by Toni Aleo
"Where should we put it?" Vince held the new ornament up to the tree. "There are plenty of spots to pick from."
Joseph wrapped an arm around his waist, smelling of the coffee shop. He tapped his finger against his chin as he considered the open branches. "Up high enough so we can easily see it. How about here?" He pointed to a branch a little lower than chest level.
"Front and center works for me." Vince slipped the thin loop over the prickly needles and stepped back. It looked good.
Joseph stepped away, and a moment later, the tree lights clicked on, and the other lights in the room dimmed low. The soft white lights cast a warm glow around the space.
Vince reached out one hand to Joseph and gestured toward the couch with the other. "Sit with me?"
"I'm making us some hot chocolate. Get comfortable. I'll be right back."
He slipped off his shoes and rolled his shoulders. The earlier pain had faded to a dull, easier to ignore ache. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back. What a day.
The clinking of spoons against mugs and footsteps padding on the hardwood roused him from his thoughts. Joseph settled beside him and handed him a warm mug. "You're not falling asleep, are you?"
"And miss enjoying this with you? Not a chance." Smiling, he sipped the chocolate and lifted his arm so he could wrap it around Joseph's shoulders. "Are we all set for tomorrow?"
Celek, Noah, and Slater were coming to dinner. His teammates were his family, and in the absence of his actual family—his parents were spending the holiday on the west coast, and Joseph's grandmother and her husband were on a Christmas cruise—he was thrilled to have them there.
"We have all the ingredients for dinner. But one of us needs to pick up the desserts I ordered from the bakery in the morning." With a sigh, Joseph leaned against him. "This is nice."
It was nice. And romantic. And peaceful. Vince set his mug on the side table. He wanted to talk about the job offer from Ben and offer reassurances. But he didn't. He wanted to talk about the shore house because Joseph had been keeping quiet on that when he'd usually be stressing about the incoming renter. But he didn't.
Instead, he brushed his fingers through Joseph's dark hair, letting the strands fall through his fingers. The first time he'd met Joseph, he'd been awestruck. He still felt that way.
Joseph turned his head, rubbing against Vince's fingers. He shifted his position, set his mug on the coffee table, and then was back, meeting Vince torso to torso. He rested his hands on Vince's shoulders. "Kiss me."
Vince complied, crushing their mouths together. He could get drunk off Joseph's taste.
Joseph pulled back and tugged his sweater off, exposed smooth olive skin and a body toned from regular running and time spent in the gym. Vince's hands skimmed the ridges and planes, and Joseph groaned and leaned into his hands. He pulled Vince's T-shirt up, and Vince stopped in mid-caress to yank the garment off and toss it across the room. He narrowly missed the tree.
They met each other's gazes and laughed. Vince maneuvered until he lay down with Joseph at his side. "One tree mishap today was enough."
"If we're low on ornaments, we could always try clothes. You might be on to something."
Grinning, Vince traced his fingers along Joseph's face. "I love seeing you smile."
Joseph slid an arm around Vince's shoulders and pulled him close. The light from the tree reminded Vince of candlelight and daydreams. Joseph's tongue traced the seam of his lips. With a groan, Vince opened, meeting Joseph as his tongue licked inside. The kisses grew longer and deeper. Hotter.
Vince pulled out every trick he knew to give Joseph as much pleasure as possible. He knew the man's body almost as well as he knew his own. A brush of fingers here. A nip of skin there. And Joseph was straining and hard and begging for more.
But he knew all of Vince's secrets too. With a wicked smile, he kissed a trail down Vince's torso. His tongue darted out to taste and tempt and tease. Vince slid his fingers in Joseph's hair and held on for the ride.
The tug of a button, the slow slide of a zipper, and Joseph's hand closed around him. Vince thrust his hips through the tight grip. Joseph resumed his kissing, laving Vince's length before taking the head into his mouth.
