Because Naughty Holidays Can Be Oh So Nice 2015

by Nicole Edwards

  Z smiled to himself.

  Long minutes passed while he entertained himself by feasting on RT. Stroking him with his hand, laving him with his tongue, sucking him with his mouth. Z could’ve gone on all night, just to hear RT moan. It was a beautiful sound.

  RT obviously had other plans, because he managed to buck Z off of him, making him laugh as he fell to the bed, looking up to see RT staring back at him. Z watched as RT retrieved the tube of lubricant that they kept tucked into the nightstand drawer.

  “You ready for this?” RT teased.

  Z didn’t answer, simply spread his arms, grabbed hold of two of the posts on the end of the bed, and planted his feet flat on the mattress, legs spread.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  Z smiled back at RT as he moved over him, his lubed fingers sliding between Z’s ass cheeks, teasing his asshole.

  RT played with him for long minutes while he pressed kisses over Z’s chest, his neck, his jaw. When RT lowered his mouth to Z’s, he opened for him, meeting his tongue. Tentatively at first, playing along as RT continued to toy with his ass, sliding one finger inside, then two, then three.

  His skin was on fire, heating even more when RT relaxed against him, their mouths still fused while RT finger-fucked him until he was delirious with pleasure.

  “You ready to feel me?”

  “Mm-hmm,” he moaned against RT’s mouth. “So ready.”

  “Don’t move,” RT ordered, repositioning himself so that he was kneeling between Z’s legs.

  Holding his head up, he continued to watch as RT guided his glistening dick toward Z’s ass, his hand stroking Z’s cock gently, teasingly.

  Z’s hands tightened around the posts when the thick head of RT’s cock breached his anus, slowly pushing deeper, drawing a groan from Z’s chest.

  “Hurt?”

  “Fuck no.” It felt so damn good Z was nearly blinded by the pleasure that coursed through him. “Need more.”

  RT’s grin was radiant as he met Z’s gaze, driving his hips forward, burying himself deeper and deeper until Z was sure that he was filling him completely.

  RT reached behind him and grabbed his pillow, then shoved it beneath Z’s hips.

  Their gazes were locked on one another as RT began to retreat slowly, pulling out completely, then forcing himself back in. He repeated the sensual torture until the muscles in Z’s stomach hurt from flexing so much.

  “More,” Z begged. “Harder.”

  “I love watching you like this. At my mercy.”

  Z would forever be at RT’s mercy and not just here in the privacy of their bedroom. He loved this man, would spend the rest of his life loving him.

  RT’s hips punched forward, and Z cried out from the pleasure that detonated, making his eyes cross.

  “Hold on, baby,” RT crooned, his hands sliding beneath Z’s knees to lift his legs.

  Again, Z tightened his grip on the posts, still watching RT.

  Several more painfully slow thrusts had Z breathing heavy, desperate for more friction. And then…

  “Ah, God, yes,” Z hissed when RT began impaling him, driving into him. Still deep, still slow, but the pace was faster than it had been.

  Z couldn’t take his eyes off RT, loving the way his face contorted as he watched the place where their bodies were joined. Once, twice, three times RT would thrust into him, and the pace would quicken. Faster, harder, deeper. Over and over until the room was ablaze from the heat that generated between their bodies.

  RT’s face contorted, his eyes lifting to meet Z’s, and Z knew he was close. The teasing was always fun, but it would only last so long before the overwhelming pleasure won out.

  Unable to resist, Z released one of the posts, then reached between his legs and fisted his dick, stroking in time with the pounding RT was giving him.

  “Beautiful,” RT mumbled, his eyes drifting down to watch Z jack himself off. “Come for me, Z.”

  Z dropped his head to the mattress, sucking in air as he continued to stroke his cock, his balls drawing up close to his body as RT continued to fuck him, alternating between mind-numbingly shallow strokes that teased him and long, deep ones that made Z see stars.

  An electrical hum started at the base of his spine, growing stronger by the second until his body was pulsing with electricity. He grunted and groaned, clenching his teeth, desperate to hold off until RT was ready, but it quickly became too much. With a muted roar, Z let go.

