Gay Romance Holiday Collection

by Keira Andrews

  “Hey, we’re friends, right? Of course I support you.” Sam turned to Lucas and hugged him too.

  As Sam slapped his back, Lucas grinned. “Definitely friends.” He was happy to discover that he really meant it.

  “Well. Now that we have that settled.” Mrs. Kramer blew her nose delicately, folding the tissue after. “Our dinner’s keeping warm in the oven, and we don’t want it to dry out. Let’s sit around the table instead of in front of the TV.”

  Nate and Lucas shared a smile as they followed toward the dining room. Lucas reached out and squeezed Nate’s hand.

  “Oh, one more thing,” Mrs. Kramer said, turning back. “Now, I’m sure you know all about safety. In regards to…” She waved her hand.

  Nate groaned. “Dad, make her stop!”

  Mr. Kramer slipped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Come along now, dear. Let’s celebrate the last night of Hanukkah and leave the safe sex lecture for another day.”

  “Don’t you mean safe making love?” Sam asked as he followed, apparently endlessly amused by his own joke. “Hey, since we’re having Italian, we get to drink real wine with dinner, right? Not that sweet crap. I mean stuff.”

  As his family disappeared around the corner, Nate stopped. He appeared slightly dazed, his glasses askew. Lucas reached out to straighten them as Nate asked, “Did that really just happen?”

  “It did.”

  “I can’t believe it. Seems like I’ve been a real idiot.”

  “Seems like.”

  Nate burst out laughing. “Hey!” He frowned in mock offense. “I thought boyfriends were supposed to be supportive.”

  “My bad.” With a glance around, Lucas gave Nate a quick kiss. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

  “Deal.” Nate grinned. Then he shook his head. “I can’t believe my family is being so cool about this. I guess miracles really do happen at Hanukkah.”

  Lucas gave him another kiss. “I guess they do.”

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  From just inside the doorway, Mrs. Kramer surveyed the studio apartment, which now appeared even smaller thanks to the arrival of Nate’s belongings. “Well, it’s…cozy.” She held her fur-trimmed leather gloves, her long black jacket still buttoned.

  Lucas shimmied between some boxes and the left-hand wall and made it into the narrow kitchen, which was separated from the living room by an island counter. “Can I get you a bottle of water?” He’d worked up a sweat and had stripped off his plaid shirt, wearing just a white tee and jeans.

  “No, dear, we really can’t stay,” Mrs. Kramer replied. She looked to the immediate right at the so-called bedroom, which was really more of a nook behind a half-wall, barely big enough for the double bed Lucas had brought from Michigan after sorting through the storage unit.

  He’d gotten rid of a lot of stuff, but having his dad’s brown leather couch and armchair against the right-hand wall in the living room made the bare-walled apartment feel like home already. The TV was still in its box, along with most of Lucas’s possessions.

  Nate and his father nudged Mrs. Kramer out of the doorway and inside, carrying the last of Nate’s boxes. Mr. Kramer stretched his back with a soft groan and said, “All right, you’re all set.”

  Mrs. Kramer scoffed. “Hardly. Look at how much needs to be unpacked. I thought Rabbi Lowenstein said this was a ‘spacious’ studio? And your view is a brick wall. Good thing you’re on the tenth floor so you can glimpse the sky.” She tutted.

  Nate squeezed between stacks of boxes and grabbed water from the otherwise-empty fridge. “It is, Mom. We’ve looked at a thousand crappy apartments since the beginning of summer. This one is amazing for the price. Rabbi Lowenstein’s cousin’s sister’s aunt cut us a great deal.”

  “After six months of sharing Nate’s room at the house, I’m sure this will feel like luxury,” Mr. Kramer said.

  “Totally,” Lucas agreed, then hastily added, “Not that your home isn’t lovely! I appreciate you letting me stay so much.” He’d transferred to NYU after finishing his year at Brookfield, and the Kramers had been incredibly generous by letting him move in with them while he and Nate hunted for an apartment, which was a blood sport in New York City.

  The Kramers smiled, and Mr. Kramer clapped Lucas’s shoulder. “We know, son. We also know how exciting it is to have a place of your own.”

  “And Hell’s Kitchen has come a long way,” Mrs. Kramer said. “So many restaurants right around the corner. Although it’s really quite noisy.” A siren wailed distantly on cue.

