AllFreeNovel
Share Us
King shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, so-so. Call me a work in progress.” He smiled, thinking about his conversation with Adds all those months ago, and then the first time she’d told him she loved him. The butterflies in his belly took flight, and a sappy grin lifted his lips. Just thinking about her made him happy. He loved being in love with her, and that feeling permeated every part of him. He was more confident, happier, and was generally high on life. “But I’m liking where I’m at.”
Mike nodded, a lazy smile spreading on his lips. “You look happy, man. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”
King’s grin widened and heat crawled over his cheeks. Mike was right. Adds had a profound effect on him. But it wasn’t just her. It was Liam too. Their friendship was as easy as breathing, and the time they spent together had become his favourite part of the day. They’d fallen into this domestic bliss that King adored. It didn’t matter whether they were working or cooking in the kitchen together, eating or watching a movie. Time with him was comfort and excitement at the same time. It was as if he was buzzing, an undercurrent of electricity flowing through him whenever he thought of Liam. Spending time with him amped it up to levels where he was sure Liam could see the incandescent glow radiating from King that seemed to grow every time Liam smiled.
He was itching to get over there already, and he still had a few hours before Liam would even be home. Taking care of Liam, teaching him, and encouraging him to shine, then watching his face morph from studious to surprised excitement when a concept sank in, fuelled him. King couldn’t be prouder of how far Liam had come in such a short period of time. But it was more than that too. He loved seeing Liam happy. Liam was like a flower uncurling in the sun with even the smallest bit of attention, and King loved getting to see it.
He craved it.
They moved over to the mats ready to begin their cool-down routine, and Mike asked, “Any plans for today?” Mike stretched his arms above his head, before grasping his elbow and bending to the side, stretching his lat.
King copied the move. “I’m cooking dinner for a friend.” It seemed like such a trivial word for his relationship with Liam. But at the same time, it wasn’t. King loved hard and would do anything for the people he considered friends, but he didn’t have many of them. So counting Liam among them was big for King.
“Nice. Any idea what you’re making?”
He flushed again, embarrassed that he’d planned a full menu for what was supposed to be a simple Wednesday night dinner. He’d apparently inherited his parents’ love of food—something he hadn’t really indulged in except with Liam. It had become their thing, and King’s heart tripped up in his chest, fluttering when he thought about Liam and being able to show him just how much he cared. He understood now why his mum got so much joy from cooking for her loved ones. He wanted to do it too, especially for Liam.
*****
Liam rested his chin in the heel of his hand, watching enraptured as King used a fork to shred the beef. He’d had it slow-cooking all day, and the smell in his house was delicious. “So, once I’ve done this, we’ll start on the ricotta.”
“Do I get to help?” Liam asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement. They were mostly green tonight, and King couldn’t tear his gaze away. He swallowed, cataloguing Liam’s features, the curve of his jaw, the tilt of his kissable lips in a smile.
“Of course,” King said, his voice rougher than he’d realized. He cleared his throat and added, “Once we’ve made the ricotta, we’ll use it in the gnocchi.”
Liam’s groan was illicit. It painted pictures of writhing bodies and gasps of ecstasy. Of long lean muscles covered in a sheen of sweat. He could just imagine Liam slaking his lust with a beautiful woman. He was single, but whoever ended up in Liam’s bed, whether it was for one night or many, was lucky. He was the sort of man who deserved to be loved and would give that love unconditionally back.
King unpacked the sous vide he’d borrowed from his mum, setting up the water to reach the required temperature, explaining it all to Liam as he went. Within thirty minutes he had it ready to start on the ricotta. “Hold this for me while I pour the milk in?” he asked Liam. They worked side by side, Liam reaching in front of King to keep the cooking bag steady as King slowly poured. “Once the milk has warmed, we pour in the vinegar and stir it until the curds form. Then we let it sit for twenty minutes.”
“I had no idea you could make your own ricotta.” Liam stuck out his neck to look inside the bag as the water settled around it, a smile filled with wonder, tilting his lips up and making his eyes sparkle. He loved seeing him filled with happiness.
Liam’s gaze met his, and King’s breath caught. His heart tripped over itself. Instinctively, King reached up, resting his hand on Liam’s shoulder. Unable to tear his eyes away, he watched as Liam’s pupils dilated, his emerald greens darkening. Those pouty lips parted and Liam’s inhale was short and sharp. They were standing close, but having Liam in his personal space was as natural as breathing. Touching him was too. Liam had been starved of attention, and affection, somewhere. King hated that for him. The urge to comfort him and at the same time, show Liam that his friendship meant the world to King was strong. Like the advance and retreat of the tides, it also seemed inevitable. They gravitated toward each other. It was as if King and Liam were always meant to be something to each other.
Something important.
Something deep and irreplaceable.
Something to cherish and nurture, exactly like the man himself. King was so grateful that it got to be him.
Sixteen
Liam
T
he side gate closed, the chink of the metal catch clattering like it did whenever someone walked through. King called out, “Lee, I’m here,” before sliding the back door open. He stood there in a long-sleeved black Henley and faded well-worn jeans that hugged his thick thighs. Liam wanted to touch the material just to see if it was as soft as butter, and the muscle underneath as firm as his legs looked. King shivered as the cool breeze of the air-conditioning washed over him. “Damn, it’s freezing in here.”
“It’s really not.” Liam had bumped up the thermostat by quite a few degrees since King had started tutoring him. He always ran cold and would sit in a tweed jacket shivering if Liam kept it at its usual temperature. “How are you always cold?”
King froze, looking at Liam like he was a deer in headlights, a weird vulnerability in his wide eyes. His sharp intake of breath surprised Liam. But then King blinked, seeming to shake out of it. “I… ah… lost some weight. It’s a side effect.”
Liam looked him up and down. He’d noticed his build before, jealous of the bulk he carried like he was a defensive footballer. He’d spied King’s toned biceps and had his muscular thigh pressed against his own when they’d been working together, leaning over the textbook and puzzling out the questions. King had an almost barrel-like chest too, broad-shouldered and perfect for… well, Addy to cuddle into. He hadn’t noticed it at all when King rested his arm across the back of Liam’s chair as he leaned in close and explained correlations, dependent and independent variables. Liam hadn’t noticed that their heads were close enough to feel the warmth radiating from King or how the world could fade away when they got lost in their bubble studying together.
Liam shook the thoughts away and refocussed on the other man. The layers made sense, and he turned off the air. King shot him a grateful smile and placed a few shopping bags on the kitchen bench. “Mind if I get dinner on so it has time to slow cook?” he asked.
Liam stood. “Yeah, absolutely. Want a drink?”
“Just water,” King replied casually, and Liam’s gut flip-flopped. He was looking away from Liam, his head in the fridge as he stacked a few packets of meat in it. He liked this, the companionship and comradery they shared. His attraction for King simmered under the surface, surprising him with its intensity, but these quiet moments when King showed him how comfortable he was in Liam’s presence, were ones he collected and kept close to him like a dragon with its hoard.