Vince's eyes closed. He bucked up, wanting more. Joseph moaned, sending the vibration through him, and Vince gasped as Joseph swallowed him down. He tightened his fingers in Joseph's hair, close to losing control. Joseph took him to the edge, held him there, and then backed off. His eyes glittered as he released Vince and sat back.
"My turn." Vince worked quickly to shed his pants off the rest of the way and teasingly removed Joseph's as slowly and sensually as he could. Kissing and sucking each newly exposed inch, he reveled in Joseph's every moan and gasp of his name.
Lying stretched out on the cushions, fully skin to skin, he dove back into kissing Joseph's lips. They wound their arms around each other and their legs tangled together, and they rocked together as passion steadily built.
Vince wrapped his hand around both their cocks and started to stroke them off together. Joseph's hand covered his, tightening his grip. They watched each other in the muted light. Vince loved the way Joseph's breath hitched when he was close, and the tell-tale groan, but his favorite thing was the way Joseph's gaze latched onto him and how his eyes widened and then turned soft and hazy.
"Love you," he gasped as Joseph's thumb flicked just right.
"Love you back." Joseph panted and leaned in for a kiss, and together, they pushed each other over the edge.
Gasping, he rolled onto his back, pulling Joseph with him. They lay clinging together, kissing everywhere they could reach. When his breathing returned to normal, Vince reached for his T-shirt and used it to clean them up.
Joseph's body grew heavy as he drifted to sleep. Vince pulled the throw off the back of the couch and draped it over them. He curled around Joseph, holding him close.
Tomorrow night, after their guests had gone home, he would attempt the proposal again. No stress, and no messing with the tree. He would bring Joseph right back to where they now lay. And he'd give him the ring, and his heart, and the promise of forever. It would be perfect.
After the drama of the day, he was confident that the rest of the Christmas holiday would be smooth sailing.
Chapter Five
The scent of lasagna wafted through the house, mixing with the pine from the tree and cinnamon from the candles in the living room and kitchen.
Joseph finished hanging the last of the new "unbreakable" Christmas balls on the tree. Vince had picked up the box of silver ornaments that morning during his trip to the Italian bakery to get pizzelles and other cookies and treats for that evening's dessert.
He crouched down and rearranged the pile of presents, slipping one last gift under the tree. The tiny box held two simple bands and his hope for the future. He'd spied them in a store window during one of his runs through downtown Buffalo weeks ago. Hopefully, Vince would like them. Hopefully, Vince would say yes.
He stood, brushing his hands on his jeans.
"Looks great," Vince spoke from behind him.
Joseph jumped and whirled around, heart thundering. "Thanks. I didn't hear you come in."
"No kidding. What were you doing under the tree?"
He smiled even though his nerves were still fluttering wildly. "Shaking the presents, trying to figure out what they were." The fib rolled shakily off his tongue.
The doorbell chimed, saving him from further scrutiny. He took a few deep, steadying breaths, and walked to meet the company loudly making their way into the house.
Slater, wearing a sweater the same blazing red as his hair, carried a stack of presents. Noah brought a case of beer. And Celek toted a large unwrapped box.
"Merry Christmas, guys." He exchanged handshakes and hugs and directed people into the kitchen and living room.
Slater placed his presents on the floor. "Nice tree. We got one for our apartment but forgot to water it. Noah thinks it's a fire hazard now."
Vince set a plate of appetizers on the coffee table. "Dinner won't be ready for another half hour. Come in and relax."
After making sure that everyone had a drink, Joseph sat on the arm of the couch, leaning on Vince. He glanced up and smiled, tugging Joseph's hand to his chest.
Celek set down his drink. "Why don't you all open my present?"
He dug into his box and passed around identically shaped and wrapped rectangular packages.
Slater shook his. "Hmm… No noise. I wonder what it is."
"I think I know." Noah smiled and tore into the paper. "Ha! Knew it."
Celek stood by the tree with a satisfied smile. Arms crossed, he looked every inch the cool, confident team captain. "Boys, you're holding your copy of the book we'll be reading for January."