  “Come on, Deanna. Boys, we’ll see you soon. Hanukkah starts tomorrow, so we’ll expect you for dinner. Call if you need anything.” Mr. Kramer ushered his wife to the door.

  She gave Nate a long hug and kissed him tenderly on the forehead before stepping back. “Be good, bubala.”

  As soon as the door closed behind them after more goodbyes, Lucas met Nate’s eyes across the stacks of boxes, and they grinned. Nate gazed around, taking in the bathroom squeezed right across from the foot of the bed in its nook. “What are we going to do with all this space?”

  Lucas laughed. “Just wait until you see the east wing. It’s impressive.”

  “But it’s ours.” Nate took his phone from his pocket and snapped a few shots. “I’ll take some real pics when we’re unpacked, but I want to document the process.”

  “Should I model, Mr. Photographer?”

  “Always.” Nate winked and took a few more pictures as Lucas made faces and posed with boxes.

  Nate had applied to Tisch for photography without mentioning it to his parents, figuring he’d see if he got in first. Naturally he did—Lucas had been confident it was a slam dunk—and he’d broken the news to his parents. They hadn’t taken it very well at first, but had either come around or resigned themselves. Either way, they were supportive.

  Nate eyed the bed beyond the half-wall. “We finally have a real bed that’ll fit both of us. I can’t wait to sleep with you every night.”

  While of course they’d still had sex in Nate’s room, actual sleep had usually occurred in their twin beds. “Just sleep, hmm?”

  “Fucking goes without saying. Duh.” He bit his lip. “Speaking of which, maybe we should christen our new bed. You can scream as loud as you want.”

  Lucas didn’t have to be asked twice. They sidestepped the boxes, falling back on the bare mattress. Nate’s weight on top of him felt so good—so right. He carefully took off Nate’s glasses and put them on the shelf built into the half-wall separating the bed from the entry and living room. Then he yanked Nate’s sweater over his head and kissed his smooth chest, teeth on Nate’s pink nipples, making him squirm and moan.

  The taste of Nate’s salty skin was heady. Lucas rolled over, his mouth moving over Nate’s body, peeling away clothing as he continued until Nate was naked beneath him, both of them kicking off their sneakers and peeling away socks.

  “I need to fuck you. Or you fuck me. Whatever. I need to feel you.” Nate gritted the words out, and his already-hard dick was proof of them.

  Lucas sat up on his knees and quickly stripped off his clothes. “Shit. Where did we pack the lube?” They’d stopped using condoms now that they were completely committed to each other and had clean bills of health.

  “In the bathroom box? Oh, wait, wait. In my wallet. They were giving out those little packets on campus for some sex-ed drive or something.”

  Lucas dug through Nate’s pockets and came up with the lube, tossing the packet to Nate. “Put it on yourself.” Nate opened it and rubbed the lube between his palms before slicking himself as Lucas straddled his hips.

  Nate stroked himself with one greased hand and the other found Lucas’s hole. He pushed his fingers inside roughly. “Fuck, you’re tight. You look so hot. I can’t believe we’re actually here. In our own place.”

  “Me either.” Heart pounding, desperation ignited in Lucas’s veins. Even though they’d given each other hand jobs in the sho
wer that morning, he felt like it had been forever ago. He moved over Nate’s dick, maneuvering himself into position.

  With a loud moan, he slid down and the head of Nate’s cock stretched him painfully. He bit his lip as he forced himself down the shaft.

  “Whoa. I don’t want to hurt you.” Nate held Lucas’s hips firmly, stopping his downward movement.

  Lucas shuddered, the burn in his ass almost too much as he lowered himself. Almost. “I want to feel you tomorrow. I want your cock. I need it.”

  Eyes dark with lust, Nate reached for his glasses. “You’re so beautiful. I could watch you all day. I want to take your picture like this. With my cock inside you.” He bent his legs and thrust his hips up. Lucas cried out as he impaled himself fully, the pleasure and pain combining as he rode Nate. “Oh God, oh God.”

  “That’s it. Be as loud as you want.”

  Lucas squeezed his ass on Nate’s dick as he bucked up and down. His own cock was hard as rock, and Nate reached out for it, stroking roughly. Lucas cried out over and over. “Oh, oh, God.”

