Ryan picked up as many bags as he could carry. “Okay, I guess you’d better meet the family. They can be a bit much when they all get going. And once we get into the eggnog, there’s no telling how things’ll turn out.”
Cary grinned. “Sounds perfect.” He reached out and squeezed Ryan’s shoulder. “Thanks again for inviting me. You’re…a great friend.”
Ryan tried to ignore the sparks of desire he felt at Cary’s touch, even through the layers of fabric. “Anytime.” Snowflakes caught in Cary’s thick eyelashes, and Ryan tightened his grip on the shopping bags, resisting the urge to brush the flakes away.
After they took off their boots in the mudroom, Ryan’s mother ushered them inside. In the doorway, she drew a startled Cary into a hug. “Welcome! So lovely to have you, Cary.”
“I…thank you, Mrs. Drake.” Cary smiled.
She pressed a kiss to his cheek and pointed up at the bough of leaves and berries hanging above the door. “Mistletoe.”
Ryan shrugged apologetically. “It’s tradition.”
Cary’s eyes crinkled, and he gazed up. “That’s awesome. I’ve only ever seen it in movies.”
“You’d better come in, or I’ll have to kiss you too.” The words were out of his mouth before Ryan could stop himself. He stuttered. “I…um, here, let me get your coat.”
Jesus, get a grip! Even joking about kissing Cary was a bad idea. He just hoped he wouldn’t do something stupid and ruin their friendship by New Year’s.
As Lisa scurried around on her hands and knees, sniffing the corners of the living room, they all roared with laughter. She wiggled her nose and stuck her teeth out over her bottom lip.
“Bugs Bunny?” Tony asked.
Lisa glared as the sands in the timer ran out. “Rat race! That was a rat!”
“Ohhhh. Mom, that was smart,” Amy said.
Pushing herself up onto her feet, Lisa laughed. “Thank you, sweetie. Too bad my team didn’t think so!” She sat back on the couch next to Cary, shaking her head in mock sadness. “You’d think an actor would be better at this game.”
“Hey, did I not act out March of the Penguins perfectly?”
“Okay, I’ll give you that. The rest of you, get it together!”
They were divided into two teams, sitting across from each other with the wagon wheel coffee table between them. Ryan passed Amy the dice. “Roll a six, okay?”
Remarkably, she did, and she and Ryan high-fived. It was Jack’s turn to perform, and he had to hum a song for their team to guess. Jack read the card, and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “What’s a Feist?”
“She’s a singer, Dad,” Lisa answered. “You won’t know any of her songs, so take another card.”
This one he did know, and as his dad hummed “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” Ryan glanced around happily. He’d had a few glasses of spiked nog—along with wine at dinner—and a pleasant warmth suffused his chest. His family had welcomed Cary enthusiastically, and Cary had fit right in, joking around and getting in on the family’s playful bickering. As the evening wore on, Ryan couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed. So peaceful.
His mother quickly guessed the song, and then it was her turn to act out a clue. They all howled with laughter as she beat her chest and dragged her knuckles before swooning with a goofy smile on her face. “Monkey love!” Ryan called out.
His team won the game a little after ten o’clock, and they called it a night. As Ryan led Cary up to their room, his pulse increased. At the top of the stairs, he waved his arm grandly. “Welcome to the little-known Canadian cousin of the Ritz Carlton. Sumptuous comfort awaits.”
“This is so cool.” Cary gazed around the room, a smile dimpling his cheeks. “I can just picture you here as a kid. It must be nice, having everything be the same. I grew up on movie sets more than anywhere else. Hotel rooms.”
Ryan had brought up Cary’s things earlier and placed them by the spare bed. Cary sat down on it, and the mattress creaked.
Ryan grimaced. “That mattress is years old. I hope it’ll be okay.”
“It’s perfect, Ry.” Cary grinned. “I’ll just climb in with you if this bed isn’t comfy enough.”
Ryan’s laugh was slightly manic. “Yeah, plenty of room over here.” Ha-ha. “So the bathroom’s on the second floor. There’s a night-light down there, but be careful going down the ladder. When you’re half-asleep you can end up on your ass.”