The Buffalo Bedlam Book Club had started after Celek had read a book and recommended it to Vince, and then Vince recommended it to Leo, and Leo recommended it to Rod, Dylan, and Slater. They'd held an impromptu book discussion while on a road trip, and after that, the book club was born. Each month, the teammates voted on the book to read. Not everyone on the team participated, and not everyone participated every month.
Joseph flipped the through the pages of the sci-fi novel. It was nice to be included even though he wasn't officially a part of the team. Spouses and significant others were welcome to join in. And thanks to the players posting the books on social media, the fans got a real kick out of a hockey team starting a book club, and some even joined in and read along. "Is everyone finished reading the December book?"
"No." Slater huffed a sigh. "But there are six days until the discussion."
"How far along are you?" Celek asked.
"Chapter one. I just can't get into this one. I keep falling asleep."
A loud ping interrupted the discussion. Mumbling an apology, Joseph pulled out his phone.
Aaron: Just got back from handing off the keys to the renter. House looks good. "Before" pics taken. Merry Xmas.
He typed back a quick Thanks.
Vince laid a hand on his thigh. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just Aaron." So far, he'd successfully avoided talking about the renter, or how he'd rented out the house again for the second week in January.
A shadow crossed Vince's face, but he didn't say anything and turned back to the discussion.
When the oven timer went off, incessantly beeping, Joseph jumped up. "I'll take care of that. Why don't you guys find seats in the dining room?"
Silencing the timer took three tries before he hit the button hard enough to end the blaring horn. He pulled open the oven, and a blast of heat slammed into him.
Slater strolled into the room. "Hey, need any help?"
"I'm good." He tugged on oven mitts that had seen better days—Nonna would berate him for wearing them in the presence of "company"—and bent to grab the pan.
Searing heat shot through the material. "Fuck!"
Joseph rushed to put the baking dish on top of the oven. Pain overwhelmed his grip, like alarm bells blaring in an emergency. His hands spasmed and he dropped the pan.
It teetered on the edge of the oven, and in an awful second, tipped the wrong way and crashed to the floor.
Noodles, tomato sauce and three types of cheese splattered wide across the tiles. And splashed hot across Joseph's jeans and shoes.
"Shit." Flexing his still-throbbing hands, Joseph threw the scorching hot oven mitts aside. Cold water from the faucet helped relieve the pain.
Slater's eyes and mouth rounded. "Are you okay?"
"Fucking perfect." Furious with himself, he pulled a towel from the counter and reached for the pan.
"Wait." Slater grabbed him. "It's too hot. Let me get it." He doubled up the oven mitt and then lifted the pan and set it in the sink.
Thundering steps accompanied Vince, Celek, and Slater into the room.
Vince's gaze whipped from the floor to Joseph. "What happened?"
"Hot pot." Damn, his hand still hurt. But not as much as his pride. Who the hell dropped a freaking lasagna?
"Did anyone get burned?"
"No. But dinner is ruined."
"So we'll grab some take out. You still have salad and dessert." Slater patted Joseph on the back with the patience of a parent directing a small child. "Don't worry about it. Here, you go and change because your jeans are a mess. I'll start cleaning up, and Celek or Noah can go out and get the food. What place is closest?"
"Asian fusion, pizza, or tacos." Joseph grabbed the roll of paper towels and squatted down, trying to ignore the heat seeping into his jeans and the fact that his leather shoes were likely ruined.
Vince knelt beside him and stole the towels. "I got this."
"No. I'll…" He sat back and drew in a deep lungful of air, but it did little to settle him. "I'm sorry, guys."
"Dude, you did get burned. Look at your palm." Slater pointed to the corresponding spot on his own hand. "No wonder. This oven mitt has a hole in it."
"I'm fine. It's barely anything." He curled his hand against his side.
Vince took hold of his wrist and gently pulled until Joseph had no choice but to stand. "We need to take care of this. Come on, Joey."
Celek waved them away from the mess. "Go with Vince. Slater and I will clean up. And Noah will go get food."
