Christmas Delights 3 (41 page)

Riley removed his trousers as Daniel kicked out of his own
jeans. Daniel pulled Riley back onto him and they settled into a comfortable
rhythm, rubbing their cocks against each other. Daniel was close to coming. He
held Riley's face still in both of his hands to kiss him, licking deep into
Riley's mouth and sucking at his lips and tongue. They moaned as their rocking
increased in tempo and force. Daniel felt Riley tense above him. The warm slick
of Riley's release came a second before Daniel's own orgasm pulsed through him.
Riley fell heavily against Daniel. Their mouths still joined, they panted
together as their breathing slowed.

"Whoa, that was… Fuck. That was good." Riley
groaned as he slowly moved to get up.

Daniel wasn't ready for them to separate. He curled his arm
over Riley's back, keeping him in place. "Stay." He demanded.

They kissed for long, slow minutes. Gentle, leisurely
exploration of lips and tongues. Daniel thought that it had never been this
easy with someone before. It was as if they had been kissing their entire
lives. A small low ache of sadness burrowed into him at that thought, but he
pushed it aside. He wouldn't dwell on what could have been. He'd found Riley
again and whatever happened from here they had a second chance to get it right.

They lost track of time resting together on the sofa. Daniel
didn't care how uncomfortable the cushions were when he had Riley in his arms.
He focused on the way Riley's tongue felt as it moved against his teeth; the
way his beard made Daniel's skin prickle when Riley tucked his face into the
crook of Daniel's neck.

The sound of buzzing snapped them back to reality as
Daniel's cell phone vibrated against the wooden floor. They both looked towards
the clock on the wall. They were supposed to check the airport website an hour
ago. They peeled themselves from the couch, the leather sticking to Daniel's
back. It seemed as reluctant to let Daniel go as he was to lose the warm press
of Riley's body.

Riley checked the flight information on his laptop as Daniel
listened to an irate voicemail from his mother. She was mid-rant about not
knowing when to expect him home and why did he never answer her calls when he
stopped listening. He thought about sending her a text to say he couldn't get a
flight to Chicago and had to head straight back to L.A. He would feel guilty
and she would find out the truth. He couldn't do it.

The airport had re-opened, and passengers were being advised
to call their airlines for rescheduled tickets. They were able to get a flight
to Chicago leaving that afternoon, so had no time to linger in Riley's
apartment. Daniel was disappointed. He longed to shut out the world for longer
and spend the day learning every inch of Riley's body. He wanted to know all
about the man his best friend had become. There was no time though. They had
family expecting them. He faked happiness as they hurriedly packed their bags
and made their way to the airport.

Daniel didn't know how to act around Riley once they were in
public. He wanted to reach out to Riley; just to let their fingers brush
together, or let their shoulders bump, as they walked through the airport.
Riley had told him that he wasn't out, and although he had hinted he could be,
Daniel didn't want  to force the issue. He was wary of any casual contact
between them being spotted and causing problems for Riley. Daniel's movements
were awkward and stilted as he consciously avoided touching Riley.

Riley didn't speak much during the flight. He sat bolt
upright in his seat next to Daniel. He read the safety card and stared out of
the window. Daniel was sure he was regretting what they had done. Daniel spent
the journey having imaginary conversations with Riley in his head, where Riley
told him he didn't want a relationship and they were better off as friends.
Daniel hated how pessimistic he was being, but he couldn't stop his mind from
wandering back to the same scenario. If he talked to Riley he'd know the truth,
but he was too scared to ask where they went from here. The niggling fear of
rejection stopped him every time he opened his mouth to start a conversation.

Riley's sister was waiting at the airport for them when they
landed. She offered to take Daniel home as he hadn't arranged any travel with
his own family. By the time they pulled up outside Daniel's mom's house, Daniel
had convinced himself Riley wanted no more than friendship. He was miserable as
he forced himself out of the car. Riley followed him to the doorway of the
house. They stood on the step not looking at each other.

Riley started to speak first, "Danny."

Daniel was staring at his feet, so when Riley's hand cupped
his chin to tilt his head up it was unexpected. Riley said, "Don't. Don't
do that."

"What? You're about to tell me we should just be
friends aren't you?" Daniel said, heart pounding as he waited for Riley to
confirm his fears.

"No. I thought you were building up to that. Or
worse." Riley's shoulders sagged and he huffed out a breath. "You've
barely looked at me since Denver. I thought you regretted this morning."

Relief washed over Daniel. He laughed, "We're being
idiots again. You think..." Riley kissed him, crushing their lips
together. He squeezed Daniel into a hug. The embrace was tight, so tight that
Daniel couldn't get enough air into his lungs. He felt dizzy, but he was so
happy he could care less about breathing.

Riley dragged their lips apart and Daniel tried to chase the
kiss. Riley held Daniel, palms resting on either side of his face. He rubbed
the pads of his thumbs in circles over Daniel's cheeks. Riley's hands felt cold
against Daniel's flushed skin. When Riley looked into Daniel's eyes, Daniel
felt like they were delving into his soul. The connection between them was
electric.

"Danny, I want you." He kissed Daniel. "I
want us." Another kiss. "I spent far too long regretting giving you
up. I'm not about to do that again. Did you hear anything I said this
morning?" Riley shook his head, smiling.

Daniel grinned. He was breathless and his ears buzzed with
the blood pounding in his head. He couldn't think of anything to say.

Riley kissed him again, a chaste kiss lasting less than a
second. He pulled away, looking at his sister's car before turning back and
saying, "Look, Danny, we obviously need to talk through a lot of stuff.
But I need to go home, and any minute now your mom is going to open that door
and drag you inside. So we can't do it now." He pulled his cell from his
pocket and thrust it at Daniel. "Put your number in there and I'll call
you later."

