Our December

by Diane Adams

  "Sweet sixteen and never been kissed," Alex mourned, looking up at Jared with his best puppy eyes.

  Jared snorted. "I remember a kiss." His voice low and rough, Jared leaned closer.

  Alex blushed but didn't back away. "That one totally didn't count." His gaze met Jared's. "It's legal to kiss me now."

  Jared winced, legal according to the law. He wasn't sure if it was legal from the Jared Douglas point of view.

  "Jared." Alex's voice was raw with need.

  Closing the remaining space between them Jared pressed a kiss to Alex's cheek.

  "Real kiss, real kiss," Clarke began to chant, and the others joined in, laughing.

  Jared tangled his fingers with Alex's. "Shut up, jerks." Laughing, he pulled Alex toward the backdoor. The backyard was a little bigger than the front and dominated by a huge old elm tree. Black skeletal limbs were stark against the moonlit sky. There were a few strands of twinkling white lights in the lower branches. The snow filtering through the branches decorated their hair and shoulders. They huddled together under the tree, using the trunk to block the wind. Jared cupped Alex's face, caressing his cheek with a rough thumb. The skin was baby smooth under his touch.

  "Your hands are cold," Alex complained.

  "You don't care," Jared murmured. Leaning forward their lips brushed briefly. Stilling under his touch, Alex stared up at Jared, wide eyed. Jared trembled under Alex's intense regard.

  "You're right." Alex reached up and covered Jared's hand with his own.

  "Do you know what's in this tree?" Jared asked.

  "Branches? Snow? Lights?' Alex laughed.

  "Mistletoe. Lots of mistletoe."

  Alex stared up into the shadowy branches. His earlier bravado deserted him, but when Jared leaned in to kiss him, Alex didn't pull away. Jared's mouth was gentle on Alex's, tasting and teasing his cold lips. Alex sighed and took a tiny step closer. Giving in at last to his need to feel Alex in his arms, Jared drew Alex into a hug and held him close for the first time. His heart thundering in his chest, Jared buried his face in Alex's soft curls and breathed his scent. Alex nuzzled Jared's neck, threading his fingers through the silk of his hair. Making a soft sound of pleasure, Jared lifted Alex's face to his. Their lips met in a heated kiss. After a long time, Jared pulled back to look at him.

  "Happy birthday." He stared at Alex, his heart pounding hard against his ribs.

  Jared's birthday wasn't until March. At twenty the difference between them was only four years. He couldn't keep rejecting Alex, he didn't have the heart for it. His love for the young man swelled his heart. Sixteen, the age of consent in their state. While Alex was legally old enough to make his own decisions about sex, he was still so very young. Jared didn't trust himself to know where the line should be, what compromises to make.

  "New rules?" Alex suggested.

  Jared's heart melted, Alex knew him too well. "New rules. Sixteen year old rules, touching allowed above the waist with cuddling and kissing permissible upon occasion."

  "Dude, guys don't cuddle," Alex protested, laughing.

  Raising his brow, Jared gave a one sided smile. "You don't think so?" He pulled Alex closer.

  Alex laughed, his eyes sparkling. There were snowflakes caught in his lashes and Jared kissed them away. He'd never forget that moment. Freshly kissed Alex with snow in his dark hair. Jared cuddled Alex against him, and they kissed slow and hot, tongues tangling. When they broke apart breathless, Jared nuzzled Alex's cheek.

  "No cuddling?" His words whispered against Alex's skin.

  "Maybe, just a little, if you don't tell Clark." Alex’s hands fisted in Jared's shirt and he braved pressing a kiss to the corner of Jared's mouth.

  Jared chuckled. "Okay."

  "Promise?"

  "Cross my heart."

  Shadowed in Love

  The night of his thirtieth birthday found Alex leaning against the trunk of the oak tree watching the house. The lights he'd hung earlier in the month twinkled along the branches and snow fell in huge soft flakes. He wasn't there long before a curtain was pushed aside and the glass door slid open, letting light and the sounds of the party spill out into the night. Darkness fell once more and the sounds of merriment muffled when Jared closed the door.