“Will do.” Cary stood and unzipped his small suitcase. “I usually sleep in the nude, but I guess I’ll freeze my tail off if I do that.” He pulled out a T-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms.
At the thought of Cary naked, Ryan turned away, desire shivering over his skin. “Yeah, gets a little cold up here.” Keeping his back turned, Ryan quickly pulled on his pajamas.
Cary chuckled. “Are those…Christmas pajamas?”
Wait, did Cary just watch me undress? Ryan turned and held up his hands. “Guilty as charged. Santa brought them for me last year.”
“Santa. As in, Claus?”
“Yeah, every year my mom gets us presents from Santa. Just silly stuff.” He glanced down. “Like reindeer pajamas.”
“Love ’em.” Cary climbed into bed. “I think it’s really cool that your family’s so into Christmas and everything. It’s nice.”
“I never really thought about it. But yeah, it is.” Ryan flicked off the overhead light and got into bed. As darkness settled in, the solar system stuck to the slanted ceiling above his bed glowed faintly. Ryan cleared his throat. “So…is everything okay with Amanda?”
There was only silence for a moment, and he thought Cary might have gone to sleep already.
“It’s over. It just wasn’t working out. We were fighting all the time.”
Ryan tried to keep his voice somber despite the giddy whirl of joy whipping through him. “I’m sorry to hear it.”
“Are you?”
Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. Cary was across the room in the dark, and they couldn’t see each other, which was a good thing since Ryan probably looked guilty as hell. “Of course!”
“Dude, it’s cool. You and Amanda just never seemed to click.”
“No. I guess not. But I’m still sorry. I know you cared about her.”
“Yeah. I guess. We’re just not right for each other. Wanna hear something crazy?” He paused. “I think she was jealous of you.”
Ryan swallowed hard. “Of me?” He and Amanda had certainly never been friends, and he’d often felt the sharp edges of her piercing gaze when she visited the set. “That’s definitely crazy. We work together. We’re friends.”
“She kept trying to convince me to quit the show. Never mind that I have a contract. She thinks our story line will hurt my career.”
“Oh.” Ryan couldn’t help the stab of hurt. “But everyone knows you’re straight. It’ll be fine.”
There was a long moment of silence. “Yeah. Anyway. Thanks for letting me crash your Christmas. ’Night.”
Clearly Cary didn’t want to talk about it any further. “’Night.”
Silence descended, and Ryan closed his eyes. It was strange to be sharing a room with Cary—especially this room. It felt as if there was something hanging in the air, but he wasn’t sure what. After a while, Cary’s breathing evened out, and Ryan burrowed deeply under the covers and drifted away. Visions of Cary danced in his head, with not a sugarplum in sight.
Chapter Three
“So how does this work?”
Ryan turned off their laneway onto Shell Bay Road. It hadn’t been freshly plowed yet, but his father’s pickup could manage the new inches of snow. “Well, first there’s a seedling, and it grows in the earth and—”
“Ha-ha.” Cary rolled his eyes. “I mean how does it work to cut down a Christmas tree? Can you just walk into the woods?”
“I guess you could, but there’s a tree farm not too far away.” The sun blinked out from behind a cloud, and Ryan adjusted the shade.
&n
bsp; Cary squinted. “Man, it’s brighter than the beach with all this snow. It’s nice, though.”
“Especially when you don’t have to shovel it. One of the best parts of Lisa having kids is that they get to do all our old chores.” He cleared his throat. “Uh, not that I don’t love the kids.”
“Of course. Slave labor’s just a bonus.”
“Exactly.”
They laughed, and before long Ryan turned onto a winding road cutting through the forest. Fortunately it had been plowed, but he still went slowly. The sun was mostly blocked by the tall trees, lending the area a slightly mysterious air. Ryan spotted movement on the left and took his foot off the gas. As the truck rounded a bend, dozens of eyes swiveled toward them in unison.
Cary gasped softly. “Wow. What are they all doing here?”
Ryan pulled over and shut off the engine. The deer all stood motionless, watching. “It’s a feeding station. Must be because there’s so much snow this year. Sometimes the local anglers and hunters group will feed them if they’re getting too hungry. With global warming everything’s all topsy-turvy.”
