Alex
I wasn’t quite familiar with Chloe’s type of Christmas, and she was certainly not familiar with mine, so we worked together to create a comfortable space for both of us to get around this. I sat with her on the sofa, stringing popcorn and cranberries for the tree before we decorated it. Every time one of us snuck an extra handful the other would get a pillow to the face, though I could admit that I was doing it just to tease her.
“Stop it,” she demanded as she pelted me with a fistful of cranberries. “I’m not making more if you eat all of it.”
“But it tastes so good,” I said, popping another few pieces in my mouth. “I can’t help myself.”
She grabbed the bowl from between us and set it beside her on the table with a huff. I waited until she had finished stringing the pieces in her hand to grab her ankle and drag her down the length of the couch. She yelped, grabbing at me while I laughed and stared down at her. The popcorn and cranberries were quickly forgotten in favor of me reminding her how much I loved her body, every perfect inch of it.
Our evening couldn’t have been better. When she pulled out the small wooden bowl to fill with water and set it up with the cross, I was at a loss for words. She had thought of so many small details to make this trip even more enjoyable than the last, and I didn’t know how many times I could thank her before it became too much. She kept allowing me to take my time as we prepped things together and talked out our rituals. Calling family was a given, but I was certain she would spend more time on the phone than I would.
Meals, religion, movies, these were the small things we talked over because we needed to agree on what we were doing ahead of time. I’d never seen How The Grinch Stole Christmas, but that was something she wasn’t changing her mind on, just as she wasn’t changing my mind about fasting. I wasn’t particularly strict about it, I certainly wasn’t abstaining from sex, and we’d had pork the evening before, but I did prefer to stick to the rules when I could. Chloe didn’t observe the fasting, I respected that choice and was thankful she did the same for mine. She went out of her way to make a dinner that honored my fast, and for the smallest sliver of time, I felt like I was home.
Brushing by her arm while I helped prepare the vegetables or helping her step up onto the stool to put the topper on the tree, these things made me feel like I was home with her for the holidays. Like this wasn’t a vacation at all, and I could see myself waking up every morning to her lying next to me.
It was a devastating realization.
There wasn’t any pretending to be had, there was no game that we were playing, I was just trying to fool myself at this point. Somehow, I was certain she knew it too.
I watched as she aligned the angel on top of the tree, staring intently at her mouth with the way she caught her tongue between her teeth in concentration. My hand held hers for support, waiting for her to come back down into my arms once more. She stood out against the dark blue, star-speckled sky through the window behind her. My own angel. Though I was more than certain she would laugh me into embarrassment if I said that out loud. As it was she glanced down at me and frowned.
“You’re staring.”
“Your shirt is see-through; how could I not stare?”
“What?” She glanced down at herself and blushed. “Ohmigod, get me down from here you perv.”
I laughed and grabbed her around the legs, my hands deliberately resting on her ass as I brought her back down to ground level. She pulled away and turned excitedly back to the tree after, beaming and completely forgetting that I could still see her nipples clear as day.
“Do you want to plug it in?” she asked me suddenly. “It’s gonna look so pretty, I have to get my phone.”
I chuckled to myself and went to the wall outlet, Chloe dug through her sweater pockets before coming running back with her phone in hand excitedly.
“Ready?” I asked, holding up the cord.
“Yes!”
As soon as I plugged it in the room was filled with multicolored lights reflecting off dozens of glass ornaments and fake icicles. Ribbons of red and white plaid wove through the branches artfully, matching the tree skirt and several felt decorations. I backed up to get a better view, sidling up to Chloe and throwing my arm across her shoulders as we admired our work. The fake snowflakes were my favorite aspect – tiny little two-inch tall snowflakes nestled into the branches randomly, covered in an iridescent glitter that caught the myriad of lights. On top sat the white and gold angel with her wings folded and hands spread out as she looked down at us. I rubbed Chloe’s arm as I took in the display and she leaned into my side.
“It looks great,” she said. “It’s not Christmas yet, but Merry Christmas.”
I smiled and kissed the top of her head. “Merry Christmas, Chloe.”
We stayed there several minutes longer. I almost caved and gave her the camera right then but I knew a photo of this on Christmas would be just as nice and then she would still have all her presents at once. Well, except for one that I wanted her to unwrap tonight.
I pressed my nose to her hair and sighed in content. Home, she was definitely home.
“We should take a dip in the hot tub,” I offered. “I think we agreed on that earlier.”
“Only if you plan to fuck me in it.”
“It’s a chore but someone has to do it.”
She giggled and tugged at the hem of my shirt. “What if I started the fire and you got the towels? I’ll meet you in the hot tub.”
