Chapter Twenty-One

Nic

THE warm body pressing into Nic made him smile, and he kept his eyes closed as he savored the sensation. Sasha draped halfway across Nic, his head on Nic’s pec and his right leg thrown over both of Nic’s thighs. It was the first night Sasha had stayed overnight in his bed, and he’d never awoken in a better mood, proof that he’d have to keep Sasha right there every night.

A few minutes later, Sasha lifted his head. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered. The press of his lips on Nic’s collarbone ignited fireworks all the way through Nic. “Are you sure you’re ready for today?”

“Only one way to find out. I’m used to working most of the day, followed by a long formal evening and a line of people ass-kissing my parents.”

He felt Sasha’s arm tighten around him. “It was good of you to give everyone today off.”

“Mm. Well, you kind of changed what Christmas is for me. I’d be a dickhead to make people cook and clean up after us when they could be home with their families.”

“I guess Percy’ll have to change his nickname for you.”

“Ha-ha, very funny.” He kissed the top of Sasha’s head. “I want you to wake up in my—our—bed every day.”

Sasha tipped his head up to look Nic in the eyes. “Are you sure? The kids—”

“Love you to death and won’t think anything of it.” He stroked Sasha’s thick blond hair back.

“Then, I want to wake up here every day too.” Sasha sat up, toying with Nic’s chest hair. “I ever tell you how sexy you are?”

Nic rolled and, pulling Sasha under him, growled against his ear. “I’m going to lick every in—”

Christmas music blared through the house. It had to be fairly cranked up to hear it all the way back here in Nic’s bedroom.

“So much for sleeping in.” Sasha laughed a full, hearty laugh, his eyes sparkling. Nic treasured that laughter more than anything in a bank account. Because he had seen and felt what it was like to lose it. Never again.

He smacked a kiss on the underside of Sasha’s jaw and then jumped out of bed. “Let’s do this Christmas thing.”

It was the first time in several days they didn’t shower together, but no doubt Sasha understood as well as he did that they would take too long if they weren’t separate this morning. Nic still couldn’t quite believe that Sasha was all his from head to foot, body and soul. What had he done to deserve all this? Whatever it was, he wasn’t taking it for granted.

Wearing only worn, velvety blue jeans and a long-sleeve, charcoal Huskies T-shirt, Sasha emerged from the walk-in closet that led through to the master bath. The bright purple of the logo and lower edge of the shirt deepened Sasha’s eyes to a near violet hue. He’d shaved his few days’ worth of stubble in his only nod to this day being anything to dress up for. Otherwise, he was as much a lounge lizard as anyone could be. He took one look at Nic sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed working on his laptop and laughed again. The asshole.

“You can’t handle this, can you? Even your pajama pants look uptight, Nic.” He ruffled Nic’s hair as he often enjoyed doing just to see something out of place on Nic. Something about Nic’s dishevelment turned Sasha on.

“Fuck off.” Nic grunted and waved him away. “Go eat breakfast with the kids. I ordered pastries yesterday and some breakfast dishes you can reheat.”

He watched Sasha’s eyes widen and smile falter a moment before Sasha pounced on him, gave him a hard, fast kiss, and raced out of the room. Yes, Sasha liked to point out how driven and work-obsessed Nic was. It was in his nature to take care of business, and it was equally obvious Sasha wasn’t quite used to being Nic’s business to take care of. It was like every nice thing he did for Sasha was some huge, wondrous surprise. How badly had Drew and the others before used Sasha to drill that response in?

He clenched his jaw, his determination set. He was going to show every day, especially today, that he could be the man Sasha and the kids deserved and needed. A shower and shave later, Nic threw on the outfit he’d purchased especially for this morning and grabbed a huge red velvet bag full of wrapped gifts.

Stopping by the den, he set his bag near the tree. They’d given it a makeover a few days earlier, the lights all different colors and the ornaments all mismatched, and it was the most beautiful tree he’d ever seen. He and Sasha had decided to keep the tree itself and only strip the plain white décor because, though the noble fir lacked character, it was a nice, tall, bushy one.

“Hey, Uncle Nic, aren’t you going to—” Ben lurched to a stop, Lucy running directly into his back at the suddenness of it. Sasha and Percy followed behind, both with matching expressions of disbelief.