  Sweat dampened his brow and the back of his neck, their skin slick where their bodies met. A sense of abandon came over Lucas, a complete lack of inhibition as he slammed down on Nate’s cock over and over again, making two bodies one.

  “I love your ass. You’re so tight, oh God,” Nate muttered, and he squeezed Lucas’s dick, his thumb flicking over the head. “Love coming inside you. Want you to come all over me.”

  Suddenly Lucas came in a rush, spraying Nate as he clamped down on Nate’s cock. Lucas’s cries would probably wake the dead, but he let them rip. Nate fucked up into him almost frantically, head tilted back and eyes closed. Voice hoarse, Lucas urged him on. “Fill me up.”

  After another few thrusts, Nate shuddered, his semen spilling deep in Lucas’s ass. Lucas squeezed, trying to milk out every drop before flopping down on Nate’s chest, kissing his throat. They panted, bodies a wet and sticky mess, and Nate lightly ran his fingers up Lucas’s spine.

  Lucas murmured, “I guess we should unpack.”

  “Five more minutes. Or ten.”

  After they cleaned up, Lucas yawned on the mattress, still naked. It had been a hella long drive from Michigan the day before. Maybe he could just close his eyes for a few minutes…

  He wasn’t sure what time it was when he woke with a fluffy duvet tucked around him. Stretching, he reluctantly sat up. The overhead light was on in the kitchen, illuminating the whole apartment, and Lucas was surprised to see through the windows it was already dark outside.

  Peering over the half-wall, he focused on Nate in front of the fridge. “How long was I out?”

  Nate jumped about a mile, spinning around. “Jesus. A couple hours. You were zonked. I unpacked a bunch, and I was just…” He glanced behind him at the fridge. “I don’t know if I’m doing it right, but I thought you’d like it. Make it feel more like home.”

  Lucas realized the fridge was now covered in magnets. He’d brought a big plastic container filled with his dad’s collection, and now they decorated the fridge. Wrapping the duvet around him, he shuffled over, taking in the familiar images.

  There was a hot-pink magnet shaped like Florida; a cheesy plastic replica of a San Francisco trolley; a Hawaiian surfer with the words “Hang ten!”; a block of cheese from Wisconsin; an old-time Coke bottle; one from the National Air and Space Museum that proclaimed, “Failure is not an option.”

  Lucas swallowed thickly. They were all here, out of the box and displayed where they belonged. His dad would love it. “It’s…”

  “Obviously you can change the order. I’m sorry. I should have let you do it.”

  “No. Thank you for doing this.” He met Nate’s worried gaze. “It’s perfect.” He didn’t have any other words, so he kissed Nate instead and brought him back to bed.

  After finishing their unpacking the next morning and getting rid of the stuff that wouldn’t fit, Lucas suggested a trip down to Union Square. The square was ablaze with Christmas lights and chock full of covered wooden artisan booths, and they wandered the rows of stalls as the light drizzle turned to fat flurries. Lucas was struck with the holiday spirit. “I have an idea.”

  Nate lowered his camera and cocked a brow. “Does it have something to do with sex?”

  “Is that all you think about?” Lucas huffed in mock exasperation.

  Nate leaned in, his breath warm on Lucas’s neck. “When you’re around? Pretty much, yeah.”

  Despite himself, Lucas blushed and a shiver of desire coiled around his spine. “Believe me, we’ll get to that later. For now, my idea involves twenty dollars and this marketplace.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I propose we split up for half an hour and buy each other a Hanukkah present. Twenty-dollar limit.”

  “Shouldn’t you get a Christmas present?”

  “Call it a ‘Chrismukkah’ gift, then.”

  Laughing, Nate said, “Okay. Twenty dollars. Half an hour.” He returned his camera to its case and glanced at the time on his phone. “Meet back here.” Then he was gone, disappearing into the throng of shoppers. Nate always enjoyed a challenge.

  Lucas hurried off in the other direction, examining each stall’s wares. He considered a pair of supple leather gloves and wondered if he could talk the seller down. In the end he didn’t even try; the thought of haggling made him faintly nauseated.

  Row after row, Lucas struggled against the crowd, considering and then discarding gift ideas. Everything was either too expensive or just not right. Perhaps this game hadn’t been a good suggestion after all.

