“I’m sorry, Christopher.”
“I’m not. Like I said to Brigid, I lost her a long time ago.
I need to accept that and move on. Maybe I can still keep Jackie and Joe and
the kids. But maybe not. Jackie’s always been a mama’s girl.” Christopher
nodded ahead on the trail. “Look, that’s a good tree there. Or is it too tall?
I think it would fit in that space by the big window in your den, wouldn’t it?”
Jesse understood that Christopher didn’t want to talk
anymore about his family, so he gave the tree a good look over, declaring that
it would absolutely do for the living room.
“Now we just need to get someone to load it up on top of the
minivan for us,” Jesse said several minutes later, dragging the tree along
behind him. “Then we can pick out some wreaths and head back home.”
Christopher’s cheeks glowed in the cool, morning
temperatures. It was probably too much to hope for before January, but he’d
love to see Christopher in the snow. He could just imagine him in the back yard
building a fort with Will, or having a snowball war with Will and Frankie-Jones.
It made his heart ache with fondness, and Jesse reached out to touch
Christopher’s arm as they approached the barn again.
Brigid ran toward them with a grin on her face and a bag in
her hand. Will danced by the bluegrass band, kicking his feet up like he’d seen
Riverdance a few too many times. Christopher listened to Brigid talking about
her purchases and Jesse watched them happily. He didn’t expect her to
completely give up her resentment overnight, but Christopher had clearly gotten
through to her by offering to help with the cranes.
While Jesse supervised the tree’s attachment to the roof of
the minivan, he noticed Christopher had been pulled aside by a handsome,
bearded man, and it only took a second longer to recognize the man as the
blacksmith from Smoky Mountain Dreams. Taller than Christopher and broader by
far, the blacksmith spoke to him earnestly, his cheeks red and eyes cast down.
Christopher shifted uncomfortably, his eyes wandering over
to Brigid and Will where they stood watching other children get pulled around
in a decorated wagon by the small tractor. Jesse tried to read Christopher’s
lips when he spoke, but he couldn’t tell what he was saying.
The blacksmith shook his head at whatever it was and then
put his fingers on Christopher’s chin to tilt his head up, forcing Christopher
to meet his eye. Anger flashed in Jesse, hot and consuming. He abandoned his
supervision of the tree loading to stalk toward the man touching Christopher
with so much proprietary tenderness.
“…won’t forgive me, I know,” the man said, his voice
trailing into quiet when he saw Jesse approaching.
“I’m happy, okay?” Christopher said, putting his hand on
Gareth’s and bringing it down from his chin. “It’s not just because you waited
too long. We wouldn’t have been right together anyway, Gareth.”
Gareth! That was the guy’s name. Jesse cleared his throat. “Everything
okay here?”
Christopher nodded, but he looked sad, his eyes falling back
to the ground. “Jesse, this is Gareth Winston from work. I’m not sure you’ve met.
He was…we were…” Christopher’s eyes had a kind of pleading in them. “He came to
buy a tree too.”
“Good luck finding the right one,” Jesse said. “I guess
Christopher was just telling you about our plans to head back home to decorate
the tree and have a nice night together as a
family?
”
Christopher’s cheeks flushed and he met Jesse’s eyes with a
strange combination of embarrassment and excitement. Yes, Jesse’d said it.
Family
.
“I’ll see you at work,” Christopher said to Gareth.
Gareth grunted and took a step back. He eyed Christopher
again. “If it don’t work out, or you just need a friend, give me a call.” He
walked away without even looking at Jesse again.
“You didn’t have to rub it in,” Christopher said softly,
watching Gareth go.
“I was trying to make a point.”
Christopher laughed under his breath. “That I’m not
available?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I could have made that point myself. In fact, I
was
making that point.”
“You seem like you feel guilty about it,” Jesse said,
stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, watching Christopher’s face
closely. “Why’s that?”
“Because he’s not a bad guy, and because if he hadn’t
dropped me after that first night, we’d probably have gotten together. Because
I believe he really cares about me, even though he was awful at showing it when
it would have mattered. I guess I just think his chances of finding someone and
managing to tell them the right things at the right time are pretty slim. He’s
kind of bad at this whole love thing.”