  “Ah, yeah,” RT groaned, his hips pummeling him several more times before he stilled, his dick pulsing in Z’s ass.

  When RT fell forward on top of him, Z wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight.

  “Love you,” he whispered against RT’s ear.

  “Love you more.”

  Z’s smile widened until he thought his face would crack.

  Chapter Two

  THE FOLLOWING EVENING, Ryan walked into the house, his nose instantly sniffing the air when the scent of… God, he didn’t know what the smell was, but it was amazing. Tossing his coat onto the back of the couch, he made a beeline for the kitchen.

  “What are you making?” he asked Z, who was moving around the kitchen with the ease of a man much, much smaller than his six-foot-seven-inch frame should allow.

  “Dinner,” he said, turning and shooting a blinding smile at Ryan.

  “What is it?” Ryan moved around the island, trying to peek into the oven to see for himself.

  “Nuh-uh,” Z admonished, grabbing Ryan’s face and planting a kiss on his lips before gripping his shoulders and spinning him back around. “It’ll be ready soon enough. Go sit down and I’ll get you something to drink.”

  Ryan grumbled good-naturedly as he headed to their bedroom and grabbed his iPad. He hadn’t had time all day to do any searching for what to get Z for Christmas, so while he waited for dinner, he figured he’d check out a few things.

  When he came back through the living room, he noticed the Christmas tree lights were on, flashing brightly. There were several presents beneath the tree, most of the gifts for their friends and family, but he noticed one that hadn’t been there before.

  “What’s this?” he asked, moving closer.

  “Don’t touch that!” Z called from the kitchen.

  Ryan glanced over his shoulder, but Z wasn’t there to see him, so he reached down.

  “Don’t you dare!”

  Ryan jumped when Z’s voice sounded from right behind him. How the hell did a man that big move that fast? And that quietly?

  With a heavy sigh, Ryan stood upright. “Who’s it for?”

  “Not tellin’ you.” Z’s smile lit up his entire face.

  “What is it?”

  “Not tellin’ you that, either.”

  Which meant the present was for Ryan. There were a couple of other ones he’d noticed beneath the tree, as well. And every time he had attempted to pick them up to rattle the box to see if he could get some idea, Z would always stop him. Hell, one time, Z had called at the exact moment Ryan had been about to grab one. It was as though he’d known what Ryan was up to.

  He instantly looked up into the corners, checking for cameras. He wouldn’t put it past Z to wire the place just so he could keep an eye on him. The thought made him smile, but he quickly remembered that Z had reprimanded him.

  Pasting a frown on his face, Ryan took his iPad back to the kitchen and slid into his chair, facing Z.

  “You workin’?” Z asked, nodding toward the iPad.

  “You could say that.” Working to find the best damn Christmas present of all time.

  “Somethin’ wrong? New case? Or is this about the merger?”

  Ryan shook his head.

  “Did you stay at the office all day today?”

  For weeks now, Ryan and Z had managed to take Saturday or Sunday off, sometimes both. Today, although it was Saturday, Ryan had needed to get some things cleared off his desk, so he’d opted to go in for a few hours. It was easier without all the distracti
ons.

  “No,” he told Z. “I’m not meeting with Alex McDermott until after the holidays. He’s given me his requirements for the acquisition. I just need to talk to Conner about them.” He looked up at Z.

  And he hadn’t. Although their jobs usually required a bit of danger and risk, Ryan hadn’t spent the day dealing with security issues. Instead, he’d done the riskiest, most dangerous thing of all. He’d gone to the mall.

  On the weekend before Christmas.

  It hadn’t taken long for him to realize his mistake. People were freaking crazy when it came to finding last-minute gifts, so he’d checked out a couple of places and then hightailed it out of the danger zone.

  “You go by and see your parents?” Z asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “How’re they doin’?”

  “Good. Mom’s goin’ overboard about Christmas dinner, but that’s not unusual. Luckily Lilah’s there to keep her calm.” Lilah was the saving grace in the Trexler kitchen. She’d been working for Ryan’s parents for more than thirty years, and thankfully she was still willing to help plan a holiday meal that was big enough to feed a small army.