I smiled and pulled away enough to see her looking up at me with bright eyes. “That sounds perfect. I’ll get your slippers.”
She cheered and took off towards the patio doors, pausing just long enough to pull her shirt up teasingly and blow me a kiss before disappearing into the cold night air. I shook my head and went to get the items while she got ready. I would never understand the infatuation with sex in pools and hot tubs, but I was more than happy to let her use me as her test dummy for it.
When I returned I’d already stripped and wrapped a towel around my waist. The air was brisk but the roaring firepit helped take the chill away. Chloe was lounging in the sunken hot tub with her head tipped back against the rail, watching as I set our things aside and made my way over.
Her hair was tied into a sloppy bun on the top of her head with wispy tendrils hanging around her face. She smiled at me as I set the towels aside and stepped into the sunken hot tub. Her eyes drifted down the length of my body as I lowered myself in, I tried to pretend the I didn’t notice, but it was hard not to grin to myself at the way her lips parted slowly and her gaze flicked back up to me as if pretending she wasn’t looking.
The hot water chased away what was left of the chill of the cool air and as Chloe waded over to me, I forgot all about the snow that had begun to fall once more. I steadied her as she straddled me, her knees on either side of mine as her hands slid up my chest to my shoulders, gently running her nails over my skin and raising goosebumps as she went. I took hold of her, one hand pressed firmly to her back and the other holding her hip while she slowly ground her hips against mine.
“Merry Christmas, Alex,” she whispered against my shoulder. “Thank you…”
“Merry Christmas, Chloe,” I replied, kissing her hair. “You don’t need to keep thanking me, glykia mou. You know this is as much a gift for me as it is for you.”
“I know, but I’m still going to thank you for all this.”
The words she didn’t say out loud were the ones that sat heaviest in my chest. “Pretending” that we were more than we had originally agreed was a joke, we both knew this wasn’t just pretending, but I wasn’t ready to do anything else yet. I wished I was, it was what she deserved, I just couldn’t stop the panic inside at the thought of this being real. A relationship would cut me off from Marie completely, and without her in my life… Well, how exactly was I supposed to justify over twenty years of being estranged from my mother and sister? Being with Chloe meant that I would have to face the fact that I chose Marie over them for all that time and it was a difficult pill to swallow. There was also my concern about ever repairing my relationship with Peter – I couldn’t see him eagerly lining up to accept my apology if I came home with a woman on my arm that was younger than he was.
This time with Chloe right now was safe, it was separate, it was easy to reconcile. It was enough for now.
I cupped her cheek and guided her mouth to mine easily. Her wet hand touched my neck tentatively and I pulled her closer as she deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking mine. A chill washed over her as the wind picked up for a moment and I turned us so that my back faced the lake.
“Is that better?” I asked with a smirk.
She laughed and wrapped both arms casually around my neck. “Yes, thank you.”
“Do you know what you could do to thank me?” I asked huskily. She smiled and batted her eyes innocently, I pressed my lips to the shell of her ear and continued, “Why don’t you reach down between us and grab my cock?”
She did as I asked and a soft moan escaped her as her fingers closed around my slowly hardening cock. “Like that?” she asked coyly.
“Just like that, keep stroking, baby girl.”
Her grip tightened slightly and she began slowly pumping up and down, twisting her fist as she went. I pulled her back to my mouth and groped her tits shamelessly. Her nipples hardened under my palm in seconds, I teased them, flicking my fingers across them again and again before giving them a light tug that made her gasp against my lips. I kept going, not letting her break too far away from me. Her free hand twisted into my hair to hold herself steady and I couldn’t stop myself from groaning and thrusting up against her. Water sloshed over the side of the hot tub and I roughly pushed her back to kiss and bite her tits.
Chloe’s moaning just made my cock harder as I swirled my tongue around her nipple, giving it a light tug with my teeth. She shivered and her grip tightened for a fraction of a second before loosening again. Her tits were always so sensitive, I had to wonder if I could make her cum just from this alone. The thought spurred me on, I grabbed her ass with both hands, guiding her to grind on me some more while she stroked me.
Her skin was so soft, like satin against my tongue, silky and smooth and perfect. I licked from the underside of her breast up to the base of her neck while inhaling in the scent of her body wash, it made my head spin in a haze of desire. Everything about her made me want her more, but it was the way her breathing quickened that made my fingers dig into her ass cheeks and pull her closer. My cock was trapped between us now, she couldn’t jerk me off and instead, her hands combed through my hair while her head lolled back.
