The Christmas Deal

by Keira Andrews

  He bustled around, unzipping his small suitcase and hanging up the clothes he’d brought. Logan sat on the bed and flipped on the TV, going through the channels while Connor was back into a game. Seth had brought a forest-green cashmere sweater that he thought would look good over dark jeans. Yes, that would do nicely.

  He almost took the clothes into the bathroom to change but decided that would seem ridiculously prudish and likely strange to Connor. Not that Connor had so much as blinked, entirely engrossed in his game and paying Seth no mind. After taking off his tie, Seth began unbuttoning his shirt.

  Logan was watching.

  Butterflies flapped in Seth’s stomach. It was from the corner of his eye, but yes, Logan was definitely watching. Seth pretended he hadn’t noticed, trying not to fumble with the buttons. He sucked in and peeled off his shirt, puffing out his chest a bit. Hoping he didn’t look like a fool.

  Standing in his boxers, Seth hung up his shirt, looping the tie over the neck of the hanger. He could feel the heat of Logan’s gaze on his bare skin like a caress. Without meaning to, he thought of the night before, being on his hands and knees for Logan, being filled by him.

  He remembered the rough caresses of Logan’s hands on his flanks, his hips, his thighs. His…

  Cock.

  Oh good lord, Seth was getting hard. He bit the inside of his cheek, still facing into the closet. Thinking of his old cat Agatha did the trick, the ache of missing her flushing out the burst of lust. He finished dressing quickly and escaped into the bathroom to splash cold water on his cheeks.

  Dinner was a buffet of comfort food—definitely not fancy. Which was actually a relief, and Seth dug into the mac and cheese with gusto. He, Logan, and Connor sat with Jenna, Jun, and the boys, and Jenna kept up most of the dinner conversation.

  Matt and Becky were at the next table, and Matt gave Seth a thumbs-up and mouthed, “Caper, caper, caper!” Seth promptly spilled gravy on his sweater and excused himself to the bathroom to blot at it with a paper towel.

  When he re-entered the corridor off the hotel restaurant, Jenna was there bouncing a fussy Noah. She groaned. “I just want to eat all the carbs and go to sleep. Kids are exhausting.”

  Seth whispered, “Don’t complain about motherhood too loudly with Angela around. Actually, that’s not fair. She had good advice for Logan last night.”

  Jenna stepped closer. “How did it go? You barely answered my nosy texts.” Since Friday was her temporary day off from the office, this was the first chance Seth had had to speak with her privately.

  He whispered, “Really well, I think? Seemed to, at least. She was all smiles.”

  “And Logan performed?”

  It was an innocent question, but Seth’s brain immediately supplied the memory of Logan performing extremely admirably in Seth’s bed. The echo of grunts and moans and slapping skin filled his head, and he swore his butt twinged. “Uh-huh!”

  Jenna groaned. “Oh no. What did he do? What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Nothing!”

  “You’re a terrible liar, Seth.”

  He rubbed his face. “I know! That’s why I should never have agreed to any of this!” But the thought of not getting to know Logan the past week or two was a gut-punch, shocking in its sudden severity. Seth exhaled shakily. “But I’m glad I did. Logan’s been terrific. Really.”

  Jenna raised her eyebrows. “Yeah? Okay, good. You guys seem to be faking it really well. I almost believe all the longing glances between you two.”

  It truly shouldn’t have hurt—but, oh, it did. Seth told himself it was ridiculous, yet his heart ached anyway, and he could only manage a strangled half-smile. He hadn’t even realized he and Logan had been glancing at each other during dinner, and especially not with longing.

  Part of him wanted to insist that it wasn’t fake at all, that the sex he and Logan were having had to mean something. Of course he couldn’t say that to Jenna since she had no idea her brother was anything but straight. At least not that Seth was aware, and there was definitely no good way to casually probe to see if she had an inkling.

  Jenna touched his arm. “It seems like you guys have become friends? I’m so happy about that. You’re both wonderful people, you know that?”

  His smile this time was genuine. “So are you.” He hugged her briefly, careful not to squish Noah, who had settled. “And yes, I’d like to think we’ve become friends through this deal. Logan’s so hard on himself. He and Connor both.”