  Alex watched his partner walking through the snow towards him, little more than a shadowy silhouette until he was close enough for the small twinkling lights to illuminate his face. Alex drank in the sight of him. Jared's expression was serious. this meeting under the tree in the snow was as much a part of their Christmas tradition as the party inside. Alex didn't move, even when Jared stopped in front of him just out of reach.

  "Happy birthday, Alex." A small smile quirked Jared’s his lips.

  Alex's mouth curled into an answering smile. "Merry Christmas, Jared."

  They met under the tree every year as the party was winding down. Clark would herd the guests out the front door and make sure the food was put away. That was part of the tradition as well, thankfully his wife didn't mind. Jared moved closer until their bodies almost touched. Alex watched him in silence.

  "You've got snow in your hair." Jared brushed the melting flakes from the dark curls. He cupped Alex's cheek, and ran his thumb over his full bottom lip.

  "I love the feel of your hands," Alex whispered and turned his face into Jared's touch "But they’re cold."

  "You don't care."

  Alex's eyes fluttered closed. "You're right. I don't care. And your lips are cold, too…" He shuddered and pressed closer, and Jared backed him up against the tree. He clasped the trunk over Alex's head, holding him pinned to the rough bark with his body. Alex sighed, parting his lips in eager invitation when Jared’s mouth pressed his in a firm kiss. Jared accepted without hesitation, licking his way inside. There was nothing cold about the way their tongues tangled in the moist heat of Alex's mouth, or the way Alex arched under him, eager for the feel of his lover's body against his.

  "Jared," Alex panted into the kiss. His hands fisted in Jared's coat. "I've been thinking about this moment for days, the tree, the lights, the snow, and you." He was on edge and hungry for everything Jared could deliver. It was always like this for them. It was supposed to be a tender moment, a special time for them to remember how far they'd come from that night so long ago under a tree so much like this one. But they needed each other too much. For Jared, times like this reminded him of everything he had, and how he never got tired of Alex's mouth on his, his hands on Alex's body. Fourteen years and he could still make Alex tremble with a glance. "Please."

  Jared's fingers pressed hard against the tree, if he had the strength they would have sunk deep into its bark. He'd promised himself that this year Alex would get the tender words and soft kisses he liked so well, but as usual, Alex pushed him to the brink of his control and beyond. Jared pulled back, looking down on him. The lights illuminated Alex's upturned face. There was only a hint of the boy he’d been, but Jared didn't miss the boy. He adored the man Alex had become far too much for nonsense like that.

  "Thirty." He laughed when Alex grimaced.

  "Death for a gay man." He buried his face in Jared's neck, licking and biting in an attempt to distract him from the teasing.

  "I need a new twink. Mine's all worn out."

  Jared's teasing laugh brought the desired reaction and Alex grinned, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, you think I'm worn out?" He gripped Jared's hips, and rubbed against him.

  "I’m sure of it," Jared breathed into Alex's ear and then traced it with his tongue before he nipped the lobe with sharp teeth.

  He felt Alex's answering bite on his jaw and a hard suction told him there'd be a small love bite to entertain Clark the next day. He grabbed a handful of Alex's curls and jerked his head back. "Boy!" His mouth closed on Alex's pulse, and it fluttered under his tongue. Jared squeezed Alex's erection through his jeans. Alex moaned, and pushed against his hand.

  "Jared," Alex panted.

  Jared couldn't resist the plea. His numb fingers f
umbled with Alex's snap. "Hands are cold, remember," he muttered.

  Alex arched his throat under Jared's seeking mouth. "Don't care." When Jared's fingers brushed his bare stomach, Alex sucked in a shocked breath.

  "Told you," Jared grumbled, but didn’t stop until Alex's jeans were open and his hand was buried inside wrapped around Alex's dick. The hard flesh felt hot to his touch.

  Alex clutched Jared’s shoulders, and cried out when Jared squeezed. The snow fall was heavier. The flakes on Jared's neck melted and slid down his back. His feet were numb from the cold, but neither stopped him from stealing a final heated kiss from Alex's swollen lips before sinking to his knees and nuzzling his belly. Jared felt the hitch of Alex's breath in the flutter of his stomach. Alex let go of Jared's coat to tangle his fingers in his damp hair. Snow melted under Jared's body heat, soaking the knees of his jeans, but the only thing he was aware of was the sound of Alex's ragged breathing and the scent of his arousal.

