7. No Cold Feet

SEVEN

NO COLD FEET

We poured the soup into bowls, sat down at the table, and filled our bodies with the spicy warmth of what we had cooked together. It was a good decision because the more time I spent in the house, the more I noticed that the floor wasn’t as warm as it felt when we came back from outside.

While we ate, we complimented each other on our joint accomplishment. We talked about nothing in particular, just what TV shows we both liked and what Jack did for fun around Seastone (short answer: enjoying the peace and nature; for anything else, he had to drive at least forty minutes to neighboring Ashbourne). Our conversation would have been unspectacular if his feet hadn't made contact with mine three times, only to be quickly pulled away each time with an apology, as if it had been an accident.

When he finished his bowl, he leaned back and brushed his right foot against mine again. He rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry. This table is too small for my stupidly long legs.” He slapped his hands on the tabletop, but before he could pull his feet away, I put mine on his to stop him this time.

Just as our feet met, so did our eyes.

“If you don’t mind,” I said, pushing my soles deeper into his. “The floor is pretty cold, but your feet aren’t.”

“O-okay.” His shoulders pulled up to his ears for a moment before relaxing as he leaned back in his chair. “Of course.” He stretched out his legs, his feet now supporting mine, and as we settled like this, he blushed with a hint of a smile.

I had five more spoons of soup to go, and while I finished them, we sat there, enjoying the warmth of each other’s touch. As soon as I was done, I pushed the bowl to the side, leaning against the backrest and copying his posture.

“You know...” Jack glanced up at the ceiling as if he needed a moment to decide whether or not to say what was going through his mind. “...there are more effective ways to keep you warm when you’re cold.”

I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. “Like what?”

Now, it was his turn to copy my posture. He also leaned forward, his right hand next to mine. His fingers drummed the table three times before he turned it over, palms facing up.

What was that but an invitation?

I brought my little finger closer to his, and he met me halfway. Our fingertips tapped against each other, radiating warmth, as he had promised.

This wasn’t just us reconnecting after college. This was us exploring all the possibilities and enjoying the fact that we had time to do so because we had nowhere else to be.

The hum of the ventilation system constantly blowing warm air into the room got loud for a moment before it died down, along with the under-cabinet lights.

A short beep echoed through the house as everything came on for a second before shutting off.

The house went silent, only the wind howling outside.

We sat there for a moment, still staring at our hands before our eyes met.

“We can’t catch a break, can we?” Jack let out a reluctant sigh before sitting up, pulling his feet and hand back, and fumbling for his phone in his pants. His face went dark as he looked at it. “This is not good. The signal’s gone, too.”

“Don’t you think the power will be back on in a minute?” I said, still holding out my hand, hoping to continue what had begun so beautifully.

“We should wait a little before we panic, yes, but this is not Ashbourne. If the blizzard knocked down a few power lines, we could be without electricity until the weather clears.”

“Wait. Until it clears? They said it would take at least twenty-four hours.”

Jack raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Or longer.” His chair scratched the floor as he pushed it back and stood up. “I’ll call Dany. He will know if we should prepare or not.”

His concern spilled over and made me stand up as well. “How are you going to call Dany without a signal?” I asked, following him into the living room.

He picked up the landline receiver and brought it to his ear. “Nice. Thank God these old people stick to their ways.” He looked at me. “The landlines are powered separately.” He pulled out his smartphone and scrolled through his contacts. When he found Dany, he punched the number into the old buttons on the McCormac’s house phone.

The speaker was so loud that I heard the ringing three feet away.

“Hello?” A male voice answered after half a minute.

“Hey, Dany, it’s Jack.”

“You still have a signal?”

“No. I’m calling from the McCormac landline. I’m snowed in here with...” He eyed me. “...their dog sitter.” He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and wrinkled his nose as if to apologize for not delving deeper into who I was.

“Thank God,” Dany replied. “I was afraid I’d have to come get you. Laura’s on the other line with the power company. They haven’t confirmed it yet, but I’m sure it’s that damn pole next to the Handerson’s. If that turns out to be the case, the power will be out for at least twenty-four hours, I tell you. But if you’re at the McCormac’s, you should be fine. They have a fireplace, don’t they?”

