ChristmasisComing (15 page)

“I’m going to pack an overnight bag,” she
said into the silence. When neither man spoke, she turned and fled.

Liam appeared in the doorway of her bedroom
a few minutes later. “You’ve had a rough day and you shouldn’t drive. I’ll take
you to your grandparents’ place when you’re ready.”

She thought about protesting but the firm
set of his mouth told her he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Thanks. I won’t
be long.”

* * * * *

Fletch was prowling the kitchen when Liam
returned from taking Gaby to her grandparents. “I can’t believe you let her run
away.”

“She needs time to decompress.”

“She could do that here,” Fletch snapped.
“I thought we were on the same page about this. You. Me. Gaby.”

“I’m not walking away from Gaby or you.”
Liam grabbed Fletch as he stalked past and hauled him to a stop. “No bloody way
am I walking away after all the crap we’ve been through together. Gaby won’t
give up on us either, not after she’s had a chance to think about things.”

“What do we do meantime?” Fletch snarled,
yanking away to stride to the far wall. He turned back, his glare flashing a
warning.

“Simple. We go and visit Rachel’s father
tomorrow and, meantime, we have each other.”

Fletch straightened. “I thought you might
want to sleep in your own room tonight.”

Liam grinned, his heart thumping when
Fletch’s usual cockiness returned to his expression. “Why would I do that when
we’ll have more fun together in your bed?”

“Good point.” Fletch prowled closer, a
glint in his eyes.

“Someone to warm my feet.”

A rumbling growl worked up Fletch’s throat
seconds before he grasped Liam’s shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss.

Liam laughed “You’re easy.”

“Where you and Gaby are concerned.”

The laughter died in Liam. “Fancy an early
night?” A spurt of surprise crossed Fletch’s face and Liam smirked.

“I thought…” He shrugged.

“You thought what?”

Fletch swallowed, glanced away. “I thought
we might need Gaby to bind us together.”

“We still need Gaby but there’s no reason
why you and I can’t be together or you and Gaby or me and Gaby.”

Fletch remained serious but he slid his
arms around Liam and tugged him into his embrace. “I’m glad. I’ve loved you for
a long time. I don’t want to lose you now.”

Liam tightened his arms around Fletch,
enjoying the flex of muscles beneath his fingers. He pressed a kiss to Fletch’s
neck then nipped lightly. “I love you too.” He pulled back and grabbed Fletch’s
hand. “Let’s go to bed.”

In Fletch’s bedroom, they raced to rip off
their clothes. Fletch won, but only because he wasn’t wearing shoes. They fell
onto the bed, laughing and wrestling, their naked bodies rubbing together.

Liam hissed when their cocks brushed.
Suddenly the laughter went out of them. They stared at each other, their chests
heaving. “I want you to fuck me.”

“But…are you sure?”

“I trust you. I love you and I want to be
together in all ways.”

“You really sure? You haven’t done it
before.” Fletch’s words held clear doubt.

“You know I haven’t. But we’ve both taken
women this way. It’s the same process.”

“I guess,” Fletch said. “We’ve both tried
Gaby’s toys. That wasn’t so bad.”

“I want to show you I’m committed to us,”
Liam said finally. “This is the only way I can think of showing you. Actions
speak louder than words.”

They stared at each other, and Liam’s
stomach roiled. He raised his hand to cup Fletch’s cheek before leaning closer
to kiss him. This time was slow and easy and had none of the frantic pace. It
was as if they were taking time to explore each other, really learn and savor
the experience. Liam flicked his tongue over Fletch’s lips. Fletch opened for
him and Liam slid his tongue inside. His fingers trailed lower to Fletch’s jaw
and stroked over the rapid tic of his pulse point. Lazily, he rocked his hips,
skidding the head of his cock over Fletch’s belly.

Being with Fletch was different than a
woman. He didn’t feel as if Fletch was judging his performance and he just went
with the flow. “Tell me what you want. Tell me where you want me to touch.”

“Everywhere,” Fletch said, his words a warm
breath of air across his jaw.

“Oh, that’s real helpful.”

Fletch’s eyes opened and he grinned with
lazy charm. “Smartass, what would you say?”

Liam hesitated then went for it. “I’d want
you to kiss me, tug on my nipples until they sting. I’d like you to take my
cock into your mouth and finger me, getting me ready for your cock. And when
your mouth isn’t too busy you can talk dirty to me.”

“You like dirty talk?”

“I don’t know. I want to find out.”

