Page 102 of Season of Gifts

Pulling the door open, he stepped from the heat of the bathroom to the cool bedroom.

Alice and Jay, wrapped in an embrace, took little notice.Jay had shed his shirt; Alice clasped him to her by his neck and head, her hands wound through his hair, leaving his exquisite back bare.The flawless length of Jay’s spine flexed as he rippled against her.His shoulder blades smoothly shifted, gliding with the motion of his arms.This was the Jay he’d painted, the one whose image hung outside their bedroom at home.

They were glorious together.The vision stung his eyes; he choked back a sob as a wave of longing eroded his hard-won composure.Would that he could shake off the grasping fear and sink into watching the beauty of his submissives at play, their joy unfettered, their tender care for each other a balm upon his soul.

Alice drew back, her eyes bright, and strode toward him.Jay followed in her wake, his hand in hers, his face sweet and open.His slacks gaped, the button undone and the zipper falling under pressure.

Henry held his ground as Alice traced the piping down his lapel and tumbled the top button in her fingers.“Good shower, husband?”

“Refreshing.”A single word, that required less energy of him.Fewer half-truths.But the agitation stirred in his veins.“And you’ve seen to Mother?I ought to check—”

“Jay was just with her.”Alice snaked her hand up Henry’s chest and curled her fingers at the nape of his neck, stroking the hairs there.Unlike Jay, he kept his far too short for pulling.“She’s settled in for the night, reading before bed.Maybe it’s a good time to think about what you need, after all these days apart, with no breaks.”

She kissed his chin, the corners of his mouth, his cheeks.Nibbled at his lips, wordlessly inquiring about an invitation for entry.He allowed the contact, parting his mouth and monitoring the rhythmic waves of her kiss, awaiting the moment when the natural close would come.

“We’ve all been so busy.”Her gentle tug at his shirtfront pulled him forward a step.“We could use some time to slow down.Get cozy?”Her slow prodding toward the bed was unsubtle, but Alice’s strengths lay in direct action.“Even if an hour or two is all we get, it’ll help us all recharge.Be on the same page to talk things over tomorrow.”

“An admirable goal.”He kept his voice low, rumbling approval.If the lengthy, emotionally charged discussion could wait, so much the better.Redirecting Alice’s amorous interest toward Jay would be a simple matter of a few well-chosen commands.“I’ll make certain Mother is resting comfortably and return shortly.”A glance at the nightstand revealed no portable unit.“Just to retrieve the monitoring system.I wouldn’t wish a recurrence of the difficulty we had earlier this week.”

Difficulty.Too smooth a word, too soft, for the terror of blue lips and gasping breaths, the thudding of footsteps in the hall, the clang of metal guardrails locking into position before the gurney raced away.

“I can fetch it.”Alice slipped sideways and nudged Jay toward him, speckling Jay’s shoulder with minuscule kisses.“You two relax.I’ll sit with Mother for a while.”She squeezed Henry’s arm, gripping lightly, her hand a cat’s paw kneading down toward his wrist.A strategy he frequently employed in aftercare, now wielded against him as foreplay.“And I’ll bring the monitor back with me.It’s the one you had on your hip last night?”

She’d noticed.What else had her study of him concluded?

“Yes, thank you, Alice.”Regardless, managing Jay alone would be far easier than facing a combined assault.Perhaps he could send Jay to fetch a book from the library for story time and gain a few more minutes to bolster his mental reserves.“That’s quite thoughtful of you.”

Her mouth twitched.Rising on her toes, she met him eye to eye and kissed him square on the lips, staring at him all the while.“I love you.”

He echoed her words.The gray fog dampened sound and meaning, but he managed a gentle smile for her.

She gave a slight nod and turned toward Jay, taking his face in both hands and kissing him with exaggerated exuberance.“And you, stud.I love this look on you.”She winked at their husband, adding kisses to his cheeks.“This is a good look.”

The door ticked quietly shut behind her, leaving Henry standing beside the bed with a half-dressed husband whose eyes held a mix of shyness and desire.

God help him.

Chapter fifty-three

Alice

Alicerappedlightlyandcracked open the bedroom door.A halo of light spilled from inside.“Mother?”

“Alice, come in.”Reclining against an enormous stack of pillows, Mother laid a book aside and patted the quilt.“Sit, please.I thought you might be Henry come to take up his nightly watch.But you’ve dissuaded him, wonderful.The two of you must have talked through everything?I admit, it’s been weighing on me.”

“Ollie told you?”Cold gripped her, made moving toward the bed and the offered seat impossible.The worst had happened.Ollie had heard from Mom about Alice’s visit, and then she’d gone to Henry’s mom for advice or to vent, and Henry’s mom had asked Henry.No wonder Henry had been so distant with her.He was waiting for her to come to him with what she’d done to herself.Had been waiting.Hours, at least, but maybe days.

“Darling, you’re whiter than Old Man Winter himself.Sit, sit.”Mother patted the bedspread with more vigor and stretched her hand out to Alice.“I haven’t heard from Olivia yet today, though she sometimes sends things in the middle of the night.Her schedule is simply awful.Natalie mentioned the favor you asked, and I think that’s a lovely idea.I can help you with things for Henry as well.”

Alice’s joints awkwardly carried her to the bed.She folded herself beside Mother’s knees, taking the hand on offer.A wedding band rolled loosely around Mother’s finger.Her own fit snugly, a constant reminder of the promises they’d made.That she had made.Honesty.Letting go of fear.

“I’m sorry.That would be great, thank you.”Henry hadn’t wanted details about Nat’s mission.Which was fine; he was busy with other mental loads.Explaining what she’d asked and why, and how she’d left a key with Emma to facilitate, wouldn’t make any difference to the outcome.“It feels like I’ve been running all week, and I’m still trying to catch my breath.”

Mother hummed with wry amusement, so much like Henry—the real Henry, the Henry who didn’t seem to be living behind his eyes right now—that a catch snagged Alice’s throat.“Yes, I may understand how that feels.”

Like, literally.Shit.Thinking before speaking would be a fantastic habit to cultivate.

“I’m so sorry, Mother.I wasn’t thinking—”

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