Jack turned and looked at it as if he hadn’t dusted it this morning. “Uh, yeah.”

“Have you or the dog sitter ever lit one of these?” Dany asked.

Jack looked at me and opened his mouth, but before he could ask, I shook my head. He gave me a quick smile before turning away to answer Dany. “Noah says no. Does my experience with bonfires count?”

“It's a start. Okay, listen carefully because you need to keep your house warm.”

Fortunately, the mudroom had a well-insulated door to the kitchen. In the ten minutes it took to bring in as many logs as possible from the backyard, the temperature in the mudroom dropped to the same level as outside. But thanks to the insulation, this didn’t affect the rest of the house. Thirty logs, hopefully enough to last at least a day, were now stacked on top of each other as Jack closed the back door behind him.

Even though Dany had given us step-by-step instructions that Jack had written down, it took us another twenty minutes to get three logs burning. First, we had trouble finding the chimney flue he mentioned, and after ten minutes, we were a second away from believing it wasn’t even there (which luckily we didn’t, or we would have died of monoxide poisoning). Then, the firelighter would burn like crazy, but the wood needed two more blocks to start crackling.

The fireplace was built between the kitchen and the living room as if the decision to place it there had been made with our situation in mind. As a result, the fire heated and illuminated almost the entire first floor when we finally got it going.

While Jack stayed close to make sure the flames didn’t go out right away, I gathered all the blankets I could find, as well as all the bottled water and snacks I’d bought yesterday.

When I came back downstairs with two more blankets, the fire was fully up and burning. The heat emanating from it was warmer than anything the fan had produced when it was still running. Maggie had already made herself comfortable in front of the couch, and I was about to do the same. I spread one blanket so we wouldn’t have to sit on the cold leather and snuggled under the other to warm it up.

A glass front shielded both sides of the fireplace, allowing me to watch Jack tending the fire from the kitchen. But my joy was short-lived when he got up a minute later.

“Looks like we make a good team,” Jack said as he joined me in the living room. When he noticed me, a broad smile spread across his face. “Well, someone looks comfortable.”

“It’s nice and toasty under the covers.” Since I was taking up all the space on the couch, I pulled my legs in and lifted the blanket to invite him under.

He sat down with his head bowed. He was close, but there was still room for a third person between us. I threw the blanket over him. His whole body seemed stiff, almost as if he were only now realizing where this might lead us. “Don’t they say in all those survival videos that, um , it’s best to, um ,” he laughed, scratching his head, “keep each other warm, too?”

“Looks like we watched the same video again.”

He acknowledged my answer with a nod but didn’t move. The way he tried to hide his excitement was so damn cute. I rocked closer and brushed my hip against his. He flinched at our touch and lifted his arm as if to wrap it around me but then stopped in mid-movement as if he wasn’t sure it was okay.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I grabbed his wrist and pulled it around me, snuggling into his arms. “Is that okay?”

“I’m… comfortable.”

“You don’t seem to be.”

“I am. Very . It’s just…”

I leaned my head on his shoulder to look at him.

His face was now so close…

As he looked at me, he blushed again and pulled his head back.

“Just what?” I asked. “You can be honest. If this is too much, we don’t have to?—”

“That’s not it. I like it. You. This . It’s…”

I lifted my head, not wanting to force anything on him, but he didn’t release his grip on my shoulder.

“...romantic.” His face softened. “A lot more romantic than I’m used to.” He closed his eyes. “And I’m afraid I might want to do more with you if we stay like this.”

“Well, I guess we have three choices.” I turned my head back to him. “We could decide who gets which side of the couch. Which I don’t think either of us would like. We could talk about it, which might be the right thing to do. Or...”

His eyes were open just wide enough to see me, as if he was afraid my sight would overwhelm him. “Or?” he whispered.

His breath caressed my face.

There was only an inch between us.

“Or we could do this ,” I whispered, closing my eyes and leaning in.

He met me halfway.

Our first kiss was soft. Our lips met for only a second, testing the waters, not allowing that first contact to linger. The second was bold and decisive, clarifying that the waters were warm. His hand on my shoulder pulled me closer as I parted my lips. His tongue sought mine, and when they met, they celebrated their newfound unity as if they had needed nothing more. We inhaled through our mouths, breathing new life into each other as if we had died in the storm.