“What? You’ve never seen Santa before or something?” He looked down at his red and white costume with the wide black belt hanging low on his hips. Of course, it was a way to avoid facing the ridicule he logically knew wouldn’t come but had been conditioned to expect, his gut reacting to the expectation. His parents would have ripped him apart for dressing up like Santa or even acknowledging the concept of a Santa Claus.

Strong arms wound around his waist before he could look back up. “Daaaamn, Santa. You work out or something?” Sasha’s low rumble against his throat made him smile, and then more arms wrapped around him along with a chorus of Merry Christmases.

Percy hooked an arm over Nic’s neck. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Percy smile so widely. “You do know Santa has a jelly belly, right?”

“Suck it, Percy. I need my ridiculousness in small doses. Besides, I’m paleo Santa, and at least I have the beard. Who knew it would be so itchy?” He tugged it down to rest around his collarbone.

Lucy gasped. “Uncle Nic? You’re Santa?”

He grabbed her and rubbed that itchy beard on her face, laughing with her. When he settled her under his arm, she was wearing the beard, and Ben was snapping away with Sasha’s camera. His stomach lurched before he took a second to self-soothe, reminding himself this wasn’t his parents’ day-long Christmas event where everything had to be posed like a mannequin display and any play was rewarded with harsh censure. Guess he was still adjusting as much as Sasha.

“I don’t know how Christmas is supposed to go, but waiting for the presents will kill me, so if it’s the same to you, I’d like to do it now.”

“You had me at presents,” Percy said.

They settled on the sofas, and Sasha handed Nic a lemon-blueberry scone, his favorite, and a fresh coffee. He brushed his fingers over Sasha’s as he accepted the plate, then took a bite and set it down before pulling two envelopes from the wide pockets on his Santa suit. He handed one each to Lucy and Ben.

They looked at each other but didn’t say anything. Lucy nodded to Ben to go first. He opened it, and Nic’s stomach took a dive. What if he’d picked wrong? Maybe the gift was too much and Ben would think he was trying to buy his way in.

The kid rubbed a hand over his head as he stared at the card inside. “Is this what I think? Is it real?”

“It’s real. I wish I would have done it sooner.”

At the badgering of the others, Ben showed them the pictures inside. “It’s a dance studio. Added on right here in the house.”

“It’s not all that big, but it’ll have the sprung floors and mirrors and everything.”

With a choked cry, Ben dodged the coffee table and tackle-hugged Nic. “I didn’t think you knew.”

“Kid,” Nic said with a sigh when Ben returned to his seat, “I know so much more than you think. I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much as I should have, but I’ve always loved you.”

Lucy’s fingers danced around the corners of her envelope, the only thing betraying her nerves, but her expression was calm. Sasha had been right. She’d do well in a boardroom full of investors. Or, knowing Lucy, a table full of pro poker players.

She tugged the lip open and stared at her card for a few seconds, her eyebrows lowering. “What is this? There’s no way this is happening.”

“Yeah, it is. She’s here. I mean, not here but on Vashon. We need to build a barn first to keep her here, but she’s boarded nearby for now.”

“Uncle Nic.” Tears filled her eyes when she looked up at him. She held up the pictures of a glossy black mare. “You remembered.”

“Of course, Lucy.” He shrugged helplessly, never having been one to know how to deal with tears, especially when it came to the children. What would Sasha do? With that in mind, he stepped over the table and sat next to her, pulling her against him. “It’s all you ever asked for every time I saw you from the time you were two years old. Then one day you stopped and never again asked for anything you truly wanted.”

She drew back, her jade eyes meeting his. There was no need to explain what day that was. It was too painful for either of them to mention.

He cleared his throat. “So, she’s a Morgan, and I have to mention she was a package deal. Her companion’s a Welsh cross pony she couldn’t live without. We’ll do something soon about a barn and pasture for them.”

“I didn’t know you could have horses around here,” Sasha said.

Percy answered, which made sense since he’d had Percy look into the codes and regulations to make sure it was feasible. “This whole island is horse-friendly. You can ride all over here, and there are a few parks with riding trails.”

“What’d you get for Percy, Uncle Nic?” Ben asked.

