“I thought that you girls would like it to remember this Christmas.”
Rowen shook it, watching the snow fall in soft glittery drifts over the miniature Victorian’s eaves.
Matt jumped when a second later Chance screamed. “Row! Look!” But she wasn’t looking at the glass globe any longer. Rather, she was pointing to the french doors that led to a large deck.
As one they all moved to the paned glass doors to see snowflakes falling gently from a pink-gray sky. Larger flakes spiraled down in a life-size imitation of the glitter swirling in the snow globe, creating an ever-deepening cover upon the wooden deck, merging with the winter darkness like night itself descending in floating silky layers.
“A white Christmas,” Cheryl exclaimed. Matt met her eyes and knew his own were reflecting the emotions filling him with warmth and belonging and love.
Baz placed his hand on Matt’s lower back, and it was all Matt could do to keep from leaning back against him, sealing the enchanted moment with a kiss. He didn’t know Brittany’s parents enough for that much of a display, though, so he settled for letting their hands brush together and tangling their pinkies to show the happiness he was feeling. He’d gone from despondency at not spending Christmas with his girls to this. Looking at the others, he confirmed everyone was gazing at the falling snow before indulging a look at Baz in profile, but sensing Matt’s gaze, Baz also turned and their eyes held.
Melting into the gray depth of Baz’s stare, Matt’s thoughts came fast and furious. You’re amazing. And special. And perfect. And I want you so much it hurts.
In the ignorance of youth, he’d let this man go once. He’d be damned if he was making that mistake again.
Sebastian
SEB had already sent Lacey a necklace from Tiffany’s, but it wasn’t enough. There was no object he could gift his boss that could thank her for what Seb was feeling. He had to step away from Matt’s molten stare or he’d burn up on the spot. Using the excuse of serving dessert, he stepped away from the patio doors and returned to the large kitchen.
Taking his time arranging sugar cookies, pastries, and individual pots of chocolate mousse, Seb didn’t notice his sister until she dipped a finger in the mousse and Seb had to slap her hand away. Laughing from deep in her chest, she nabbed the shot-glass-size cup and a spoon and ate it on the spot.
“Sebby….” She licked the spoon clean. “Mmm.” Waving an arm expansively, she said, “You know this is incredible, right?” Her eyes were dark under the kitchen’s hanging lights. “I put up a brave front, but, you know…. I don’t even have the words to thank you.”
He hugged her, breathing in her citrus shampoo. He’d been on his own for a long time and yet he still felt like a little boy knowing everything would be okay because his big sister was there.
The last time they’d hugged like this had been when their dad died. And that had changed him, made him feel like he had to stop taking and start providing. She stepped back, swiping at her face in embarrassment.
“I know you don’t like all the holiday nonsense and traditions…. but what you did for us… it’s been amazing.”
Seb hugged her again. “I needed this more than I’d realized. Needed to be here with you all. I missed you. I missed Mom and the girls.”
Keeping an arm around him, Steph pointed her chin toward the other room. “And Matthew?”
Seb hesitated. “What about him?”
Stephanie gave him a pointed look. “You look at him like you did when you were seventeen years old.”
“He wasn’t serious about me then.” Once the words were out, Seb wasn’t even sure where they came from. He hadn’t meant to be quite that honest.
“I know. He doesn’t find relationships easy. You know how he’s always moving, like there’s something shifting around under his skin. I teased him once that if he let himself land long enough in one spot, he might find there was a reason to stay still.”
A philosophical nonteasing Stephanie was quite the powerhouse. He smiled wryly at her. “You’ve gotten wise in your—”
“Don’t you dare say it!”
That reminded him of something else he’d meant to ask her, now that it wasn’t a point of jealousy. “Did you and Cameron, um….”
He was met with a full-throated, head tilted back laugh. “Yeah. Once.” She twisted her lips. “Matt tell you that?” The gleam in her eyes was like a spark off the ocean. “Guess he wanted to be sure you didn’t take interest.”