Fletch chuckled and rolled without warning,
placing him on top of Liam, looking down at him. “You want me to shove my cock
up your ass?” His eyes glittered with arousal. “You want me to fuck you?”

“Yeah,” Liam muttered, heat suffusing his
cheeks. His cock jerked at the idea.

Fletch reached over to grab the lube and
another of Gaby’s experimental condoms. After a quick glance at the code—Gaby
had trained them both—Fletch tossed them by Liam’s head.

“Remember when we were talking about
seducing Gaby, before she came to us with the idea of testing products for
her?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, at the same time I was trying to
work out how to get you in bed without losing our friendship. I can’t believe
you’re actually here and telling me you want me.”

“Believe it.” Liam understood Fletch’s tentative
manner. He felt the same way, but there was also the happiness that made him
want to smile, despite the bigotry from some of the locals.

Fletch ran a hand down Liam’s back and
skimmed a finger between his buttocks. A jolt of pleasure struck him when
Fletch pressed against his pulsing entrance. He flexed the muscles of his rump,
the intrusion of Fletch’s finger hard enough to spike a spear of pleasure
through him.

“You feel my finger?”

“Yes,” Liam whispered.

“My cock is gonna push past that ring of
muscles soon. I’m gonna slide right inside you, and once you’re good and used
to me, I’ll thrust until we both come. Tomorrow your ass will probably feel a
bit tender.”

“Do it,” Liam said.

“Soon. I promise.” Fletch paused. “Do you
think Gaby is okay? Do you think she’ll come back to us?”

“I know she loves us. It might take time,
but we’ll go ahead with our plan to woo her. She can’t resist us.” A good plan.

Fletch kissed Liam, taking it slow,
although Liam sensed the urgency simmering in the depths of him. He pressed a
trail of kisses down Liam’s neck. One finger brushed backward and forward over
a flat nipple while he licked the other, giving him a hint of teeth. He played
and explored until Liam’s cock ached, the gleam of pre-come painting his
stomach. Fletch reached in front of him to fist Liam’s shaft. He handled Liam
without hesitation, his grip firm and deft. Up and down until Liam couldn’t
concentrate on anything except from the skilful hand shoving him toward climax.
His breathing turned harsh, his muscles locked and he pushed back against
Fletch’s chest.

“I’ll come if you keep that up,” Liam said
with a groan when Fletch’s hand caught a sensitive spot.

“That’s the idea.” A smile simmered in his
tone and he lowered his head to suck a bite on Liam’s neck. The sharp pain when
he added teeth shot straight to Liam’s balls. Another downward pump of Fletch’s
hand and Liam lost it. He came in hard spurts while Fletch’s arms enveloped him
in heat.

Before he could catch his breath, Fletch
nudged his legs apart. The lube bottle squeaked a fraction then cool lube
washed across his entrance. Liam relaxed as Fletch stretched him, the graze of
a finger across his prostate swirling sparks of pleasure through him.

A sliver of unease worked through his gut,
but he shoved his trepidation away, consciously relaxing as Fletch removed his
fingers and ripped the condom out of its protective covering. Fletch wouldn’t
hurt him, not on purpose, and Liam suspected his friend would want Liam to do
him in the near future. He sucked in a breath and let it ease out.

“Tell me if this hurts too much and I’ll
stop.”

Liam nodded and attempted to remain
relaxed. Fletch’s mouth brushed his ear and Liam shivered, his trepidation
laced with excitement too. Fletch pressed his cock against him and pushed
inside a fraction. He pulled back and slipped back inside Liam.

“You feel great. Tight. Hot.” Fletch
nibbled his neck. “So good.”

“Feels okay.”

“Only okay?” Fletch reached around to
stroke his cock, gripping it in one hand, sliding his fingers up and down while
he burrowed deeper into Liam’s ass.

Despite his recent climax, Liam moaned, his
hips pushing back against Fletch. A fine sheen of sweat coated him now, Fletch
increasing the friction on Liam’s cock. Fire and chills ran through his body,
and when Fletch hit the right spot, every part of Liam lit up in excitement.

“You don’t have to take things so slow,”
Liam said, not sure whether to rock his pelvis forward into Fletch’s hand or
push back to take more of Fletch’s cock. A shudder rocked him as pleasure
started to build, layer upon layer.

“You’re not sore?”

Liam chuckled, choosing to push back and
force Fletch’s dick deeper inside him. “You’ve got skills, man.” Right choice.
The pressure and heat combined, taking him to the fine edge of pain. An ache
that felt good. So good. “Aw, hell. Fletch, don’t go slow. That feels great.”

