by Carol Lynne
Ryan wasn’t as quiet as he broke away and cursed a blue streak as he came. Two out of three, Rio thought. Maybe they needed to see about some soundproofing. Better yet, maybe they should build a new space for Will and Hannah at the opposite end of the house. He quickly decided against that plan. It would be too dangerous if there were a fire to have them so far away. The thought shocked him.
Rio pulled out of Nate and reached for the box of tissues. Suddenly he had an overwhelming desire to get up and check the smoke detectors for fresh batteries. Christ, he was morphing into a responsible adult without even trying.
* * * *
Nate set the wrapped shirt box on the stack with the others and reached for the dreaded makeup kit. He still couldn’t believe he’d caved and let Carol talk him into buying it for Hannah.
A knock on the bedroom door, had Nate scrambling to throw a blanket over the unwrapped presents. “Come in.”
Hannah opened the door and stood just inside. “I need you to take me to the store.”
“What do you need? I can have Ryan pick it up on his way home.” Nate took advantage of the interruption to restack the boxes.
“Thanks, but I’d really like you to just take me in the next few minutes.”
Nate motioned to the mountain under the blanket. “What’s so important that we have to go now? Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve and I still have all these presents to wrap.”
Hannah shut the door. “I started my…ya know?”
It took a moment, but Nate eventually had that ‘aha’ moment. “Oh.” He jumped to his feet. “Okay, well, let me grab my keys. Is Will still with Rio?”
Hannah bounced a little on her tiptoes. She hooked her thumb over her right shoulder. “So, can we go?”
“Sure.” Nate was in unknown territory and scared to death. “Go wait in the car, and I’ll be right there.”
“Okay.” Hannah bit her bottom lip. “You’ll hurry, right?”
“Yep.” Nate slid his phone out of his pocket as Hannah left the room. The minute she was gone, he put in an emergency phone call.
“Hey, slacker,” Carol answered.
Nate would have corrected her but given the fact that Carol had done his job for two weeks gave her the right to harass him. “I know. I’m sorry I’ve been away so long, but I need your help with a girl problem.”
“Uh oh, what’d you do?” Carol asked suspiciously.
“Nothing. Hannah needs to go to the store because…it’s her time. The problem is, I don’t have any cash, so I’ll have to go in with her, and I don’t think I can actually buy what she needs, if you know what I mean,” Nate explained in exasperation. “Would you meet me there and help Hannah out?”
“No.”
“What? Why? Are you busy with Lucy?” Nate asked.
“No. I’m not helping you out because you have a girl in the house now and it’s time you got over your fear of feminine products.”
“This is a speech you’ve already given George and Trick, am I right?” Nate closed the door as he left the bedroom.
“Yes, and they’re still babies about picking them up. They usually come home with a hundred dollars’ worth of crap that we didn’t need, all in an attempt to hide one tiny little package.” Carol huffed. “Honestly, they’re pads, not kryptonite.”
“Right.” Nate opened the garage door to find Hannah already inside the SUV he used for winter. “Thanks for the advice.”
Carol sighed. “Just do me a favour and if you do load up the cart, get stuff you’ll actually use.”
“Will do,” Nate said with a chuckle. He ended the call and climbed into the SUV. “Okay, sorry it took so long.”
“If it makes you feel better, I’ve never had to buy them either,” Hannah mumbled.
Nate reached over and squeezed Hannah’s hand. “That does make me feel better. We’ll get through it together.”
* * * *
Rio broke off a flake of hay and tossed it into Charlie’s food bin, coughing as the action filled the air with dust. He gathered the dirty saliva in his mouth and spat on the floor of the barn.
“Ooh, gross,” Will said, brushing Lady.
“It’s not gross. What would be gross is swallowing a mouthful of dirt,” Rio explained. He leaned against Charlie’s stall and studied Will for several moments. “Have you ever spat?”
“Yes, in the toilet when I’m sick. But spitting is for boys who weren’t taught manners.”
