Christmas And Gingerbread Men (9 page)

Suddenly, a weight landed on his back and caused him to grunt. “What the—”

“Fancy meeting you here,” his cousin said as she slipped off his back and danced around him.

Pitney had to admit he paled a bit at her sudden appearance. “Zozo! What are you doing here?”

“Well, duh, buying a burger.” She flicked his ear. “It’s a shop full of clothes. What do you think I’m doing here? Hey, nice jeans. Are they for Dad’s annual Christmas party at the restaurant?”

“Uh...” Shit. The Christmas party. How had that dreaded party slipped his mind? His aunt would press him to bring a date, like every year since he’d turned sixteen. To be fair, it was a good occasion to introduce a special someone, and Pitney would love to take Rafael. His presence would stop his great-aunts from setting him up with any unattached girl they came across.

Too bad Rafael’s presence would also most likely shock his family.

Even worse, Rafael could return any moment, and how would he explain to Zoe that he’d gone shopping with a guy who looked like a walking ad for a fitness studio? Or the mobster way of life. “Look, Zoe—”

“Pitney, I found some shirts with saucy slogans for you to... oh.” Rafael stopped when his gaze fell on Pitney and Zoe. He held several hangers with colorful shirts in one hand, and the bag with the rest of Pitney’s booty in the other. Being the successful businessman that he was, Rafael pulled himself together way quicker than Pitney. He grinned, juggled his load and held his hand out to a wide-eyed Zoe. “Hi. Do you know Pitney?”

His cousin, always on the hunt for the next possible
Mr. Zoe,
threw her long hair back over her shoulder and took Rafael’s hand with a flirty smile.

“Well, of course. He’s my cousin. I’m Zoe. Didn’t he talk about me?”

Pitney groaned and palmed his face. “Zozo, please.”

Rafael just laughed. “Nice to meet you. Yes, he told me. You’re the MIT genius, right?”

Zoe preened and pushed out her boobs, as if being wickedly clever wasn’t impressive enough already. It was the first time in his life that Pitney wanted to pull her hair and make her cry. That was
his
man she was flirting with.

Although he’d feared that moment since he’d realized he was gay, now that he stood here and had to watch his cousin feeling up Rafael’s impressive biceps, it wasn’t as hard as he’d thought. Pitney stepped around Zoe and plastered his body against Rafael’s front in a blatant display of possessiveness. He never would’ve done that before he’d met Rafael.

“Hands off, Zozo,” he snapped. “He’s taken.”

He heard his boyfriend’s surprised gasp, felt the shiver that went through his body, and saw Zoe’s eyes popping wide. Then a wide grin split her face and she pumped her fist in the air.

“Yes, I knew it!”

Pitney watched, dumbfounded, as his cousin pivoted. Next she attacked them with one of her patented, suffocating hugs and squeezed them both. Not an easy attempt, given Rafael’s size.

“What does that mean, you knew?” Rafael asked eventually and patted Pitney’s back. Pitney was glad for the soothing caress.

“Oh, please.” Zoe rolled her eyes and huffed. “I’ve brought home countless friends over the years, and Pitney never batted an eye. It was an easy guess that he’s gay.”

Pitney managed to unglue his tongue. “And... you don’t mind?”

Zoe frowned. “Of course not! Valery, my best friend, she’s a lesbian. Oh, and two football players from my old class at high school were gay
and
a couple. It’s cool, Pitney. I love you, no matter what. By the way,” she added and raked her gaze over Rafael. “You boyfriend is smoking hot.” Then she fanned herself with her hand.

Rafael chuckled. “Thank you, Zoe. It’s nice to meet a member of Pitney’s family. He told me you’re more like a sister than a cousin to him.”

“Aww, isn’t he sweet?” Zoe purred.

Pitney growled, still a bit irritated at the development. “Hey,
he
is standing right here.”

“Yeah, don’t sweat it. So, you’re buying clothes, huh? It’s about time. Pitney’s wardrobe is...” She made a face and waved her hand dismissively. “Anyway, make sure to buy some of those fancy jockstraps for my little brother.”

“Zozo!” He gasped and swatted at her. “You perv.”

Zoe grinned and pointed at herself. “Yup, that’s me. Don’t tell me you don’t wear jocks. I heard they’re popular, for obvious reasons.”