Fletch took him at his word, moving with
greater confidence and no longer holding back. “You feel good on this end too.”
His thrusts became erratic, his breathing hoarse. “Liam,” he whispered.

His kiss hit Liam’s neck, another on his
shoulder. Then his climax burst over him, taking him by surprise. This wasn’t
as intense as the first one but still sweet.

Fletch cursed softly in his ear, and Liam
felt the pulse of his lover’s cock in his channel. Finally he stilled, pressing
against Liam’s back. “That was amazing. Thanks for trusting me.”

“Anytime.” A wave of love swept Liam. All
these years he’d known Fletch—worked and played with him yet he’d never felt
closer to him than he did right now.

Chapter Fourteen

Gaby popped two slices of bread into the
toaster and settled back on the stool at the breakfast counter. Her grandmother
poured two cups of coffee and took possession of one of the other barstools.

“I said I’d meet Alice at the cafe,” Gran
said. “We’re going to talk about our float for the Christmas parade. Do you
want to come with me?”

After several hours of sleep Gaby actually
felt better, although anyone looking at her probably wouldn’t say the same. Her
black eye was a beauty and certainly eye-catching, the bruise covering her eye
and spreading down to her cheekbone. “Sure, but I thought you’d already
discussed the parade at the board meeting.”

“Huh!” Gran rolled her eyes. “The men
wanted to toss condoms. That would really make us popular. Alice and I are
nailing down the final details. Katarina would have been there but her
daughter’s baby is due and she promised she’d be on hand to babysit.”

In the light of day, Gaby decided she
wasn’t going to run away, despite the sliver of anxiety in the pit of her
stomach. The locals could chuck as many tomatoes at her as they liked. She’d
spend the day with her grandmother and return to Liam and Fletch later this
afternoon. She’d made a commitment to them both. Walking away at the first
setback was cowardly. Yep, in the early hours when the morning chorus of the
birds had woken her, she’d come to the conclusion she couldn’t let other people
rule her life. So what if they didn’t like the idea of a committed threesome.
Too bad.

Her life. Her right to choose how she lived
it.

Alice was already at the cafe when they
arrived and had taken possession of a corner table with a view of the entire
place. Festive decorations and the rocking beat of a modern Christmas carol
added to the usual ambience.

“Cripes,” Gaby said, sliding onto a chair
and nervously watching the reaction of the other customers. “Why don’t we just
stake out a goldfish bowl?”

“You haven’t done anything wrong,” Alice
said in a defiant tone. “And you have a black eye because of stupid women with
a pack mentality. Does your eye hurt?” Alice took her hand and squeezed it.
“Are you okay?”

“There were a couple of men present, but
I’m not sure if they tossed tomatoes,” Gaby said, wanting to be fair on her
sex.

“Your mother just came in with your
sister,” Gran said.

Gaby turned her head and forced a smile
while inside some of her morning confidence shriveled. To her surprise, her
mother saw her and changed direction, heading for their table.

“I heard about yesterday,” her mother said,
frowning at Gaby’s black eye as she juggled several parcels wrapped in bright
red paper. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” In truth the incident had
shaken her, which was why she’d run out on Fletch and Liam.

“It’s your own fault,” her sister said.
“You’re lucky those cult women haven’t sued you from what I hear.”

Great! The gossip vine was alive and
working in Sloan.

“Elsa,” Gaby’s mother said. “That’s a
terrible thing to say. It’s lucky her injuries weren’t much worse. Look at her
eye. And she’s got bruises on her arms. I can only imagine how many bruises she
has beneath her clothes.”

“You would side with her,” Elsa muttered.

“I’m not siding with anyone,” her mother
said. “If it were you instead of Gaby, I’d be saying the same thing.”

Gaby’s gaze went from Elsa to her mother
and back, feeling as if she were at an interesting tennis match. Her mother was
actually concerned about her.

Elsa snorted. “She’s an embarrassment to
our family.”

“And that would be why you did the Ms.
Knowall column?” Gaby asked sweetly, needled by her sister’s callous attitude.

The color fled Elsa’s face, surging back in
a dull red tide when everyone turned to stare at her. Gaby hadn’t lowered her
voice. She hadn’t been one hundred percent sure of her sister’s guilt. Until
now.

“You?” her mother said faintly. “You caused
this horrid publicity for your sister? Why would you do that?”

“Jealousy,” Gran said.

“I’m not jealous of Gaby. Why would I want
to emulate her?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Gaby said. “As long as
you stop, I’ll forget the column ever happened.”

