Joey blinked, staring at the ceiling and trying to think through a fog of lust. Had that been a serious question? Because his answer was ‘whatever you want to do with me.’

Truthfully, he wasn’t completely disappointed Liam wasn’t going to fuck him. As much as he’d imagined it (and that was a lot), he’d rather not have his first time happen in a house full of drunk relatives who had no qualms about barging through closed or even locked doors.

“Joey,” Liam sing-songed, “What do you want?”

“Everything,” Joey said instantly. “Anything.”

Liam chuckled. “I’m sure I can think of something.” He sat back on his heels but kept a hand on Joey’s knee.

Joey struggled to sit up, feeling suddenly vulnerable – too young, too inexperienced, and too exposed. He shivered.

“Cold?” Liam asked, rubbing Joey’s thighs as if he could rub the goosebumps away. Joey loved the feel of his palms pushing the silky almost invisible hair against the grain.

“I’ll warm you up, gorgeous. Promise.” With a quick kiss to the inside of Joey’s thigh, Liam turned and pulled the bag of food towards him.

Joey relaxed. This wasn’t a stranger touching him. It was Liam. Liam, who never stopped touching Joey even as he rifled one-handed through the bag, pulling out container after container of deliciousness.

Joey couldn’t articulate how much that hand on his body meant to him right now. Then Liam slid his hand down to cup Joey’s balls, his palm heavy and warm against Joey’s dick, which had softened a little.

“Aha!” Liam exclaimed, pulling a small decanter of olive oil out of the bag.

Joey groaned and pushed Liam’s hand harder against him at the same time his stomach growled at the smell of tomato sauce and garlic wafting from the stack of Tupperware.

Liam burst out laughing, and after a split second of mortification, Joey joined in.

“You’re ridiculous,” Liam said, pushing Joey back down to the bed.

“It’s good,” Joey protested even as he let Liam guide him further back on the mattress.

“What’s good?” Liam knelt between Joey’s legs and unbuttoned his shirt. The small bottle balanced precariously on the mattress.

How could Joey explain what he was feeling? He was safe in his childhood home, everyone he loved was gathered in one place, and he was watching Liam revealing more and more flawless skin with every button he opened. Oh, and a feast waited for him, packed with love and garlic. If there were a heaven, it would probably feel like this. “All of it,” he said in answer to Liam’s question. “It’s all good. So good.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet, my boy.” Liam pulled his shirt off. Joey admired the way his muscles shifted as he twisted to throw the shirt safely out of the way. With an evil grin, he picked up the bottle and poured a thin stream of olive oil over Joey’s dick.

He shivered as it slid down his warm skin, hissing through his teeth as it dripped over his balls. “Ah,” he exhaled, back arching slightly. “I don’t think that’s—” He broke off as Liam fisted his cock from top to bottom in one long, tight, fucking perfect stroke. “Fuck. Jesus. I don’t think that’s what they packed the oil for,” he forced out.

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Liam’s fingers slipped lower and lower as he reached behind Joey’s balls.

Before Joey could think of a snappy comeback, Liam had slithered to his stomach. He pushed Joey’s leg back until it rested on his shoulder. With an impressive display of balance and technique, he pulled Joey’s dick back into his mouth and slid his finger behind Joey’s balls, going boldly where no one (except Joey) had gone before. Not that he was going to Liam that.

Then there was no more talking. The only sounds were the wet slide of Liam’s mouth and hand on Joey’s dick, the moans and curses falling from Joey’s lips, and the faint echoes of Christmas carols coming from downstairs.

Joey tried to focus on the really stellar blowjob and ignore the finger rubbing circles around his asshole, but it wasn’t working. The sensation had him gasping and squirming against the mattress. He let out a shaky exhale when Liam breached him with a fingertip.

Liam pulled Joey out of his mouth, but his hand kept moving on Joey’s cock. “Okay?”