Jack pulled his legs up onto the couch, finally letting go of the tension that had so obviously built up inside him. I let myself fall back and pulled him with me. Our mouths did not separate as he lay on top of me or as I pulled the covers over his back. His lips even stayed on mine as the blanket slipped from us to the floor.

It was only when we heard a little whine from Maggie that we stopped, both of us unable to contain our laughter. She was still lying in front of the couch, now covered by the blanket, and when I pulled it off, she gave us a look and sauntered off into the kitchen as if to give us some privacy.

Jack pushed himself up, but another wave of laughter washed over him, stopping him in his tracks and forcing him to rest his forehead on my chest. “This isn’t how I expected my day to go.”

“Merry Christmas,” I replied, forcing another laugh out of him. I let my hands slide down his back, our skin separated only by the thin fabric of the shirt I had lent him.

I brushed my nose into his hair. A deep breath sent all the little Jack molecules rushing through my body. He smelled like the pines—fresh and soothing.

He rubbed his cheek against my chest and nuzzled his face closer to my neck. His nose wandered behind my ear, where his tongue took control instead. The first lick was rather shy but still sent shivers down my spine. The second already liked the taste. He licked his way back down, across my chin to my mouth, where he stopped for a bold kiss that held nothing back. After a minute, his tongue broke free and licked over my lips, moving quickly down my chin and Adam's apple, slowed only by my sweater. My hands rushed to the hem to pull it off, but he was faster than me. His fingers slipped underneath, exploring my chest like a vanguard, searching for the best way to get me naked without having to take a break from discovering me.

As useless as my hands felt for a moment, they landed on his lower back instead, discovering an even better way to spend their time. I tugged at his shirt, and when he leaned up, I pulled it over his head, only to have my attention drawn further down. The gray sweatpants I’d lent him couldn’t hide the fact that he was as aroused by me as I was by him.

I lifted my arms so he could take off my sweater and shirt, too. When my chest was finally free, he picked up the blanket and buried us under it.

A symphony of the crackling fire combined with the howling blizzard outside and the rustling of the thick blanket over Jack’s shoulders dominated the room.

Picking up where he left off, his tongue sailed down my chest, exploring every inch. He swirled around my right nipple, wrapping his lips around it for a moment before moving on to the other. While his tongue worked the front of my chest, his hands explored my back. They were strong but careful as they pressed into my shoulder blades, almost as if he wanted to give me a massage to ease me into whatever he was about to do to me.

My whole body tingled. I arched my back, a moan escaping my mouth. My hands didn’t know where to go, so I tried to rest them on his chest, but the further down he went, the more obvious it became that he didn’t expect me to do anything for the time being.

When his tongue reached the waistband of my jogging pants, he paused for a moment, licking from left to right and back again. I lifted my ass, and as if he had been waiting for it, his fingers tugged under the waistband and pulled my pants down.

He pushed himself up, just for a second, to get me completely naked, but as soon as my last clothes landed on the floor, he settled between my legs. He pressed his nose against my erection and took a deep breath. His growl of lust shot like a wave through our improvised blanket fort, sending shivers down my spine. He wanted this as much as I did, if not more. What had been a fantasy, born out of nowhere only twenty-four hours ago, was now a reality. He was real. He was here with me, offering me a moment of lustful peace.

He licked over my balls and shaft and made me lose my grip on reality.

We wrapped ourselves around each other like a ball of yarn. I couldn’t tell his lips from his tongue or his hands from the blanket that kept us warm. Everything was everywhere, focused on making me forget the time, place, and myself. It was just me surrendering to the overflowing pleasure of feeling him take care of me.

I had never moaned so much in my life. When I came back to my senses, his mouth was wrapped around my cock, bobbing up and down, and three of his fingers had found their way into my hole. I was getting close but didn’t want to be there yet. Not knowing how many hours or days the blizzard would keep us snowed in, we had all the time in the world.

I pushed myself up and pulled the blanket off our heads. The air outside was colder than underneath, even though it wasn’t cold at all.

