his lips were scant millimeters away from Craig's.
    "Can I kiss you?" he asked on a tiny exhale.
    Craig didn't bother with words, he just pressed his mouth forward, capturing Grady's and reveling in the soft texture, the smooth slide. The smell of marshlands was sweet in his nose, still on Grady's skin from his tumble. His hand was burning where it wrapped around the tender skin of Grady's knee, and those fingers— He focused on the heat of Grady's palm against his jaw, the light touch of a pinky on his neck and the press of a thumb on his cheek.
    Oh, this was perfect. This was what he'd been craving every time he'd seen Grady, tracked his footprints. This felt right, like a puzzle piece slotting into place.
    He couldn't hold back his moan as Grady's lips parted, inviting his tongue into the warmth of Grady's mouth. Craig licked his way in, pulling back only to nibble on Grady's luscious lower lip before exploring deeper again. From Grady's harsh pants, he didn't mind if Craig took his sweet time at all.
    A low rumble and grunt from outside the truck brought Craig back into awareness of their surroundings— him, still naked and practically kneeling on the uncomfortable truck bed between Grady's legs; Grady sitting with his back against the cab of the truck, bloody knee forgotten as he captured Craig in place with just a gentle hand.
    Reluctantly, Craig turned his head to look out over the edge of the truck. The natural crocodiles were dispersing. Craig wondered if the distraction counted as cock-blocking, the jerks.
    Grady turned to watch them go as well, his hand slipping down to rest on Craig's shoulder. Craig grinned at him.
    "Told you we just had to wait them out."
    "I'm still not sure why they chased us this far in the first place," Grady mused.
    "I totally was not in cahoots with them, I swear," Craig said with his most earnest look. "But I can't argue with their results."
    Grady pulled back with a blush. "And I swear I don't normally make out with guys I just met."
    Craig beamed. "I'll choose to feel special, then."
    "No, really." Grady seemed shy, which Craig thought was adorable given the mess they had just been in and the fact that he still wasn't