Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

been nagging at Shane like a dog worrying a bone would finally disappear. Oh, he had it bad…really bad. Shane had no idea how things had escalated to this point so quickly; he only knew that he had never felt like this before.
    Shane continued to pace restlessly. He had wrestled with himself for the last few hours, turning this love thing over and over in his mind. It just isn't possible. I barely know this guy. Plus he's a lifeguard! I mean, c'mon, Shane thought to himself, could this be any more clichéd—gay guy down on his luck who finds the love of his life that just happens to be a bronzed and beautiful lifeguard? Shane shook his head in disgust and for the twentieth time resolved to cut this thing off at the knees. "Dinner and a drink and that's it," Shane muttered to himself.
    "What, no walk on the beach?"
    Shane froze. How did this keep happening to him? When was it that karma had become determined to make him look like the biggest fool every time he was around this guy? Gritting his teeth, Shane once more turned toward that seductive voice. The man standing before him nearly made his heart stutter to a full stop. Jaime was, without a doubt, simply stunning. He wore a tailored pair of linen pants that were molded like a second skin over his tight ass. His shirt was buttoned in a way that allowed a long line of graceful neck and a hint of chest hair to peek through. At the waist the buttons had been left undone, so that a glimpse of a flat, well-muscled stomach that was the color of golden honey flashed occasionally. His blond hair had been styled in what appeared to be an artfully windblown mess that hung over one eye. Shane felt his breath hitch in his chest and his cock begin to fill. Jaime was the most erotic sight he had ever laid eyes on and Shane knew with certainty that his heart was, simply put, lost. I am so screwed.
    "You look beautiful." Oh god, had he actually said that out loud?
    A blush rose on Jaime's cheeks as his eyes met Shane's and with a fervency in his voice that belied his quiet tone, he replied: "I think you're beautiful too." And then, they simultaneously said each other's names.
    "Jaime"
    "Shane"
    The two men laughed and Jaime took another step closer to Shane. "You first."
    Shane knew without a doubt that this was his make or break moment. Regardless of how this night played out, he felt he owed it to himself and to Jaime to put his cards on the table. What was the worst that could happen? Granted, Jaime could still laugh in his face, but he was pretty certain if that hadn't already happened given all his fumbling about that it wasn't likely to happen now. Of course, Jaime could still run away. After all, it's not every day that some crazy-ass, out of work, wannabe artist tells you he has fallen hopelessly and completely in love with you. But again, Shane felt fairly confident that Jaime had left his track shoes at home for the evening and he could barely achieve a quick jog in those sandals he was wearing. So that left only one possibility on the worst-case scenario shelf. Jaime could thank him politely and tell him that as nice as their week together had been and as much as he liked Shane, he couldn't see himself falling in love in return.
    A solid ball of ice settled deep in the pit of Shane's stomach and the balmy winds that blew around them seemed to take on an arctic feel. As unbelievable as it all seemed, somewhere in the past 6 days this man standing in front of him had captured his heart and now held it in a grip so tight that its very beat seemed dependent on what response was given in the next 30 seconds. Well, no time like the present McAllister! Shane cleared his throat and dove in, head first.
    "I know this is going to be a shock, hell I 'm not even sure I believe it myself but still I can assure you that it is the god's honest truth cause you got to know I am not the kind of guy who goes around declaring his undying love for virtual strangers every day, I mean no one in their right mind would even think that all that crap about love at first sight was even real, I mean jesus this is like a really bad gay romance you have to admit…"
    Somewhere in the back of Shane's mind it occurred to him that he was speaking at a decibel level that only wild dogs could hear and at a speed that landed somewhere near breaking the sound barrier. To top it all off, Jaime had stepped closer, probably to verify that Shane was not, as he suspected, having a full on nervous breakdown.