They held each other tightly for a long time, lost in the shared kiss. It varied between gentle and rough, demanding and giving, as the tempo changed. One moment, Hugh led, and the next, Chris was taking charge.
Somehow, they migrated to the bed without Chris being fully conscious of the steps that led them there. All he knew was one minute, he stood with Hugh in his arms, and the next, they were pressed together on the bed, tearing at each other’s clothes in a passionate frenzy.
Chris was the first to bare his lover from the waist up, and he took advantage of it by raking his fingers across Hugh’s nipples, making him moan. The crisp hair on his chest caught Chris’s fingers, as if trying to keep him from ever letting go. He smoothed them gently, before once again scratching lightly over his nipples.
“What are you doing to me?” asked Hugh through gnashing teeth. Perspiration dotted his forehead, trailing down.
“I hope I’m driving you wild.” Chris darted forward to catch the drops of sweat before they could reach Hugh’s eye. He licked them away prior to moving his mouth lower, to press gentle kisses to his eyelids.
“You are.” Hugh removed his polo shirt and tossed it without looking. “Shall I do the same?”
“You already do just by being here.” Chris kissed his cheek, moving his mouth toward the other man’s ear. Upon reaching his target, he took the lobe into his mouth to suck gently, offsetting the tenderness with a nip that made Hugh jump.
It was Chris’s turn to jump when Hugh put his hand into his pants, tearing away the heavy denim as if it were nothing more than the thinnest gossamer. His briefs followed, and the ripping motion Hugh used caused a lingering sting to remain where the elastic had been. Hugh seemed to know, because his hands soothed over the sensitive spots until the pain was gone.
As Hugh caressed him, Chris’s cock hardened upward, seeking out his lover’s touch. He was moaning and arching astride Hugh. In the back of his mind, he knew he should be reciprocating, but couldn’t focus on anything but the feel of Hugh’s hand, especially when he engulfed his erection in his palm. Chris bucked his hips in time with Hugh’s pumping hand, digging his fingers into the other man’s chest hair to anchor himself. Spasms of fluid leaked from his penis as he grew closer to coming, and they splashed onto Hugh’s stomach. Chris redoubled his thrusts until hot streams of ejaculate shot from him. “Hugh, oh, Hugh ...” There was so much he wanted to say, but didn’t have the coherence to voice his thoughts at the moment.
Trembling with the force of his release, Chris forgot to brace his weight and collapsed atop Hugh. The other man held him tenderly, patting his back in small circles as Chris struggled to regain his breath. Finally, the haze of passion faded from his eyes, and he pressed his cheek to Hugh’s. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, my love.”
Chris started to withdraw, but Hugh tightened his grip. He lifted his head to meet the other man’s gaze. “Don’t you want to penetrate me?”
With a smile, Hugh shook his head. “Later. For now, I am content to simply hold you.”
Chris smoothed his hands over Hugh’s chest and stomach. “Are you sure? Don’t you need to ... eat?”
“Eventually.”
Chris tilted his head to offer his neck, but Hugh only placed a gentle kiss to the spot he normally bit before rolling them onto their sides. He lay against his lover, disconcerted by the turn of events. Hugh was by no means a selfish lover, but their encounters had never focused solely on Chris without a blood exchange. Being in Hugh’s embrace made him feel loved and protected. At that moment, he never wanted to leave his arms, though part of him still ached for Ness. He still didn’t know what to do. He would have to ask Hugh, but it seemed as though the other man was offering him more than their current relationship, maybe even forever together. Did he want to spend the rest of his life ... maybe the rest of eternity ... with Hugh? Or did he want to pursue Ness at the expense of Hugh’s heart?
Torn between his choices, Chris somehow eventually fell asleep. Dreams of the two people in his life whom he loved most followed him.
Chapter Five
The Christmas tree and decorators arrived early the next morning. It was Chris’s duty to oversee them while Hugh slept. Chris was used to handling his daily business, but overseeing a design firm as they transformed the elegant home to a resplendent paragon of the approaching holidays was a new experience. He had begun the task without much enthusiasm, but found the decorations had dragged him into a holiday mood by the time the workers left late that afternoon. With the emotional matters weighing on his mind, celebrating Christmas hadn’t been a priority, but now he turned his thoughts to presents ‑‑ specifically, what would he give Hugh, a man who had everything?