The statement hit too close to home for Rio’s comfort, and like he always had, he lashed out. “Manners are for pussies. Real men spit when they need to, or, hell, just when they want to.”
Will dropped Lady’s brush into the grooming bucket. “Then show me. If that’s what it takes to make me fit in at school, I’ll do it.”
Rio’s heart melted. He doubted Will’s ability to fit in had little to do with his inability to spit, but he was willing to help in any way he could. “Let’s go back to the house. We can watch our spit freeze if we do it on the patio.”
Will made a face but shrugged and followed Rio. Rio shut and latched the barn door before throwing his arm over Will’s shoulder. “The trick is to gather as much saliva as you can and push your tongue behind it as you blow out. You get good distance that way.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” Rio broke away long enough to wave at Nate as he drove up the driveway.
“How did you learn to live with the fact that you’re different?” Will asked.
“I hate to brag, but I’ve always been different, although I like to call it awesome.” Rio laughed. He knew exactly what Will was asking, but he didn’t want to discuss such a heavy topic on the spur of the moment. “You have plenty of time to worry about sex. Right now, you should just enjoy being a kid.”
Will stopped walking. “I don’t worry about sex. I don’t even like to think about it. I know I’m different though, and I don’t want to be. That’s why I’m gonna learn how to spit. I want to be like the other boys in my class.”
“No, you don’t,” Rio countered. “You need to be who you are. The trick is to find friends who like you in spite of your quirks.” Although he was proud of himself for imparting an important life lesson, he suddenly remembered the original question. “Wait a minute. You think I’m different?”
“Duh, you’re gay and you’re in love with two different men.” Will tried his first attempt at spitting and ended up dribbling a big wad of saliva down his chin. “I’m just weird.”
Rio pulled his bandana out of his pocket and wiped Will’s chin. “Put more force behind it next time.” He ruffled Will’s hair. “You’re a confusing kid.”
“Thank you.” Will tried again, and although the spit landed on the patio instead of his chin, Will didn’t seem pleased. “I’ll have to keep practicing.”
“Hey, can we get some help putting groceries away?” Nate asked, opening the sliding glass door a crack.
“Sure.” Rio pointed at the dollop of spit. “We’ll come back in a few minutes and that’ll be frozen solid.”
“Cool.”
Rio held the door open for Will before stepping into the warm house. Every recycled grocery bag they owned was stuffed to the brim. “Holy hel—eck,” he quickly corrected. “Are we feeding the entire town for Christmas?”
“Shut up and help me put them away,” Nate grumbled. He smiled at Will. “You can go on in and play video games.”
Will pumped his fist in the air before racing off.
Rio could tell something was going on with Nate. “What’s wrong?”
With large cans of peaches in his hands, Nate slid to the floor and rested his back against the refrigerator. “Hannah started her monthly.”
“Yuck. Don’t tell me that.” Rio refused to see her as anything but a little girl.
“I’m so outta my depth. I know absolutely nothing about girls. I’m glad Laura talked to her about what to expect when it happened, but what about all the other things she’ll have questio
ns about? I have no business being someone’s moral compass. How can I tell Hannah not to sleep around, when before I met you and Ryan, any dick was fair game?”
Rio cleared his throat. He knew Nate had slept around a lot before they’d got together, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hear it. “Hannah’s twelve. Hopefully, she still has a few years left before she needs the sex talk. By the time she gets her first real boyfriend, we’ll be old hats at this guardian thing.”
“Ya think?” Nate stood and set the peaches on the counter. “Promise me that when the time comes to discuss birth control we’ll at least flip for it?”
Rio pulled Nate into his arms and kissed him. “Deal,” he said before kissing him again.
Chapter Six
“It looks like a paper factory exploded in here,” Ryan said as he gathered up the discarded wrapping paper.
Nate thought of Will and Hannah and the joy on their faces as they unwrapped their gifts. “Not sure what you’re complaining about. It took me a heck of a lot longer to wrap ’em then it will for you to clean it up.”
