Something in the Way He Needs (Family 1)

That last thought was so vivid, so all encompassing, that Asher was distracted from the fact that the weird smell was getting stronger, not weaker, the closer he got to his apartment. When he opened the door and the air seemed just a little hazy, he snapped to attention.

“Daniel?” he asked worriedly. “Is everything okay? Daniel?”

“Hey, you’re home!” Daniel walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. His baseball cap was on backward, his huge T-shirt was covered in new stains, and his jeans dragged on the floor behind his flip-flops, the hems tattered and frayed from the constant friction. Asher would have suggested smaller pants or a belt, but Daniel’s smile seemed to have knocked the air out of his lungs and he was having trouble breathing, let alone talking.

He’d been away from the man for more than twelve hours, hadn’t enjoyed that happy expression all day, so having the full impact of Daniel’s bright smile aimed at him made his chest ache with desire. Sexual desire, yes, but it wasn’t just that. Asher wanted to do anything and everything in his power to keep Daniel looking as happy as he did at that moment. And to keep Daniel looking at him as the person responsible for that happiness, as the person responsible for Daniel.

He was rooted to his spot as Daniel walked up and slipped right into his arms. When had he opened his arms? He was pretty sure that was tomato sauce on Daniel’s shirt, and it looked like it was still damp. That sauce was sure to transfer to his own shirt.

“I missed you today,” Daniel said and wiggled against him, tucking his face under Asher’s chin, kissing the base of his throat and running his hands from Asher’s hips over his back to his shoulders, and then back down again.

Thoughts of stains on his shirt fled from Asher’s mind as he clung to that skinny body, took Daniel’s hat off, tangled his fingers in messy hair, and massaged Daniel’s scalp. He had missed Daniel too, more than he thought was reasonable considering the fact that they’d known each other less than a week. But when he opened his mouth to tell Daniel how he felt, the words got stuck in his throat.

Instead he said, “What were you doing in here? It smells like—” He sniffed the air, then pressed his nose to Daniel’s hair and inhaled. “Smoke? Is something on fire?”

“Not anymore,” Daniel answered, the words muffled because he was still gliding his mouth over Asher’s neck and jaw.

Asher gripped Daniel’s shoulders and held him out at arm’s length. “Not anymore?” he asked. “As in there was a fire? Here?”

“Yeah,” Daniel said with a nod. “Just a little one. Turns out cooking is pretty complicated.” He sighed. “But I’ll get the hang of it. I just need more practice.”

A glance toward the kitchen wasn’t enough for Asher to get a handle on what was going on. From his angle, he could see a small portion of the floor and the lower cabinet. Nothing else.

Daniel tracked his gaze and looked weary. “Don’t worry. I’ve got everything cleaned up. I didn’t leave a mess in your apartment. I was just working on scrubbing the last pan when you got home. I’ve almost got the black off.”

“Black? What happened?” Asher snapped. He immediately regretted the harshness in his tone, but the words were already out, so there was nothing he could do about it.

Daniel’s face dropped, first his expression and then his angle. His chin was almost touching his chest, his hair was hanging over his eyes, and he rubbed his foot in circles on the floor.

“I tried to make this chicken thing, but there was oil and it splattered and I didn’t want your counter to be dirty, so I was wiping it up but I wasn’t sure which cleaner to use and then I ran out of paper towels so I looked for more and I found them, so I was wiping the counter but then things were all smoky and I realized the chicken was burning and I was taking the pan to the sink but then I thought I once heard something about not putting water on oil, so I wasn’t sure what to do, and then I opened the window and held the pan outside until my arm was tired and the smoke was mostly gone, but then when I got back to the stove I realized the water on the rice had boiled off and the rice was all black and crispy in the bottom of the other pan so I had to hold that out the window until it stopped smoking, and….” Daniel finally paused his babbling long enough to take a deep breath, and Asher used the opportunity to brush his hair out of his face and tilt his chin up.