A Graphically Designed Holiday, page 5
Lincoln wrapped his arms around Eli’s neck and tried to nuzzle himself even closer. He moaned as Eli pushed his boxers down and grasped his silken length, caressing until his clear green eyes were hazy with desire. Lincoln wriggled in unspent frustration, seemingly needing something he didn’t know how to ask for.
Eli slid his free hand over Lincoln’s waist and kneaded the plump flesh before pressing a finger into the closure. Lincoln flinched with uncertainty, but after a moment, he relaxed into Eli’s intrusion. Eli carefully stretched the tight opening until he could fit a second finger. He worked the flesh, pushing and pulling and stretching with gentle pressure until it relaxed to his touch.
“Are you ready?” whispered Eli, withdrawing. He reached into his wallet to pull out a condom, keeping a calming palm on Lincoln.
Lincoln shuddered and sighed into his ear, only the thundering of his heart betraying nervous anticipation. “Yes.”
Eli slipped his pants off, pausing only long enough to don the condom. He positioned himself behind Lincoln and wrapped a supportive embrace around his neck. “Tell me if it hurts,” he murmured, spreading Lincoln in preparation.
Eli slowly pressed into Lincoln, shuddering with pleasure. Lincoln tightened around him.
“It’s okay, love,” Eli whispered. “I’ll go slow so that you can get used to me.”
Lincoln raked his nails across Eli’s thigh, tensing in pained pleasure. He seemed to want less and more.
Eli waited until Lincoln caught his breath before resuming the steady pressure. A sheen of sweat broke across his skin. The sheer willpower it took to withhold himself from Lincoln was exhausting. He wanted to plunge deep inside, to feel Lincoln embracing him in his entirety.
After another painstaking moment, Lincoln arched into Eli, engulfing the rest of him. Eli gasped in surprise, a shudder wracking his body. “Lincoln,” he murmured, “you feel so good. You are perfect. I love you.” Eli reached around Lincoln’s waist to resume a rhythmic caress, gently rocking him until he panted and pleaded.
“Please, Eli,” he gasped. “Harder.”
Lincoln’s words pushed Eli over the edge. He finished with several firm thrusts that sent Lincoln careening into shared release. They relaxed into a limp pile of limbs, breathing hard.
Eli slowly pulled himself from Lincoln and eased down to face him. He brushed his fingers through Lincoln’s hair and gazed lovingly into his eyes.
“How was it?” he asked. “Are you okay? Here, I’ll help you clean up.”
Lincoln grabbed Eli’s hand. “Wait, don’t rush off.”
Eli settled back onto the bed and nestled up to Lincoln.
“I didn’t realize it would feel like that,” said Lincoln with a timid smile. “Can we do it again soon?”
“Whenever you want.” Eli pressed a kiss to Lincoln’s forehead and gazed up at the glowing stars. “Do you like steak?” he asked suddenly.
“Love it. Why?”
“My dad makes it for the two of us every Christmas,” he said, smiling, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “And this year it looks like he’ll have to cook double.”
Epilogue
Christmas Eve
One Year Later
“HAVE YOU gotten me a Christmas present yet?” Lincoln took a sip of his celebratory bourbon at their favorite bar. He’d just been promoted to assistant principal. Eli suspected he would miss the students, but the offer came with a healthy raise. In an expensive city like DC, one did not turn down promotions.
“Yes, I decided to go with something more commercial this year.”
“Can it be returned?” There was a hopeful tilt to Lincoln’s voice.
“It’s Christmas Eve!” Eli glanced at his watch. “And I’m giving it to you in about thirty minutes.”
Eli had left Lincoln in complete suspense about the Christmas present, telling him only to arrive at their favorite bar in nice clothes. The bourbon was the beginning, but it certainly wasn’t the end.
Lincoln sighed. “I was going to request New Year’s Eve plane tickets to Houston.”
“To see my dad?” asked Eli, surprised.
