Leaning Into Series: The Complete Box Set

by Hayes, Lane

  Zane picked up the tree and set it in its designated corner. To prove he was easily the best husband ever, he adjusted it to the left, the right, and back again until I declared it was perfect.

  “Great! Let’s water it and throw the lights on and—fuck! Did I order the pizza?”

  “I did. Everything is taken care of. Don’t worry.” He hefted the boxes closer to the tree, pulled a strand of white lights out, and plugged them in to test the bulbs.

  “What kind of pizza did you get?” I asked, popping the lid off the box containing ornaments.

  “The usual,” he replied absently.

  “Hmm. Do you need my help with the lights?”

  “Nah. I got it.”

  “You know I’m gonna go crazy if you don’t give me something to do. Maybe I should organize the ornaments.”

  Zane widened his eyes comically. “Er, I think you organized the hell out of those things when you packed them away last year. Just sit on the sofa and talk to me. Tell me about your day.”

  “We were together all day.”

  “Right. Well…tell me what you’re thinking about this very second,” he said in a calming voice as he wrapped the lights around the bottom portion of the tree trunk.

  “I’m thinking about Christmas traditions, and how it must be different for every family. Everyone is celebrating the same thing but doing it in their own style. Did you and your mom do anything special when you were a kid?” I asked conversationally.

  Zane must have heard something in my voice. He stopped what he was doing and smiled. “We did this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We brought our tree home, pulled the decorations from storage. I was in charge of the lights because I was taller and way more patient when it came to making sure they were evenly distributed. She’d watch me while she unpacked the ornaments.” He winked, then added, “Like you’re doing now.”

  “Is this a weird ‘I married my mom’ moment for you?” I held up a silver bulb and snickered at his horrified expression.

  “Fuck, I hope not. Anyway, back to ‘Christmas with the Richards.’ Once the lights were up, we got to work. There was always holiday music on in the background and she always made hot chocolate. I have to admit, when I was little, it felt pretty magical. In my teen years, it was torture, but she insisted on the tradition. She told me I could invite friends to join us if I wanted. I never did. Even though I was sure I was too old and too cool to drink hot cocoa with my mom while ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ played on the radio, it felt like something special that only belonged to us. We kept it up even when I was in college. And other than adding some Baileys to the hot chocolate, it was the same. The same ornaments, the same music. And it was always just us. We were a team. I didn’t have a dad or any siblings. And even when she had a boyfriend, she didn’t invite him.”

  “But she invited me. Remember that year? We were in our twenties. I think you’d just come out as bi. We weren’t together then. In fact, I think I was still with Nick.”

  I frowned at the decade-old memory. Nick was one of my best friends and my business partner at EN Tech, the successful tech firm we’d started after graduation. And for a short time, we were lovers. It seemed like a lifetime ago. We were thirty-five now. I wouldn’t say it was a total disaster, but Nick and I needed our friendship more than sex. With Zane, I had both.

  “Of course I remember. You laughed at the Star of David I made out of popsicle sticks when I was in first grade. You know my mom still hangs that on her tree every year,” he said proudly.

  “I didn’t laugh. Okay, fine. Maybe I did a little. It was cute. And I guess I was surprised to see it on a tree. I’m sure my mom didn’t keep the holiday Santas I made when I was in grade school. Unless she put them in storage,” I mused thoughtfully. “I’m going to hang every piece of art our kids bring home. Handprint turkeys, paper menorahs, hand-crafted ornaments…everything.”

  “We’re going to need a bigger house,” he teased.

  “Probably.” I glanced down at the festive bulbs before asking, “Was I the only one your mom invited to help decorate the tree?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why?”

  “You were the only one I wanted, baby. You always were,” he replied.

  I opened and closed my mouth, torn between surprise and pleasure, as his words wrapped around me like a gossamer veil.

  “God, I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you too, Er.” When he motioned for me to come to his side, I didn’t hesitate. I pushed the ornament box aside and dropped to my knees, throwing myself into his outstretched arms.