Though he spent the rest of the day thinking about it, Chris didn’t come up with a good gift idea for Hugh. By the time his lover joined him in the sitting room where the decorators had erected a twelve-foot fresh pine tree, he decided it was time to stop thinking about it for the time being. Chris greeted Hugh with a kiss, feeling freer than he had in a long time after their talk yesterday. He hadn’t yet figured out what he wanted, but knowing Hugh wanted him allowed him to express feelings he’d been keeping inside since their affair began.
“It looks great in here,” said Hugh, accepting a cup of hot cider Chris offered from the tray he had prepared a few moments before. “This year’s color scheme is surprisingly harmonious. I had doubts when Anne first proposed teal and maroon, but the silver accents really bring it all together.”
Chris nodded. When he first saw the decorations going up, he’d been surprised. They weren’t the traditional colors he was accustomed to seeing around the holidays, but they were still pleasing, and somehow captured the festiveness of the season.
After sipping the cider, Hugh set it on a coaster on the glass-topped table. One of the decorating staff had strung silver ribbon all around the edge. “Speaking of Christmas reminds me that I haven’t asked what your holiday plans are.”
Chris shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“Would you like time off?” A small smile creased his lips. “That sounds strange. We hardly have an employee-employer relationship anymore. I guess I should ask if you’ll be going away, or if you already have plans?”
He shook his head. “No, nothing. My frat usually throws a party, but I’m going to pass this year.” Last year’s had been the usual debauchery, but even then, it hadn’t appealed to him. Mainly because he’d watched Ness hanging on one of his frat brothers all night, her current boyfriend at the time. With a shrug, he added, “I guess I’ve outgrown that.”
Hugh nodded. “What about family? Won’t you be seeing them?”
Chris waved a hand. “Nah. I don’t usually bother.” He winced. “That didn’t sound right. I love my folks, but it’s too difficult to visit around Christmas. My dad was in the Air Force, stationed in Germany during most of his term of service. After he retired, my parents stayed there. It’s expensive to travel abroad this time of year, so we usually spend a few weeks together in the summer.” He imagined introducing Hugh to his parents, but couldn’t visualize the meeting properly. They were open-minded and liberal about equal rights for everyone, but he didn’t know how they would feel if confronted with their son’s involvement in a gay relationship with a vampire. If he decided to spend his life with Hugh, he knew it might take his parents a long time to accept his choice ‑‑ but he also knew they would eventually, because they loved him and wanted him to be happy.
“I know Ness is joining us Friday night for dinner, but would you like to invite others for Christmas day? Friends, perhaps?”
Chris shook his head, feeling a little shy. His tongue was thick when he said, “If it’s okay with you, I think I’d rather have a quiet day here.” The words resounded within him, and he was startled to realize just how at home he felt in Hugh’s house, and in such a short time. Was it the warm charm of the house, or did it have more to do with the presence of the other man?
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Hugh seemed pleased with the suggestion. “There are a few others I normally spend time with, but I’m certain they will understand me declining their invitation this year.” He reached out to take Chris’s hand. “I would prefer to spend a festive day with just you.”
With a mischievous smile, Chris stepped forward, maneuvering Hugh to the left one step. “Look up?” As the other man tipped back his neck, he leaned forward to press a kiss to the column of his throat. “Mistletoe,” he said against the skin.
A chuckle vibrated through his skin, tickling Chris’s lips. “So it is.” He tipped his head to the side so Chris could burrow into the bend of his neck and shoulder. He shivered when Chris nipped the flesh. He cupped his biceps, lifting his head to kiss Hugh on the mouth. Their nearly equal height served him well, allowing him to angle his hips against the other man’s, so that their cocks pressed against each other. The denim of his jeans was a barrier he wanted to tear away, along with Hugh’s wool slacks.
Hugh pulled at the hem of Chris’s long-sleeve T-shirt, bunching it above his waist. His fingers were slightly cool, but a welcome presence, as he stroked them across his abs. Chris’s stomach clenched with anticipation when Hugh’s hand slid lower, and he hooked two fingers into the waistband of his jeans.