Daniel did as he was told and handed back the phone. Another
kiss and Riley was running down the sidewalk. He waved as he stepped into
Amber's car and then he was gone.

Daniel stared up the street until the door behind him opened
and his mom pulled him into the house, shouting to everyone inside that Daniel
was here at last.

* * * * *

Daniel looked at his watch. 11.55pm. He pulled at the
too-stiff collar of his shirt and cursed the fact that he was having to wear a
tie. He hated formal parties. Especially New Years Eve parties. He felt
confined and uncomfortable in his suit jacket and he was too warm. Everyone
around him was drunk and loud. He wished he was drunk, but that would only make
him needy and he'd end up leaving ridiculously sappy voicemails for Riley. No,
once this holiday season was enough for that. In his defense, he had been very
tired and his mother had insisted on talking at him for hours and hours. His
father took pity on him and supplied large glasses of wine with their meal, and
before Daniel knew what had hit him, he was laid on his bed telling the lady on
Riley's voicemail message how second chances were the best chances. He also had
a vague memory of leaving several messages where he described in detail how
good Riley's beard felt when they kissed. Yeah, getting drunk was not
happening.

Daniel hadn't seen Riley since Christmas day. Their
schedules had been so hectic that they hadn't found a time when they were both
free from family obligations. Now Daniel was back in L.A. for the office New
Year Ball and Riley was spending the night at a family dinner he couldn't get out
of. Even if Riley could have skipped the meal they wouldn't have been spending
the night together. Daniel couldn't turn up to a newspaper party with Riley
Cooper as his date. Not when Riley hadn't decided what he was going to do about
when and how to come out.

They had talked for hours on the phone over the week. Riley
was due back in L.A for filming in a few days and they'd arranged to have
dinner together. Daniel had offered to cook. Mainly as a ruse to get Riley into
his apartment, where he hadn't planned anything further than taking Riley to
bed and kissing him until he forget about Daniel cooking. The thought of their
date had kept Daniel smiling through the ordeal of this party.

The worst part of New Years Eve was the kissing. Daniel
didn't like being hugged or kissed by people he didn't know very well, and too
many people insisted on jumping on random strangers as soon as the clock struck
twelve. He started to get panicked at around 11:50 and the feelings of anxiety
would only grow as the countdown approached. Daniel had been headed towards the
bathroom to hide when he'd been cornered by his immediate manager who wanted to
praise Daniel's recent work. He was flattered, but his hopes of a successful
getaway were fading fast. He crossed his fingers and willed his boss to stop
talking.

The countdown began and Daniel tensed. His heart beating
faster with each shouted second. He looked around him to see if there was some
way he could avoid a kiss. But he could see Janet from Sport grinning at him,
arms raised as she moved towards him. At the last second she stopped next to
Kevin from Business and they locked lips.

Daniel sighed. He squeezed his crossed fingers tight and
turned to leave. He walked straight into the person standing behind him.
"Sorry, I didn't..." He stopped mid sentence. Riley grinned at him.
Riley. "What the...?"

"Happy New Year, Danny." Riley grabbed Daniel by
the neck and pulled him into a kiss.

Riley's hands were strong and steady as they kept Daniel
close. The kiss was hot and Daniel wished they weren't in public. Daniel backed
away, forcing Riley to let go. "Shit, Riley, what are you doing? There are
people here. Journalists, photographers, are you mad?"

"Not as far as I know? Unless madly in love
counts?" He was still grinning.

Daniel stuttered. "Madly in...madly what?" His
head pounded and his chest felt tight.

Riley took Daniel's hands in his and tugged him close.
"In love. I love you, Danny."

"But the press? There are so many people at this party,
what if they saw you kiss me? There's no way that they'll keep this
quiet."

"That was kinda the plan. I've been talking with my
agent and the show runners today and I'm releasing a statement on the official
website tomorrow." He looked at the clock. "Today."

Daniel loved Riley. He'd always loved him. "I love you.
I'm so thankful that we found each other again."

Riley leaned in. Daniel thought he was about to kiss him
again but he skimmed his lips over Daniel's jaw to his ear. Daniel felt hot
breath on his neck as Riley spoke. "So, I think you promised me dinner. Or
bed. Can I ask for an advance on that promise?" He planted a soft kiss on
Daniel's ear and rubbed their cheeks together. "Oh and I nearly shaved
today, Danny. Do you know what stopped me? I thought, if Danny gets that turned
on by my beard when we kiss, how good will it feel between his thighs?"

Daniel shivered. "I... You know you can't just...
Jesus, Riley."

The smile Riley flashed him as he turned to walk away made
Daniel's stomach flip in anticipation. Daniel hadn't moved when Riley held out
his hand, linking their fingers together. "Take me home, Danny."

THE END

Abigail Winters

Abigail Winters lives in Yorkshire.
She spends her time keeping her 3 daughters entertained and avoiding housework.
She gets easily obsessed with books and TV shows, and should never be allowed
to read series or watch box sets.

There are a constant stream of plots
and characters running free in Abigail's head and she's discovered that writing
about them and letting their stories out is a lot less scary than she imagined.

Email
[email protected]

Twitter: @iabigailwinters

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Reluctant to go inside, Dr. Richard Jackson eyed the
hospital from the safety of his car. Despite the fact he’d volunteered to work
in the ER on Christmas Eve, he didn’t look forward to spending the night
patching up wretches even more pathetic than himself. The hospital, brand
spanking new, had opened its doors in November. The staff of the small ten-bed
hospital was still getting settled and there hadn’t been more than a dozen
operations in the shiny new OR. The medical community was singing praises for the
state-of-the-art medical care offered behind its doors. None of which changed
the fact that the hospital sat in the middle of one of the poorest counties in
North Carolina.