by Ari McKay
The tears disappeared, replaced by anger, and Sean’s face flushed as he glared at Tomy. “You can’t do this to me!”
“Yes, he can.”
Jason’s large frame suddenly filled the doorway, and he stood staring down at Sean with an expression Tomy had never seen on his face before—cold contempt. Then he glanced at Tomy, and his eyes grew warmer. “Hey, babe. Looks like I’m just in time to take out the trash.”
Tomy’s first impulse was to run to Jason, and he gave in to it, pushing past Sean to greet Jason with an enthusiastic embrace. Obviously Jason had overheard at least part of the conversation, but Tomy didn’t care if he’d overheard all of it. He hadn’t said anything he was embarrassed about Jason knowing.
“Yes, you are,” he replied. “As far as I’m concerned, this conversation is over.” He turned to Sean and added coldly, “You aren’t welcome on these premises any longer. Get out and don’t come back.”
Jason slid his arm around Tomy’s shoulders, and they faced Sean as a united front. “Are you going to leave under your own power, or do I need to escort you out?” There was a tone of menace in Jason’s voice, and while Tomy knew his lover would never hurt a fly, he thought perhaps Jason might be willing to make an exception in Sean’s case.
Sean gaped at the two of them, sputtering as if he couldn’t quite process that he wasn’t getting what he wanted from Tomy this time. Finally he stuck his nose in the air and flounced past them.
“Fine!” He called a parting shot over his shoulder. “I don’t need you or this dump anyway!”
“Sure, you don’t,” Tomy muttered, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t provoke a response as he watched Sean storm away. “I totally believe that.”
“Do you want me to make sure he leaves?” Jason asked, turning to look at Tomy, his expression somber. “And more importantly, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Tomy tightened his arm around Jason’s waist and leaned against him, grateful for the solid, reliable support. “I doubt he’ll stick around. There’s nothing for him here anymore, and I think he’s been convinced he isn’t getting anything back.”
Jason pressed a kiss to Tomy’s temple. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I did hear part of what you said to him,” he said. “I take it you’ve realized he wasn’t good enough for you, and you don’t have a damned thing to feel bad about anymore?”
“God.” Tomy covered his face with one hand, cringing with embarrassment over the thought that he’d ever considered himself in love with someone like Sean. “All I can say in my own defense is that I was a stupid twentysomething when we got together, and we did have good chemistry and a lot in common, at least where dancing is concerned. I blame youth and inexperience. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”
Jason chuckled and hugged him tightly. “I just wanted to make sure. I suspect someday you’ll come to realize that him dumping you was a good thing in the long run. It saved you from something that could have been far more heartbreaking in the long term.”
“Oh, I already think he did me a favor.” Tomy pushed up and pressed a light but lingering kiss to Jason’s lips. “He freed me up for you.”
“Mmm… yes he did.” Jason stole another kiss, this one a bit firmer. But he pulled back with a sigh. “I was sent here on an errand. Your mother needs to see you. She said something about there being a mix-up with the order of the dances and the music, and she needs you to help her sort it out.”
“Oh, God.” Tomy let out an aggrieved sigh, but he wasn’t surprised. There was always a mix-up of some kind on recital night. The shocking thing would be if everything ran smoothly for once. “Okay, where is she? In the main office?”
“Yes.” Jason hugged him tightly, then stepped back and released him. “I’ve been conscripted to help Lola with the last of the decorations in the recital hall.” He grinned. “I feel like the Bumble from the Rudolph Christmas special, you know? My one talent is not needing a ladder to put the star on the top of the tree.”
“You’re cuter than the Bumble, though.” Tomy touched Jason’s hand lightly. “Meet me under the mistletoe when this madness is all over? I have something for you.”
Somehow he’d managed to finish the socks early despite all the moaning he’d done to Lola about working on them right up until Christmas Eve, and now he was so proud, he couldn’t wait to give them to Jason. If nothing else, maybe the hugs and kisses cable would give him the courage to admit how he felt about Jason at last.
