A Bookworm for Christmas (Gay Romance)

by Trina Solet

  "True," Miles admitted. Then just as he had given up, Gavin took his face in his hands and gave him a soft, lingering kiss.

  Miles stayed close to whisper in his ear some more. "You're so sneaky."

  Gavin turned his head so his mouth was at Miles' ear. "I'll show you how sneaky I can be later tonight."

  "Look at them getting all mushy," Allan complained when he came out of Miles' room.

  "Dad and Miles like each other like boyfriends," Benji explained as he followed him out of there.

  "Is that what's going on?" Allan said with a grin.

  "Yes," Benji confirmed wisely. He then went over to take Miles' hand and looked up at him proudly.

  "You guys warm my heart," Allan told them. "I'm glad you decided to come and stay here with us."

  "We're having a great time," Miles said and looked down at Benji who nodded in agreement.

  Later on Miles came into their bedroom to say goodnight to Benji. He sat on the edge of his bed and Gavin handed him one of the snowmen books. While Benji hugged Momo and waited expectantly for his story, Miles pulled the covers snugly around both boy and bear. Then he opened the book and started by reading the acknowledgements. Since Gavin always skipped over them, they were new to Benji. Now Gavin would have to answer for skipping. Miles' voice was deep but low as he read, capturing the fun of the story but not getting Benji too hyper to fall asleep.

  After Benji nodded off, Miles stayed for a little while to keep Gavin company and they both read books of their own. It should have been a tranquil time, but Gavin had trouble concentrating with Miles so close and off limits. He needed him too much. When Miles left to take a shower, Gavin knew he would have to join him in his room soon or go insane wanting him.

  Chapter 26

  Every time he blinked, Miles saw white. All that snow he looked at the entire day was burned into his mind's eye. Now he was in the bathroom, waiting for the shower to get good and hot before he went near it. In the meantime he admired the vintage looking fixtures absently and fantasized about Gavin.

  When he got to his room, he was a little overheated from the shower and his room was glowing with the light of the fire. Miles was dressed only in his robe and he kept it on as he waited for Gavin. Finally Miles heard him knock and rushed to the door.

  "You need something?" he asked to tease Gavin.

  "You," he said and grabbed the back of Miles' head to draw him in for a kiss. "Your hair is damp," he noticed. Gavin grabbed the towel Miles had over his shoulder. He rubbed it over his hair as Miles grinned at him and pulled in close.

  "I thought I would never get warm and now you got me overheated," Miles told him.

  "You just took a hot shower and you have a fire going too," Gavin pointed out.

  "I don't think that's it. This is all you," Miles said. The nearness of his body was too much for him especially with Gavin tugging playfully at the belt of his robe.

  "I wasn't expecting to find you this close to naked," Gavin said as he untied the robe slowly.

  "I can put on some clothes and you can rip them off me," Miles said playfully while Gavin slipped his hands inside his open robe for a teasing caress over his sides.

  "No time for that. I've been wanting you all day long," Gavin confessed. Rasping and laced with desire, his voice made Miles shudder and surge toward him. Gavin grabbed him firmly by the arms and kissed him fiercely.

  When he let him go, Gavin moved his hands to his shoulders and pushed the robe down his arms. As the robe fell to the floor, Miles reached for the buttons on Gavin's shirt. He undid each one followed by a kiss. When the shirt was lying on the floor next to his robe, Miles moved on to his fly. He moaned as he freed Gavin's cock then realized they were only getting started and he couldn't get too loud.

  "Isn't Benji on the other side of that wall," Miles asked nodding toward the wall opposite the bed, where the fireplace was.

  "No. There is a linen closet there, remember?" Gavin said.

  "So he probably won't hear us."

  "Not if we're quiet."

  "I don't know if I know how to be quiet."

  "Learn," Gavin growled at him then pushed Miles down on the bed and lay on top of him.

  Miles panted as Gavin's naked body pressed him into the mattress. Grinding up into him, Miles wrapped his arms around him and kissed him. Their cocks rubbed together and Miles' breath hissed between his teeth. He wanted that cock inside him so damn much.