  “Did you remind them I’m makin’ pies?” Z asked, peering over at Ryan from his spot at the stove.

  “I did. What kind are you making?”

  “Pumpkin, cherry, and I’m lookin’ for my recipe for Jack Daniel’s pecan pie. My dad used to make them when we were kids. Can’t find it anywhere.”

  “Can’t you just pull one up on the Internet?” Ryan asked.

  Z’s get real face gave him his answer.

  It was true, Ryan wasn’t much of a cook. And he definitely wasn’t a baker. He didn’t know the first thing about the kitchen, other than how to heat a TV dinner in the microwave. Until Z had moved in, that had been all that he ate, anyway. Since then, though … Z didn’t even allow Ryan to buy TV dinners anymore.

  Not that he could complain, because Z was keeping him fed and fed well. In fact, Ryan had gained at least five pounds since they’d gotten married. According to Z, he’d been too skinny. Now, Ryan was having to pay extra attention to keep from overdoing it.

  “Have you asked your mom?” Ryan questioned as he typed Jack Daniels pecan pie recipes into his iPad.

  “Yeah. She said she’d look for it. I need it by Wednesday, though, if I expect to get enough pies made.”

  Speaking of Wednesday… “We’ve got a lunch date with Buddy tomorrow and dinner on Saturday after Christmas.”

  “Yep,” Z confirmed. “And don’t forget the company Christmas party on Monday afternoon.”

  How could he forget that? His cousin Kira, along with Sniper 1’s loyal receptionist, Jayden, had decided to do a white elephant exchange at the office on Monday as their official Christmas party. Kira and Jayden had said that they couldn’t buy alcohol to trade, because that was too easy, which was true, because that had always been Ryan’s choice. People would fight over the cheapest liquor at one of these things.

  Luckily, Z was the king of buying gifts, and he’d gone out last week and found one for each of them.

  Which was good, because it left Ryan with time to figure out what to get Z. Too bad he still had no idea, and they were T minus six days and counting.

  AFTER PLACING THE food on the table, along with two plates and silverware, Z joined RT, watching as RT turned off his iPad and pushed it to the side.

  “This smells fabulous,” RT noted, dishing pot roast onto his plate. Little did RT know, but that was one of the easiest meals Z made, especially considering he let it cook in the Crock-Pot all day. The only thing Z had to do was make rice, which took all of five minutes.

  Dishing food on his own plate, Z continued to steal glimpses of RT. He could tell that something was bothering him. And he was pretty sure he knew what it was. After all, he was trained to read people, and RT … well, for Z, RT was like an open book. Granted, it hadn’t always been that way, but since they’d finally given in to the overwhelming lust they’d both battled for years and taken that plunge, Z didn’t have a hard time figuring out what RT was thinking.

  But if it was what Z thought it was—RT looking for the perfect gift for him for Christmas—Z wasn’t sure he should even bring it up.

  Hell, he’d been leaving hints about it for the past week, but apparently RT was too caught up in his own thoughts to notice.

  First, Z had suggested they get a new coffee maker. Possibly one of those fancy Keurig deals or even that Starbucks thing that made lattes. After all, RT drank as much, if not more coffee than Z.

  Nothing.

  Then, last weekend when Z had been making a cake to take to the nursing home, he’d mentioned that he could use a new mixer. He’d even broken off into a conversation about the cool standing mixers he’d seen in an ad.

  Nothing.

  And then, Z had gone so far as to take an ad from Bed Bath and Beyond and circle a number of things, including a Pyrex storage container set, a stainless steel Crock-Pot, measuring cups, oven mitts. Hell, he’d even put a star beside that cool Magic Bullet thing out now.

  Still nothing.

  Aside from writing a list and putting it on the bathroom mirror for RT to notice, Z wasn’t sure how to get his attention. Truth was, he didn’t really want a gift—he already had the greatest gift he could ever have, and that was RT’s love—but he knew RT was getting worked up over the fact he wanted to buy something for Z.

