“I think we shouldn’t have to take off more than one piece of clothing per song,” he tossed out at the last minute. He gestured at the many strands of lights and the fuck ton of various sizes and styles of ornaments we had purchased. “Neither one of us exude a lot of self-control when we’re naked and within reach.”
“True,” I agreed. “Okay, no more than one article of clothing can be removed per song. Any other rules?” Liam cocked his head to the side and gave it serious consideration before he shook his head. We agreed the game would begin as soon as the next song came on. I cringed when I heard Frank Sinatra begin to sing “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow.”
“Damn my stupid new rule,” Liam said, his smile bright enough to light up Rockefeller Center. “You’d be almost naked within the first few seconds.” I took off a shoe and tossed it aside before walking to him. He chose a kiss as his reward so I poured my heart and soul into it. “Oh my,” he said breathlessly, staggering back a few steps once the kiss was over. “Whew. Let’s get to work shall we?”
That’s how it went. A dropped piece of clothing followed by the hottest of kisses or touches until I was so on edge I thought I might burst. Decorating a Christmas tree had never been as much fun or frustrating. Of course, I was the one to end up bare-ass naked first. Liam was down to his sexy red briefs – how fitting – when he stood on the ladder to place the star on the top of the tree.
That round, tight ass was right there on display, teasing me beyond control. He stood up on his tiptoes and leaned forward to straighten up the star. I was afraid he might lose his balance so I did what all loving boyfriends would do and placed my hands on his narrow hips to steady him. Of course, they didn’t stay there for long. I slid one of my hands around to massage his bulge while the other teased his tightly pebbled nipples. Liam pressed into me, mewling softly as I caressed his lean body. Unable to stop myself, I leaned forward and nipped his ass through his undies.
“Jack.” He cried out my name, but what he really meant to say was “more.” I slid his briefs down his long legs and tossed them aside. I alternated between tender kisses and playful nips, worshiping the tender globes of his ass. I licked and sucked the little dimples above his ass. “Let me down,” he pleaded with me. I stood back, but left my hands on his hips as he descended the ladder. Liam turned into my arms as soon as his feet were on the ground. “You said something about a fire, blankets, and laying me down.”
I ended up being the one who laid down on our nest of blankets while Liam raised and lowered himself on my dick. The tree – our tree – bathed him in festive lights while the fire crackled and glowed behind him, giving him an almost ethereal appearance. I would never tire of the way he arched his back while he rode me, his head falling back, and his lips parting in ecstasy. I would wear the mark of his fingernails where they dug into my pectoral muscles, but I’d wear them with pride.
Liam snuggled in my arms beneath the blankets once he rode us to completion. Realization of what my grandfather truly meant when he wrote to me about surrendering my heart came to me just then. I had found that in Liam – the person who showed me what it really felt like to be alive. He was the air that I breathed, the blood that pumped through my veins, and the keeper of my heart. I smiled in the flickering firelight when it occurred to me that I was starting to uncover the Irish poet that resided inside my soul.
I had received the blessings from both of his parents on Thanksgiving Day; it was given without hesitation and with pure joy. I just needed to find the right time to ask him to surrender his heart to me – forever.
“DID YOU REMEMBERto lock up?” Jack asked halfway in to our seven hour trip to Bellows Falls, Vermont.
“Mmm hmm.”
“What about the coffee pot?”
“Yes dear,” I said, affectionately. “I also made sure we used up the milk before it could expire and set the lights to come on automatically so that we’re not robbed by two bandits while we go to France on vacation.” I looked around to the backseat as if I were doing a headcount. “Kevin!” I did my best impersonation of the mom from Home Alone.
“Smart ass.” There was no anger is his voice as he reached across the seats and tweaked my nose. “So I’m a little anxious.” It was the understatement of the year. It seemed like he had a lot more on his mind than meeting Jeremiah and his grandson though.
“Everything will be under control at the bar while we’re away and we are able to bring Charlie with us. What more could we want?”
“You’re right. I just need to relax and not be so worked up about this trip.”
“You’re so amazing, Jack. Have I told you that lately?”
“Just this morning in the shower,” he tossed back at me with a leering smile. I did tell him he was amazing in the shower that morning. I loved how confident and happy he had become in all aspects of our relationship since we started seeing one another. I’d like to claim a little bit of credit for it, but it had a lot more to do with the nudge Big Jack gave him, which was the reason for this trip.
I knew he wanted everything to go perfectly so he could honor Big Jack’s memory and perhaps give his granddad a bit of closure too. Whatever the reason, it was the right thing to do. We were truly blessed with phenomenal weather for it being December on the east coast, which usually meant tons of snow. There wasn’t a flurry in the sky and none was predicted over that weekend.
We had just entered New York when Xavier’s text to let me know that Ellie’s water broke and she was being admitted to the hospital. I was sad that I wasn’t going to be there when Sofia came into the world, but I still felt my place was beside Jack.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked after I read the text.
“X wanted me to know that Ellie was admitted to the hospital.” I had heard how annoying Chase had been when Ava was in labor with Jacob. I wondered if Xavier would be as rowdy as our older brother.
“Do you want to go back?”
“What? No!” I loved Jack even more for offering to turn the Jeep around when I knew it was the last thing he personally wanted to do. Had I wanted to go back home, he would have done it. “I’m right where I want to be.” Jack glanced at me for a brief second to make sure my expression matched my words. I gave him my megawatt smile, as he called it, and he noticeably relaxed. “Are we there yet?”
“Just a little bit further.” His quick comeback made me smile.
We stopped a few times to eat and let Charlie stretch his legs so the typical seven hour drive took closer to eight and some change. We checked in at the B&B just before dinner time. Jack gave me a choice between taking Charlie out for a walk on the grounds or hauling our luggage upstairs. Um… I took Charlie for a walk. The wind was crisp and cold, but I found it to be very pleasant. It reminded me of the time we spent at Jack’s cabin. The air was so much purer without city pollutants; it was simply beautiful.
One thing I admired about Jack the most was his tidiness. He told me it was because of all the years he spent in the military. I found him unpacking our suitcase and placing everything in the drawers or on hangers. I looked around the room and found the light blue and gray theme to be very comfortable and not fussy. For some reason, I expected a big floral comforter with about fifteen various sized throw pillows in complimentary colors. Instead. I found a four poster bed covered by a duvet with subdued gray and blue stripes with zero throw pillows.
“Very nice,” I said to Jack. “It’s very quaint and peaceful here.”
“It would be beautiful in the fall when the trees changed or the spring when trees would begin to bud.”
Joseph and his husband, Brad, would be meeting us downstairs in the restaurant later that evening. Joseph was the one to suggest this particular B&B and we had no reason to doubt his referral. I wasn’t exactly sure how to dress for the meeting, so I chose to go with a nice sweater and dark jeans. Jack went with a striped button down shirt and dark jeans.