Vince held tight until they reached their bathroom. He made Joseph hold his hand under a stream of cool water again. The sting lessened and lessened until it faded almost entirely. He focused on his palm and tried not to think about the mess in the kitchen, or how he was angry enough at himself to want to punch a hole in the wall.
"I can't believe I did that." At least it wasn't worse. It wasn't nearly as bad as the time he'd burned his palm on a hot pie plate. That mistake had resulted in second-degree burns and a trip to the ER.
"Accidents happen." Vince turned off the water and gently dabbed his hand dry. He covered the small pink line with a bandage. And then pressed a kiss above it.
Joseph's eyes closed. The kiss weakened him. "All that work today, and now your friends are cleaning up my giant mess."
"Our friends," Vince corrected him, "are all rolling with this pretty easily. They're just happy to be spending time together and with us. Give it some time, and we'll all be laughing about tonight."
"It might take a long time before I can do that." Joseph sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Thanks for helping me."
"I wanted a minute alone with you. You looked like you were about to come apart at the seams."
"That's pretty accurate." But instead of coming apart, or reaching for the hug he needed, he kicked off his shoes and tugged off his jeans, socks, and sweater.
Vince grabbed them. "I'll throw these in the wash."
By the time Joseph pulled on clean clothes, Vince was back. He opened his arms, and Joseph gratefully walked into them. The full body hug was better than any medicine. He held on, breathing deep, steeped in Vince's scent and strength.
Even though he wasn't ready, he pulled away. "We need to go down. I don't want them cleaning up everything by themselves."
When he and Vince entered the kitchen, Slater and Celek were standing by the table. Except for the scent of lasagna in the air, the kitchen sparkled and held zero signs of the ruined meal.
"Thanks, guys. I owe you."
Slater waved off the thanks. "Dude, your phone has been blowing up."
Frowning, he snatched it off the table. The app for the security monitoring system he had at the shore house had somehow turned on. The outside cameras took a photo every time someone walked up to the front or back doors. There were seventy-five notifications.
What. The. Hell.
"What's wrong?"
He looked at Vince. "The rental contract was for four people. Over fifty people have shown up at the house. Two guys
just carried in a keg."
As he spoke, more notifications popped up.
"Now, someone is dragging the recliner onto the porch. And some people walked into the house with lit cigarettes. No smoking is stated in the agreement."
He paced the room. "This isn't right."
Vince stepped in front of him. "Calm down."
Another notification showed someone stumbling out of the house and vomiting over the porch railing.
"Screw that." He called the rental company, putting the call on speaker so he could see the notifications as they appeared.
A new notification popped up. Two guys stepped off the porch and starting peeing in the bushes.
Through it all, a steady stream of people kept flowing in and out the door.
Finally, someone came through on the line. Joseph explained the situation and was put on hold while the representative called the renter.
Noah came in carrying bags of takeout. "What's going on?"
"Go ahead and eat, guys." Vince waved them to the dining room.
Joseph turned away, tugging his hands through his hair as his pulse sped and heat flushed through his body.
"Mr. Parelli? The renter said he's not having a party."
"That's a lie." He spit out the words through a tight jaw. "The rental agreement was for four people. Not fifty. I'll send you every single photo my outside security camera has taken. Like the keg, and the smokers, and the guys peeing outside. He's having a huge freaking party. I want him out now. He's violated the agreement. And I want him held liable for damages."
"Hold on please, sir." The line buzzed again with awful music and a recorded message.
Something brushed his shoulder. He whirled around. Vince stood there, arms crossed over his chest. "Babe?"
"I'm so freaking pissed off. Who knows how much damage is being done? And now he's lying to the rental company. I need to go there."
"Where?"
"Home."
"You are home."
He narrowed his eyes, not liking the annoyance in Vince's voice. "The beach house."
"Why do you need to go?"
The rep came back on the line. "Sir? I'll need to see those photos. Can you send them to me?"