Determined not to let Hugh do all the seducing this time, Chris focused his attention equally between kissing his partner while simultaneously tugging at his black silk turtleneck to pull it from the slacks. Once it was loose, he let his hands roam freely underneath it, stroking and scratching lightly, enjoying the ripples of Hugh’s flesh in response to his touch. He broke the kiss to pull the garment off Hugh, tossing it at the settee, but not bothering to ensure that’s where it landed.
His own T-shirt followed quickly, with Hugh’s assistance. Once bared from the waist up, he embraced Hugh, holding him in his arms, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact. It was nurturing and exciting at the same time. Hugh made him feel safe and protected, but also desired. It was a delicious confliction that had him wanting to be both rough and tender with his lover.
Following his instincts led Chris to lean forward and take Hugh’s lower lip between his teeth. He nipped, applying pressure until Hugh’s breath left him in a harsh exhalation. At that moment, he switched tactics, making his tongue an instrument of soothing, running it lightly over the shallow wound he had inflicted.
Hugh retaliated by grasping a handful of Chris’s hair and dragging back his head to expose his throat. The wicked gleam in his eyes caused Chris’s cock to flutter with a dark thrill of anticipation. A glimpse of fangs was all he caught before his lover’s mouth descended. The tip of one fang grazed his throat, and a trickle of warm liquid accompanied the flash of pain. Again, his cock spasmed, and sticky pre-ejaculate spilled from the head, causing his underwear to stick uncomfortably.
He arched his hips, rubbing his cock against Hugh’s. His lover couldn’t hide his own excitement as evidenced by his raging hard-on pressing against Chris’s. With a moan, he stopped teasing Chris with light rasps of his teeth and slid his fangs into the vein thundering under his mouth. Chris emitted a moan of his own, still shocked by how pleasurable it was to be bitten. The first flash of pain wasn’t fun, but endorphins and adrenaline flooded his body, and they, along with his piqued desire, made the experience unfailingly erotic each time Hugh bit him.
Somehow, he managed to get his brain to work, albeit sluggishly. Chris fumbled with the leather belt blocking his path to Hugh’s penis. When the buckle yielded, he pushed it aside impatiently to tug at the zipper and button. With more gusto than finesse, he dealt with those impediments, and the briefs underneath. Hugh’s cock was hard and hot in his hand when he cupped it. He naturally matched the rhythm of Hugh’s suckling mouth with his hand, pumping him in an expert fashion. Hot fluid leaked from his erection in steady streams, growing more prodigious as Hugh reached the point of climax. Chris held his breath when he sensed his lover was about to come, applying a scant bit more pressure to the sensitive head.
With a gasp, Hugh pushed him away, freeing his fangs from Chris’s throat at the same time he disengaged his hand. “Not like that.” His flushed cheeks indicated the blood he had imbued was flowing through his system rapidly, no doubt distributed more quickly than usual by his heightened state of arousal. “I want us to come together.”
Chris nodded, wanting the same thing. He undid his jeans with more ease than he had displayed when dealing with Hugh’s pants, as Hugh shed his garments, including shoes and socks. Chris matched his motions, until their clothes were an untidy pile of fabric spread across the ecru carpet. When Hugh held out his hand, he took it without hesitation, following him to the sofa.
“Lean forward, knees on the floor.”
Chris complied, assuming the position while his stomach churned. His anus convulsed with anticipation, as if grasping for Hugh’s cock. His own penis was a rigid shaft almost touching his stomach despite the fact gravity was trying to drag it downward. He couldn’t resist stroking himself leisurely while he waited for Hugh to take position behind him. His ass ached for his lover’s possession. He wouldn’t have believed he could become so wanton so quickly, but here he was, about to be made love to by another man, and it was something he had come to love.
Or should he say loved to come, Chris thought, allowing a small smile to tweak his lips. Hugh was an expert at giving him satisfaction, and he was teaching Chris all he would ever need to know to keep his lover gratified. The idea of an eternity together was somewhat daunting, though he couldn’t imagine they would ever become bored with each other physically.
He looked up at a sound, his eyes widening when he saw Hugh reentering the room. “What have you been up to? I didn’t know you’d gone anywhere.”
“I went for necessities.” Hugh showed him a tube of lubricant before walking directly behind Chris, out of his line of sight.