“No. I don’t think—”
“Oh, Sebby. I could fill that great room with everything you don’t see.” She released her hold and grabbed a dessert platter. “C’mon, sweets and then we can get rid of the ex-in-laws or whatever they are and have this place to ourselves for a while.”
THE girls were entranced by their cozy Victorian bedroom. They peered at each other across a gilded nightstand, cuddled under layers of blankets on twin white-iron-framed beds. Seb had specified the staging of this room himself because all the bedrooms were intended for adults in the write-up he’d first seen. He was delighted with how well it had come out.
Between the beds was a gold-and-rose toned oval Persian rug. The girls had lined up their slippers on the edge. The room was lit with candle-like wall sconces above the beds along with a petite chandelier centered in the room that made both girls exclaim in delight. The corner held a built-in closet with a bar for hanging clothes and additional triangular shelves beneath.
What excited the girls most was the wooden dollhouse set atop their nightstand. It was reminiscent of the house itself, with wooden furniture and dolls. They’d started playing with it right away. The handwritten notecard folded in front of it read: “To Chance and Rowen. Merry Christmas! Love, Lacey.”
Matty had been bouncing on his heels, opening the corner cupboard and pulling out the extra blankets before refolding them when he saw that the girls would be warm enough. He approached the dollhouse. “That is beautiful.” He bent and looked each girl in the eye. “Don’t forget to write out a thank-you card to Uncle Seb’s friend.”
Chance frowned with an indignant pout. “Of course we will!” Next to her Rowen nodded earnestly and Matty bit back a laugh, glancing up at Seb. Matty’s eyes reflected the ambient light of the wall sconces, shining with gratitude and a promise of something more. Matty’s look pierced Seb as forcefully as a blade to his chest as two different futures split in front of him. If he remained working with Lacey, if he returned to New York, he’d lose so much. Too much. Heart pounding, he lowered himself to the floor and hugged both girls to calm himself. Moments later Matty was kneeling before the dollhouse and making silly voices for the small wooden dolls that had Rowen giggling so loud, she developed hiccups.
Matty smiled crookedly at Seb and happiness as palpable as if it had crystallized into fairy dust encircled Seb’s body in a celestial glow. I want this. Want my family. Want to build a family with you. Could you want that too?
“Bedtime, girls,” Steph called from the doorway.
“Twas the Night Before Christmas” was pulled out of Chance’s suitcase and Matty and he took turns reading it. With a final kiss on each of their foreheads they left, his mom and Stephanie coming in to give their own good nights.
“You heading up?” Steph asked as she swished past.
Blushing, Seb answered, “I was thinking, yeah. I’m sort of beat.”
“We’re heading to bed shortly too,” his mom said. “Early day tomorrow.”
On the staircase landing Matty said, “They’ll wait a while to be certain the girls are asleep and then fill the stockings and lay out the Santa gifts under the tree.”
“Oh. Should we help them?”
The hand on his back rubbed lightly. “Nah. I’m sure they have it covered. Usually I’m around, but barely do anything.”
Seb followed Matty into the bedroom. It felt like a long time since he’d had his lips on Matty’s lean body. First, there had been the shock of Ryan taking the girls and after that
he’d been busy helping his mom and sister while planning this getaway.
They stripped without fanfare and fell atop the plush bed with a bounce. Matty let out a squeaky laugh and Seb couldn’t help but smother it in a lingering kiss. He could have kept kissing Matty’s lush lips but his body started craving new areas to taste.
He licked a stripe along Matty’s neck, down to his collarbone, where he explored at leisure, unworried about leaving marks. Beneath him, Matty was gasping and moaning in ways that were leading directly to Seb’s dick. He turned on his back and Matty began his own journey, trailing his tongue down Seb’s chest, biting each nipple and then sucking it in with deliberate gentleness until Seb whimpered. Once more Matty was fascinated with the hills of Seb’s abdomen, causing him to squirm when the touch was too light and the muscle contracted.
Matty laughed at that. “Ticklish?”
That earned Matty a flip and Seb brought his lips determinedly to Matty’s flank. Hell, he’d discovered that sensitive spot ten years ago. From there it was a small shift until he could nose soft pubic hairs and lick up Matty’s hard shaft, as slowly as if time were at a complete standstill and tomorrow would not come.