“Do you?” Jason’s smile was wicked, and he captured Tomy’s hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ll be there with bells on. Literally.”
“Do I get to jingle them?” Tomy asked, offering a sensual smile in return.
“You can do anything you want with any part of me you want to do it with,” Jason assured him, then swatted him on the ass playfully. “Now you’d better go before your mother comes looking for you and puts us both in time-out, eh?”
“I guess you’re right.” Tomy heaved a regretful sigh as he headed down the hall, glancing back once to quietly marvel that he’d found a man like Jason.
The issue with the music and dance order was quickly resolved, but one crisis led to another right up until seven o’clock. Once the recital started, however, he could relax a bit. His father still served as emcee for the recitals, and two of his cousins were in charge of making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be on time.
All Tomy had to do was take a seat in the front row next to his mother and Lola and enjoy the performances. They always started off with the preadolescent classes out of respect for early bedtimes. Those performances weren’t as polished, but the children were enthusiastic about dressing up and showing off for their parents, so they were fun to watch. Jason had volunteered to help out backstage, and from time to time Tomy caught a glimpse of him moving set pieces or adjusting lights as the recital went on.
After the youngest students performed, the teens were next. Tomy enjoyed watching them because he saw so much potential in them. They were still learning, still growing—literally, in most cases—but they were already showing signs of the performers they could become if they stuck with it.
Last were the adults, which tended to be a mixed bag. The studio coached quite a few couples who danced competitively, and they viewed this as a chance to test new routines on a nonjudgmental audience. Tomy knew from experience that recitals were also more relaxed and fun for the competitive couples, since there were no scores, just a lot of appreciative oohs and ahhs over every trick.
There were casual students as well—couples who wanted a new activity they could participate in together and seniors who wanted to stay active. What they lacked in professional polish, they tended to make up for in enjoyment. Unlike some of the kids, they were all taking the classes because they wanted to, and it showed in their dancing.
Just before the finale, Tomy’s father took to the mic and held up his hand. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce a special performance.”
Tomy frowned, puzzled by that news. He didn’t remember seeing anything listed on the performance list. “Did you add something?” he asked, leaning over to his mother, but she just shushed him.
The lights went down, and a spotlight came up in the middle of the dance floor. The man standing there was blond, tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in black pants that hugged the length of his muscular legs, and a black silk shirt open to his waist. His face was in shadow, but when the first note of music played, he looked up, his eyes unerringly finding Tomy in the darkness.
It was Jason.
Tomy stared. He couldn’t have torn his gaze away even if he’d wanted to—and he didn’t want to. That’s my man, he thought with the one part of his brain that wasn’t being overcome by lustful thoughts. He had no idea what was going on or what this was about, but damned if he wasn’t going to enjoy the show.
Jason stalked toward Tomy, every line of his body screaming predator. Then he was stan
ding before Tomy, holding out his hand with a provocative smile. “May I have this dance?”
“What?” Tomy glanced at his mother and Lola for an explanation, but they beamed and shooed him out of his seat. He found himself clasping Jason’s hand and standing up, letting himself be led to the center of the dance floor. “What’s going on?” he whispered.
But Jason only smiled, pulling him into a hold—Jason leading, obviously—and the music changed, the deep, throbbing beat of a tango pulsing around them. And then Jason began to dance.
They hadn’t danced the tango together since that first time, months ago, when Jason had stated it was a dance he didn’t want to perform with anyone except the man he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. They’d discussed some of the poses and steps, of course, since there were commonalities with others of the Latin dance family, but Tomy hadn’t taught Jason any more than that. But Jason seemed to know what he was doing as he firmly led Tomy through the steps, his pale eyes dark with desire, his attention focused on Tomy as though he were the only person in the universe.
Tomy’s breath caught in his throat as he gazed up at Jason and saw all that intense focus aimed at him. No one had ever looked at him that way before, and he knew this was what he wanted for the rest of his life. Nothing less than what Jason offered would make him happy, because he’d found his perfect partner at last.