  “Hopefully this weekend will be good for them. And you.” She glanced around. “We’d better get back. Angela’s probably going to make a ‘BRK is one big happy family’ speech any minute.”

  Sure enough, Angela did just that. Seth clapped in the right places and nodded and smiled as he tried not to look at Logan. It was a relief when they could escape back to their room after a performance by a local choir.

  “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was stuck on a loop in Seth’s head as he changed into his flannel pajamas. He was aware of Logan’s gaze and looked up as he finished the buttons on his top. Logan stood by the side of the bed in his black boxer briefs.

  And nothing else.

  “Oh,” Seth murmured without meaning to. Connor was in the bathroom, so it was just the two of them for the moment. Seth looked down at his plaid PJs. He felt stupidly prim and overdressed.

  “I should probably…” Logan unzipped his duffel and pulled out a plain gray T-shirt. He pulled it on, covering his sexy, hairy chest. “Ugly, I know.”

  Seth jolted, realizing he was staring, and that Logan meant the scars. “No. Not at all. That wasn’t…”

  Connor re-emerged, wearing an oversized T-shirt and boxers. He yawned widely as he shuffled by, pimple ointment dotted over his face. He huddled under the covers and didn’t bother saying goodnight.

  In their bed, Logan crawled over to the left side, which was against the wall separating the bedroom area from the bathroom. Seth stretched out on the edge of the mattress, in danger of rolling off and cracking his head on the side table. He reached up and snapped out the light, murmuring, “’Night.”

  “Sleep well,” Logan whispered from behind him. Only inches separated them, and Seth imagined he could feel the heat of Logan’s muscular body.

  He could still feel it an hour later, sleep stubbornly elusive. As gently as possible, Seth rolled over, facing Logan. In the white glow of the digital clock on the side table, he could see the lines and shadows of Logan’s face, and the rise and fall of his shoulder as he breathed softly.

  When Logan opened his eyes, Seth had to bite back a gasp, his heart skipping. They stared at each other, and Seth’s body responded, his breath shallow, blood flooding south as he got shamefully hard. He reminded himself Connor was in the other bed and that even if he wasn’t, this connection with Logan wasn’t real.

  They stared at each other, only inches apart. It would be so easy to lean a bit closer, to kiss Logan again and breathe him in, just for a minute before they slept. He could feel the heat from Logan’s body and wanted to climb into his skin…

  Seth rolled away, squeezing his eyes shut as he curled on the very edge of the bed. He swore he could sense Logan watching him, and willed himself to think of something else—anything else!—so he could sleep and this night would be mercifully over.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A thud and muffled curse woke him, and Logan was instantly alert. He sat up, blinking at Connor near the foot of the bed in the gloom, hopping on one foot.

  The alarm clock on the table between the beds gave off enough light to see. It was just past seven. Beside Logan, Seth curled away from him under the comforter. Logan could see enough of his slack face to know he was still asleep.

  Connor was in his swimming trunks and a concert T-shirt from a rapper Logan could remember him blasting from his room when he and Veronica had argued.

  Connor whispered, “I’m going swimming with some other kids.” He nodded to a folded piece of paper on the bureau by
the TV and said defensively, “I left a note,” as if he was expecting Logan to get mad. His chin was jutted out. Always ready for a fight.

  Logan smiled and nodded. “Have fun,” he whispered. “You’ve got your card?” He tugged at the neck of his tee, not used to waking up wearing anything but his skivvies.

  Connor eyed him warily but held up the plastic key card. With his other hand, he waved awkwardly, then tiptoed into the foyer. In the mirrored closet, Logan could just make him out sliding on his flip-flops and easing open the door. The yellow light from the hallway flared bright, and then was gone as Connor closed the door silently.

  Logan sat listening to Seth’s steady breathing and cute little murmurs as he shifted onto his back. His lips were parted, and he drew up one arm over his head. What would he do if Logan woke him with a kiss? Would he like it? Or would he get all uptight?

  Would I like it?