He laughed as he returned to his spot next to Sasha. “Percy knows already, and I’m not telling unless he wants to share.”

It took a few minutes of peer pressure, but Percy finally caved in. “Have I mentioned how much you all suck? I didn’t want anyone to know how petty I am,” he admitted. “Okay, so I ended a bad—to put it lightly—relationship a little over a year ago. The bastard kept my cat. I got my Maine Coon kitten before my ex and I lived together, but he won the court case.”

“He took you to court over it? Who the fuck does that?” Sasha asked.

“I did say he was a bastard, didn’t I?” He shook his head. “Nic finally got dirt on the guy and forced him to sign Pinky back over. I get him back right after the New Year starts.”

“A giant Maine Coon named Pinky?” Lucy laughed as she asked.

“It’s a nickname. He had a thing for Pinky and the Brain, followed Pinky all over the screen.” He sent Nic a look of gratitude and a grin. “Nothing like a little extortion on my behalf to make my Christmas.”

Nic turned to Sasha and took his hand. “I had trouble with yours. I wanted to shower you with new, expensive things. I wanted to treat you to things you’d never imagined having before, things that would impress you. No matter what I thought of, though, it wasn’t enough. In the end, they were all just… things. I wanted this to mean something to you. So I hope you don’t mind that your gift isn’t new, and it isn’t expensive. Well, it isn’t to me.”

Freeing his hands, he pulled a small remote from his other wide pocket and worked the controls. A loud whirr preceded the arrival of a remote control truck.

“Holy shit,” Sasha mumbled. “It’s my truck. How’d you even find an RC that close to mine?” A laugh burst from him. “The elf? The elf on the shelf stole my truck?”

Nic guided the miniature Silverado with the elf in the tiny truck bed right to Sasha’s feet. It had taken him a couple practice sessions to make sure he could successfully pull off the delivery without running the toy straight into a wall. Percy, bless the man, had helped his hopeless ass.

He knew the moment Sasha saw his gift, the sharp gasp giving him away.

“Nic.” Sasha didn’t say anything more as he lifted the familiar key fob from the elf’s arms and stared at it a long while. Then, he leaned over until his face was buried against Nic’s throat, and Nic cradled him there, cupping the back of Sasha’s head and ignoring the dampness from Sasha’s face. Giving him a moment to feel overwhelmed and then contain it. Sasha hated crying as much as Nic did, especially in front of witnesses. Such emotions had been something they’d both been raised to suppress but somehow had both found safe to express with each other.

“Well,” Sasha said as he leaned back. “That’s enough of that. Thank you, Nic. This was perfect. So perfect.”

Percy stood and grabbed a large gift to hand to Nic. “We all got together and discussed the dilemma of what to gift someone who has the money to buy anything he wants.”

Lifting a brow, Nic shrugged. “A jet? I don’t have that yet.”

“Yeah, we’ll spend your money to buy your present.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Uncle Nic, and open your present. This one’s from me and Ben.”

Nic tore into the wrapping, and cathartic didn’t do that action justice. He’d never been allowed this, always expected to carefully remove the tape and fold the paper or the box like a “civilized” person. Shredding and ripping gave him enough satisfaction that a gift wasn’t even necessary.

But he changed his mind once he saw the gift and Ben explained. “We decided we didn’t want to give a billionaire things. Instead, we want to give you time. That’s the best gaming system we could find with a ton of memory. Sasha said it’s perfect, and they have any kind of game you’d want. Sasha said you didn’t get to play enough games when you were little, so we’re going to teach you.”

The air caught in his lungs as he smoothed his hand over the box. Teach him? They’d already begun. All this time, he’d been an outsider to them only to learn that his belief in being the outsider was what held him there.

“You have no idea what this means to me. Thank you for this. I can’t wait to get it set up. You guys up for playing later today?”

“Hell yes!”

“Ben, language,” Percy corrected automatically. Then, without pausing, he continued. “Nic, Sasha and I worked on something together, the same concept of time instead of things. My contribution is to take care of the kids, the house, and all your business for the next few weeks. You’re welcome. Sasha?”