“Wait, the hunters feed them? Aren’t they just going to kill them?” Cary glanced around as if expecting men with guns to materialize from the forest.
“Not until hunting season next November. But yeah, it’s kinda weird when you think about it.”
“Kinda. But it’s cool. I’ve never seen deer up close.”
Ryan lowered his window, and the deer remained frozen. But after another minute, the animals began eating again. Cary took off his seat belt and slid closer on the seat, his warm breath puffing into the cold air. Ryan shivered, but not from the chill. Cary pressed against his side, leaning close to peer out the window.
“They’re beautiful,” Cary whispered. “I wish we could pet them. I know we can’t, though.” He was silent for a moment. “I hope they’re fast runners and the hunters are lousy shots.”
Ryan smiled. “Me too,” he whispered back.
They watched the deer for ten minutes until another truck came, this one noisier and causing the deer to bound into the protection of the forest. Ryan put the truck into drive, and Cary slid back across the seat. Even with the window shut, Ryan felt chilled and bereft on his right side where Cary had been so close a moment ago.
Half an hour later, they struggled through knee-deep snow. Ryan had an ax slung over his shoulder, and he led the way. Cary had picked up top-of-the-line boots, which was a good thing since in LA he only ever wore flip-flops or sneakers.
“How do you know where we’re going?” Cary gazed around at the sea of trees. It was brighter at the tree farm, and Cary’s hair gleamed golden in the sun. “They all look the same.”
Ryan mock gasped. “The same? No, no. Among these trees is The One. The one true tree that I must find to bring home to my family. Usually it would be my dad accompanying me on this quest. But this year it’s you who must prove your bravery, good knight.”
Cary chuckled. “Are there Orcs in this forest? Because I didn’t sign up for Orcs.”
“You’re a Portigan warrior. You can handle a few Orcs.” Ryan changed course and went deeper into the trees.
“Too bad I left my warp blaster at home.”
The snow crunched underfoot as they continued along, away from the families and other people looking for their own trees. The sun darted in and out of the clouds, but there was no wind, so even though it was below zero, it didn’t feel cold. At least not to Ryan. Cary’s cheeks were rosy in the chill.
“Are you warm enough? Here, take my toque.” Ryan pulled off his woolen beanie hat and held it out.
“Your what?” Cary laughed. “It’s okay, I’m fine.”
“You’re not used to this weather. Take it.”
After a moment, Cary relented and slipped on the red hat. “Thanks. How do I look?”
Gorgeous. Perfect. Sexy as hell. “Fine.” Ryan’s voice sounded strange, and he cleared his throat. “My mom’s probably knitting you your own as we speak, so I hope you like it.”
Cary grinned. “I love it.” After a moment, he stopped walking. “See something you like?”
Heart thumping, Ryan huffed out a strangled breath. “What?”
Cary waved his arm around. “The trees. You looked like maybe you spotted one.”
“Right. No. Not yet.”
Ryan started walking again and hoped the blush staining his cheeks would be mistaken for a reaction to the temperature. He ducked around a particularly large pine, and then he saw it.
The sun beamed onto the thick snow-covered branches. Ryan could instantly imagine the tree strung with lights and garlands, his family’s ornaments hanging from the branches and his grandmother’s star beaming from the top. The tree was just the right height to fill the corner of the living room—not too big, not too small.
“Just right?” Cary asked.
“Yeah. You can tell?”
Cary smiled. “I can tell by the way you’re looking at it. Come on, let’s chop this sucker down.”
They took turns with the ax, thwacking away at the trunk. Cary listened to Ryan’s instructions and went about his task with a concentration that Ryan really needed to stop thinking of as adorable. As the tree fell, Cary grinned.
“Timber!” he called out.
They surveyed the tree, and Ryan couldn’t stop smiling. Yep, this was the one.
“So…now what? Do those Orcs carry the tree back for us?”
“Usually old Mr. Barnes would help take the tree back and wrap it up, but I don’t want to put him out. Think we can manage it on our own? We’re pretty far out.”
“As Angelo at the gym would say, this is functional training. Maybe I’ll start a new fitness trend: hauling trees. Of course in LA they’d have to be palm trees.”