  Gavin held onto his shoulders and kissed one nipple then the other. He kissed and licked Miles' abs but avoided his cock. The heat of desire was growing unbearable as Gavin's kisses ranged over his hot skin. Every inch of Miles was tingling.

  Then his desire surged even higher with Gavin's lubed fingers pumping inside him. As Gavin worked him open, it took all of his self-control not to let out anything louder than an occasional low grunt. When his fingers withdrew, Miles gasped, dying to have Gavin inside him. He whispered his name, and Gavin told him, "Shh" and then he kissed him.

  Kneeling between Miles' outstretched legs, Gavin bent him double, pressing against the backs of his knees. He pushed inside him slowly. With firm pressure, Gavin filled him up. Miles didn't know how he was keeping quiet. It was probably the fear that Gavin would stop that kept him from screaming out.

  When Gavin was all the way in, Miles called his name in a desperate, shaky whisper and grabbed his ass. He felt it flexing as Gavin pumped in and out. Miles gritted his teeth and gripped the edges of his mattress as the pounding intensified. Flushed with extreme arousal, dying for the next thrust that would take him over the edge, Miles was losing control.

  Then he was there. Muscles straining, arching off the bed, he was coming. He wished he could let it out, let everyone know how good Gavin made him feel, but he had to stay quiet and only whispered his thanks and praise in Gavin's ear.

  Miles went to sleep wrapped in pure contentment and Gavin's strong arms. The next morning, Miles' eyes opened to bright sunshine in a cold room. Shutting his eyes against the glare of a bright, snowy morning, he rolled onto his back then groaned feeling the effects of last night.

  His eyes drifted open, and he raised his head only enough to confirm that his fire had died down and that he was alone. Miles turned over again and buried his face in his pillow. Smelling Gavin there faintly, he remembered what they did last night and smiled to himself. Maybe memories from last night and his hand on his cock could keep him warm.

  Finally getting up, Miles looked outside but didn't see any sign of snow falling during the night. Out of his window, the sun was just starting to rise, turning the treetops fiery red. Miles yawned at the view. It wasn't very warm in his room when the fire wasn't lit, so he hurried to get dressed.

  Looking in the mirror hanging above a small dresser, he saw a ghastly sight. He was squinty eyed. His hair was sticking up all crazy. Oh, man, that was not a pretty sight, but it was all Gavin's fault. Now Miles was smiling at himself in the mirror thinking of Gavin. If Miles got his way, that man would see him looking like that every morning.

  Going out into the hallway, Miles saw Benji sitting on the floor with a book on his knees. "Good morning, Benji," Miles told him and made him look up from his book.

  "Miles! Good morning," Benji greeted him.

  "So there is a line for the bathroom?" Miles asked since Benji was sitting across from the bathroom door.

  "I'm all done. I'm waiting for Dad."

  "I'll wait too then," Miles said and sat down on the floor next to him. They were near a heating vent so it was nice and warm there.

  Once they were all done getting ready, the three of them went down to their first breakfast at the B&B. The other guests were there already, seated around the big table off the kitchen. Ron did quick introductions while loading everyone's plates with hash browns.

  He started with Brianna and Jin, a girl with curly, blond hair peeking out from under a knit cap and a guy with his dark hair falling over his face. They were newlyweds and had moved their chairs
to sit close together. There was also Vivian, an older woman who had a newspaper in front of her and only raised her head for a quick greeting before getting back to her crossword puzzle. Another couple was there too, Lars and Todd, a gray haired guy and a bald guy, both of them middle aged but in great shape. They only nodded at them in greeting then went back to arguing over something on their phones.

  "No kids," Benji noticed, feeling small as he took a seat at the big table with all these adults.

  "You have me and your dad to play with," Miles pointed out.

  Benji sighed like he was willing to settle for a pair of second stringers like them. Once all three of them were sitting down, Benji looked at the food curiously and apprehensively. Every time he tried something he had to think hard to figure out if he liked it.

  Miles didn't need to mull it over. Everything was good. The hash browns were perfectly browned, the over easy eggs perfectly runny, the sausage perfectly spicy.