“To eat your dad’s steak,” Lincoln corrected.
Eli laughed. Lincoln and his father had formed an easy friendship when they realized they were nearly evenly matched at chess. The atmosphere that surrounded them was teasingly antagonistic as their mutually competitive natures spilled into everyday life. Eli enjoyed watching them banter, and he secretly suspected they liked it too.
“I’m still not convinced he won’t send me into orbit given the first chance,” Lincoln grumbled.
“Well if he does, I’ll go with you.” Eli reached across the table to give Lincoln’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
“That’s fine then. Now will you tell me where we’re going?”
“Why don’t you guess along the way?” Eli suggested as he paid for the drinks.
As they exited the bar, Lincoln’s hand slipped into his own, and Eli smiled, savoring the warmth. As they walked in silence, feet crunching through the snow, Eli reflected on the past year. Things had changed drastically when they’d arrived home from Houston. Their weekly hangouts increased fivefold and usually didn’t end until the next morning. Eli’s apartment was effectively used as an office until Lincoln complained about the wasted money and demanded that they move in together. Eli was happy to comply.
“The Blue Line?” Lincoln hummed thoughtfully as they descended the steps into the metro. “Will we switch along the way?”
“You hate surprises, don’t you?” Eli fought to suppress a smile.
“It’s not a surprise if I know it’s coming!”
The thundering arrival of the metro delayed Eli’s response. “Yes, we’ll take it the whole way,” he said, guiding Lincoln through the empty car to seats near the back.
“It can’t be the Natural History Museum,” Lincoln murmured thoughtfully. “It’s closed today. And there’s really no point in going if we can’t see the dinosaurs….”
Eli just smiled. Lincoln’s enthusiasm for visiting the Natural History Museum had quelled with the closing of the dinosaur exhibit. It was under renovation and wouldn’t open for another week. Lincoln had been waiting with bated breath for an entire a year.
“We’re here.” Eli stood and led Lincoln off the metro and up the stairs.
“Wait, this is the Smithsonian stop.” Lincoln glanced across the mall toward his favorite museum in longing.
“Sure is.” Eli grinned.
“Is there a Christmas light display that I don’t know about?”
“Remember that big project I had a few months ago?” asked Eli.
“Of course I do. You abandoned me for over a week for some top-secret job and then returned exhausted, half starved, and ready to collapse. For one heart-stopping moment I thought you were the Krampus.”
“I was asked to help with the new dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History Museum.” Eli led Lincoln across the National Mall. “I designed the information plaques, advertisements, and brochures.”
“That billboard off the highway….” Lincoln raised his eyebrows in astonishment.
“That was me.” Eli nodded. “In exchange for my services, I asked if we could view the dinosaur exhibit early rather than accept payment.”
“You turned down the money?” asked Lincoln, mortified, still not over the trauma of a teacher’s salary despite his promotion.
“This is a better deal,” Eli assured him.
They strolled around to the back of the building, and Eli tapped on the door. The museum director, a red-haired woman who appeared to be in her fifties, greeted them. She extended her hand to Eli warmly and then turned to Lincoln.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are much indebted to Eli for his generous contribution.”
Lincoln shot Eli a look that seemed to say: See, even she thinks you should’ve taken the money.
“Please take your time wandering through the museum,” she continued, oblivious to their silent conversation. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be in my office.” After a brief smile, she strolled away.
“Come, I want to show you the dinosaurs.” Eli pulled Lincoln into the crook of his arm. “There is a new Tyrannosaurus rex.”
Lincoln’s green eyes glittered with anticipation. He wordlessly followed Eli through the dimly lit hallway until they reached an exhibit with far more than just dinosaurs. There were many ancient creatures, including a giant mastodon, extinct for thousands of years longer than it lived.
“Everything looks so real,” breathed Lincoln, eyeing the fossil of a prehistoric shark.
Eli nodded. “There was profound effort to situate the fossils into the positions that the organisms would have occupied in life. In simple terms we’re looking at action shots.”