Pitney’s face flamed bright red and all he managed was a squeak when he tried to scold her.

“They are,” Rafael replied. “But Pitney is a briefs guy. I’m the one with the jockstraps.”

At that, Pitney groaned and hid his face against Rafael’s chest. “That was a mistake, Rafael. She’ll never forget you said that.”

“So what?” Zoe and Rafael asked in unison, then laughed. Well, at least they like each other, Pitney thought.

* * * *

Rafe spent the rest of the day in his home office, checking and answering emails that were too important to let them rest until the next day. Although Pitney had the evening shift at the restaurant and had left an hour ago, he was happy. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so content in his own skin.

Pitney was a miracle. After lunch at his house, Rafe had been taking care of the dishes when suddenly Pitney had ordered him to turn around and lower to his knees. The determination flickering over his freckled face had been a thing of beauty. Rafe hadn’t been able to disobey.

His jaw still ached and his throat felt tender from the rough face fuck Pitney had given him. Who would have thought Pitney would go so wild on him? Rafe loved it and couldn’t wait to find out what else Pitney had in mind for them. Given that Pitney had never allowed his dominant side to emerge before, Rafe knew he was in for a wild ride.

That thought brought a load of worries along, though. He looked at the Smartphone to his left and mused. Maybe a chat with his best friend would help him sort out his thoughts. Rafe picked up his phone and tapped the screen, then waited for the line to connect.

“Remy’s phone here.”

Rafe grinned at the soft, melodic voice greeting him. “Hi, Corey. Where’s your man?”

Corey and Remington had met about half a year ago and were still madly in love. It hadn’t been an easy journey to happily ever after for them, because Remington had been a self-centered prick who only did one-night-stands before he’d met Corey. Rafe was glad his friend had found the love of his life.

“He’s outside. Wait a second.” Rafe heard footsteps while Corey carried the cell through the house.

“Outside? What does he do outside in this weather?” A look through his window confirmed that another foot of snow had come down.

Corey snickered with glee. “Shoveling snow. We’re at my house this weekend and he wanted to play hero and clear the walkway for me.”

Rafe snorted at the thought of spiffy Remington shoveling snow while wearing one of his expensive designer suits. “Let me guess, he refused to wear a beanie because it’d mess with his hair?”

“At least I have a haircut that deserves that term, my friend.” Remy’s cool reply had him wincing.

“Sorry, Remy. Say thanks to Corey for not warning me!”

His friend laughed and there was a noise in the background that sounded like stomping boots. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh, I don’t want to interrupt your duties as a houseman,” Rafe teased. The other man muttered something that sounded like
little shit,
then Rafe heard rustling.

“I put you on speakerphone, so be careful what you say. Corey and I are in the kitchen.”

“Aww, don’t want your boyfriend to hear about our many—”

“Rafael!”

Rafe laughed and leaned back in his chair when he heard something that sounded like a hand slapping one’s head. Then Corey muttered, “You told me you didn’t have sex with him.”

“You’re so going to pay for that,” Remy snapped.

“Calm down, you two, that was a joke. Corey, I never slept with Remington, I swear. He’s not my type.”

“Oh, how so? My man is sexy as fuck.”

“True,” Remy replied. “But Rafael likes skinny twinks to fuck him into—.”

“Gee, thanks for revealing my secret,” Rafe groused.

Then he heard another slap and a curse, and Corey said, “Stop making fun of your friend’s sex life. Now, Rafael, how are you?”

“Thanks for defending me, Corey. And I’m fine. No, actually, I’m feeling marvelous.”

“Aha!” Remy shouted. “I knew it. You’re calling because you have a new guy, don’t you?”

“Well, I guess.”

“You guess?”

Rafe brushed a hand through his short hair. “We met on Friday last weekend and had several dates since then. It’s early days.”

“Ah, but I know you. You consider him your boyfriend already. You’ve always worked fast,” Remy said. “And I guess he must be someone special if you’re calling to tell me about him right away.”

“Yes, he is.” He couldn’t stop the sappy grin when he thought about Pitney.

“Tell us about him,” Corey said excitedly.

“His name is Pitney. He’s a skinny lad with a shaggy mop of blond curls and a million freckles. He’s so shy and cute, even when he acts all dominant and orders me around.”

“Shy?” Remy asked. “How old is he?”

“Twenty-one. And that’s part of my problem.”