“Harder,” she breathed. “Be rough with me, Daddy.”
I closed my mouth around her nipple again and slowly dragged my teeth over it. She let out a soft cry and clutched the back of my head as she shivered, her hips rocking against mine. I couldn’t stop the self-satisfied smirk that spread across my face as I pulled away and looked up at her. The flush on her cheeks, the thoroughly confused blinking and her racing pulse pounding at her throat certainly answered my question.
“You like it when I’m rough with you,” I remarked before kissing the dip in her collarbone. “But I don’t want to hurt you, you know that.”
“No,” she agreed. “You have to be nice to me, but I like it when you’re a little controlling.”
I laughed and looked back up at her, she smiled and reached for my cheek again, intent on kissing me as much as she could. “Is that what I am?” I murmured against her lips. “Controlling?”
“Yes, and I like it.” Her hand slipped between us and brushed against the head of my cock, I sucked in a sharp breath and closed my eyes. “Tell me what else you want from me, Daddy.”
Her. It would always just be her. “I want you to ride my cock,” I instructed. “Make me cum inside your tight little cunt.”
She agreed instantly and seconds later she was lowering herself on my cock. The friction from the water almost made her tighter, but I slid into her with relative ease and all that mattered was the way her eyes widened, and her nails dug into my shoulder. Chloe was tentative about riding me, she always was, but once she got into it more I could see the way she enjoyed being the one in control for a little while.
I held her to my chest and kissed the soft spot under her ear that always seemed to get her excited, her moaning became louder as I sucked on it, toying with her.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” I purred. “I know you like it, keep going, cum on my cock.”
Little whispers kept escaping her, “oh fuck,” and “Daddy,” over and over like a mantra. I let my hands roam over her body while she babbled, simultaneously trying to soothe her and turn her on more. The tension that built every time she lowered herself on me was already starting to blind me and I found myself grabbing her hips, attempting to take control before remembering that I wanted her to do this. I was fighting a losing battle.
It was when she came again, gasping and writhing on top of me that I couldn’t hold back anymore, took hold of her hips and started fucking her harder. She cried out, sending shivers down my spine that only served to bring me closer to the edge. Her cunt convulsed around me and I buried my face in her tits, moaning as I came suddenly, filling her completely.
I kept holding her after we both came, long after she’d settled into a more comfortable position on my lap and began tracing swirls over my back. It was what I needed to keep myself sane as I fought the urge to tell her everything I refused to. I love you, glykia mou.
I wanted to believe that she held onto me for the same reasons, and for that time we were completely exposed to each other.
When we finally got out of the water it was only because we couldn’t stand to become any wrinklier. I followed her into the house tiredly but buzzing with renewed excitement. On the bed was a small present for her that I couldn’t hold back from any longer, and I couldn’t wait to see her open it. She yawned, pushed the bedroom door open and immediately froze.
“What’s that?” she asked softly.
“I don’t know, what does it look like?”
“It looks like someone not doing what he promised.” She turned and narrowed her eyes at me. “We agreed on Christmas morning.”
“Then that is a non-Christmas-related gift. Just a random present from me. And you have to open it tonight.” I had to know if she liked it and I wasn’t very patient, she knew that.
“This is the only one. Got it?” She was scowling but I could see the smile underneath.
“I promise, now open it before I do it for you.”
I didn’t have to ask her twice, she lunged for the bed and pulled the covers up over her while the small green box sat on the sheets. She grabbed it and waited for me to tuck in next to her before tentatively pulling at the wrapping paper. Her eyes flicked up to mine for approval briefly and she tugged the blanket up under her chin, seconds later the small wooden music box rested in the palm of her hand.
It had taken weeks of work and prep to get it to work – a small carousel with individually carved horses and detailing. It was only about six inches tall and my fingers were still sore from fitting all the pieces together. The flowers on the roof were painted with rich greens and reds inside golden portrait frames similar to the theatre in Barcelona. I watched quietly as turned it around in her hand, discovering that it was fully functional and turned in time to the song. She discovered the turn crank on the bottom and wound it gently. The tune, Dawn by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, played softly as the horses went around, rising and falling with the music.
When Chloe looked up at me again, her eyes were watery.
“Alex, this is—” she broke off and gestured to it. “I don’t even know what to say, it’s beautiful.”
“Do you like it?” I asked. “You can tell me—”
“How could think I don’t like it?” she interrupted. “I love it, it’s amazing.”
With that, she threw her arms around me and I felt my heart soar as we sat there. I pulled her down with me and she set it on the bedside table as the music trickled to an end. We turned the lights off and I let my eyes close happily. This would be enough for me.