“I would be if I was them.” He attempted to copy Alex’s voice. “'I wanted to give Riley his present at midnight.'” His mum would definitely struggle to keep quiet after that. Not wanting to dwell on his parents, he reached out and gripped Alex’s shoulder. “Do you really have a pressie for me?” He worried at his bottom lip.
There hadn’t been time to get Alex much, and at the lodge, they’d agreed on not bothering this year—being together was enough. If Alex had gone and got him a big present after all, he was going to feel like the shittiest boyfriend ever. “Alex?”
Alex smiled up at him. “I was thinking blow job.”Thank fuck.Riley could easily match that present. “But I might also have something else. It’s nothing big,” he added quickly.
Riley resisted making the obvious joke, because… “I might have a little something for you, too.”
“Yeah?” Alex’s gaze darted to Riley’s groin and back up, and his resulting grin had Riley pushing him on the shoulder and urging him to get moving again. “Seriously, though, you’re not going to make me feel bad, are you?”
They reached the bottom of the stairs and Riley stepped up behind Alex, wrapping his arms round his waist. “No. I’m going to make you feel great.” He kissed the back of Alex’s neck.
Alex let out a soft laugh and relaxed against his chest. “I already do.”
Normally it was Riley who said the sappy shit, especially at Christmas, so his stomach fluttered at Alex’s words and he held him that little bit tighter. They fitted together so perfectly, Riley’s bulkier build wrapped round Alex’s leaner swimmer’s body, all firm muscle and strength.
Alex sighed. “As much as I love this, we have plans, remember.” He slotted his hands over Riley’s and gently eased them apart. “Come on.”
The door to Riley’s room creaked as it opened, the darkness a little foreboding until Riley leaned past him and switched on the socket next to the doorframe.
“Wow.” Alex reached down and clasped Riley’s hand.
“Too much?” He’d already put up a few decorations in his room before they went to the lodge but having Alex agree to spend Christmas Eve with him, he’d wanted to make it special… and might have gone overboard.
Alex shook his head, and took a step further into the room. “It looks….”
Multicoloured fairy lights looped along the curtain pole and across the walls. He’d wrapped red tinsel around his wrought-iron headboard—the one time he was thankful for getting his aunt’s old bedframe—and the mirror on his wardrobe.
The small fibre-optic Christmas tree sat in pride of place on his desk, with one small wrapped present underneath it. “It looks what?”
Turning to face him, Alex put his arms round Riley’s neck. “It’s perfect.”
“Really?” Charlie had taken the piss when he’d seen it earlier, and Riley had been nervous ever since.
Alex nodded. “Really.” He smiled, his eyes dark in the faint glow of Christmas lights, and Riley was helpless to do anything other than kiss him.
At the lodge, they’d spent a whole day in bed, only getting up for food, but somehow it hadn’t seemed quite real. Locked away from the outside world, away from friends and family, Riley had worried it would all change when they got back home. But if anything, this was better.
Having Alex in his arms, in his own space, was the best thing he could imagine, and he poured everything into the kiss, hoping Alex could feel how much this meant to him.
Gently guiding Alex backwards towards the bed, Riley reached to close the door. There was no lock, but he doubted very much his parents would venture downstairs, and Charlie would never risk catching them at it.
Alex moaned and pressed closer, his erection firm and insistent against Riley’s hip. “Let’s get naked,” he whispered between kisses and began to unbutton Riley’s shirt.
Riley let him have his way, standing in place as Alex ran his hands up his chest and pushed the now-open shirt off his shoulders. He traced a finger along the thick dark hair of Riley’s happy trail, gaze fixed as he followed its path. Riley shivered under the scrutiny, still not used to being the sole focus of Alex’s attention. Half-tempted to bat Alex’s hand away, he curled his fingers around Alex’s hips instead and tried to relax.
“So fucking hot,” Alex murmured, licking his lips. He flicked the button on Riley’s jeans open and eased the zip down so he could get his hand inside.
Riley was hard, had been from the moment they’d kissed. He closed his eyes and pushed into Alex’s hand as he palmed him through his boxer briefs. “Fuck.”
Alex stroked him from root to tip, over and over, until Riley was aching with the need to get the rest of his clothes off and to feel skin on skin.
When Alex spoke, his voice was low and rough-sounding. “Want to get my mouth on you.”
“God, yeah.” Riley’s eyes snapped open when Alex removed his hand.
Alex was frantically tugging his shirt over his head. “Come on, Ri.” He finally got free of his shirt and started on his jeans. “Get ’em off.”
Riley hurried to comply, pulling at his belt buckle and cursing when it wouldn’t come undone quickly enough. He shoved his jeans and boxers off and kicked them somewhere, not caring about anything other than getting under the covers with Alex. His room was warm, but not enough to warrant standing around with no clothes on. “Hurry.”