  He’d never thought of another guy as “cute” before. There was something about Seth that gave him all these weirdly…soft thoughts. Not that Seth wasn’t manly. He was. Even in his grandpa button-up plaid pajamas. Logan wanted to unbutton him and rub his hands over Seth’s hairy chest, roll on top of him and kiss him awake, feel the scratch of his stubble…

  The wall was to Logan’s left, and he carefully crawled to the bottom of the bed so he could go piss and stop thinking about stupid shit that would ruin everything. Sure, Seth had kissed him after they fucked, but then he’d seemed horrified. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to kiss a loser like Logan.

  After switching off the bathroom light, he opened the door and crept back out—and almost banged right into Seth. Seth jumped back, and they both laughed. Weak daylight was glowing around the edges of the curtains now, and Logan could see Seth’s spiky bedhead.

  And his morning wood tenting those plaid PJs.

  Seth’s eyes went wide like someone in a dumb movie, and it was so damn cute. He was probably about to make some stammering apology, and Logan couldn’t remember the last time he’d simply liked someone so much. He laughed again, and Seth blinked at him, a hopeful little smile tugging on his lips.

  Logan wanted to take care of him. He wanted to say a bunch of stuff, but he had no clue where to start—he’d always been crappy at words. But fuck, he burned with it, and he was moving, pushing Seth against the striped wallpaper. Dropping to kneel at his feet.

  Seth gasped, his hands clutching at Logan’s shoulders.

  Being on his knees, looking up at Seth—at his chest rising and falling quickly under the buttoned-up PJ top, his tongue licking his lips—made Logan horny as hell. He rubbed his cheek against Seth’s hard dick through the soft flannel.

  It had been years since Logan had returned the favor of a blow job. It had been rushed, and yeah, he’d liked it. He’d enjoyed the power of it, even though he was the one kneeling.

  But with Seth, it was so much more. Seeing buttoned-up Seth come undone made him excited and stupidly proud. It made him want to do anything—everything—to give Seth what he needed.

  Maybe it was what Logan needed too.

  He tore down Seth’s pajama bottoms and swallowed him as deep as he could, loving how Seth bucked his hips and gasped again. Logan choked and pulled back, keeping the head in his mouth as he breathed through his nose. He sucked hard, tonguing the slit. He probably wasn’t very good at it, but Seth didn’t seem to mind.

  In the hush of the room, their grunts and groans seemed really loud, and it made Logan’s dick rock hard in his boxer briefs. He loved the way Seth was holding his head now, his fingers flexing, digging in one second, and then rubbing the next.

  It was probably weird, but he loved how Seth was still buttoned in his pajama top while underneath he was bare, getting his dick sucked. He tasted musky and male, and Logan licked desperately, taking him too deep again, spit dribbling out of his mouth as he choked.

  His head spun, whole body tensing as he sucked like his life depended on it. Making Seth come felt like the most important thing in the world.

  Logan fondled Seth’s balls, and that did it. He shot his load with a rumble of moans and whimpers, palming Logan’s head. Logan swallowed as much as he could, not caring about the bitter taste, sucking him through it until Seth’s trembles turned to jerks and it was obviously too much.

  Logan released Seth’s dick, and his mouth felt messy, his lips swollen. He pushed to his feet, and Seth reached for him, rubbing Logan’s shaft through the cotton of his skivvies.

  Seth was wrecked, his mouth open and face bright red in the pale light. Logan moaned, thrusting against Seth’s palm, leaning against the wall, his hands on either side of Seth’s face.

  He’d only have to lean in a few more inches and they’d be kissing.

  And fuck, Logan wanted to kiss him for real. Wanted to shove his tongue into Seth’s mouth and kiss him until they couldn’t breathe. Would Seth freak out if he did? He groaned as Seth pulled him out of his shorts, and—

  The slide of a key card in the door echoed as loud as a gunshot, and Logan stumbled back. He and Seth stared at each other in horror, everything feeling like slow motion as the door handle went down.

  Logan dove back into the bathroom, kicking the door shut and crossing the tile floor so Connor couldn’t hear him panting. The T-shirt was too tight on his neck, and he tugged it off.

  He heard Connor say, “I forgot my goggles. We’re diving for pennies.”