“What about the consequences?” Gran asked,
full of indignation. “She hasn’t only hurt you, she’s caused problems for
Fletch and Liam too. She’s practically ruined their business and their good
names.”

“Fancy Free has received free publicity,”
Elsa said snidely. “Besides, from what I hear Liam managed to bring this
trouble down on his own head by refusing to marry Rachel.”

“Enough,” her mother snapped. “I’m sorry,
Gaby. We might not see eye to eye about many of your choices, but that doesn’t
mean I don’t love you. I don’t tell you I love you often enough.” She glanced
at Gran, her face softening for an instant. “It’s not as if I didn’t have a
good example. Excuse me. We’ll let you enjoy your morning coffee in peace.” She
grabbed Elsa’s forearm and dragged her away to the far side of the cafe.

“Well, I didn’t expect an apology,” Gran
said, staring after her daughter and other granddaughter. “I didn’t think Elsa
had the gumption to sell out her own sister.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Gaby said, but the
betrayal did trouble her. Her sister had sold her out, happily causing tension
and a public backlash. A swift glance told Gaby her mother and sister were
leaving. She waited until they exited the cafe and stood. “Coffee all round?”

“I’ll take a latte,” Gran said. “And one of
Ruby’s Christmas mince tarts.”

“A latte is fine for me,” Alice said, a
sympathetic smile on her face. She’d faced down a spate of gossip when she’d
first arrived in Sloan and lived to tell the tale. Maybe Gaby could do the
same.

Gaby headed for the counter, ordering three
lattes, a mince tart, a savory scone plus some shortbread.

“Is your eye sore, love?” the elderly woman
behind the counter asked. “I heard about the tomato throwing. Terrible
business.” Ruby made a clucking sound behind her teeth. “Although I’m thinking
the UFO sightings last night will probably take precedence today. Saw the UFO
myself, I did. I took the dog out for a final toilet stop before we went to
bed.”

“A UFO,” Gaby said in a faint voice. UFOs
were a hot topic in Sloan for a while but there hadn’t been much activity for
the last year.

“Yes, I saw the UFO as plain as day. A
silver disc floated above Sloan then drifted over Ted’s wheat fields before
disappearing over the hills. I watched the UFO for about five minutes.”

“Did anyone else see it?” Local rumor said
Ruby and her husband liked to drink homemade wine. Perhaps she’d been imbibing
last night.

Gaby handed over a fifty-dollar note and
waited for her change.

Another customer rushed up beside her. “Did
you see the UFO last night? I did. It was amazing and just as I imagined a UFO.
People all over Sloan are talking about the sighting.”

Gaby grinned and accepted her change. With
any luck, the UFO sightings would bury her private life under public
speculation about little green men and the usual Christmas mayhem.

“What put the grin on your face?” Alice
asked.

“Everyone is bursting with news about a UFO
sighting last night.”

“I heard someone mention sightings,” Gran
said. “I didn’t realize it was last night.”

The cafe door opened and closed, attracting
Gaby’s attention. “Great. Just great,” she muttered on seeing the new arrival
was Rachel.

“I’m surprised she has the balls to appear
in public,” Gran said, surprising a laugh out of Gaby. Of course, her chuckle
attracted Rachel’s attention. The woman froze in place for seconds, her face
blanching when she met Gaby’s gaze.

Rachel’s breasts rose and fell when she
took a deep breath. Then she surprised the hell out of Gaby by heading for
their table. “I’m sorry about last night. It was my fault,” she confessed
rapidly, her gaze flickering over Gaby’s black eye. “I threw the first tomato.
I…I’m sorry.” Rachel turned and fled.

“It seems a black eye works on guilty
consciences.” Alice winked at Gaby. “Now that we’ve done the true confessions,
can we start work on the float plans? I’m thinking of doing a Santa’s workshop.
We can tie that into our new product plans and use our
Christmas is Coming
slogan without being too in your face and upsetting people.”

Gran stared in the direction of Rachel’s
departure. “Her baby bump is bigger than I’d expect.”

They paused while a young girl delivered
their coffees and food.

“I like the idea,” Gran said, shifting her
attention to her mince tart. “We can have a Christmas tree. Get Ben or Joseph
to dress as Santa Claus.”

“Get some children to dress up as elves,”
Gaby suggested.

Alice nodded. “Exactly my thoughts. Nothing
too expensive or difficult to put together. I’d like to toss some sort of
favors to the crowd. Any suggestions?”