“Ah, I understand.”

“Understand what?” Corey asked.

Remy answered his partner’s question. “Darling, Rafael likes men who want to dominate him in bed. It’s risky to start a relationship with someone who is as young as Pitney and just coming to terms with his likes and dislikes. Chances are he wants to explore the lifestyle, like most young men, before he thinks about settling down with somebody,” Remy explained.

“Well, you don’t know that,” Corey said. “I’m twenty-three, and I always wanted a stable relationship.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that Pitney wants the same,” Remy said.

“Guys.” Rafe interrupted the bickering couple. “Focus, please.”

“Sorry,” Remy said around a chuckle. “You want my advice? Talk with him. I almost lost Corey because I didn’t talk with him about my fears. Tell Pitney what you want, what you hope for, and give him time to think it through. After all, it’s early days for both of you.”

Rafe sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just...”

“You’re falling for him, aren’t you? I won’t make fun of you, given that Corey wrapped me around his skilled little fingers freakishly fast. But after one week?”

“Remy, that’s not helping,” Corey said. “You can’t pick who you fall in love with, nor can you decide how fast it happens. Anyway, I think Remy is right, Rafael. You need to talk with him. Have you... considered an open relationship, or are you exclusive already?”

“Shit.” Rafael rubbed his hand over his face. “We haven’t discussed it yet. I don’t want to pressure him, and I don’t want him to feel caged. You’re right, we need a chat about boundaries and stuff.”

“And feelings,” Corey said. “Don’t forget to talk about your feelings. It’s a myth that men don’t talk about them. They just hate doing it.”

Remy snickered. “True. Hey, you could always send him some letters if you’re too scared to talk with him face-to-face.”

“Pitney is not into flowers like Corey.”

“So, what does he like?”

“Baking.”

Corey hummed. “I’d say bake him a cake. But we don’t want the poor guy to end in hospital.”

Rafe spluttered. “Hey!” His friends only snorted with laughter. “All right. You two won’t get any presents this year.”

Friday, 16th December

Pitney parked his aunt’s car in Rafael’s driveway. He snatched the overnight bag he’d packed and checked one last time if he hadn’t forgotten any necessary items. Deep inside, he was a mass of excited, jittery goo.

The unopened box of condoms and the flavored lube he’d ordered online sat heavy in his bag. Who would have thought lube came with gingerbread flavor? He snickered.

Tonight, he’d ask Rafael if they could have sex. No, he corrected himself. He’d tell Rafael that they would have sex. After all, his boyfriend loved that Pitney told him what to do when it came to anything sexual, and Pitney loved that power.

He got out of the car, then made his way to the door and knocked. The cheery, happy grin slipped right off his face though, when, instead of Rafael, a short, slender man in his early twenties opened the door. That alone wouldn’t have been a problem. But the guy wore nothing more than a towel around his waist, and that was a big problem.

“Who the fuck are you?” he snapped, barely stopping himself from wringing the little guy’s neck. Nameless dude winced at his sharp voice and shrank back. He was beautiful, with his ebony curls and milky skin. Also, he was the personified twink. Surely Rafael wouldn’t...

The next shock hit Pitney when a tall, blond man who looked like a Nordic god appeared behind the twink. His expression was thunderous and he glared at Pitney as he wrapped his arms around the half-naked first guy.

“What’s the matter? I heard shouting. Who’s the asshole, Ruben?” the blond asked in a thick accent Pitney didn’t recognize.

Something clicked and Pitney gasped. “Ruben? As in... Rafael’s foster brother Ruben? I... I thought you were out of touch.” Before one of the men could answer, Rafael’s voice sounded from somewhere in the house and became louder.

“Ruben? Who’s at the door?” Then Rafael came into sight, a big grin on his face. He even had the nerve to chuckle.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me. Wait till you find a naked guy opening
my
door. Then we’ll see how funny you think that is,” Pitney snapped and crossed his arms in front of his chest. So what if he felt bad when Rafael winced and lowered his gaze to the floor.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re right.” Rafael peeked at him from underneath his lashes then, and it was such an innocent look Pitney shook his head in disbelief.

He took a deep breath, then said, “All right. Introduce me. But then I want to talk with you in private, please.”

“This is my foster brother, Ruben, and his partner, Aleks. It’s a surprise visit. They arrived this morning without warning me. I swear I had no idea.”