Jack let my dick plop out of his mouth onto my stomach and sat up, too. His eyes were wide as if he feared he had gone too far, but when I climbed on top of him, holding his chin and pushing my tongue into his mouth, he closed his eyes and let go of his worries. My hard-on was pressing against his chest while his erection was still hidden in his pants. I reached for his bulge and wrapped my fingers around the fabric. As I squeezed his boner, Jack’s moans flooded the room and made me even hornier.

My mouth went to his ear. “Fuck me, please.”

His dick grew harder in my hand, so much so that his glans broke free behind the waistband. His lustful growl was so intense it made the couch vibrate. If he wasn't aroused before, he was now.

His arms wrapped around me, lifting me for a second before throwing me onto the couch. “I feel like I’m going crazy. Your smell, your touch, and every word you say make me forget all my manners.” He stood up and pulled down his pants, revealing his member. He gave me a second to take it in as it stood there, straight, proud, and rock-hard for me. Pulling the blanket up behind his back, he climbed back on top. “I will fuck you every way you want me to. But I fear I might forget myself.”

“Please do. Forget yourself. Go hard. Show me everything you got. The world is falling apart around us anyway. We have nothing to lose.”

He slid his dick behind my ass and pressed it against my hole while his hands carefully pulled a few strands of hair from my face. “I don’t want to hurt you. So tell me if it’s too much,” he whispered, brushing his nose across my chin. His hand held my head in place as he gently kissed my cheek, dimples, and mouth. “Please.”

“I will,” I whispered back.

Our eyes locked. A last moment of pause before a storm of our own broke out in here—a storm of heat so strong that it could destroy time itself.

There was a moment of silence as he entered me before I filled the room with a moan so loud the entire village would have heard it if it wasn’t for the blizzard.

He went slowly, taking his time until he was completely inside me, pausing at the top. “Are you okay?”

I couldn’t remember when I’d felt this close to anyone—or if I ever had. I pulled his naked chest against mine. “You feel amazing,” I whispered back, bringing my lips to his.

My kiss landed on the right side of his mouth.

Jack moved his hips back an inch and pushed himself in again. I tried to kiss him once more, but it landed on the left side, this time, almost entirely on his cheek. He repeated the action, thrusting his dick as deep into me as he could.

He hovered his mouth over mine as if he would only start fucking me if I landed the kiss where it belonged.

I held the back of his head and aimed again, determined to get it right this time. I pulled his head down and finally tasted his lips.

His hips picked up the rhythm. Each thrust felt better than the last. The longer he went in and out of me, the more I wished it could last forever. I was in heaven. There was nothing but us anymore.

The euphoria spread throughout my body, the house, the continent, and the world.

His dick thrust as deep as it could. I grabbed his left hand and brought it to my throat. “Go harder,” I said, and he followed my command. His fingers wrapped around my skin, no longer gentle. I loved it. I dug my nails into his back, which only made him go wilder. “Fucking cum in me,” I screamed.

Jack growled at my words. The sweet and shy guy I’d met had completely turned into a man who wouldn’t hold back. His mouth took what it wanted from mine. His fingers gripped me tightly as if he owned me. His dick plunged into me as if it was the only source of heat we could produce to keep us alive.

And with one last thrust, his cock swelled as he shot his load deep into me. I scratched over his back as each twitch of his dick made me go wilder and wilder. I couldn’t hold back either. My right hand rushed to my cock, and only three strokes later, I came on my stomach.

Our breaths fought with each other as if trying to figure out who had the better time when it was clear that we had both won.

“Noah,” Jack groaned, resting his forehead on mine. “This was...”

“…long overdue.” I finished the sentence for him.

“Indeed.”

“What a sticky, hot mess we’ve made.” I pulled him into another kiss.

“I dread having to clean it up. Because without electricity, there’s no hot water.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to stay like this for a while.”

“If we stay like this, you might have trouble walking tomorrow.”

“I sure hope so.”

Jack’s laugh rippled through my body. “I guess we won’t have to go anywhere tomorrow anyway.” He locked eyes with me, a smug smile on his face as he moved his hips again, checking to see if I was game. He wasn’t kidding about being unable to stop if we stayed like this.

Neither was I.