Page 40 of The Christmas Accomplice

“How fast?” Welton asked.

“Oh, pretty fast,” Corey said. “You’re definitely going to want to hang on tight, and probably put your glasses in a zippered pocket of your coat.”

“Oh…” Welton carefully removed his glasses and slid them into a pocket.

“That’s good,” Corey said. “Now, Welton, you sit up front since Reece is so dang tall and broad. He’ll act as a good balance for you.”

Reece chose to ignore the tall and broad description as he watched Welton sit with his feet under the wooden curl at the front of the toboggan. Once Welton had gotten settled, Corey had Reece sit behind and extend his legs to either side.

“Relax,” Reece whispered into Welton’s ear. “This will be fun.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not someone’s air bag.”

Reece laughed and scooted a little closer, tightening his thighs against Welton as he wrapped his arms around his waist.

“You two fit together like puzzle pieces,” Corey said. Reece thought he might have heard a touch of wistfulness in his tone. “Are you ready?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready,” Welton grumbled, but only loud enough for Reece to hear.

“We’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Promise?”

Reece pulled Welton tighter against him and whispered, “I promise.”

“Off you go!”

Corey gave Reece’s back a push. The toboggan shot down the track, wind stinging Reece’s cheeks and making his eyes water. He laughed and let out a whoop as Welton shouted something that might have been a curse in another language, but it was intertwined with what sounded like laughter as well. At least, Reece hoped it was laughter.

Faster than Reece would have liked, they rumbled over some strips designed to slow the toboggan as they came to the station at the bottom. Reece climbed off and helped Welton to stand and move out of the way as an employee pulled their toboggan off the track and attached it to a rope that pulled it back to the top.

“Well? What did you think?”

Welton’s cheeks were red and wet from snow spray and tears and his teeth gleamed in the sunlight as he laughed. “I loved it! Oh my God. That was amazing. Can we do it again?”

Relief rushed through Reece, dragging behind it a new feeling that left an ache in the center of his chest. Before he could study it too long, he waved toward the steps. “Let’s go!”

They did the toboggan run three more times, until Welton was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. Reece led him a short way down the path to a bench just out of sight of the landing area and had him sit down. Welton let out a half shout and half laugh as he wiped his face and put his glasses back on.

“That was such a rush. I’ve never felt anything like that before. Have you?”

Reece sat beside him, pressing his thigh against Welton’s as he looked at him, smile feeling like it had been permanently carved into his face. “Never.”

They stared at each other a moment, chests heaving as they worked to catch their breath. Before he could think it through, before he could try to guess reaction and fallout, Reece leaned down and kissed him. It wasn’t anything that might stop time or change the world, but it felt good. And, most important of all, it felt right.

Reece pulled back and studied Welton’s face, glad to see the smile hadn’t vanished. There was something new shining in Welton’s eyes, however, and Reece wondered if it might be a reflection of what he was feeling himself.

Something stronger than he’d ever felt before.

Then Welton looked down and pulled his phone from his coat pocket and started typing like mad on the glass screen.

“What time do you have to punch in for work?” Welton asked without looking up.

“Sorry, what?”

Welton met his eyes briefly before looking back down at his phone. “When does your shift start?”

“Oh, um, three.”

“There’s time then.” Welton finished with whatever he’d been typing and slid his phone into his coat pocket. He turned on the bench to face Reece. “Would you like to come back to my cabin?”

Reece smiled. “I would like that very much.” And he kissed Welton again, allowing his lips to linger a bit longer this time.

Welton smiled, laughed a little, then got to his feet and set off down the path at a fast walk. Reece laughed before hurrying to catch up.