Ryan paused in the process of pulling an errant piece of tape off the carpet. “I wasn’t complaining. I enjoyed myself.”
“So did I,” Rio said, coming into the room. He handed Nate a fresh cup of coffee before sitting down next to him on the sofa. “I think we did good. They seemed to like almost everything.”
Nate checked the clock on the DVD player. “Hannah,” he called, hoping she would hear him.
The music in Hannah’s room shut off and a few moments later, she came into the room. “Yeah? Was it too loud?”
“For an everyday level? Yeah, but not too bad for a new present.” Nate held out his phone. “You and Will should call your grandparents and wish them a Merry Christmas.”
“Now?” Hannah made a face.
“We have the get-together later, so, yes, now would be the best time,” Nate answered.
Hannah took the phone with a groan before disappearing down the hall and into Will’s room.
“You’re getting good at the parenting thing,” Ryan said, tying the garbage sack.
The compliment felt good, but Nate knew the truth. “I’m not Laura, but at least I’m better than my parents. I remember very well Christmas morning when I was growing up. I’m not saying it was a scene out of Mommie Dearest or anything, but it was all kept very formal, and minimal.” He gestured to the family room. “A scene like we had would never have been tolerated, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.”
Ryan’s phone rang, drawing Nate’s attention to Ryan’s pocket, which led to him staring at Ryan’s bulge. Sex had always been a high priority in the house, but there was something about their forced separation while the kids were awake that made Nate want it even more. He licked his lips as Ryan dug the phone out.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Ryan said before holding the phone to his ear. “Yeah.”
Nate reached down and rubbed Rio’s cock through the baggy sweat pants Rio preferred. “You’re not wearing underwear.” He pushed his hand under the elastic waistband and wrapped his fingers around Rio’s hardening length.
Ryan cleared his throat to get Rio and Nate’s attention. “Snake has something he’d like to share with you. He’s up at the lodge, but says he can wait to meet with us until tomorrow.”
Nate continued to fondle Rio’s cock. “Invite him to the gathering. He’s already at the lodge, so it makes sense. Besides, he shouldn’t have to spend Christmas alone. He can tell us what he has then.”
Ryan stared at Nate for several moments before relaying the message.
“What’s going on between Ryan and Snake?” Nate asked Rio.
“They used to fuck,” Rio said, closing his eyes. He rested his head against the back of the sofa and thrust against Nate’s hand.
Nate glanced down the hallway before pushing Rio’s sweats down and covering the head of Rio’s cock with his mouth. Fuck. Rio’s pre-cum was as sweet as ever. He lapped at the head, begging for more.
Ryan snapped his fingers, getting Nate’s attention. “What?” Nate mumbled, the head of Rio’s cock still in his mouth.
Ryan pointed towards the hallway, reminding Nate of the children in the house.
Rio placed his hand on the back of Nate’s head, holding him in place. “Just give me a second.” The words were barely out of Rio’s mouth before the first strand of cum blasted down Nate’s throat.
Nate nursed on Rio’s cock until he’d sucked out the last drop. He was sure he would be reprimanded for being so careless, but it was Christmas, dammit, and sex was the best present. Although, he had to admit, the cranberry-coloured cashmere sweater Ryan gave him ran a close second.
Ryan set his phone on the coffee table. “Rio, why don’t you start breakfast while I have a little talk with Nate in the bedroom about his behaviour.”
Rio chuckled and pulled up his sweats. “That got you hot, didn’t it?”
Ryan grinned. “Something like that.”
Rio grabbed the Barbie palomino horse as he strode through the room towards the kitchen.
Nate couldn’t help but smile at his handsome partner. He stood and was immediately enveloped in Ryan’s arms. “I think you need a good hard spanking.”
“I need a good hard something.” Nate grabbed Ryan’s hand and pulled him towards their bedroom. He stopped outside Will’s door and knocked softly.
“Yes?” Hannah called.
