Nico felt like he was about to crawl out of his skin by the time he parked his car in front of Mackenzie’s house.It was exactly where Mackenzie had told him it would be, and just like he’d said, it was cute—two floors, but not too big.Nico knew it had three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs.Mackenzie had mentioned giving him a tour, and Nico couldn’t wait.
Mackenzie’s door flew open before Nico even reached the porch.He was still taking out the pies from the passenger seat when Mackenzie appeared, grinning widely.He looked excited, which made Nico’s stomach flutter.
He was the one doing that.Mackenzie was excited to see him, no one else.
“You made it,” Mackenzie said when Nico reached him.
“I did.”He raised the pies.“As promised, I brought dessert.”
Mackenzie’s eyes widened.“Did you bake those?”
“God, no.My mother did.I’m decent at cooking, but that’s because I don’t have to measure stuff.Ask me to bake you a dessert, though, and I’ll probably end up blowing up the kitchen.”
Mackenzie was still smiling, and God, was he handsome.His hair was darker than Dean’s, but he still had some hint of red in it.His brown eyes were gentle when he looked at Nico, and freckles dotted his skin.He was a bit taller than Nico, and everything about him looked soft in a good way.Nico wanted nothing more than to snuggle up to him.
Instead, he followed him inside the house.Mackenzie closed the door behind them, then gestured ahead.“Kitchen’s that way.I’m cooking, so I’ll give you the tour later, all right?”
“I’m not in a rush.”
“I thought we could finish cooking together?Unless you don’t want you.I know not everyone likes cooking.”
To be honest, while Nicocouldcook, he didn’t particularly enjoy it.He found it bothersome to have to do it every night, and he was glad that his mother took care of feeding him and his father.He was pretty sure they would have starved otherwise, or limited themselves to eating sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
“It smells good,” he said with a smile.
Mackenzie beamed.“Let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells.”
“I’m sure it will.”
Itdidsmell good, of garlic and something else that Nico couldn’t identify.
“It’s nothing much,” Mackenzie said as he put down the pies and rubbed the back of his neck.“I thought lasagna would be a good idea.That way, we won’t have to spend half the evening in the kitchen.”
“It sounds perfect.”
“You can help me if you want, although there’s not much to do.We just need to put everything together.”
That was what they did.Mackenzie had everything laid out on the counters already, so it wasn’t hard.They talked as they cooked, and Nico found himself leaning closer and closer to Mackenzie as the minutes passed.He could feel the warmth of Mackenzie’s body against his, and their elbows kept knocking against each other.Every time they did, Nico sucked in a breath and waited for something to happen.
He could tell that Mackenzie kept glancing at him.He did the same thing, but when their gazes caught, they quickly looked away.Nico was going to have to take the next step if Mackenzie didn’t because if nothing happened between them by the end of the evening, he’d do something stupid, like ask Mackenzie why he didn’t want him that way when it was obvious that he did.One of them just needed to be brave enough, and if Mackenzie wouldn’t do it, Nico would.
* * * *
THE SMELL OF GARLICand herbs filled the small kitchen as Mackenzie slid the lasagna into the oven.Nico leaned against the counter beside him, a dishtowel slung over his shoulder since he’d insisted on starting to clean up already.
“Forty-five minutes,” Mackenzie said, closing the oven door and turning to face Nico.
“Perfect timing.”Nico’s smile was soft, and it made something warm unfurl in Mackenzie’s chest.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about helping me.You’re not a bad cook, though.”
Nico’s cheeks flushed slightly.“My mother insisted that both Chris and I know our way around a kitchen.Said we’d have to take care of ourselves someday, and maybe our family, too.”
Something in his tone, in the way he was looking at Mackenzie, made his breath catch.Before he could second-guess himself, he stepped closer and kissed him.
It was meant to be gentle, a soft press of lips, but Nico’s hands came up to cup Mackenzie’s face, and the kiss deepened, their mouths moving together with a hunger that didn’t surprise Mackenzie.They’d been dancing around this almost since the day they’d met.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Nico rested his forehead against Mackenzie’s.
