Home Is Where the Christmas Trees Are (4 page)

“But Noodle, is this really what you want? You’ve lived here all your life, and with everything that’s happened this last year… is this the right thing to do?” He was going to miss her. He was going to be alone. He….

The Christmas tree twinkled and he stared at Ed’s star.

“Yes. I think so.” Rowan glanced at Gwen, who leaned forward.

“Dex, you’ve been truly wonderful. You know what I think about you being Rowan’s guardian. I totally trust you, which is why I wanted her to stay with you and not Thomas. I would never have brought this up or pressed Rowan in any way, had she not brought up the idea to me. Oh. I guess I already said that.”

“Uncle Dex?”

Dex shook himself out of his self-pitying stupor and pasted on a smile. “Okay, Noodle. If that’s what you want and need right now, and Gaga is okay with having you there, then I say go for it. So let’s talk about details.”

Twenty minutes later, Dex stood from the table.
Right, then
, he told himself.
Spit spot. Time to put the kettle on.
Why he was channeling an Englishman, he had no idea, except for that stiff-upper-lip thing. Ed would be there soon, and he needed to get the pasta going. Keeping busy was a good thing (when your heart is breaking).
Pish posh, who said anything about broken hearts?

Squaring his shoulders, Dex strode into the kitchen.

E
D
MOANED
.

It sounded so erotic, Dex felt his eyelids flutter. But it was only his homemade spaghetti and garlic bread that Ed was scarfing down in what looked like the throes of ecstasy. His lips were shiny with butter, and Dex had a hard time looking away.

“How do you make this so good? It’s the best spaghetti sauce I’ve ever had. Don’t tell Mom I said that.” He bit into the bread and moaned again.

“Thanks.” Dex shifted to relieve his hard-on as he took a bite.
Mm, not bad
. “I enjoy cooking.”

“That’s good, because I enjoy eating.” Ed smacked his lips with relish. God, he was distracting.

“Mm-hm.” Dex drank some wine and tried to think of some light, sparkly conversation as an alternative to leaping across the table at Ed and eating him up. Nothing came to mind except for Rowan’s face when she’d begged him not to be upset with her decision to move. He toyed with his food while Ed cleaned his plate. “Seconds?”

“No, thanks. I’m stuffed.” Eating and drinking seemed to make Ed glow even more. His color was heightened and his eyes were doing that twinkly thing.

Dex stared at him hungrily. “Let’s go sit on the couch. I wanna look at the tree with you.”

“Okay. I brought some more cheesy Christmas CDs. Although Johnny Mathis is a genius. I don’t care what anyone says.”

“Put him on.” Dex cleared the table and stacked plates in the sink. He went to the living room, where Ed was bent over the stereo, and took in the view of Ed’s cute ass. He was wearing tight black jeans and a red sweater. When he straightened and turned, his black hair tumbling over his forehead, Dex gazed at his rosy cheeks and lips, the hipster glasses, and the sweet smile, and felt his chest expand. He held out his arms. “Come here, my Christmas elf.”

Laughing, Ed walked into his arms and they embraced, swaying to Johnny Mathis singing “Winter Wonderland.” “And you’re my Christmas angel,” Ed whispered into his ear.

“Me? An angel?” But Dex’s lips curled up and the glow in his chest got warmer.

“Yes.”

Their swaying turned into a slow dance. Dex laid his head on Ed’s shoulder, breathing him in, feeling his arms close around him.
Home.
He couldn’t understand how he knew after so little time that Ed was home, but there it was. Home is where the heart is, and for some strange reason, Dex had given Ed Alcott his heart.

“Ed.”

“Yes?”

They kept dancing. Dex found it easier to say the next words into Ed’s broad shoulder. “Rowan is leaving.”

Ed stopped and pulled back, peering at Dex with concern. “What do you mean?”

“She’s going to live with her grandmother in DC. She told me that’s what she wants.” Dex rested his forehead on Ed’s chest. His sweater was soft and smelled good. Dex didn’t want to see the expression on Ed’s face.

“Oh, Angel. That’s hard.”

Dex’s throat closed up and he nodded. He felt Ed’s soothing hand stroke his back, and he burrowed in closer, resting, taking refuge. Johnny Mathis crooned in the background.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ed asked, continuing to inscribe comforting circles over Dex’s back.

“Not yet. Later.” Dex swallowed against the ache. “Right now I want….”

“Yes?” Ed kissed his temple. “What do you want?”

“A Christmas elf in my bed.”

Dex felt Ed smile against his skin. “And that is exactly what you shall have, my angel.”

T
HEY
STOOD
right where they were in the living room for the longest time, kissing deeply, tongues entwined, as the Christmas lights cast colored patterns on the wall and Christmas carols played softly. Dex hadn’t kissed much in the last ten years since he broke up with his college boyfriend. He preferred to get right to the action with his sex partners and got antsy when they wanted to snuggle. He wondered why he’d been so averse, because kissing Ed was wonderful. He could do it forever.

Ed finally broke their clinch to whisper, “What was that about a Christmas elf in your bed?”

“Oh. Yeah. Come on, Elf.”