“I think you’re on to something there. You should tell US Weekly.”
Cary laughed and picked up the trunk of the tree. “Stars: they’re just like us! They haul Christmas trees through the snow.”
Ryan grabbed on as well, and they worked in unison to drag the tree back to the farm’s entrance. It wasn’t easy work, and after a few minutes sweat moistened the back of Ryan’s neck. He put the tree down and scooped up a handful of snow into his mouth. Cary followed suit, his brow furrowed as he tentatively placed some snow on his tongue.
“For the record, we should never eat snow if we’re lost in the woods.” Ryan put another handful into his mouth, where it melted refreshingly.
“Really? Why not?”
“You can get hypothermia. But I think we’re safe here on Mr. Barnes’s farm. Even if we got lost, someone would come by sooner or later.”
“Huh. What else are you not supposed to do with snow?”
“Well, don’t ever eat the yellow snow.”
“Ha-ha. That much I know.” Cary bent down and picked up another handful before packing it into a misshapen ball. “Should you do this?”
Before Ryan could react, the snowball smacked his face, and he sputtered.
“I’ve always wanted to throw a snowball.” Cary grinned and backed up.
“Oh you asked for it, California boy!”
Laughing and shouting, they did battle, dodging behind trees and firing snowballs at each other. For a newbie, Cary had great aim. He launched a missile that Ryan had to dive to evade.
“Just like throwing out a runner at second!” Cary shouted.
“Except you missed! Need some glasses, huh?”
Back and forth they went, the tree forgotten as they dodged and ducked and hurled snowballs. They were both breathing hard by the time Ryan called for a time-out. “Okay, okay. I think it’s safe to say you’ve got the hang of it. With all the cardio you do, I’ll never beat you.”
“So you’re giving up?” Cary grinned.
“On snowballs? Yes.” Ryan dusted off his parka and wet jeans. As Cary reached his hand out to shake, Ryan grabbed him and used Cary’s momentary surprise to topple him into the snow. “But we have ano
ther tradition here. The snow job.”
Before Cary could answer, Ryan ripped the red toque from Cary’s head and crammed fistfuls of snow into his hair and down the back of his jacket. Cary squirmed and kicked, laughing so hard his breath hitched.
“Okay, okay. I surrender!”
Ryan straddled Cary’s hips and pressed Cary’s arms above his head in the snow. “You’re an honorary Canadian now.” His chest heaving as he caught his breath, Ryan smiled down at his friend.
Cary’s face was wet and flushed, and a smile played at his parted lips. His tongue darted out, and Ryan couldn’t look away. Desire thundered in Ryan’s veins, and before he could stop himself, he leaned down and captured Cary’s mouth with his own.
Although Cary’s lips were cool, beyond them the heat of his mouth drew Ryan in uncontrollably. Their tongues tangled, and the fire in Ryan’s veins shot straight to his cock. It felt so good, and he’d wanted it for so long. He breathed Cary in as Cary shook off Ryan’s grasp on his wrists and grabbed Ryan’s head and—
With a gasp, Ryan sat up and staggered to his feet. “I’m sorry! Jesus. I didn’t mean to…”
Cary sat up in the snow. His hair was damp and mussed, and he took a shaky breath. “Ryan…”
Ryan raised his hands. “You don’t need to say it. This was just…muscle memory.” Shame burned in his gut. How could I be so stupid?
Cary blinked. “Muscle memory?”
“You know, from the show. From kissing you on set. I didn’t mean to do it just now. You know I don’t feel that way about you.”
“Right.” Cary’s face was blank as he reached for the toque and put it back on. “Of course. I know.”
Cary was probably in shock, and Ryan prayed he hadn’t ruined their friendship. “Seriously, you don’t have to worry. You’re the last guy I’d want to be with.”
As Cary got to his feet, he kept his eyes averted. His voice was tight. “I get it. It was just…an accident. Like you said—muscle memory.” He brushed the snow off his jeans. “We should get the tree back.”
Great. He can’t even look at me. “Yeah. I hope…I don’t want things to be weird. Especially with you staying here.” He probably wants to catch the first flight back to LA.
Gay Romance Holiday Collection Page 33