He relaxed into Jason’s lead, trusting Jason’s strength as a dancer, and he let everything else fade away. The studio, the audience, his family—all gone. There was nothing but Jason and the music and the two of them moving together so perfectly.
The steps were a seduction, as tangos always were, but they were more than that too. Jason was wooing him, beguiling him, and the depth of emotion in his eyes left Tomy in no doubt that what Jason felt for him was far more than lust. Then Jason smiled as the music built toward the end, a smile of triumph, of happiness, and he spun Tomy away from him, releasing his hand so that when Tomy stopped, they were separated by several feet.
But not for long. Jason took one long stride, then dropped to his knees, sliding across the polished floor to stop perfectly right at Tomy’s feet. The music ended, and Jason reached into a pocket of his pants, then clasped one of Tomy’s hands in his.
Looking up at Tomy, his eyes full of certainty, trust, and love, Jason spoke into the perfect silence around them.
“Tomy, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” The answer was out before Tomy even had time to think about it, but he didn’t need to think about it anyway. His heart knew what it wanted, and he was no longer afraid. Seeing Sean had closed the door on doubt and fear, and he clutched Jason’s hand, finally free to say the words. “I love you, and I want to marry you!”
Jason’s smile was as brilliant as the sun. He kissed Tomy’s hand, then slid a wide, white-gold band onto his ring finger before rising to his feet. He pulled Tomy into his arms. “I love you, too,” he said softly, then captured Tomy’s lips in a tender kiss.
Wrapping his arms around Jason’s broad shoulders, Tomy returned the kiss, and for once, he held nothing of his heart or himself in reserve, offering his love completely.
The sound of clapping, and of shouted congratulations, finally broke through, and Jason chuckled as he pulled back and looked down into Tomy’s eyes. “This is a little too public for our real celebration,” he murmured softly, lifting one hand to caress Tomy’s cheek. “But I’ll make up for it later, I promise. Thank you, Tomy… thank you for trusting me with your love and making me happier than I ever thought I could be.”
“Thank you for giving me back my confidence and showing me what love should really look like,” Tomy replied softly, leaning into the caress.
“It was my pleasure.” Jason stole another kiss, and then Tomy’s father spoke over the mic, offering congratulations but asking them to clear the dance floor for the finale. Jason laughed, captured Tomy’s hand, and led him back to his seat. Lola had thoughtfully vacated hers so Tomy and Jason could sit together, and Jason put his arm around Tomy’s shoulders, holding him close and nuzzling him without caring who saw or what they thought.
Tomy rested his hand on Jason’s thigh, savoring the warmth and affection as he leaned against Jason. The performers came back out for a spectacular finale, and Tomy cheered and applauded as loudly as everyone else, but he’d already gotten his finale for the evening…. Well, one of them, at least. He didn’t doubt there would be another later when they were alone. But for now, he had his big, happy ending that would lead to a big, happily ever after at last.
Chapter Fourteen
JASON HUMMED happily under his breath as he prepared the breakfast tray for Tomy. He made sure the coffee was just the way Tomy liked it—two sugars and a little cream—and that the fried eggs were at the proper doneness. He added two slices of buttered toast, retrieved the bacon from where it had been keeping warm in the oven, then gathered up the tray and headed to the bedroom, intent on giving Tomy a very special Christmas morning.
When they weren’t spending time celebrating the holidays with family, they’d spent most of the past few days in bed, making love, talking, planning their wedding, and just enjoying one another. Jason had never thought he could be as happy as Tomy made him, and he was looking forward to all the years they had ahead of them and all the things they would do together.
He’d left the bedroom door slightly ajar so he could get back in with the tray more easily, and he pushed it open with his foot and stood by the bed, hoping Tomy would appreciate the sight of him with breakfast, wearing nothing but a Santa hat on his head and red boxers that had a little extra pouch in front from which dangled a bell. He began to sing “Jingle Bells” while rocking his hips from side to side to make the little bell ring.