  Miles asked Ron and Allan, "How did you guys get into the bed and breakfast game?"

  "I never imagined I would ever own a B&B," Allan said. "If you had told me that was in my future, I would have called you crazy."

  "So it wasn't your dream to own a bed and breakfast?" Jin asked, showing some interest in something other than Brianna.

  "It wasn't for either one of us," Ron said.

  "We fell in love with this place, but it wasn't in the best shape. The only way we could afford to buy it and renovate it was if we made it pay for itself. Ron really took to it though," Allan said and beamed at his husband.

  "I never thought I would enjoy playing host until people started paying me for it," Ron said.

  "You guys are great," Brianna told them. "This is exactly what Jin and I were hoping for when we picked a B&B instead of a regular hotel."

  "You certainly knocked this breakfast right out of the park," Miles said to Ron then he turned to Benji. "Benji, it's your job to make sure we work off this breakfast."

  "Work?" Benji asked.

  "You have to make sure that we play hard," Gavin explained.

  "I will," Benji assured them with a solemn nod of his head, and they didn't doubt that he would.

  Chapter 27

  It was a cold clear morning. As Miles stepped outside, the glare off the snow blinded him for a second. Shading his eyes, he looked up. The warmth of the sun felt far away even as its brightness burned his eyes.

  Next to him, Benji jumped in place. "It's brrrrrrr cold," he said but he looked perfectly happy about it as he grinned at all the snow.

  "That it is, but Ron said they would be making hot cocoa again for later. That will warm us up when we're ready to go in," Gavin told him.

  Allan had mentioned that they had a sled and brought it out of the shed for them. Miles told Benji to climb in and he pulled him as he squealed happily. They looked for a good place with enough of an incline so they could sled down, but they didn't have much luck.

  They stopped from time to time for snowball fights and once to watch a squirrel digging in the snow. They hung back not to scare it, and Benji kept his mittened hands over his mouth so he wouldn't make a sound.

  Pulling a little boy in a sled over rough terrain was harder than Miles thought. After a while, he got a little winded and stopped. He flopped down into the snow bank, but Gavin gave him a hand up, not letting him rest.

  "Huskies have it rough," Miles said then went back to the sled. "That was hard work. Now you pull me," Miles said and handed the rope to Benji.

  Taking the rope, Benji looked doubtful but also like he was going to give it his best shot.

  "What a guy," Miles praised him. He picked up Benji and spun him around a few times.

  Gavin was taking pictures of them then he pointed to where they should go next. There was a small hill and Miles wondered if it was smooth enough so they could use it to sled down. As they climbed up, he didn't see any place that was free of obstructions, so maybe not.

  They still hiked to the top, with Miles pulling the empty sled. Benji went a little ahead and then suddenly tripped on something and went face first into the snow. Gavin rushed over to him and picked him up. Benji was a little disheveled and his glasses had fallen off. He didn't seem to be hurt though.

  "You OK?" Gavin asked as he checked him over and Miles retrieved his glasses from the snow.

  "I fell," Benji said pitifully. He was visibly holding back tears as Gavin straightened his cap and brushed snow off him.

  "There are things hiding under the snow that can trip you up. That's why you fell. You're fine now, but it's OK to cry if you want," Gavin told him, but Benji denied it.

  "No," Benji said and shook his head. Squaring his tiny shoulders, he looked so adorably determined as his lower lips stuck out and trembled a little.

  Miles was done cleaning his glasses and handed them to Gavin, who put the glasses back on Benji. As Benji blinked at him unhappily, Gavin told him. "It's OK not to cry too. Your choice."

  "Cocoa," Benji whispered.

  "I guess his choice is hot cocoa," Miles said.

  "Good thinking," Gavin praised him. "Come on, we've been out here long enough. Let's go drink something warm and maybe they'll even have some cookies."

  Benji jumped at the mention of cookies.

  "I'll pull you in the sled if you want," Miles offered and Benji took him up on it. His tumble in the snow forgotten, his cheeks rosy, a smile never leaving his face, Benji was a happy boy.