Jesse didn’t say anything. He wanted to say that he wasn’t
sorry for the guy at all. He was grateful. Because the idea of Christopher with
him was appalling in a way that made Jesse want to fall on his knee and propose
right then and there just to make sure Christopher was really his and was
really not going anywhere.
“Come on,” Christopher said, bumping Jesse’s shoulder. “Let’s
go home. The tree’s on the car and we’re all paid up. The kids are ready, I
think. Let’s get this decorating party started.” He grinned then, his eyes
lighting up again. “As a
family
.”
Hours later, the decorations and tree were up, carols
had been sung, and the kids were exhausted and banished to the basement to
binge-watch the final season of
The Legend of Korra
.
Christopher had been lured by Jesse up the stairs to his home studio in the
attic, where Jesse had locked them in.
The window seat was wider than a twin bed, and long enough
that Christopher, pants off, shirt rucked up, and ass in the air, suspected
Jesse might have had it built with fucking in mind. Jesse was behind him on the
seat with room to spare, and he’d spent the last ten needful minutes licking
Christopher’s ass like he had all the time in the world.
“Oh God, your ass is perfect,” Jesse groaned, kneeling back
to test the give of Christopher’s spit-coated rim with a thumb.
Christopher, his head buried in the pillow, waited,
breathing heavily and squeezing his aching cock. “Fuck, I’m dripping on your
window seat cover,” he whispered, sliding his fingers over the head of his cock
to smear it around in hopes of keeping more from possibly staining the fabric.
“Don’t worry about it. Just let go and feel good, Chris.
Open your hole up for me.”
Christopher whimpered as Jesse went back down on his hole,
relentless with his tongue and lips. His hole spasmed and tingled under the
assault and he pushed back for more. He moaned as sweat broke over him and his
nipples thrummed. It was so good, so enjoyable, and he finally had to reach
behind him to pull Jesse’s hair, making him stop, afraid he would cry out loud
enough the kids might hear.
“They’re in the basement,” Jesse whispered wetly against the
skin of his ass, as though he’d read his thoughts. “We’re in the attic. I want
to hear your noises.”
Jesse slid his hands down Christopher’s back soothingly, and
Christopher heard the tell-tale sound of a condom wrapper opening. He kept his
head down until Jesse smoothed some lube over his hole, and then he lifted up
enough to whisper, “I’ll be loud if you fuck me. I won’t be able to help
myself.”
“I know. I love that.” Jesse positioned himself behind
Christopher. “Oh, and one last thing before I start.” He grabbed a handful of
Christopher’s hair and lifted his head. It kind of hurt, but Jesse was somehow
gentle about it. He nudged Christopher’s chin and turned his head to face the
window.
The sun was setting, and shades of pink and orange
transformed the sky over the mountains. The view was astounding. He could see
both Thunderhead and LeConte and the usual trademark haze softened their edges.
It was as if the view was torn from a dream.
Jesse lay his head back down, then ran his hands down
Christopher’s arms, laying them straight out at his sides. He pushed down on
his wrists a little. “Keep these here. I’ll want them later. And keep your eyes
open. I want you to see the sunset. It’s the best view in the house.”
Christopher moaned as Jesse fingered his ass again—the
sloppy wet sound of his lubed hole being worked open was sexy as fuck—and then
Jesse positioned himself and the thick, hot head of his cock stretched
Christopher wide enough that he whined, his eyes scrunching up and his body
breaking out into an even harder sweat. On his knees with his ass up in the air
and his cheek pressed to the soft window seat, he felt deliciously exposed.
“Mmm,” Jesse moaned. “You’re so responsive, so damn eager. I
want you to hold still though. None of your wildcat tricks where I can’t figure
out if I’m fucking you or you’re fucking me. Not tonight anyway. Tonight, I’m
going to see how much you can take.”
“How much I can—?” Christopher grunted, cutting himself off
as Jesse grabbed hold of his forearms and used his grip to pull Christopher
back on his cock.