  I clutched at his blue oxford shirt in a quest to be as close to him as possible. “I can’t wait to start a family with you.”

  “We already are family. We have been for years. I think my mom sensed it before we did.”

  “She’s pretty smart.” I pulled back and brushed my nose against his. “We can’t uninvite our friends now, but maybe next year we should have our own tree-trimming party and continue your old family tradition.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary. Our friends are part of our family too, just in a different way. We don’t need old traditions. We can make up new rules as we go. The only thing that matters is that we’re together.”

  Zane rubbed his thumb across my lips and sealed his mouth over mine. White lights twinkled on the tree branches next to us and reflected in the window, lending a festive mood to the moment. I wished I’d turned on holiday music to complete the scene. But Zane was right. We didn’t need to recreate old memories.…We were going to make our own.

  I licked the seam of his mouth, humming my approval when he pushed his tongue between my lips. He cupped my neck and tilted his head to deepen the connection, then slid his free hand around my waist. I moaned when he squeezed my ass and bucked his hips. The sensuous friction of our denim-clad cocks and the feel of his warm hands made me want so much more. I wanted to feel his bare skin. I wanted to taste him and pull him close as he moved inside me.

  I broke for air and tried to catch my breath. “Zane, I want you.”

  He gave me a hungry look. “They’re gonna be here soon.”

  “Then we’d better hurry.”

  Chapter 2

  Zane

  We stumbled into our room, pulling off clothes in a desperate attempt to get naked and horizontal as quickly as possible. I chuckled softly when Eric checked to make sure the blinds were drawn before shoving the duvet to the end of our king-sized bed. It didn’t matter where we were; he had a thing for locked doors and covered windows. I didn’t bother mentioning that everyone we’d invited over tonight either had the key to our front door or knew the code to the security system. I was far too distracted by the sight of his bare ass when he climbed onto the mattress on his hands and knees, presenting himself to me like a fucking gift.

  I squeezed my cock at the base and shivered with need and desire. Damn, he was beautiful. It amazed me sometimes that Eric didn’t see himself the way I did. Under his Mr. Reliable façade, my husband was a sexy fucker with a naughty streak that drove me wild. And when he widened his knees and swayed his ass in invitation, I had to be inside him. Now.

  I grabbed the lube from the nightstand and poured a generous amount onto my palm, stroking myself as I stepped between his legs from behind.

  “Wait. Give me a little,” he said, extending his arm backward.

  I obeyed but captured his wrist just as he slid his middle finger along his crack. “Not yet.”

  Eric shot a puzzled glance over his shoulder. It morphed into a blissed-out expression with a needy moan the second I pulled his cheeks apart and bent to lick his entrance. I flattened my tongue and worked him over while I jacked myself with my right hand and held his ass open with my left. He hummed my name as he gripped the sheets. His “That feels so good” became a plea for me to fuck him the second I pushed a finger inside him. When I added another, he became almost manic.

 
Eric was so responsive. It was one of the many things I loved about him. I knew what he liked and how to make him whimper with need. But I swore he read me just as easily. He had to know without looking that I was barely in control. It took serious willpower not to jump on top of him and fuck him like an animal. When my precum dripped onto the sheets, I knew I couldn’t wait. I smeared it over the tip, then pulled back to add lube before lining my cock at his hole and slowly pushing inside my man.

  “Oh, fuck,” Eric sighed.

  He collapsed onto his elbows and arched upward in a wordless signal to proceed. I ran my fingers along his spine and massaged his shoulders as I inched forward. I didn’t stop until my balls rested against his. I rocked my hips slowly, loving the sexy noises he made.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes. Fuck me.”

  I set a steady pace at first, with long strokes and sweet nothings. When I felt him relax around me, I upped the tempo. He responded immediately, meeting me thrust for thrust. His throaty grunts sounded like sex personified. I couldn’t help egging him on, whispering dirty promises designed to make him crazy.

  “I wanna fuck you hard, baby. I want to pound your—”

  Eric grabbed the side of my thigh and growled. “Do it!”

