Page 22 of A Swan for Christmas

When he made his way into the bathroom with the big jacuzzi tub set in a waterproofed wood base, he spotted Vic sniffing the large, round bath bomb. He regarded Kellan as he entered the room.

“Two questions. Why are you still dressed and what the hell is ylang-ylang?”

Kellan snorted. “You asked me that before.”

Vic drew his eyebrows together. “Which one?”

Kellan laughed. “Both, I think. But when we were at the aromatherapy shop, you wondered about the bomb. It’s a type of flower. Do you like it? I know how sensitive you are to smell. We don’t have to use it if you don’t want to.”

Vic took another sniff. “No, I actually like it quite a bit.” He tossed it in the tub then jumped back as the bomb came to life in a noisy and colorful bout of fizzing. “Oh damn! It’s not really gonna explode, is it?”

Streaks of purple, blue and fuschia bubbled and swirled together as Kellan grabbed his middle, laughing at how terrified his big bad wolf appeared over the bath accessory. “Oh my gods, you should see your face.”

Vic looked at him then back at the now mellower bomb that had begun to peter out. The colors had mixed together into a reddish purple. He took a tentative step closer then peered over the edge. He turned to Kellan.

“Do you think it’s safe to get in?”

Kellan had to wipe a tear from under his eye, Vic’s reaction cracking him the hell up. “I promise, it’s safe. I’ve never used a bomb before, but always wanted one. I love soaking in the water, obviously. But bath bombs and lakes don’t go well together.”

Vic approached him and started tugging at his clothes. “Then you can have as many as you want. We’ll go back to Grayson’s shop the next time I work out and you can choose a bunch of different ones to try.”

“It will help with our aches too, because of the salts in it.”

Vic slid Kellan’s shirt off his shoulders as he glanced behind him. “Is that what all that sizzling was about?”

Kellan ran his fingers beneath Vic’s flannel and tank, finding the six-pack of muscles covered in a swath of soft, dark hair. He quested higher up until he reached Vic’s taut nipples, flicking them with his thumbs and loving the moan of pleasure it encouraged from Vic.

A low rumble built in Vic’s chest. “Rest of the clothes off, now. Naked. Water.”

Kellan grinned as he hurried to remove his pants and underwear. He’d noticed that the more aroused Vic was the less coherent he became.

That works for me.

Vic let out a long groan as he lowered himself slowly into the steaming bath. “Oh, fuck. Yeah, that’s the stuff right there.” He settled then raised his arms toward Kellan. “Come on, sweetheart. This feels so damn good.”

Kellan accepted Vic’s help and he let out his own groan of pleasure. The heat was like a comforting embrace and it immediately soothed his sore feet. He wiggled his toes again as he settled between Vic’s legs, resting with his back to Vic’s chest. Vic wrapped his arms around Kellan, his hands never still as they roamed his body, touching him everywhere he could reach.

Vic encircled Kellan’s slender cock with his fist, lazily pumping his stiff length, neither of them in a hurry to get to their mutual destination. When he’d been under the spell of his heat, the frantic desperation had been intense and overwhelming. He’d loved every second of it. But taking his time with Vic, learning and exploring every inch of his mate—that was to be treasured.

Kellan let out a happy sigh. “I love you, Vic.

Vic hummed next to his ear. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

* * * *

Vic squeezed the handle of the staple gun and with a thwack, the tail end of the red tinsel garland was attached to the ceiling. He set the gun down on the ledge of the stepladder then swiped the back of his hand across his forehead, careful not to topple over onto the lunch counter as he did. The decorations were finally completed in the restaurant and they’d done the lobby the day before, so that meant it was time to treat Kellan to some fun.

Me too.

It felt as though they’d been going almost non-stop since the week before Thanksgiving when the lead-up to the big day had begun. Kellan had begun to help with the baking in-between shifts and had taken to the decorating with glee. The tips of Kellan’s fingers had their own unique decorations—tiny red dots from where they’d been poked with the needle. Sometimes, Vic would watch Kellan in amusement, sitting in a back booth peeling Super Glue off those same fingers at the end of the night. His creative and glittery Christmas wreaths were showcased in both the lobby and restaurant. Vic had needed to rein him in when he’d also wanted to do one for each room at the inn.

Vic climbed down from the ladder then folded it back up, returning both that and the gun to the storage closet. He washed his hands in the large utility sink next to the closet with what he was sure was a ridiculous smile plastered on his face. For the first time ever, he had a childlike excitement over going to the town’s annual Christmas Market. Kellan had brought him alive.

As he made his way to what had become Kellan’s personal work area in his favorite booth, he noted how Kellan was scrambling to clean up his craft supplies. Vic’s smile grew wider.

He’s as excited as I am.

“Hey, sweetheart. Are you about ready?”