“Breakfast in thirty minutes, so you’d better wrap up your call before then,” Nate said.
The door opened. “We finished the call a few minutes ago. Grandfather wasn’t there, and Grandmother was on her way to have brunch with a friend.”
It didn’t surprise Nate that his parents weren’t spending Christmas together. It had been that way his whole life. The Senator always stayed long enough to open presents before leaving for the afternoon. He usually returned home just as Christmas dinner was about to be served. “At least you tried.”
Hannah shrugged. “Can I listen to my music now?”
“Sure, honey.” Nate moved back against Ryan to give Hannah room to escape to her bedroom.
“I’m still fucking you,” Ryan whispered in Nate’s ear.
Nate nodded. “You have half an hour, use me all you want.”
* * * *
“Rio told me you used to fuck around with Snake,” Nate said, as Ryan positioned himself between Nate’s spread legs.
“Rio has a big mouth,” Ryan grumbled. It was one thing for Rio to figure out there was a history between him and Snake, but why the hell did he have to tell Nate? “It was a long time ago.”
“Tell me what it was like?” Nate draped his legs over Ryan’s shoulders.
“What?” Ryan’s eyebrows rose. “You really want to hear the details of my sex life with him?”
Nate bit his lip. “Is that bad? There’s something about him that I find intriguing. I just wondered if he was any good.”
They’d always made a point of not talking about old lovers with each other, so Ryan had to wonder what was so different about Snake. Well, that wasn’t completely true, he knew exactly what was different, but it bothered him that Nate seemed so turned on by a man who had used Ryan time and time again. Instead of telling Nate it was none of his business, Ryan let his anger get the best of him. “Snake’s the best fuck I’ve ever had.”
The hurt in Nate’s expression made Ryan want to cut his own tongue out. “Fuck.” He pulled back and flopped back onto the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, Ryan continued to berate himself. With a long-drawn-out sigh, he continued, “Unfortunately, I think the man’s soul was lost somewhere between the Middle East and the jungles of Africa.” He turned his head to look at Nate. “He’s the one who taught me that I needed more from a partner than fantastic sex. There was a time, when we first got together that I believed I could change him. I was naïve as fuck in thinking I’d ever be more to Snake than a willing hole, but instead of just walking away, I continued
to let him use me whenever we were in the same city or camp.”
“You let him fuck you?” Nate asked, rolling to his side.
“He wouldn’t have it any other way, and I wanted him badly enough that I was willing to put my own preferences aside.” Other than Rio and, occasionally, Nate, Snake had been the only man he’d allowed to fuck him. Ryan reached for Nate and pulled the smaller man against his chest. “I’m sorry I said what I did. It pissed me off that you wanted to know because I know what you see when you look at him.”
“I can’t deny that he turns me on, but I’d never cheat. There’s something mysterious about him. It’s the same thing that attracted me to you and Rio.”
Ryan kissed Nate’s forehead. “Promise me that you won’t let Snake get you alone somewhere. I know where your heart is, but Snake’s damn near impossible to resist once he turns on the charm.”
Nate moved to lie on top of Ryan. “Well, unless you see a foursome in our future, I’d never let his charm get me to do anything that would hurt you and Rio.”
Ryan didn’t see a foursome in his future, ever, but he might need to find someone to distract Snake while he was in town. There were plenty of single guys who would jump at the chance to keep Snake occupied. He began to run through the population of Cattle Valley in his head, hoping to come up with a surefire winner. One name popped into his head, Guy. Yep, that was the one. Snake enjoyed a challenge, but he also didn’t want to work too hard, and he definitely wasn’t into monogamy. Guy Hoisington was the perfect distraction. “Is Guy going to be at the party later?”
“He owns the place, so if he’s sober, I imagine he’ll show up,” Nate replied. “Why?”
“No reason.” Ryan smiled to himself.
* * * *
Nate handed the last crockpot to Rio to put into the SUV. “Hannah! We’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on.”