  He didn’t have to ask twice. I draped myself over him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and drove into him hard. One major advantage of being with the same man for years was knowing what his version of “hard and fast” meant. Eric liked it rough and a little kinky, but in moderation. And when he begged for more, he didn’t want it all at once. And his sense of propriety was more rigid than mine. I certainly didn’t care if our friends waltzed into our house and heard me spank his ass while I asked if he’d been a bad boy, but Eric would be mortified. Unless of course, we were strapped for time.

  Needless to say, I cranked it up a notch. I reached for his cock and stroked him while I pistoned my hips. We moved in perfect unison. He met me thrust for thrust, over and over, moaning softly when I quickened the pace and licked his neck. He shivered slightly and collapsed on his stomach. I covered him immediately, flattening myself over him and curling my legs around his before completely letting go. My balls bounced against his as I fucked him relentlessly. He felt so good. So warm and tight…and so mine. The second that thought crossed my mind, I knew I wouldn’t last.

  “Er, I’m gonna come.”

  “Yes. Come inside me,” he commanded.

  I did, and fuck, it was fierce. I roared with the force of my orgasm, gasping for air as it rolled over me in giant waves. When I felt Eric tense underneath me, I slipped my hand between him and the mattress and reached for his dick.

  “I’ve got you, baby. Does that feel good?”

  “Fuck, yes!” he cried out as his release hit him a moment later.

  Which, funny enough, coincided with a muffled guffaw and the sound of a door closing somewhere in the house.

  Great. We had company.

  I gently disengaged and flopped onto my pillow, chuckling at Eric’s panicky expression.

  “Gee, do you think they heard us?” I joked.

  Eric snorted a half laugh. “Oh, I think that’s a safe assumption. We should place a side bet and see who comments first. My guess is Josh.”

  “It’s always Josh. Although it could be Miles.”

  “True. It sounds like everyone’s here. Whose bright idea was it to give our friends easy access to our house?” Eric sat up gingerly and winced.

  “Yours.” I hopped out of bed and extended my hand. “Come on. Let’s take a quick shower.”

  “But they’re out there,” he protested, widening his eyes comically when I strode to the door and flung it open. “Wait. What are you doing?”

  I winked at my husband then yelled, “Hey, make yourselves at home. We’ll be right out.”

  Josh appeared at the end of the hallway. He leaned on the column and gave me a thorough once-over, then chuckled.

  “Take your time, Romeo. The pizza’s here. The poor delivery guy may have heard that last ‘Fuck me harder.’ He probably thinks you’re hosting an orgy now, which may or may not work in your favor when you place your next order. Want a beer?” Josh asked with a knowing grin that made me chuckle.

  “Yeah. And wine for Eric. A healthy pour,” I added before closing the door.

  Eric opened and closed his mouth twice. “Did he see you naked?”

  I glanced down at my sweaty chest and spent junk and shrugged. “Yeah. So what? The pizza’s getting cold. Let’s get movin’.”

  Eric joined me in the master bath. He rested his cheek on my shoulder and smiled at my reflection in the mirror while we waited for the water to warm up. “I’m nervous to tell them. I know they’ll be excited for us. It just feels so…big and important.”

  “It is big and important. The biggest and most important thing we’ve ever done.”

  “Are you nervous? You seem so calm about this.”

  I shook my head ruefully. “No way. I’m scared out of my mind. I think about it constantly. I’m so afraid of screwing up that I swear there’ve been days I wanted to tell you I couldn’t go through with it.”

  Eric cocked his head curiously and frowned. “Why would you doubt yourself? You’re going to be the best dad ever.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back the sudden flood of emotion. I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, ’cause damn it…how did I get this lucky? How could he possibly look at me…the surfer dude he remembered for being a hopeless case in high school, and believe in me so completely?

  “Thank you, but I never had a dad, Er. I don’t know how to do this. Josh and Finn are awesome parents, and I’m sure they’ll give us lots of pointers but every day, real life, minute by minute…it’s going to be up to us to make sure we give our kid everything he or she needs. Changing diapers and feeding a baby seems easy compared to all the stuff you have to deal with later. You know this kid is going to grow into an actual teenager at some point, right? That’s fucking frightening. I was one of those once, and I was a nightmare!”