“I’m gonna fuck you until you beg me to let you come.”
“Oh God.”
“Love how your ass grips me. So tight. Sweet Jesus,
Christopher. There are no fucking words.”
“Then why are you talking?”
Jesse sniggered. “Oh, you might regret that.”
He proceeded to fuck Christopher so hard and fast that
Christopher cried out, his ass convulsing around Jesse’s pounding cock and his
prostate stimulated so aggressively that he was dangerously close to shooting
all over the window seat without even touching his dick.
“Been thinking of taking you like this every time I try to
fucking work up here. Getting nothing done. Can’t concentrate. Just want you
naked and squirming on my dick, and now you’re here and it’s
so fucking good
. Goddammit, please tell me it’s good for
you too.”
Christopher couldn’t answer. Each fuck into his ass knocked
a gasp from his lungs, but words were impossible. Words required being able to
think, and all he could manage was to feel—heat and friction from his hole,
shivery good explosions from his prostate, and the uncontrollable convulsions
of his ass trying to keep up with Jesse’s thrusts. He moaned and twitched, his
hips starting to quiver and his voice coming in fast, harsh
ohs
that escalated into whimpers and climaxed into cries.
The phone chirped.
“Fuck!” Jesse slowed his thrusts and let go of Christopher’s
arms to grab his phone from the stack of pillows near his feet. “Shh.”
Christopher put a hand over his mouth when Jesse rolled his
hips and fucked him slowly while using the voice recognition software to text
back.
“There are more Doritos in the basement
kitchen.”
He groaned and said, “Do-ri-tos. Fucking Siri.”
He tossed the phone back where it had been. “Now, where were
we?”
“Oh God,” Christopher managed to say before Jesse started
fucking him wildly again. Christopher’s toes and fingers tingled, his ass
cheeks tingled, his whole body trembled, and his balls tightened and rose up.
He muttered, “I’m gonna come if you keep fucking me like that.”
Jesse slowed his thrusts, and Christopher didn’t know if he
was happy or if he should cry. He’d been so close, but this way the fuck wasn’t
over yet.
“What do you see?” Jesse asked.
“Mountains. Trees. Sunset.” It really was an incredible
sight, even looking at it from the side.
“I see the prettiest heart-shaped ass with the sweetest,
hottest hole in the entire world. I’ve got a better view.”
Christopher laughed. “You’re a sweet talker.”
“I know. Guess that means I should take this little game to
the next level.” Jesse panted. “You just tell me if it’s too much. Can you
still talk?”
His brain was buzzing and his body burning with need, but he
could still get out a sentence or two if need be. “Yeah.”
“Okay. Just say ‘too much’ if I go too far.”
The fast, hard thrusts were back and Christopher couldn’t
keep his eyes open any longer. Mountains, sunset, whatever the view was, it
wasn’t nearly as compelling as the overwhelming pleasure of being fucked. Jesse
collapsed onto him, driving Christopher’s hips into the rough window seat
cover. He slid his fingers through Christopher’s, gripping tightly and curling
their arms up beneath Christopher’s torso. Not entirely comfortable, but
Christopher didn’t care. He was in Jesse’s arms, filled with Jesse’s dick. That
was all that mattered. Jesse’s breath in his ear and stubble along the back of
his neck was maddening, and Christopher felt close to coming again. He rolled
his hips forward to get friction and then back to take Jesse’s cock.
“Mmm,” Jesse murmured. “That’s it. My greedy bottom boy.
Give it up to me. Gonna fill you up with my cum until it’s dripping out of you.”
Christopher shivered at the dirty words, some delicious,
deep part of him titillated and violently aroused by the filthiness. He knew
Jesse was wearing a condom, but he imagined he’d feel Jesse come inside him
until it overflowed. He desperately humped his ass back and forth, fucking
himself on Jesse’s cock and sliding his dick against the window seat, until
Jesse pushed down with his own hips to still him. He used his thighs to shove
Christopher’s legs up and apart, spreading him open frog-like so Jesse could
dig his cock in deeper, rolling in strong, deep surges.