“Fuck…,” Matty gasped and Seb grinned, because, yes, that was the idea.
“You or me?” he asked.
“Yesss,” Matty hissed as he arched his back when Seb began to suck him down.
Realizing that Matty was too lost to answer, Seb leaned over the night table on his side of the bed, pulled a condom and lube from where he’d stashed them earlier, and thrust the bottle into Matty’s hand.
Wide blown eyes met his. “You sure?”
“Absolutely. Want to ride you. Okay?”
The long fingers intimately exploring him were careful but persistent. It took a small crook and press, and a burst of pleasure shot up Seb’s spine and drew the breath from his lungs. His cock throbbed against his belly and he tossed his head back, sucking air greedily as Matty continued his gentle in and out movements.
Bending down he brought his lips to meet Matty’s, mimicking the motion of Matty’s finger with his tongue, thrusting and twisting until he felt Matty pant beneath him. Relaxed and ready, he lifted his hips and brought his arms to each side of Matty’s shoulders before lowering himself down to control the burn and let the filling sensation build like adjusting a bath tap hotter and hotter. Settled fully, he exhaled with a hard blow. Matty pushed up on his elbows and demanded Seb’s mouth again, kissing him wet and dirty, all tongue and saliva and the scrape of teeth against puffy lips.
Instinct took over and Seb moved his body up and down, establishing a rhythm as Matty rocked his hips from below. Slow and careful turned to insistent and pounding—hard, deep thrusts causing an explosive starburst each time Matty’s cock pressed against Seb’s prostate. Low, grumbling moans escaped Matty’s throat, and Seb could feel them in his own chest.
Matty wrapped his arms around Seb’s shoulders, pulling him down to lick the tendon along the side of Seb’s throat, hips jerking while pistoning up, up, up.
“B-Baz…,” he stuttered, sprawling back again, clutching Seb’s hips and keeping their movements in sync. When Matty grasped Seb’s dick in a firm grip, Seb tipped his head back and gave a prolonged moan, feeling the sweet tension thrumming everywhere their bodies connected.
He rode Matty with breathless abandon, watching Matty’s flushed face, dilated eyes fighting to focus, lips parted, panting. “Fuck, that look should be illegal,” Seb groaned.
“You should talk,” Matty said breathlessly as he jacked Seb off with confident, knowing strokes. Seb had a fragmentary memory of a teenage Matty’s hands doing the same motions, smaller and lither, but with the same natural grace and skillfulness.
He continued to kiss every part of Matty he could reach. Their skin was coated with sweat, and the smell of sex was everywhere. Seb rubbed his stubbled cheek against Matty’s neck before pulling back to stretch his spine. Matty tightened his grip and sped up. Sense memory, Seb thought, right before his moans turned to curses and nothing existed except the double stimulus of Matty both inside him and around him bringing him closer to the edge with every delicious slide.
“Matty,” he whispered right before he shattered. Matty shuddered once, twice, gave a ragged grunt and expulsion of breath, and went boneless beneath Seb.
Rolling on his side, he tugged Matty toward him despite the mess, needing to feel Matty’s lips again. They traded kitten kisses. He’d never felt as close to another person in his life. Not even with Matty when they’d been teenagers. It felt essential in a life-altering way.
That searching his mother had spoken of felt fulfilled. His last thought before burrowing even deeper into Matty’s side was the startling realization that home was never a place.
SEB woke to doors creaking open then banging shut from the floor below him and the clattering of footsteps on the stairs. A voice rang out from the other side of the pocket door.
“If you want to see what Santa brought, you’d better come down.”
Stephanie.
Seb allowed himself one bone-cracking yawn and turned on his side to take in Matty’s messy hair and sleepy half smile.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.” Seb smiled back helplessly. Reaching out, he ran his fingers through Matty’s thick brown waves. “Santa came.”
Stretching, Matty said, “I heard.” He collapsed back on his pillow. “What time is it?”