  So what if Z loved to spend time in the kitchen? It wasn’t like he could depend on RT to cook for them. Not because RT wouldn’t do it. He would if Z asked. More because RT couldn’t do it. The man was not meant to be in a kitchen. Not unless the house was being demolished and the fastest way to do that was to burn it to the ground.

  “Have you heard from your sister?” RT asked, pulling Z back to the moment.

  Z frowned, shaking his head as he chewed. He’d been hoping he would get the chance to see his brother and sister for Christmas, but it looked as though that wasn’t going to happen. Z was going to have lunch with his mother next Sunday, a couple of days after Christmas, with RT, but it didn’t look as though Jensyn and Reese were going to make it to Dallas this year.

  Hopefully, if they were lucky, Z would get to spend some time with them in January if the crazy shit at the office didn’t explode in their faces by then. There was a big merger underway, and Z knew that it was taking a lot of RT’s time.

  “What about Reese? Work going good for him?”

  Z looked up at RT and nodded. “Talked to him yesterday. They’re busy right now.”

  Reese had taken a job with Walker Demolition—the company owned by some of Z’s friends from high school. The last time he’d talked to Reese, his brother had mentioned that they had quite a bit of overtime lately. Apparently, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to be in the construction business during the winter in Texas. Considering the mild temperatures, it was probably better than working in the summer.

  The last time Z had seen Reese, though, had been on Thanksgiving, when RT had suggested they head down to Coyote Ridge for the weekend. Z had been ecstatic to get to spend more than a few hours with his kid brother.

  “Well, maybe we can get down there for New Year’s,” RT mentioned, finishing off what was on his plate.

  Z drank his tea and watched RT over the rim of his cup, nodding. “That would be fantastic.”

  As would figuring out what was bothering RT and how Z could make it better.

  Chapter Three

  RYAN WAITED FOR Z to join him as they walked toward the nursing home where Z’s father lived. When they stepped inside the doors, the woman at the receptionist desk greeted them both by name and smiled when Z placed a small gift bag on her desk.

  “Merry Christmas, doll,” Z told her with that mischievous grin he was famous for.

  “Merry Christmas,” she said, her cheeks turning the same bright red as the bag.

  They didn’t stay for her to open the gift because Z was obviously a man on a mission. Ry
an fell into step with Z when he headed toward the doors that led to the section where Z’s comatose father had been for the past four, going on five, years.

  Z made his rounds, handing out gifts to all of the nurses who were there, leaving several more for those who worked different shifts. Ryan found it endearing that Z was so thoughtful when it came to the people in his life. Although he probably didn’t know some of the staff at the nursing home, he’d made sure to get something for every person there. That was one of the many reasons people loved Z. Not because he brought gifts but because he saw everyone as someone important.

  When Z had handed out all of his gifts, he took the cake that Ryan had carried in and set it down on the nurse’s station counter before taking Ryan’s hand and leading him down the hall toward Thomas Tavoularis’s room.

  “Hey, Dad,” Z announced when they walked into the room, the same as he always did. “We came to check on you.”

  Ryan smiled, looking around the room to see if anything had changed since they’d last been there. He noticed a few more Christmas cards had been pinned to the bulletin board on the wall. Although Thomas would likely never see them since the odds of him waking up from the coma were minimal, Z still held out hope, which meant Ryan did, as well.

  “Ah, my boys are here. I thought I heard a ruckus in the hallway.”

  Ryan turned around to see Buddy Stallone, one of the residents of the nursing home and a good friend of Z’s, slowly making his way into the room. Today he was using a walker to help him around.

  “Hey, Buddy,” Ryan greeted, shaking Buddy’s hand. “You’re lookin’ good.”

  Buddy grinned from ear to ear. “You like it?” Buddy glanced down at his Christmas sweater. “It’s tacky sweater day.”

  Ryan laughed, stepping out of the way when Z made his way over to them.

  Z shook Buddy’s hand as well.

  “I came by to see your ol’ man this mornin’,” Buddy told Z. “I added some of his cards to the wall. And put a new ornament on the tree.”

  Ryan glanced over at the small Christmas tree sitting on the dresser beside Thomas’s bed. The lights were on, twinkling away.