Joey nodded. It felt different than his own finger. Better. His hips shot off the mattress when Liam rubbed his hand directly across the head of his dick. “Fuck.” When his hips dropped back down, it forced Liam’s finger deeper in. “Fuck!”

“Quiet. Or I’m going to have to stop.” Liam warned.

“God, please don’t stop,” Joey begged.

“I won’t,” he lied, pulling his finger out of Joey’s ass.

Joey whined. Did it feel good or feel weird? Both? He was going to have to experiment a little more.

“Patience,” Liam chuckled, pouring a little more oil into his palm.

By the time Liam was shoving two fingers in so deep his palm slapped against Joey’s balls with each hard thrust, Joey was all aboard the finger fucking train. He had his own hand on his dick now, providing the perfect counterpoint to the sharp jolts of pleasure shooting through his entire body every time Liam nailed his new favorite body part—sorry, penis, you’ve been downgraded—his prostate.

The strength in Liam’s arms had shoved Joey across the width of the mattress, and only the hand he pressed flat against the wall kept his head from knocking against it in a rhythm anyone hearing would recognize in a hot minute.

“Oh, my fucking God, Liam! Fuck, fuck. Fuck,” he chanted in rhythm with Liam’s thrusts

“God, I want to fuck you so bad,” Liam growled. He had pulled his cock out of his pants and was stroking it as he watched his fingers moving in and out of Joey’s body. “You feel so fucking good.”

Joey groaned long and loud. “I’m gonna; I’m close. Sorry…sorry.” Words fled, dissolving into harsh breaths and his body drew tight, trembling on the edge. He was vaguely aware of Liam crowding closer into his body, pushing Joey’s leg back over his shoulder. His thrusts grew shorter, choppier and he grunted as he punched his fingers deep into Joey’s body.

“Fucking beautiful,” Liam growled almost inaudibly.

Back arching until only his shoulders and hips were touching the bed, the orgasm exploded from Joey’s cock. His body locked up, ass clamping down on Liam’s fingers, and cock jerking in his hand as he came silently, unable to draw a breath. Liam kept pressing against him from the inside, forcing out burst after burst of come until Joey thought he would die from it.

When his back fell to the mattress, and he drew a deep, shaky breath, Liam yanked his fingers out.

Joey winced at the sting, but any pain he felt disappeared and his breath caught in his throat when he looked into Liam’s face.

Fire burned Liam’s eyes as he stared down at Joey. He looked almost angry.

Liam fell down over him, one hand braced on the mattress, the hand that had just been inside Joey furiously working his cock as he stared at the mess on Joey’s chest.

Silently, body still trembling, Joey watched Liam’s face as he jerked himself off. His eyes closed, muscles clenched, and he came, jaw clamped against a yell.

Joey had to touch. He ran his hand up Liam’s rock-hard biceps and across the span of his shoulders, palms pressing against Liam’s pecs while he shot warm and thick on Joey’s chest.

Joey kept up the touches as Liam hovered over him, head hanging down as he struggled to regain his breath. “Holy shit, that was hot,” Liam panted.

All Joey could do was nod in agreement, not trusting his voice yet.

Liam’s arm gave out, and he collapsed down next to Joey, breathing heavily. He threw his arm across his eyes, shielding his face.

Joey was suddenly painfully aware of the chill in the drafty attic, the ache in his ass, and the mess of cooling come on his chest.

Was he supposed to say something? Thank you? Want to do it again someday? I love you? Probably none of those things. Should they kiss? Hug?

What he needed to do was clean up. The smell of sex overpowered the scent of the dinner Nathan had packed. He was going to have to wash off before he rejoined the family.

As he struggled to sit up, Liam reached out and held him down with a hand on his shoulder. “Wait, you’re a mess.” He sat up, keeping his hand on Joey’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I know. I was trying to clean up.”

“It’s fucking sexy,” Liam said running his finger through their mingled release and tracing the lines of Joey’s muscles. “Should take a fucking picture. I could sell it on the internet, make a fucking mint.”