With a stunning grin, Sasha took Nic’s hands in his. “Nic—fuck, this is even better now that I have my truck back.” He shook his head. “Nic, will you road trip with me? I want to take you all up and down the coast, stopping at every little tourist trap we feel like, eating the most delicious clam chowder and fish and chips the world’s ever known, tearing up the sand dunes, catching our dinner on the Pacific before camping under the stars, and any other crazy, fun, frivolous, nerdy thing we can think of doing.”

His answer for Sasha was a full-body embrace.

“I can’t wait for that either,” Nic whispered. And then he kissed Sasha in front of the kids. Obviously, they’d never been a secret, but they’d both been fairly secretive in how demonstrative they’d been in public. He couldn’t have asked for better children to raise, though. They both laughed and whooped, clapping and then whistling.

Percy stood up again. “Kids, let’s get this system set up in the theater. Shit, the graphics are gonna be incredible.”

After another chorus of Merry Christmases and thank-yous, Lucy and Ben followed Percy out with the console and box of games, leaving Nic gazing deeply into Sasha’s eyes. He could drown in that ocean, the emotions rising like a tide as they always did with Sasha.

Then Sasha drew back and sighed, his tongue darting out to moisten his lips and his hands clamped tightly. Something was bothering him. Nic had learned the signs rather quickly. Sasha continued to have difficulty opening up about his troubles and probably would for some time, but that would never stop Nic from trying to help him through it and earn his complete trust. Funny how it was so easy for Sasha when it was about other people but caring for himself seemed to stick in his throat.

Nic had also learned not to push but to pull gently when Sasha was having the hardest time. He leaned forward and rubbed Sasha’s thigh, the soft denim enticing over the hard muscle beneath.

Sasha laughed suddenly. “You’re getting turned on.”

“How could I not? We’re alone, and that shirt shows every detail of your chest.” Nic flicked one of Sasha’s nipples.

“Fuck, you’re making it hard to get this out.”

“Am I? I think you’re making it hard.” Nic guided Sasha’s hand over to Nic’s groin. He chuckled, pulling his hand away.

A puff of breath, and then Sasha started talking. “I want this trip to be amazing.” Nic nodded wordlessly, knowing Sasha would say more if Nic didn’t speak. “I want to go everywhere and not worry about running out of… well, running out of money.”

Ah, and there was the problem. It probably wasn’t fair there was such a wide disparity in wealth between him and Sasha, but life was like that. Nic didn’t give two shits, but it mattered to Sasha—understandably. Nic couldn’t imagine how it would feel if the tables were reversed, but Sasha was wealthier than Nic in so many other ways. He just had to get Sasha to see it, and he was willing to spend a lifetime doing that.

“I do owe you Thanksgiving holiday pay and your hiring bonus and your severance package from when I fired you.”

The corners of Sasha’s lips curled slightly. He obviously knew what Nic was doing, providing him money without the appearance of a handout. The tension in his shoulders melted away, along with the worry Nic had seen in his expression.

“I love you, Nic. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better Christmas than being here with you and Percy and the kids.”

Nic pulled Sasha under his arm and leaned back into the sofa. “Love you too, so much. I’ve never even had a real Christmas.”

And he hadn’t, not really. Now he understood what he’d never known before, what Christmas spirit was. He let it wash over him as they nestled on the couch for a while before finally getting up to shove some of the Christmas meal into the ovens, a prime rib and a smoked ham. Sasha was a fantastic home cook and taught Nic a lot as they prepped a few dishes. The rest of the herd wandered in a little later to help.

The remainder of the day they spent playing on the console, eventually splitting into competitive teams. They raided their stockings and ate too much candy right before Christmas dinner. The kids begged for champagne and got it, finding it as disgusting as Nic had hoped they would. They ended the evening with a Christmas movie in the theater, and with his fingers entwined in Sasha’s, Nic couldn’t stop smiling at the memory of tormenting him during their last movie night.

Funny that nearly two months earlier, he’d believed he was nothing without Leighton Price. A fucking company. How wrong he’d been to think work could come close to fulfilling him the way Sasha did. This man was his bridge, his guide, and his light. Tonight, he would show Sasha how much he loved everything about him. He’d show him the slow burn of making love last all night. Then maybe he could keep his manny forever and make that love last all their lives.