Chapter Twenty-Five

Christmas Day

Aiden loved Christmas morning. The smell of hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls, the sound of wrapping paper tearing, Becca's squeals—they got louder as she got older—Christmas carols playing in the background… The day had always possessed a magic for him, and he'd assumed once he was an adult that the magic would fade away and die.

Will had brought it back, and then some.

Waking up in his old attic room, in the bed he'd known as a teenager, and finding his arms full of Will had been the best Christmas present ever. So what if it had been a bit of a squeeze? Will's bed was bigger, but it was also next door to his parents' room, so hell no to that.

A bit of a squeeze translated into a whole lot of cuddling, and that was just fine by Aiden.

"Morning." Will stretched.

Aiden chuckled. "Don't do that. One of us will fall out of bed, and that would attract way too much attention." He kissed Will's forehead. "Merry Christmas. You get a better kiss after I've brushed my teeth."

"Wow, feeling the romance."

He smiled. "You want romance? Okay, how about this?" He cupped Will's chin, tilting his face toward Aiden's. "I love you."

The light in Will's eyes sent Aiden's heart soaring.

Will beamed. "I love you too." He burrowed deeper into Aiden's arms. "Can we just spend the day here?"

"That would be a little awkward, seeing as your present is under the tree."

His eyes widened. "You got me a present?"

"Well, that sure woke you up in a hurry." Aiden smiled. "Of course I did." He narrowed his gaze. "Do I have one waiting for me? Not that it matters if I don't, but seeing as you brought up the subject…"

Will said nothing, and that was just torture.

"You did get me something, didn't you?"

"You big kid." Will chuckled against Aiden's chest. "Yes, there's something under the tree for you too." He craned his neck to look Aiden in the eye. "And even if I hadn't bought you a present, I still have something for you. Only thing is, you have to find it first, and that might take some doing, because I've hidden it."

"Do I get a clue?"

Will grinned. "It's in my ass, and you'll need something long to reach it."

Aiden brought Will's hand to his morning wood. "Think this'll do the trick?"

Warm fingers curled around his shaft. "Why don't we find out?"

Carl and Louise had made French toast for breakfast, and as soon as everyone had finished, they got down to the all-important task of opening presents. It seemed another Taylor tradition was for Becca to dole out the presents, and it didn't take Will long to see a theme—Becca and Kristen had bought him D riding Aiden's cock, Aiden's hand covering Will's mouth; and Aiden kneeling on the couch, Will behind him, moving in and out of him, doing his best to slow things down because dammit , he wanted this to last.

It wasn't only a matter of keeping his climax at bay—it was more a case that he wanted to prolong the sensuous pleasure, the sheer joy accompanying every thrust, every look, every moan, every kiss… When they got too close, Will backed off and they stroked and kissed, until once more his need overtook his desire to make it last all night.

Will knew that wasn't about to happen, but that didn't stop him from doing his damnedest. The sound of footsteps on the floor above had them both freezing more than once, waiting until Will was certain Carl wasn't going to walk through the door.

Aiden touched his face. "Make me come?"

Will answered him with a kiss, and Aiden cradled him with his body as Will picked up the pace, sharing kisses as Will drove them to the point of no return. And when Aiden came, Will held him and kissed him, caressed him…

Told him Will loved him.

They lay under the throw, the fire finally dying, its embers glowing red. The only light in the room came from the Christmas tree, and Will would have been content to fall asleep staring at it, Aiden in his arms.

Except that couldn't happen. Fortunately, however, there was always the haven of Aiden's attic room, and once they'd tidied up and removed any sign of what they'd been doing, they crept upstairs, wincing when the narrow stairs creaked, betraying them.

Will loved it when Aiden curled around him, holding him close, but now he realized nights like this were coming to an end. Once New Year's had come and gone, it would be back to college, to phone calls, video calls, emails…

"Stop it," Aiden whispered.

Will turned his head. "Stop what?"

"You think you're the only one? I don't want this to end any more than you do. But there are trains between Milwaukee and Minnesota, you know. We'll see each other."

"You say that now ."

Aiden cupped his chin. "Yes, I do. And I promise to try, but we both know what's in store for us. How much work we both have to do." Aiden kissed his forehead. "None of that is going to stop me loving you, okay?"

Will smiled. "Okay. Now kiss me again before I fall asleep."

So I can dream of you.

Of us.