Chris’s muscles tensed with anticipation when he heard Hugh getting onto his knees, positioned behind him. The other man’s body rubbed against his briefly, just enough to increase his need to a new intensity. His lazy self-pleasuring took on a new edge of need, and he stroked his cock more rapidly still when Hugh inserted the tip of the tube into his back passage to fill him with warm lube.
“None of that,” Hugh said, sounding indulgent, as he took Chris’s hand and placed it on the couch. “That’s my job.”
Chris was mildly resentful that he had been denied the added stimulation, but forgot about it when Hugh bent him forward at the waist, his hands positioning him. One remained at the small of his back, while the other parted Chris’s buttocks to allow Hugh’s erection to slide between them. He found the puckered bud longing for his possession unerringly, his head slowly stretching Chris until his ass parted enough to accept all of Hugh’s length. It took a couple of moments for him to adapt, but soon, Hugh had his cock buried deep inside Chris’s bowels, slowly fucking him in a rocking motion.
Hands balled into fists, Chris pressed his face into the settee cushion to keep from screaming. He wanted to tell Hugh to go faster, to fuck him hard, but held back ‑‑ only because he didn’t want the moment to end yet.
The hand Hugh had used to guide his cock into Chris’s crevice slipped under Chris, gently squeezing his testicles in an affectionate gesture before grasping his cock. Chris whimpered when Hugh began to pump his hand up and down his cock. The slightly rough skin of his palm exacerbated his arousal, while the soft stroking of his forefinger against the bundle of nerves at the V of his head brought him too close to orgasm too quickly. “No ...” He trailed off, unable to verbalize wanted he wanted.
Hugh seemed cognizant of Chris’s needs. He slowed his hand, and his cock began to slide deeper inside Chris and take longer to withdrawal. He groaned at the onslaught, tipping back his head, wanting to touch Hugh in every way he could. His lover responded by leaning forward to kiss Chris almost on the mouth. Their position didn’t allow for a full kiss, but the contact was enough. In an inst
ant, Chris’s desire shifted again, and he began pushing back against Hugh’s cock with renewed effort, wanting his lover to ride him hard.
Maybe Hugh was reading his mind. Chris thought he must have some way to sense what he wanted, unless he was just attuned to his body. It should have bothered him to think of the other man reading his thoughts, but he didn’t care. In his heart, he knew Hugh would never hurt or betray him, would never use his thoughts against him in a moment of anger. If Hugh was scanning his mind, it was solely to give Chris pleasure.
When Hugh bent him forward even more, pressing his stomach into the settee, Chris turned his head so he could breathe. Wordless cries escaped him as Hugh began pounding into him, stretching his anus in a way that should have hurt, but instead felt only delicious. He didn’t slack on massaging Chris’s cock, his hand moving so quickly it would have been exhausting for a mortal man to keep the pace. When Hugh’s cock quivered deep inside his back passage, Chris’s manhood responded in kind, loosing the first spurts of satisfaction across Hugh’s hand, against the linen upholstery. It was odd how their cocks spasmed in time with each other, their breathing synched; even their inhales and exhales corresponding. He had never experienced anything like it. As Hugh gently withdrew from him before leaning forward to hold him, the two of them resting in the same position, Chris thought it was the most wonderful moment of his life. He couldn’t imagine sex without this synchronicity now that he’d had it once. Did that mean he couldn’t find satisfaction with anyone other than the man holding him? Or did it simply mean Hugh had shown him what making love should be, and he couldn’t settle for anything less ever again?
Chapter Six
Despite how far he had come in the week toward making a decision, hovering as he was on the edge of committing to Hugh if the other man blatantly offered it, Chris still couldn’t control his physical and emotional reaction when Ness took off the faux fur coat that Friday evening, seconds after he let her in. Black velvet pants encased her coltish legs, hugging them so tightly he could see the dimples in her knees, along with the perfect formation of her calves and shins, encased in leather boots. She had paired the sexy pants with an even sexier sweater. It was a tunic, flaring at her hips and ending mid-thigh. The red cashmere had a plunging neckline trimmed with white feathers, and it was so snug on her breasts he could immediately discern she wore a push-up bra. The sleeves, also fringed with white feathers, ended at her wrists, and when she pulled at the cuffs, the neckline inched down precariously, displaying even more of her generous cleavage.
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