  Jared freed Alex from his boxers, briefly exposing the heated flesh to the freezing air before encasing it in his hot mouth. Alex's cry of pleasure was Jared's name. Jared swallowed Alex's cock, pulling another cry from him.

  "Ah, fuck, Jared!" Alex howled into the night.

  Jared intended to ignore the demands of his own cock until they were somewhere more hospitable, but Alex writhing and begging against the tree had him moving to open his jeans before he even realized he was doing it. The ice cold of his hand wrapping round the engorged length of his cock stole his breath. Jared thought the cold should cost him his erection, but the sight of his lover arched against the tree, combined with the friction of his hand on his dick, warmed things up before the ice could win. Still, it was freezing. Jared didn't waste time with subtleties.

  He sucked Alex hard, working him in all the ways he knew Alex liked best. Jared's efforts were rewarded when Alex gasped and thrust forward, his cock swelling harder in Jared's mouth. Well versed in the signs of Alex's impending orgasm, Jared breathed in deeply through his nose and was ready for the hot cum that shot from Alex's cock, filling his mouth and throat. He swallowed as well as he could around Alex's length, but cum still leaked down his chin.

  Alex's orgasm had barely ended before he fisted his hands in Jared's coat, hauled him to his feet and switched their positions against the tree in a move that made Jared's head spin. He didn’t get a chance to recover. Alex’s mouth chased his, biting and licking his lips. He knocked Jared's hand away from his cock, wrapping it in his own. Alex had stripped control from him, but Jared couldn’t make himself care as with Alex stroking his dick with brisk efficiency. Jared's hand cupped Alex's head, fingers buried in the snow-damp curls, bringing their mouths together. Alex jerked his head back, denying Jared. He bit Jared's bottom lip and sucked it hard, timing the flick of his wrist just right. Jared cried out and thrust his hips, urging a faster pace.

  Jared's breath quickened as Alex gave him exactly what he wanted. Sleet mixed with the snow and Jared pulled Alex close, encouraging him to burrow his face into the warmth of his neck. The wind picked up, but despite the freezing temperature heat remained trapped between them. Alex worked Jared's dick without pause, driving him closer to the edge. Jared pressed his face into Alex's hair, breathing his crisp, cold scent. Alex's thumb swept the head of Jared's cock at just the right moment. He stiffened, his back arching off the tree, and came with a shout. Hot cum coated Alex's hand but it cooled quickly, making them aware of the weather and how soaked they were with melting snow and ice.

  "Geez, come on." Jared grabbed Alex’s hand. They ran toward their house and the warmth that waited inside. Jared let them in and slid the door closed behind them. Clark had turned off the lights when he left and only the subdued lighting of the tree broke the darkness. Music played softly in the background. They stared at one another in silence. Jared was so cold he ached, and he couldn't feel his feet. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from Alex's.

  "Fourteen years." Awe colored Alex’s voice. Jared pulled him into a hug and they turned together to stare out at the snowy night. Alex leaned into Jared, snug under his arm. They stood in silence, captured in the wonder of the moment. Outside, their tree was a stark shadow relieved only by the twinkle of lights in the lowest branches. Somehow the tangle of shadow and light had come to represent the magic of their memories, the miracle of their present and their hopes for the future. Jared's hand cupped Alex's face. He leaned in to kiss him.

  "Your hands are cold," Alex complained just before Jared's lips touched his.

  "You don't care," Jared whispered.

  And he was right.

  THE END

  Diane Adams

  Diane started writing a number of years ago but never published until Dreamspinner Press accepted Blue Skies in spring of 2010. She works a regular 9 to 5 job during the week and has the herculean task of raising three kids on her own so time to write her stories isn’t always so easy to find. She has successfully managed to squeeze a bit in here and there and loves to write, explore and develop her characters although she admits she has to be careful with characterization (her favorite part) as she is prone to spending too much time on this and not enough on making sure things happen!

  Blog: http://dianeadams.virtualdelusions.com/

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.adams.56808