Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

the pavement beneath his work booted feet.
    Mike lingered for a moment, then reluctantly dragged himself away, wondering why he was a little disappointed that the man he'd been lusting over was called Steve, and not Jackman.
    ****
    Never having been in Smith's, Mike wasn't sure what to expect, but the quiet, intimate atmosphere he'd anticipated was not the one he walked into. There was laughter, music and people, lots and lots of people, so many in fact that Mike had a hard time squeezing through the door.
    A little perturbed, he gingerly searched the interior looking for a six foot five inch giant. He didn't think it would have been all that difficult, but as he searched over the heads of the standing patrons, Mike couldn't see Steve at all. Assuming he might be too early, Mike slowly made his way to the crowded bar.
    "Hey, there you are, I didn't see you come in." A huge hand landed on his shoulder, nearly buckling Mike's knees. He turned to see Steve towering over him, a grin on his face. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends."
    Before Mike could respond, he was being dragged across the room.
    Three men stood around a pool table, their gazes curious. Mike could understand why. Steve was this big, compelling guy who seemed to have no trouble being the center of attention, while Mike preferred to hang back and hide in corners. Not that they could have known that about him, but somehow it always showed.
    "Ronny, Bill, Dale, this is …." Steve turned to Mike and cocked an eyebrow. "I forgot to ask your name this morning."
    "Mike."
    "Mike." Steve said the name as if testing it, a smile forming on those beautifully shaped lips. "Are you up for a game?"
    Game? Mike eyed the pool table and quickly took a step back. He wasn't into sports, and he certainly couldn't play pool. "No, thank you," he said. "But you play, if you want."
    "Ronny and Bill think they've got me and Dale beat. We're about to prove them wrong." He picked up a pool cue and grinned. "You can keep score. Losers buy a round of drinks."
    Bemused, Mike nodded, though he had no idea how to keep score, he didn't even know the rules of the game, and was this Steve's idea of a date?
    Two hours and five games later, Mike realized he'd made a mistake. He should not have accepted Steve's invitation. No matter how fascinating Steve was, or how compelling, they obviously had nothing in common, and this date was disappointing at best.
    Plucking up the courage to do the right thing, Mike stood up. "Steve, I'm going."
    "You are? Don't you want to stay for a few more games?"
    Mike shook his head. "This is not my thing."
    "Oh." Color flooded Steve's cheeks, and if Mike hadn't seen the way Steve dropped his gaze before struggling to raise it again, he would never have believed the man could be embarrassed.
    "I'll take you home then."
    "There's no need. My car's outside." Mike went to move away, not liking what he was doing, but it was better to cut the evening short than prolonging the awkwardness, when Steve stepped up close and rested his hand on Mike's hip. The heaviness and heat instantly had Mike immobile, so too the shock of being touched so intimately in a public bar.
    "I've disappointed you, haven't I?"
    "No." Now that was inane, but Mike couldn't think straight while Steve looked all hurt like that, and when Steve moved his palm surreptitiously up to Mike's waist, he pretty well stopped thinking at all.
    "Yes I have. I should have asked you what you'd like. Look, will you let me take you out again, maybe to a movie or a restaurant? I want to prove to you there's another side to me."
    Caught between saying what he knew he should and giving in to curiosity, Mike allowed the physical want that had been simmering in his veins from the moment he'd first laid eyes on Steve to dictate his actions. Not that he made a habit of allowing his body to decree which guys he went out with, but this was Jackman, the man he'd been dreaming of for the past few days, the man who, with one smile made him forget he was way out of his comfort zone.
    "Okay, tomorrow, dinner."
    "Yes!"
    Before Mike had a chance to react, Steve swooped down and kissed him, a full blown kiss that not only stopped the breath in Mike's lungs but half the pub's as well. The other half started hollering and catcalling and generally making it known they loved that two people could express themselves so freely. Well, at least Steve was expressing it. Mike was frozen solid, even when Steve released him he did