“Amazing!”
Eli pulled Lincoln to the center of the exhibit. “I’ve saved the best for last.”
Lincoln gasped. The Tyrannosaurus rex hovered over their heads. No longer was it standing at attention, gazing blankly through throngs of museum guests. Instead it was leaning over a kill, busily gorging itself on triceratops prey.
“It’s almost entirely real fossil.” Eli leaned over the railing to examine the nearest bones of the specimen. “I’m told it’s one of the most complete T. rexes in the world.”
“The other one wasn’t real?” Lincoln’s expression carried all the disappointment of a child who’d just been told that Santa wasn’t real.
“I think there was a lot of plaster involved in that one.”
Lincoln turned back to the fossil in awe. “You were right. An early viewing is way better than taking payment. This is the best Christmas present ever.”
“It gets better.” Eli sank to his knee and pulled out a little box.
Lincoln’s hand flew over his mouth to stifle a gasp. He stared down at Eli with round green eyes.
“Lincoln, I love spending lazy Saturdays with you at the museum. I love that you have supported and encouraged me in my work since we were in college. I love drinking bourbon to celebrate and commiserate life’s ups and downs. I want to do that with you forever. Will you marry me?”
“I’m tearing up.” Lincoln wiped at the dampness under his eyes. “Oh my gosh, is someone taking pictures?” He glanced around the room. “Tell me there isn’t.”
“Answer the question” came a gruff command, echoed by a light feminine laugh. The sounds came from somewhere in the shadows.
“Your dad’s here?” asked Lincoln, alarmed.
“Yep. Kristy too.” Eli grinned. “So what’s it to be? The moon or forever with me?”
Lincoln jumped on Eli, sending them both to the ground. “You,” he said with little concern for the ring. “It was always you. It will always be you.”
Eli wrapped his arms around Lincoln and kissed his forehead. “This is the best Christmas present ever,” he said, echoing Lincoln’s prior claim.
A shadow fell upon Eli and Lincoln, eclipsing the light of the exhibit. “You’ve messed this all up,” said Eli’s father, watching Lincoln in amusement. “You’re not supposed to leave him in suspense, and you didn’t even let him put the ring on.”
“Why are you rushing me?” Lincoln narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Are you still recording?”
“Until the ring is on the finger.”
Lincoln sighed dramatically. “The promise is the important part.” He pushed himself off Eli and into a sitting position.
Eli sat up and pulled the ring from the box. It had two dark bands separated by a thin gold streak. As he slipped it onto Lincoln’s finger, he explained the significance. “This dark band is made from a dinosaur fossil.” He pointed. “And this one is a meteorite, since I like stars and you like the gemstone exhibit.”
“I love it,” Lincoln breathed, pausing to admire the ring. “It’s not cursed like that necklace, is it?”
Eli laughed. “We’ll know if my dad burns the steak tonight.”
Eli’s father huffed indignantly. “I never burn steak.”
“Then I think we’re looking at happily ever after.” Eli took Lincoln’s hand.
Lincoln pondered that. “Just to ensure we’re on the same page. How would you describe that mathematically?”
“Infinite happiness.”
REN HOLLY is always on the lookout for new opportunities and adventures. She has tried her hand at a lifeguarding, physical therapy, toy store sales, graduate school, wildlife research, and teaching. She considers it all life experience for her newest endeavor—writing. Ren is a lover of regency romance novels, happy endings, coffee, and swimming. For now she is happily settled in South Carolina, where she will spend the next four years writing contemporary romance (with happy endings, of course) and adjusting to life as the proud new mama of a baby girl.
By Ren Holly
A Graphically Designed Holiday
Mosquitoes and Mistletoe
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
A Graphically Designed Holiday
© 2019 Ren Holly
Cover Art
© 2019 L.C. Chase
http://www.lcchase.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-791-9
Digital eBook published December 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Ren Holly, A Graphically Designed Holiday