  Back at the B&B, they put away the sled. They went from the shed to the house with Benji leading the way, his little legs marching in a purposeful stride. Once they climbed onto the porch, Benji knew to stomp his feet. He stomped back and forth and up and down the length of the porch, his steps as big as he could make them.

  "I think all the snow is off now," Gavin told him.

  Turning, Benji looked out at all the snow around them then back at Gavin in confusion.

  "That's why we stomp our feet, to get the snow off our boots," Gavin explained.

  Seeing Benji looking down at his boots, Miles asked him, "Why did you think we were stomping around?"

  "For fun," Benji said reasonably.

  "That makes sense," Miles told him.

  "Let's go inside and have something warm to drink," Gavin said and herded them indoors.

  In the foyer, Gavin pulled off Benji's knit cap then combed through his messed up hair with his fingers. "There. You look good now," Gavin said as Benji grinned up at him.

  He swapped his boots for bear slippers he had stashed under the stairs then they all went into the kitchen.

  "Look at that, hot coca and gingerbread guys," Miles said seeing a platter with cookies.

  Benji corrected him. "Men. Gingerbread men."

  Miles move on to the next version. "Ginger-dudes?"

  "This again," Gavin said but Miles pressed on.

  "Ginger-bros!"

  Gavin shook his head at him.

  "Looks like your dad is on your side," Miles said to Benji.

  "He knows it's gingerbread men. Everybody knows," Benji insisted and looked from his dad to Allan, who was doing food inventory in the kitchen.

  "I never discuss politics with guests," Allan said, refusing to take sides.

  They munched on cookies, and Benji and Miles had cocoa while Gavin drank tea. Benji made sure to eat over the plate and cupped the mug of hot cocoa with both hands. Without raising the mug off the table, he tilted it carefully to drink.

  "No one will get mad if you make a little bit of a mess," Gavin told him.

  Once again Benji was looking at Allen for confirmation.

  "That's right. It's all part of being in the hospitality industry," Allan told him.

  Benji didn't quite understand that but he seemed a little reassured.

  When they were done with their snack, it was time to get ready for the afternoon outing Gavin had planned. Remembering the bathroom situation on the top floor, Miles went bounding up the stairs two at a time. Gavin had to rest
rain Benji so he wouldn't follow his lead.

  Dressed up a little but still bundled up to keep warm, they went for a drive. They stopped at a few charming stores and saw a lot of pretty scenery. Just as it started to get dark, they pulled into the parking lot for Beau Verre, the greenhouse restaurant. Their timing was just right. Lights had been strung up all along the panels that made up the building, and it made for a beautiful sight in the snowy woods.

  Benji looked at it like it was some kind of magical place, possibly Santa's house. Going inside was like walking into a different world. There were plants and flowers everywhere and it smelled like spring. Each table was secluded by greenery and had a view of the snow outside through the glass wall.

  While Benji explored the indoor jungle, Miles picked up the menu. He was about to open it, but first he leaned across the table and asked Gavin, "Have I told you that you have the best ideas and that I love you for it?"

  "They only serve healthy, vegetarian food here," Gavin informed him.

  "That doesn't diminish my love for you one bit," Miles told him and made Gavin smile.

  Chapter 28

  "Miles. Miles," Gavin called softly as he knocked on the door of Miles' room. Earlier that evening he had some silly idea that maybe he didn't have to barge into Miles' room every single night they stayed there. So much for that. A couple of sleepless hours spent trying to convince himself that he could stay away from Miles for one night, at least, and here he was, knocking gently, impatient for him to open the door.

  Finally he heard an indistinct grumble from inside. The low knock and Gavin's hushed voice must have penetrated through the door and to Miles' sleeping brain. As Gavin waited, the only sounds were Miles' footsteps creaking on the floorboards as he stumbled to the door. He opened the door wide and looked relieved for some reason when he found Gavin standing there.

  "At first I thought I was only dreaming. Then I got tangled in the covers. And when you stopped knocking, I got worried you gave up on me and left," Miles explained and threw himself into his arms.