Page 78 of Brought By the Storm

Chapter Twenty-Four

Eric

We enjoyed an intimate Christmas Eve dinner. I had prepared most of the food in advance for this sitting, as well as for Christmas Day, so all I had to do was heat and serve. Carrington had shaken his mood for teasing me once he left the kitchen, as he had been almost romantic since returning. He was sharing with me stories of his childhood holidays, the plans he was making for us when I joined him in Yastarus and his appreciation for the fine cuisine before him. Carrington had indulged in three glasses of wine, which was unusual, but I chalked it up to celebrating the holiday.

As dinner progressed, however, he became quieter and were it not for the heated glances he cast my way, I would have worried that he was becoming somber. He also started to seem nervous, fidgeting with his napkin and glancing down at his plate—all of which was very unlike him.

“Everything okay, Carrington?” I asked.

His face flushed. “Pardon? Oh, yes. Everything was delicious, as always. Thank you, Eric.”

I nodded. “I meant you seem to have gotten…lost in your head somewhere.”

He gave me a small smile. “Have I? I apologize. You have my attention, I assure you. You look exquisite tonight. Thank you for changing into those beautiful clothes. You’re enchanting.”

Right before dinner, I had put on an off-white cashmere turtleneck sweater that clung to my shoulders, arms and chest. It was tucked into a pair of high-waisted, butt-hugging wool slacks that emphasized my flat stomach and Carrington’s favorite asset. “Um, thanks. You’re sure you’re not upset about something? Is it what I said about the sex toys? If you bought me a sex toy, I won’t be mad.”

I couldn’t tell if he sighed or laughed. “I’m not upset, and I didn’t buy you a sex toy.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll clean up the kitchen. Why don’t you go into the living room, look at the tree and relax?” I suggested.

He raised his eyes to me as I rose from the chair. “Are you sure? You did all the cooking. I can take over now.”

I leaned over and kissed his beautiful hair. “I’m sure. Go on.”

If I wasn’t mistaken, his heated glance hit me again. “Eric? Would you mind if I go take a shower instead? I was thinking that maybe after you clean up, you could join me in bed? I’d like to snuggle with you.”

“Um, sure. That would be nice. I might be a while though.”

“Take your time,” he jumped in. “It’s fine.”

I smiled. “Okay. Don’t fall asleep on me before I get into bed. You promised me cuddles.”

Carrington stood from his chair and pulled me into a chaste kiss. “I promise. I’ll be awake and waiting for you.”

* * * *

Once I had stacked the dishwasher, hand-washed the pots and pans and cleaned away crumbs from the table and counters, I went to the hall closet to pull out Carrington’s Christmas presents. Though they had been hidden under blankets, and I had warned him not to peek, I wasn’t sure if he had or not. I placed them under the tree, noticing he had not put anything there for me yet. It made me guess he might have just one present hidden somewhere, and while I didn’t mind there weren’t more, I hoped my six for him wouldn’t worry him that he had disappointed me. I was more excited to watch him open the presents from me than I was to receive something.

As was the tradition when I was growing up, I didn’t turn off the Christmas lights since it was Christmas Eve. It was a terrible waste of electricity, but I wanted the magic of waking Christmas morning with everything aglow.

Carrington had been so quiet after the shower turned off, I feared he had struggled to stay awake and I would have to settle for curling up against his sleeping body. I smiled, though, thinking even that was a pleasure I never tired of. If he fell asleep first, I couldn’t work my way back into his arms, so I would spoon him. It would be a rare treat since I was his ‘little spoon’ most nights.

I padded my way into the bedroom, surprised the lights were on. When I looked over to the bed, I gasped out loud. Carrington was lying on his back with his hands behind his head. He was naked, save for a large Christmas bow covering his private area. He smiled when he saw my reaction. “I hope you like your first present.”

I composed myself, then grinned. “Mm, I do. You’re a gift I never tire of unwrapping.”

His smile broadened, but there was that lingering nervousness that had me worried. “Baby, the gift is a bit more than just…removing the bow.”

I couldn’t imagine what he was talking about, and I was fearful he had done something that I would find off-putting, like getting a tattoo on his butt. I gulped at the thought, preparing myself to pretend I loved whatever he was going to present to me. “Uh, okay. Not sure what you mean.”

Carrington pursed his lips, then got a look of determination on his face. He scooted back against the headboard, then pulled his feet toward his butt, exposing enough of his ass for me to see there was an inserted butt plug. “I’ve been practicing.”

I knew I looked confused, though I was sure I looked horny too. “Um, practicing what, baby?”

He lowered his legs to get himself back into a comfortable position. “I know when I first tried that submarine thing you have, I had a bit of trouble when we first put it in. Do you remember?” I nodded, dazed by the oddity of the conversation. “Well, even though it felt good at the end, I didn’t love the beginning. I kind of shied away from playing with it after that.”

I nodded. “I know. I sensed that, and I’m okay with it. Carrington, you don’t need to be doing this to make me happy.”