Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 9

enough he was hovering in the kitchen constantly looking over his shoulder. The fact he was hovering while clad in nothing but black boxer briefs was simply maddening. "Go. Explore. Find something to do until I'm finished."
    "Aww, come on, baby. Tired of me already?" Michael could tell Cole was trying to concentrate, and that was all the reason he needed to agitate him, but it was also fun. He decided to give it a rest, though, because Cole was being so sweet, trying so hard to cook for him. He wandered into the living room, to check out the movie collection he had spotted earlier. "Damn, is this whole shelf porn?"
    Cole chuckled in response. "No, asshole. I watch other kinds of movies too. On occasion. Look through what I have and find something for us to watch tonight if you want."
    Cole nearly chopped off his finger when he heard Michael exclaim, "Holy shit. What the fuck is this! The Notebook. Nights in Rodanthe. Message in a Bottle. Oh my god, its chick flick heaven."
    "Whatever. Those movies happen to be very good."
    "I'm sure they are. For chicks. It's a good thing you've got some quality dude movies on here, or I'd start to question your manhood."
    "Well, if you're in any doubt about my manhood perhaps I need to demonstrate it for you. Again." Cole had turned from the stove, to face Michael in the living room. He cupped his dick and balls through the cotton of his briefs so there was no doubt he was very much a man.
    " Mmmm ," Michael purred. "I may have to see that proof of yours. But after dinner because I'm starved and that smells delicious."
    They sat at the breakfast bar, wearing nothing but their underwear, and ate together like they had been doing this for years. About midway through Michael praised all of Cole's hard work. "This is really good, Cole. You should own a restaurant not a bakery! I love the spicy shrimp."
    "Oh my God. I almost forgot." The mention of spicy reminded him of his surprise. Cole rushed to the fridge and got out the dipping sauce he had made using the Scorpion peppers. "I made this just for you. It's a spicy hot pepper sauce."
    "If you keep this up I may just have to keep you." Michael took a bite-size piece of his steak and swirled it around in the sauce. He popped it into his mouth and slowly chewed, savoring the taste. And then fire erupted in his mouth. "Holy Shit." He jumped up from his stool and stuck his tongue out trying to fan away the heat with his hand. "Fuck. What the fuck was in that? Ow. Fuck. Drink. Gimme a drink!" Michael was dancing around Cole's kitchen in his underwear fanning his tongue and cursing like a sailor.
    Cole was in hysterics! He was laughing so hard he nearly spilled the milk. "Oh. My. God. So. Funny!" Michael ripped the glass out of his hand, spilling milk all over the floor. It dribbled down his chin as he gulped the entire glass down. Cole was still laughing. It took two more glasses of milk for Michael to stop flailing about like he was on fire.
    "What the fuck, dude? Are you trying to kill me?" Michael bellowed.
    The anger in his voice sobered Cole right up. Michael stood in front of him, rigid, panting and coated in sweat. Cole cautiously slid his arms around his waist and cooed, "I'm sorry baby. Really. I wanted to surprise you, so I ordered some of the world's hottest peppers and added a handful to the sauce. Sorry."
    Michael's breathing slowed, and the tension left his body. He wasn't really mad. It had been the shock and pain speaking. "It's okay. Thank you. It really was a sweet gesture but maybe not quite so much next time if you ever want me to be able to use my tongue again."
    "Yeah." Cole smiled up at Michael. "I guess I should just stick to sweets. I wouldn't dream of damaging that talented tongue. I've got far too many plans for it in the future." He gave Michael one last squeeze and turned to start cleaning up the mess on the floor and the dishes. "Go ahead. I'll clean up."
    A half an hour later the kitchen was back in order, and they were curled up on Cole's couch together, getting ready to watch The Big Lebowski. Michael was lying completely stretched out along the couch, and Cole lay spooned up against him.
    "This couch is huge. Did you buy it at Shaq's yard sale or something? I've never seen one like this before."
    "Ha ha. Very funny. I actually had it specially made just for me. They had to assemble it here because it's too big to be brought up in one piece." Cole felt a knot form in his stomach. This subject brushed along