Tomy pushed back the covers just enough to peek over them, and he burst out laughing when he saw Jason’s getup. “That gives a whole new meaning to the innocent little song.”
“It’s all your fault,” Jason told him, grinning widely. He was always happy when he could make Tomy laugh. “I bought these, intending to give them to you as a joke, but after you said you wanted to jingle mine before the recital, well… I thought this might be funnier.”
“Mmm… I still want to jingle your bells and stuff your stocking.” Tomy sat up and stretched, giving Jason a lascivious smile. “If you’re a good little boy, I may even let you ride my sleigh.”
“That sounds great. How about breakfast first, though?” Jason leered at Tomy in return, then placed the tray neatly across Tomy’s lap. “You’ll need to keep your strength up, you know.” Since he was already leaning down, he pressed his lips to Tomy’s, stealing a kiss. “Merry Christmas, love. The first of what will be a lifetime of them.”
“Merry Christmas.” Tomy’s dark eyes were warm and full of love as he gazed up at Jason. “I look forward to every single one.”
“So do I.” Jason kissed him again, then moved around to the other side of the bed, sliding in carefully so as not to jostle Tomy’s tray. “When you finish eating, I have your Christmas present. So be a good boy and eat up.”
“What about your breakfast?” Tomy held up a crispy piece of bacon. “Did you already eat?”
“I ate some toast while I was making your tray,” Jason replied, then waggled his eyebrows playfully. “I won’t object if you want to feed me, though.”
Grinning, Tomy broke the piece of bacon in half and caught it in his teeth, leaning over to Jason. Chuckling, Jason leaned in as well, biting down on the bit near Tomy’s lips. “Mmm… bacon-flavored kiss. I like it.”
“I thought you might.” Tomy gave him a heated look before turning his attention to the rest of his meal. He shared more of his bacon and eggs, using a fork this time, and ate heartily until his plate was clean. “Now then, do I get my present?”
“Yes.” Jason stood and moved the tray to the dresser, then opened his closet. He pulled out a big box wrapped in shiny blue paper and tied with silver ribbon, then brought i
t back to the bed. “There’s a few small things out under the tree for you too. But this is the big gift—well, this and my heart.”
“Oh, wow….” Tomy went wide-eyed at the sight of the box, and he untied the little stuffed, knitted red heart Jason had attached to the ribbon, pressing it to his cheek with a smile. “Let me guess. Tight pants that I can only wear when I dance with you?”
Jason grinned evilly. “There may or may not be items of clothing I want to see you in in the other boxes. But not this one. This is more… homey?”
Looking intrigued, Tomy pulled the box into his lap and tore off the paper, his smile widening when he saw the hand-dyed yarn inside, bulky skeins dyed in a rich shade of blue-green that combined his love of blues with Jason’s love of greens. “This is gorgeous!”
“You really like it?” Jason asked, pleased with the look of delight on Tomy’s face. “I wanted to make you something, but with trying to learn the tango, I didn’t have as much time to knit as I thought.” He reached out, stroking one of the skeins. “I thought of you while I was dyeing this. I thought maybe it would work for an afghan that we can snuggle under on the sofa.”
“I’d love to knit us an afghan.” Tomy smiled as he brushed one of the skeins against his cheek, testing the softness. “We should pick out a pattern together.”
“I have lots of books,” Jason said. He moved his hand from caressing the yarn, preferring to caress Tomy’s hair instead. “I can’t believe it’s really happening. In a few months, we’ll be married, and you’ll be mine forever.”
“It’s funny.” Tomy’s expression turned thoughtful as he packed the yarn back in the box and put it aside. “A year ago, I was devastated. I proposed to Sean on Christmas Eve, thinking I’d be in the position I’m in now on Christmas Day, but it didn’t work out like I planned. But a year later, I’m right where I wanted to be, only with a much, much better partner.”