Glancing at his phone, Seb groaned, “Six.”
With another yawn, Matty murmured, “Why don’t you use the bathroom first and I’ll follow you down.”
Seb grabbed his toiletry bag from the floor and disappeared into the bathroom. He didn’t need that much time; he was a master at the five-minute shower and a fast brushing of his teeth.
Tugging a red sweater over his head and buttoning his jeans, he took a moment to admire Matty’s pert bottom and long legs peeking from the sheets. He pulled the covers away, causing Matty to huff in dismay.
“Can’t keep ’em waiting!” he responded to Matty’s mutter, and waited until Matty was sitting up before heading downstairs.
The girls were waiting impatiently, and both whined when they saw that it was only Seb. Mom raised an eyebrow in question.
“He’s washing up. He’ll be right down.”
Hot chocolate with whipped cream placated Chance and Rowen for a few more moments while Seb downed a cup of coffee. When Matty finally appeared, he went to his nieces and pulled them into bear hugs. “Time to open your gifts from Santa!”
Seb went to join their hug, but Matty pulled away before Seb could touch him. Perplexed, Seb glanced at Steph, who was also looking at Matty in puzzlement.
Chance attacked her gift first, declaring her right as eldest, and ripped open the paper to exclaim over the new Princess Merida doll and matching costume for herself.
“Yes! This was what I asked Santa.” She ran to show her mother and grandmother the matching green princess slippers that Santa had included.
Rowen immediately opened the Harry Potter LEGO Duplo set and began building the simple version of the Hogwarts castle with her sister’s help.
The adults returned to the kitchen to fix breakfast. Seb poured Matty coffee and set it down before him. But instead of the grateful crooked grin he’d been expecting, Matty met his gaze with lusterless eyes.
“You okay?” he asked. Matty gave a half shrug. “Still tired?”
Ignoring Seb, he turned to Stephanie. “When is Ryan coming to pick up the girls?”
Stephanie sized him up, frowning. Glancing at her cell phone, she pursed her lips. “They said eight.” She let out a sigh. “I know I can’t complain. They let them spend the night here. And he said he’ll bring them back New Year’s Day.”
Mom refilled her coffee mug and turned to Seb. “Thank you for this. It was wonderful.” Steph nodded her agreement before slapping her hands against her thighs and saying it was time to pack up and get t
he girls ready for their dad. They’d leave for Fir Falls as soon as Ryan had the girls.
His mom wanted to leave the place immaculate, despite Seb assuring her it wasn’t necessary. He’d already arranged for a cleaning service. However, as she cleaned the breakfast mess, Seb felt obligated to assist her even though an uneasy feeling cut through him when Matty disappeared wordlessly.
Jogging back to the room where he’d had the most intense night of his life, Seb was surprised that Matty’s things were gone and Matty wasn’t there. Seb repacked his roller bag and, leaving it by the front door, went to look for Matty, finally spotting him outside, leaning on the railing of the back deck. The doorbell rang before he could join him.
Ryan and Brittany were patient as each girl hugged their mom and grandmother. Seb had just released them when Matty reappeared and lifted each in turn to swing widely. “Have a great week with your daddy, munchkins. See you before you can think Easter Bunny.”
That made them both giggle and Matt gave them each one more hug, fingers tracing their soft cheeks.
It fell silent when the door shut and everyone stood still until Mom said, “How about a coffee for the road?”
Back in the kitchen, Seb poured and handed everyone a mug. When he held one out to Matty, he got a cold, hard stare that was so out of place it froze Seb’s hand midair.
“What’s wrong?” Behind him he sensed his mother and Stephanie taking a step closer.
Matty slammed his hand on the counter, eyes squeezed shut and a vein popping in his neck. With a grimace, he withdrew a scrunched-up paper from the front pocket of his jeans. “Were you ever going to mention this? Or were you going to vanish, never to be heard from again?”
“Wha—” The letterhead took a split second to sink in. Premier Planning.
“I can explain. It’s not—”
“This isn’t a job offer in goddamn London with a three-year commitment?”
Santa's Last Gift Page 17