  A large Star of David hanging from the top of one stall caught his eye, and Lucas angled through the crowd. Just as he reached the stall, he heard Nate’s chuckle from his left. Nate joined him, smiling. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Lucas laughed. “Well, I asked myself, what do you get the Jew who has everything?”

  “Tell me the answer isn’t a Star of David wall hanging to decorate our new place.”

  “Not on your life.” Lucas glanced at the woman operating the stall. “Um, no offense.”

  The young woman waved her hand. “None taken. But I’ll have you know those are very popular with Staten Island ladies of a certain age.” She indicated the rest of her wares. “Maybe there’s something else more to your liking.”

  Lucas and Nate looked over the collection of novelty yarmulkes and kosher dog treats. There was also a velvet case of jewelry containing silver necklaces and bracelets with dangling stars. Another case held rings, and Nate picked up a silver ring inscribed with Hebrew, spinning it around between his fingers.

  “Ah, that’s a beauty,” the woman said. “It says ‘ani ledodi vedodi li.’ It means ‘I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.’”

  Nate held it in his palm. “How much?”

  “Wait, what?” Lucas blinked in surprise.

  The woman sized them up. “I’ll give you two for sixty dollars. Normally eighty.” She took a quick look at Lucas’s hand and pulled out another ring. “Try this one.”

  Lucas took it from her. The silver was decent quality and the ring felt solid in his hand. He smiled uncertainly at Nate. “Um…”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not proposing.” Nate took the ring from Lucas’s hand. He slid it onto Lucas’s left ring finger, where it fit perfectly.

  “Could’ve fooled me.” The butterflies unleashed in his belly flapped like crazy.

  Nate grinned. “Just want to make sure it fits.” He tried on his own ring, sliding it on his ring finger. It was a bit too big, so the woman gave him another size.

  She smiled. “They look good on you, boys.”

  Lucas didn’t know what to say. “Uh… Thanks.” His head swam as he looked down at the ring. He knew he loved Nate with all his heart, but they’d only been together a year. “I guess we’re going over the twenty-dollar limit.”

  “Will you throw in two chains?” Nate asked.

  The woman pondered
it for a moment. “You drive a hard bargain. What the heck? It’s Hanukkah. Almost.”

  Nate took Lucas’s hand and slipped the ring from his finger. “We can wear them around our necks until we’re ready.”

  Lucas swallowed hard over the sudden lump in his throat.

  Nate’s smile vanished. “Shit, I totally freaked you out, didn’t I? I know it’s spur of the moment, and I was the one who used to be all, I don’t want a boyfriend. But you changed everything, and I thought… Look, we don’t have to—”

  “Would you shut up? I love you, and you love me. So why not?” Lucas pressed their lips together. Turning to the beaming woman, he smiled in return. “We’ll take them.”

  Riding the creaky elevator in their building an hour later, Lucas couldn’t stop smiling. He loved the feel of the ring against his chest and knowing that Nate felt the same brush of silver. Lucas leaned in close to him. “Think I’ll get lucky tonight?”

  Nate caught his mouth in a kiss. “You just might. Good thing I told Mom and Dad we had too much unpacking left to make it tonight.”

  Guilt tugged at Lucas. “Maybe we should still go. Even if we miss the blessings and the menorah lighting, we could still see everyone. Rachel texted me a bunch of sad faces.”

  “The great thing about Hanukkah is that it’s eight nights. We’ll make sure we go to Aunt Linda’s for her big dinner and gift exchange. I’m beat. I just want to curl up in our bed.”

  “I can’t really argue with that.” Lucas nuzzled Nate’s cheek. “I love quiet nights.”

  At their apartment door, Lucas fished his keys out of his pocket, but when he twisted the knob, the door sprung open. Lucas knew his mouth was gaping, but he didn’t know how else to react to the sight of what had to be Nate’s entire family crammed into their tiny studio apartment.

  Fifteen or so people stared back at him, some standing in the kitchen shoulder to shoulder, kids on Nate and Lucas’s bed poking their heads out through the open space above the half-wall.

  Lucas’s first response was a flare of panic at all the people in such a small area, but at least there was no pounding bass or beer bongs being passed around. He took a long breath and blew it out slowly. It was okay. These weren’t strangers. They were family.