“Tomatoes,” Gaby said promptly. “They’re
the perfect Christmas color. I volunteer to toss them.”

Alice made a choking sound while her Gran
cackled with delight.

“Good one, Gaby,” Gran said, wiping tears
of mirth from her face.

“All right, what about chocolate coins? You
know the ones that come in gold-colored foil?” Gaby asked.

“They might melt if it’s a hot day,” Gran
said. “I vote for candy canes, preferably in the red and green colors we’re
using in our promotion.”

“Why don’t we toss off some numbered discs
and redeem them for special prizes? We could do a couple of adult prizes and
some for the kids.” Gaby chuckled without warning. “I’d like to stick it to the
locals and rub their noses in condoms and sex toys.”

“I love it,” Alice said, smirking back at
Gaby. She jotted rapid notes on a page of her notebook. She made one final note
and closed her book, placing it inside her handbag. “That was easy.”

“I keep telling you the men are a
distraction,” Gran said tartly, although her brown eyes twinkled.

“Liam and Fletch are making toy trains to
sell at the farmers’ market. Maybe they would lend you some to use on the
float,” Gaby said.

“That’s a great idea. Maybe they could give
us some pieces of wood so it looks as if our elves are building toys,” Alice
added.

“I’ll ask them,” Gaby said.

“Are you going home again?” Gran popped a
bite of shortbread into her mouth and chewed while she regarded Gaby.

“Of course I’m going home. I was tired and
upset last night. I needed to think.”

“Glad to hear it,” Gran said. “I like those
two boys. They’re decent young men and you’ve seemed happier lately. You need
someone outside of Fancy Free. Marc wasn’t right for you.”

“You knew?” Gaby asked in a faint voice.

“About Marc? Of course. I’m old not
stupid.”

* * * * *

Fletch pulled up in front of Robert
Saunders’ house. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Nope.” Liam patted Fletch’s thigh, smiling
at Fletch’s sharp intake of breath. “But I’m sick of hiding out. Let’s do
this.” He climbed out of Fletch’s SUV and marched up
the path leading to Robert’s imposing house. He leaned on the doorbell, hearing
the faint echo of a classical song inside.

Robert answered the door. “What do you
want? Have you come to your senses at last?”

Robert’s smug tone made Liam want to hit
him. Fletch’s solid presence at his side calmed Liam and he forced his anger
aside. He needed to remain calm to get through this conversation. “Can we come
inside?”

Robert stood aside to let them both inside.

It was an imposing entranceway with high
ceilings. A spotlight highlighted a large bronze sculpture of a Madonna figure
while a vase of pink peonies lent their delicate fragrance.

Robert led them into a formal reception
room, no doubt meant to intimidate them. A tasteful seasonal arrangement sat on
a low table, but that was the only concession to Christmas. While it wasn’t
what Liam was used to, he knew Fletch would feel right at home, making Liam
calm by extension. He sucked in a slow breath and waited.

“Take a seat,” Robert said.

“Thanks, but this won’t take long.” Nerves
swirled through him for an instant. What if Robert still didn’t believe him?
He’d already damaged their business and if it wasn’t for Gaby’s suggestion to
make toys and do up furniture they’d be struggling to pay their bills. He
glanced at Fletch. His lover gave an imperceptible nod, his calm demeanour
lending Liam strength.

There was no easy way to say this, so he
decided to just spit it out. “I’m not going to marry Rachel, no matter how much
pressure you put on me.”

“You’d let a child of yours grow up like you
did?” Robert mocked. “Without two parents?”

Low blow. Fletch stiffened at his side and
Liam shot him a quick glance to let him know he was okay. It was true. He was
the product of a teenage pregnancy, except his mother hadn’t had the same
support as Rachel would have from her family. His mother had done her best but
she’d resented him.

“I wouldn’t wish my upbringing on any
child,” Liam said. “If this is my child, I will support him.”

“If?” Robert barked, his face turning red.
“You slept with my daughter.”

The front door opened and closed and
footsteps approached them.

“Daddy—” Rachel broke off abruptly when she
noticed Liam. She swallowed, one hand creeping up to hold her belly.

Liam stared, and he felt Fletch tense
beside him. Jesus, her baby bump was huge. He calculated swiftly in his head
and frowned.

“Daddy, I have something to tell you,”
Rachel said.

“Can’t it wait?”

Rachel shot another glance at Liam and
edged toward her father. “No.”

“Liam’s not gonna hit you,” Fletch said in
disgust. “He would never strike a woman.”