Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

either."
    Deliberately. Trey did have some traveling to do for his job, but the panic with which he'd lined up a trip every time Josh announced an impending visit had nothing to do with the urgency of work. And everything to do with this man whom Trey'd had a hopeless crush on for years. Who, judging by the pounding of Trey's heart and the way he could hardly breathe for the sheer presence of the man, he still had a crush on. They were twenty-five instead of seventeen, and of Trey's half dozen boyfriends in the last eight years, a couple had been really nice guys, but apparently it didn't matter. It was still Josh Campbell who could make him crazy just by walking in his front door.
    "Yeah, that's the job," he lied. "But you're here now. Come on and sit down. We'll grab a couple of beers. You can tell me what's up with you."
    "Sure." Josh sniffed the air. "Wow, what's that I smell? Don't tell me you still make those chocolate-chip orange-peel cookies?"
    "Want one?" Trey led the way toward the kitchen, wondering what weird coincidence had made him bake Josh's favorite on the day he showed up at the door.
    "One?" Josh laughed, deeper and richer than Trey remembered. "What makes you think I want just one?"
    "The fact that you're still just as skinny as you were in high-school?" Josh wasn't skinny. He had a strong lean build under his T-shirt and cutoffs. His dark hair was cut shorter than it used to be back in school, he had more hair on his arms and legs, and better muscle definition in his calves and arms. And thighs. Where Trey hadn't been looking. Really. "Sit down at the table, I'll grab the brews."
    Trey stuck his head in the fridge, pretending to choose between Corona and Dos Equis, to give himself time to cool down. He heard Josh shove a chair back and sit at the kitchen table. Trey grabbed two Dos Equis darks and turned around. Josh was sprawled at ease in the bigger chair, legs akimbo, elbows on the wooden arms, grinning at him.
    "Jesus," Josh said happily. "I'm finally here. You look great. I've missed you, all these years. I know we email and all, but I've really missed just talking to you. I'll have to buy a new laptop with a fucking web cam so we can Skype from now on. To hell with the cost."
    Trey forced a laugh. "Wow, I never thought I'd hear you say that. Aren't you the guy who still uses scotch tape for band-aids like your dad taught you to?"
    "I do not !" Josh sobered a little as Trey reached out to hand over his beer. He took the cold bottle from Trey's fingers, gave him a little salute with it, and then took a long pull with his dark eyes fixed on Trey's. "I missed you," he repeated more softly.
    Trey turned away, staring out the window. Every part of him was reacting to Josh like iron filings to a magnet. Josh's voice, Josh's eyes. It was too fucking dangerous. There was a good reason he'd tried so hard to avoid this. He leaned his hips against the counter so Josh couldn't see the happy reaction of his treacherous body. "I missed you too," Trey said lightly. "No one here is likely to repeatedly hold me down and scrub mud in my hair."
    "I only did that once." Josh's tone was mock-indignation.
    "Twice. At least."
    Josh laughed. "God. This feels like coming home. I have friends in Connecticut, but no one like you. You have to come visit me there soon. I'll show you around, introduce you to everyone."
    Including Stephanie? No, that had been college. Maybe Danielle? Or was Linda the latest? Trey couldn't keep track of Josh's girlfriends. He didn't want to. "Sure. Sometime. So what does bring you back to L.A. this time?"
    "Besides a craving for your cookies? Which you haven't offered me yet?"
    Trey's libido tried to make something suggestive out of that, but he beat it back. He grabbed a plate, put a half-dozen of the still warm cookies on it and slapped it down on the table in front of Josh. "Yeah. Besides that."
    Josh took a big bite and grinned at Trey with melted chocolate on his lip. "I need your help. It's for Aunt Julie and Uncle Ted."
    "Are they okay?" Trey didn't think he'd be grinning like that if there was a serious problem. Josh's aunt and uncle had been there for him through some difficult times, and he adored them.
    "They're fine. They opened that antique store Aunt Julie always wanted in Craneshore."
    "And...?" Trey pulled out his own chair and sat, sliding under the concealment of the table and not looking at Josh, not at his sparkling eyes, not at his chocolate-smeared mouth.
    "This