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“What about that one?” he asks.

We walk closer and make an appraising circle around the tree. The height is good, the fullness is perfect, and there are no bald spots that are glaringly obvious.

“This is perfect, lycan.”

I get down on my hands and knees on the blanket they gave us when we exited the wagon. Using the saw, I start cutting into the trunk of the pine. It’s not easy, and I’m sweating even though I’m cold, but we eventually get the trunk disconnected. My hand has spots of sap, and I bring it to my nose to smell the amazing scent of pine. I offer my palm to Dare, and he takes a sniff.

“Mmmmmm,” he says. “That smells really good.” I jokingly move to touch his face, and he bats my hand away. “Don’t even think about it,” he threatens, a laugh sneaking out of him.

I start to encroach on his space again, and he tries to run but he loses his traction in the snow and falls flat on his stomach. I quickly decide to fall on top of him, and we roll around in a heap, laughing and wrestling in the snow. I grab a handful and smash it into his face. He’s sputtering and laughing and spitting the snow out when he grabs a handful of his own and shoves it in my face. The cold, freezing semisolid slides down the side of my face. We can’t stop laughing, even though we are freezing and our faces are wet, but we are enjoying the boyhood this brings out in us.

Dare sits up and presses his wet, cold lips to me, and I lap the water off of them, kissing him back. We meld into each other on the snowy ground, but we’re forced to get up when we hear the tractor coming through the rows of trees. We quickly brush each other off, still playing around, and walk over to our tree.

“Do you want one for your house?” I ask him.

“Nah. I have an artificial one I can put up eventually. Thank you, though.”

I nod, and we take our tree. I grab the trunk, and Dare lifts the top as we carry it to the wagon. After loading it with a few other trees that the other customers picked out, we make our way back to the shed, and I pay for the tree. We work together to tie it into the car and close the trunk as tightly as we can. Then we start on the way back to my apartment.

Dare is animated and talks the whole drive back. I don’t think he stops smiling the entire time, either. He tells me story after story about Nate and their Christmases together. How Nate used to hand-make him a card every year, even when they got older and it was a bit corny. He shares about how the two of them would make a paper chain at the beginning of December for counting down the days until Christmas Eve and fight over who was going to tear the ring off every night. He shares about this Christmas ornament Nate made in kindergarten and how Dare thought it was creepy looking, so he always hid it around at the back of the tree when no one else was watching. Little snippets of joy from their life together.

I wonder if maybe these things, these memories he’s been holding onto, haven’t been shared with anyone else in years. I feel honored that he’s sharing it with me now. It’s so adorable, and I’m beaming because he’s so happy. I did this. I gave this to him and I love it.

After we pull into the parking lot outside my apartment, I park the car and get out, glad that we made it home with no issues. The roads are noticeably starting to turn more slick. We get out of the car and undo the tree, then take it inside and set it up in its stand. We take a few minutes to make sure it’s straight and secure, watered, and ready. Then I wash my hands with the GoJo that I use in the shop, and although it doesn’t remove all of the sap, it does a good enough job that I won’t be sticking to everything I touch tonight.

While I go back out to the car to grab everything else, including Dare’s bag, he runs the vacuum to pick up all the dropped needles. By the time I come back in, he has Christmas music playing from his phone and he’s started to change out of his wet clothes.

I immediately advance on him, the sight of his bare legs and chest sending my pulse skyrocketing. Ripping my wet clothes off, I push him onto the couch and climb on top of him. Our bodies are chilled, our skin covered in goose bumps, and we grind together, kissing and making out like teenagers. Before things go further, I sit up and pull him with me. We finish changing and put on fresh everything, then go back to the living room and unpack the decorations for the tree.

Hours pass as we decorate the tree and my apartment, laughing, talking, and bopping our heads to the music. Occasionally, we break out into an off-tune sing-along. My personal favorite part is when we stop and make out, Dare being his irresistible self. After we eat some food and get ready for bed, we sit on the couch and admire how the lights on the tree cast a soft, colorful glow that illuminates the room, bringing warmth and a subtle feeling of Christmas to the room.

Dare sighs as he settles deeply into my side. He plays with my fingers, occasionally kissing my knuckles and the back of my hand. “I think today was one of the best days ever,” he whispers.

I kiss the top of his head, a smile spreading across my lips. “I’m so glad. I had a lot of fun too.” Sitting in comfortable silence, we both grow tired, our body heat and heartbeats helping to make the moment feel extraordinarily special.

Chapter 53

Darian

For the first time in a long time, I truly felt loved and appreciated . . . and most importantly, wanted. The day Lev planned was amazing, and although sometimes I don’t feel like I deserve it, he wants to give it to me, and I need to learn how to let him.

With a wicked smile on my face that he hasn’t seen because he’s still sleeping, I roll over toward my boyfriend. That word still makes my heart soar. I peel his underwear down, noting that he has a nice little morning wood waiting for me.

Well, it’s not little. I chuckle to myself and shift closer.

Lev stirs, moving a leg to the side and cracking an eye open as I touch his hardening dick and lean over, taking just his tip into my mouth. I look up at him through my half-lidded eyes as he nods and then hisses. Maintaining eye contact, I pop off and lick him from the base to his tip. Lev smiles, and his dimple sinks into his cheek. He puts an arm behind his head and watches me.

“Good morning,” I say, and I give him another full-length lick, stopping at the tip with another suck. “Hey.”

Lev groans, and his other hand reaches down and runs through my hair. “Hey yourself,” he whispers.

I lean over him and take all of him, covering him in my saliva and hollowing my cheeks as I pull up and suck him back down again. I grab the base of his cock and slide my mouth up him, a string of saliva and precum coming along with me. Lev groans again, moving his other leg to the side so I can fit better between them. I’m on my knees, bending over and licking Lev like a lollipop, swirling my mouth around the tip. After popping off again, I glance up at his beautiful blue eyes, a line of spit purposely dropping from my mouth and running down his cock. I use my hand and work him, playing with his tip and moving down to his balls.

“God!” he lets out on a breath, his hand gripping my hair tightly and his hips pushing up. It sends a shock right to my groin and spurs me on. I take Lev all the way to the back of my throat and swallow. “Fuuckk,” he moans. “You feel so good, Dare.”

I repeat the action, gagging occasionally when I get a little overzealous, but his salacious moans and groans tell me he’s enjoying himself.

Suddenly, he grabs at my back, pressing his palm into me. “I’m going to come.”