And that, folks, was one of the reasons Joey had never done this with any other guy. He trusted Liam implicitly, of course. But he’d been an elite prospect and under the microscope since he was sixteen. No way was he risking his future for a quick fuck. What would he risk for Liam?

With a sharp slap to Joey’s stomach that echoed in the big room, Liam slid to the end of the mattress and pulled the bags over to him again.

Liam pulled paper towels off the roll someone had packed and handed them back to Joey without making eye contact.

“So, hungry? Should we eat?” Liam asked with a forced casualness.

Maybe Joey wasn’t the only one who felt a little unsettled. Maybe it was usual for reality to not measure up to fantasy, but still. He’d expected something different, some connection that he hadn’t felt.

“I could eat,” Joey replied, matching his tone to Liam’s. He scrubbed the paper towel across his torso with mediocre results. He’d deal with the olive oil situation later.

Liam tossed Joey’s briefs over his shoulder. “Get dressed then, Santa.”

They cleaned up as best as they could, making small talk about the food as they got dressed. Liam kept his shirt off to avoid getting sauce all over it. Joey approved of that decision.

They ate sitting side by side on the floor, backs against the mattress. Talking about hockey and other safe subjects, they passed the wine bottle between them, not bothering with cups.

Liam pulled out the Sambuca. “Want some?” he asked.

Joey didn’t particularly care for the syrupy anise-flavored liquor, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without it. “Sure.”

He expected Liam to use the shot glasses someone had stuck in the bags, but Liam upended the bottle directly into his mouth.

Some childhood impulse surfaced in Joey’s brain, and he smacked the bottom of the bottle, knocking it into a steeper angle.

Liam sputtered and choked as he got a much bigger mouthful of Sambuca than he’d anticipated. It spilled out of his mouth and over his chin, dripping down to his chest. “You dick!” he said as soon as he could speak, looking completely shocked.

Joey burst out laughing. The hard punch Liam landed on his arm only made him laugh harder.

Liam shoved him away. “I can’t believe you did that!”

“Your face!” Joey wheezed as he tipped to sideways to the floor.

“Your face,” Liam retorted weakly.

“Sick burn, dude,” Joey said, sitting back up.

“Shut up.” Liam had his arms spread wide, the bottle still clenched in one hand, and his nose scrunched up with disgust. “I’m all sticky now.” He gestured to his glistening chest.

With no more than the lift of an eyebrow for warning, Joey pounced on Liam, pushing him down to the floor. “I can fix that.” He leaned over Liam’s prone body and licked a stripe up the middle of his chest. “Tasty,” he said with a grin.

Putting the bottle down as far away as he could, Liam tried to push Joey off, but Joey grabbed his arms and rolled Liam over with him.

“You’ll pay for that,” Liam promised.

“Bring it, old man.”

The wrestling match that followed resulted in one broken lamp, several hickeys for each of them, and some serious grinding that would have ended in a second round of orgasms if both of their phones hadn’t rung at the same time.

“Damn it,” Joey said, panting. He dropped his head down to Liam’s chest to add one more sucking bruise there. He loved the way Liam writhed under him.

“Cut it out,” Liam ordered with a cuff to his head. “We gotta go back.”

“Do we have to?” Joey whined even as he sat up and started to pull himself together. He pressed his hand against his erection, willing it back down.

Heat flared in Liam’s eyes, but he let Joey go. “Sadly, yes,” he said. “You’re Santa. If we don’t get back soon, we’re going to have an army of kids bursting through that door any minute.”

Joey sighed. “Okay. Fine. But it’s so nice and quiet here.”

Liam wrapped his arm around Joey’s shoulders and pulled him against him. “Yeah, it is.” He dropped a kiss to Joey’s head. “Thank you,” he whispered. “You saved me tonight.”

Caught up in the tenderness of the touch, Joey couldn’t answer. Everything, he realized. He’d risk everything for Liam.