  Eric chuckled softly and fixed me with an adoring gaze. “I knew you then. You weren’t so bad. Besides, our kid might be a geek.”

  “Like you?” I teased, nipping his bottom lip.

  “Yep.”

  “That’s fine by me, baby.” I kissed him and smacked his ass, then stepped aside to turn on the shower. “Come on. Hop in before they come looking for us.”

  * * *

  We walked into a party in progress in our great room ten minutes later. Our friends congregated around an extra-large pizza on the kitchen island, sipping beers and catching up while Nat King Cole’s “Silver Bells” played in the background. The room was festive and warm and filled with some of my favorite people on the planet: Nick and Wes, Grant and Miles, and Josh and Finn. They whistled and whooped our names in greeting.

  Josh handed Eric a glass of Chardonnay with an arched eyebrow and gave both of us a look of mock censure. “You two might be the horniest married couple I’ve ever met.”

  “Cheers, boys.” Finn raised his beer bottle in a toast, then slung his arm around his husband’s shoulders. “Let them be, Joshy. We don’t do too badly ourselves.”

  Josh grinned. “You’re right. A toddler puts a damper on spontaneous sex, though.”

  The gooey “proud papa” look they shared indicated they didn’t mind at all. I glanced at Eric, wondering if this was our opening. I knew what he meant now about feeling nervous to tell them. Sure, these guys were our family in every way that counted, but this wasn’t ordinary news.

  Eric caught my eye and inclined his head. “You’ll have to tell us all about that.”

  “It’s pretty simple. One second you’re hot and heavy and ready to go. But before you can uncap the lube, your daughter coos your name through the baby monitor and you’re scrambling to redress and get back into “daddy” mode,” Josh griped playfully.

  “I’m kinda looking forward to that,” Eric said in a
low voice.

  “To what? Getting cock-blocked?” Nick asked incredulously. “No, thanks. Wes and I are cool with being uncles. But if you’re going to be dads someday too, it sounds like you’d better have all the sex now.”

  “Hmm.” Eric tossed a bashful glance at me. “I guess we’d better.”

  “Yeah.” I nuzzled his neck and kissed him impulsively, setting off another chorus of good-natured teasing.

  The only one who didn’t participate was Miles. He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What’s going on with you two?”

  Eric bit his bottom lip nervously and shot a glance my way that clearly said, “This is it.” When I nodded in agreement, he turned to our friends and announced, “We have something to tell you. We’re…um…”

  “What?” Grant prodded.

  I slipped my hand into Eric’s back pocket and grinned before announcing, “We’re going to have a baby.”

  Eric

  Our friends stared at us as though they couldn’t quite process what Zane was saying. Of course, once the initial surprise wore off, it was a race to the finish to see who could come up with the expected hilarious quip.

  “Eric, are you pregnant?” Nick and Josh asked at the same time.

  A collective groan broke the silence, followed quickly by enthusiastic congratulations and a million questions of the basic “how, what, and when” variety.

  “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Surrogate or adoption?”

  “When, how, where?”

  “We’re telling you now, and you’re officially the first to know.” Zane raised his hands to high-five everyone like the winning contestant on Wheel of Fortune. “We haven’t even told our parents yet.”

  “So keep talking,” Nick prodded. “When is the baby due? When do you find out what you’re having? Or is the baby already born and—”

  Wes put his hand over Nick’s mouth and pressed a sloppy kiss on his fiancé’s cheek. “Let them tell us, Nicky.”

  I squeezed Zane’s hand, then set my wineglass on the island, and took a deep breath before launching into our story. “We have a surrogate. Her name is Darcy. She’s twenty-nine, unmarried, and has a kid of her own. She’s sweet and smart and she’s been incredible. We’ve been working through this process for over a year. We wanted to adopt first, and we thought we were close once, but everything fell through at the last second, and it was…hard.”