Taking Ed’s hand, Dex led him down the hall into the master bedroom. He saw it with new eyes, with Ed there. The walls still showed the spots where Jan’s pictures had hung. Dex hadn’t wanted all the reminders of Jan in the room after she’d died there on hospice, so with Rowan’s permission, he’d removed most of her possessions when he’d moved in. That left a big, empty space, which he’d furnished only minimally. There was nothing that spoke of Dex in the room, other than a treadmill, some free weights and a bench, and Dex’s clothes in the open closet.

He turned and there Ed stood, gazing at him with those twinkly eyes. His sweet elf, lighting up this dreary room with his glow. Dex grabbed him and kissed him, pouring his gratitude into it until he had no breath left.

“Whoa,” Ed said, sounding breathless himself. “You made my knees wobble. We need to get into bed before I fall down.”

“Let’s get naked.”

“Taking the direct approach. I like it.” Ed moved to pull his sweater over his head.

“Wait. May I?” Dex removed Ed’s glasses and set them gently on the dresser. Ed’s eyes were stunning at this vantage point—a deep brown with glints of gold framed by thick black lashes. Dex cupped his hands on Ed’s cheeks. “Your eyes are amazing.”

Ed pinked up. “Er, thanks. I love the color of yours. Gray, but sometimes they look green.” He waited as Dex caressed his cheekbones with his thumbs, then stirred. “Um, getting naked time?”

“Oh. Right.”

They wasted no more time in taking off their clothes, then lay on the bed with their arms around each other. Dex, for all the men he’d been naked with, felt oddly shy as Ed stroked his hands over him, staring, seeming to drink Dex in. Ed’s body was wiry and spare except for his lovely broad shoulders. Curly dark whorls of chest hair adorned his pecs, through which a set of pink nipples peeked. A dark treasure trail ran from his navel down to a lovely full cock nestled in more dark curly hair. Dex liked that Ed wasn’t one of those hairless twinks; he was nicely furry.

He ran his fingers through Ed’s chest hair and moved closer so their bodies aligned and their cocks brushed.
Jesus.
Cozy graduated to hot as hell in a hurry. Ed’s hand fell on Dex’s hip, and Dex gasped at the electricity flowing from Ed’s fingers. Every touch was like a brand, and Dex burned. “Ed,” he said. “Touch me.”

Trailing his lips along Dex’s jaw, Ed reached down and took hold of Dex’s prick, causing a moan to rip out of Dex.

“God.” Dex noticed he was trembling, and a part of him was trying to stay cool and composed, but he fucking couldn’t. One touch and he was falling apart. “Ed. Eddie. God, I’m so happy you’re here.”

Stroking him, Ed murmured, “Sweetheart. You are such a sweet man.”

Dex gave up keeping it together and buried his face in Ed’s chest, letting the stupid tears flow while Ed brought him to the edge and over. After a few panting moments, Dex grasped Ed’s cock, then added some of his come to slick it up, and with a deep groan, Ed came in two strokes.

They lay facing each other, and Ed opened his eyes, gazing intently at Dex with an expression akin to reverence. He reached out and traced the wetness off Dex’s cheekbone. Dex wanted to laugh off his tears or make some excuse, but he was beyond words. His life felt forever altered. He’d heard of and scoffed at those “love at first sight” stories, and now here it was, happening to him.

“I know you have reasons to be sad,” Ed whispered. “I’m honored you feel safe enough to show me your sadness.” He kissed Dex, and the beauty of the moment was almost too much to bear. Then Ed pulled back, giving him an impish grin, and
bam
—sparkly elf was back. “I tell you what, though, Angel. I’m going to do everything I can to make you happier than you’ve ever been.”

Dex couldn’t help but smile. “That include a Christmas tree every year—real, none of those fake ones?”

Ed seemed outraged at the very idea. “Fake? Never. Everything real for my angel.” They snuggled. “Besides, my mother would kill me if I ever bought an artificial tree.”

“Your mother! I get to have Mrs. Alcott as a mom-in-law! Or are we getting ahead of ourselves here?”

“I don’t think so. But one step at a time. Christmas Eve at the Alcott home is next. Once you survive that, it’s all smooth sailing.”

Dex rested his head on Ed’s shoulder, drowsy and content. In a minute he’d get up and get them a washcloth or they’d be stuck together, and not in a good way, come morning. But for now he wanted to lie here, all snug in his bed, as visions of Christmas trees… a vast line of them stretching out into the future… danced in his head.

31 stories of holiday love!

www.dreamspinnerpress.com

After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head,
CJ
ANE
E
LLIOTT
finally decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.

CJane is an ardent supporter of LGBTQ equality and is particularly fond of coming out stories.

In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop.

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.cjaneelliott.com

Twitter: @CJaneElliott

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cjane.elliott

Home Is Where the Christmas Trees Are

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S
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www.dreamspinnerpress.com

A Serpentine Series Book

Reeling from the news that his parents are divorcing, Pete Morgan starts his junior year at college cynical about love and commitment. Although his new openness to one-night stands does wonders for his sex life, fighting his romantic nature proves harder than he’d anticipated. He soon finds himself pining for a glamorous senior, Aidan, who doesn’t mind taking Pete to bed but shows no interest in commitment—at least not with Pete. And Pete’s attempt at a “friends-with-benefits” relationship with sophomore Jed leaves Pete feeling empty.