“Anytime.” He pushed up and grabbed another kiss, loving being able to just make the connection.
Kyle never disappointed him, accepting the kiss and returning it like a promise. Like it mattered to him. “You want a rice cooker?” Damn, Kyle had a lot of gadgets in this kitchen.
“Yeah.” How fucking cool. “Show me how to make it work?”
“It’s easy.” Kyle stretched up tall and pulled a little pot with a plug on it out of the cabinet over the stove. Kyle added water and the rice and pressed a button, and that was it. “And you don’t touch it again until it’s done. Simple, huh? Do you want to clean the fish, or do you cook it like that?”
“I’ll clean it up. We just do it simple, hmm? Because the étouffée has the flavor.”
“Yep. Grill pan or sauté pan?” Kyle headed for a cabinet across the kitchen. “God, I’m already hungry. By the time we sit down to eat, I’m going to be ravenous.”
“Have a bite of cheese.” He took the sauté pan and started heating it up before getting the fish ready. “I like me a crispy skin.”
“You eat the skin? I didn’t know you could eat fish skin. I’ll try it.” Kyle went right over, picked up a small hunk of cheese, and waved it at him before eating it.
“I cleaned it up real good. You don’t have to. One for me?” He opened his mouth like a baby bird’s.
“One for you.” Kyle cut him a chunk and put it on his tongue, the sharp taste making his mouth water.
“Uhn. Thanks, cher. So good.” He got the pan screaming and put the fish on, then tumped the shrimps in the étouffée to cook real fast.
“You want to eat in here, or we could sit in the dining room? It’s a little fancy, but sometimes that’s fun.” Kyle refilled their wineglasses.
“I’m easy as pie, cher. It’ll taste good anywhere.”
“Dining room, then. With candles. Why not?” Kyle pulled four tall tapers from a drawer and disappeared into the dining room.
“Ooh. Candles!”How fancy!
“I don’t use this room a lot, just for parties, mostly,” Kyle called from the other room. “It’s nice, though. Comfy. Getting close?” Kyle came back in, hooked an arm around his waist.
“Two minutes. You want to grab out the rice?” He craned his neck and kissed the curve of Kyle’s jaw.
“Mmm. I like that. Rice. Got it.” Kyle slipped away to pull the rice out of the steamer. A few minutes later, serving dishes were passed between them, filled, and set out on the table. Kyle opened another bottle of wine while he got the bread out of the warming oven and sliced it up. In the dining room, Kyle pulled out his chair. “Sit, baby. I can’t wait to try this.”
He inhaled deep, the world buzzing with the scent of cayenne and bay, parsley and garlic, paprika and thyme.
Kyle paused with a serving spoon in his hand, candlelight dancing across his face. “Do I serve this over the rice or next to it?”
“Over is how we do it. You can sop up with the bread too. It ain’t fancy, just good.”
“Good is fancy enough for me.” Kyle served them each a big helping.
“Ain’t it? Sometimes just good is better than fancy.”
He watched Kyle try it, grinning at the yummy noises and the nearly orgasmic look on his lover’s face.
“Oh, Colt. Oh my God. That is… mmm.” Kyle took another bite. “So good.”
He took a bite of his own, and a wave of homesickness hit him for a second. Oh, that was good. That was just right.
When he looked up again, Kyle was watching him. “Tastes like home, huh? I can see it in your face. Tastes like your mom’s? It’s cool how food can do that. This is amazing.”
“Tastes like my granny’s. Just…. She taught me to cook all the good things.” Barbecue shrimps and gumbo and jambalaya and étouffée and shrimp and grits and court bouillon and crab boil. All the good things. “What you like to cook best?”
“Pasta. I love Italian food. I make a mean lasagna. I love shellfish and pasta dishes, sausage and peppers, more pasta… God, I love pasta. And I love to grill. Ribs, chicken, steaks, fish, veggies like peppers and corn, pineapple and peaches.”
“Mmm. Yes, please.” He could eat all of that.