  “Cool!” Seth said, his voice really loud and fake, but farther away. He was probably back in bed with the covers up.

  “Um, yeah,” Connor said, and Logan could picture his face creased in his “you’re a weirdo” expression that was usually reserved for Logan. After a few moments, Connor said, “Later,” and all was silent again.

  Slumping against the towel rack, his head against the tile wall, Logan exhaled. He was still achingly hard, and he automatically reached down to stroke himself, shoving his underwear to his hips to free himself.

  The bathroom door opened, and Seth appeared, wearing his pajama bottoms again, the top still buttoned neatly. They stared at each other, and Seth opened his mouth to say something, probably an apology or whatever, but then snapped his jaw shut, gaze flicking from Logan’s face to his dick in his hand. Even though he’d just come—the taste of it lingering in Logan’s mouth—Seth’s eyes went dark, and he licked his lips.

  Spreading his legs, Logan jerked himself. The scars on his chest surely looked too ugly in the bright light, but Seth didn’t seem to mind judging by the way he stared.

  As he worked himself, Logan watched the hitch in Seth’s breathing. It made him so hot the way Seth looked at him like that.

  He wanted to talk dirty and get Seth hard again—because he bet he could, without even touching him. But words were all twisted up in Logan’s head, and he could only grunt, the slap of his hand on his dick echoing.

  Maybe none of this had been part of the casual sex addition to their deal, because as Logan came, he arched his back, his toes curling on the tile, displaying himself for Seth in a way that was very, very gay—or bisexual or whatever the hell people wanted to call it. Sure as shit, none of it felt casual.

  Breathing hard, he slumped against the towels. They stared at each other.

  Finally, Seth said too loudly, “You want first shower? We should get ready for breakfast. Time to put on a show, right?”

  Logan had been panting so much his voice was raspy. “Yeah. Don’t worry, we’ll fool everyone.” He tried not to be embarrassed about the show he’d just put on.

  Under the hot blast of the shower, he wondered who the fuck they were actually fooling.

  “No. No way.” Seth crossed his arms, staring down the hill. “We’re going to kill ourselves.”

  Logan laughed. “That’s half the fun of sledding.” He’d climbed up without his chest hurting, and even after the awkwardness of breakfast—trying to make boring small talk and not think about getting Seth’s dick in his mouth again ASAP—he was excited to sled.
It had been years.

  They stood at the top of a big wide hill outside of town. There were lots of people sledding, locals and BRK staff climbing up on the sides of the slope and then blasting down the middle. It was a mostly cloudy morning, the snow thick around their boots.

  They wore wool hats and thick gloves, and Logan had looped a red scarf around his neck over his leather jacket. Jenna had knit it for him, and she and Jun, Ian, and Connor were all decked out in more of her creations in all sorts of bright colors. Noah was being cared for with some other kids who were too young or didn’t want to sled.

  She nudged Seth playfully. “Come on, where’s your Christmas spirit?”

  “Since when is Christmas spirit about hurtling down an embankment and breaking our necks?”

  “The spirit of Christmas is giving,” Jenna said. “And you’ll be giving us a huge amount of amusement to watch you sled down this hill, Southern boy. Preferably screaming all the way.”

  Connor laughed. “Savage.” Jenna gave him a wink, and he grinned.

  “You’re supposed to be my friend!” Seth huffed. “What if there’s an avalanche?”

  They all laughed, and Jun said, “We’re at the top of the hill, and this isn’t a mountain.” He pointed in the distance at the jagged gray peaks, snow covering the Adirondacks. “Those are mountains.”

  “Feels like a mountain,” Seth muttered, holding up his round plastic sled. “And we’re supposed to ride down on this?” He rubbed at the back of his neck.

  Logan’s smile faded as he realized Seth was actually nervous. More than that—he was afraid. “Hey, it’s okay.” He stepped closer and squeezed Seth’s shoulder through his puffy parka. “You can walk down.”

  Seth groaned. “I’ll look like such a wimp in front of everyone. And we’re so…high. It didn’t look this high from down there.”

  Shit, was he afraid of heights? Logan said, “I’ll walk down with you.”

  “But you want to sled.” Seth sighed. “I’m being a big baby.”