Page 8 of Rejoice

He withdrew from my body and wrapped his arms, legs, and shoulders around me under the tree. Our breaths came fast and harsh for an eternity and the pounding of his heart against my back, synced with my own.

I didn’t want to close my eyes for fear that I would fall asleep. I wanted this moment to last almost as long as forever.

“Merry Christmas, my Angel.”

“Feliz Navidad, Gray.”

He chuckled and snuggled into me.

We made love again in the shower later while pretending to clean up, and again right before we took a much-needed nap. Both times were vanilla compared to our Christmas romp this morning, and he was soft and sweet.

Afterwards when we laid together in the afterglow of all the day’s orgasms, I asked him, “Was that the best Christmas you’ve had?”

He kissed me on the forehead. “It was by far the best Christmas ever.”

“Are you unscrooged?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. We could have done this any old day. Didn’t need to be Christmas.”

I swore a litany at him in Spanish for that.

Good thing I had one more Christmas ghost up my sleeve.

We slept in the next day. Made love again, and around dinner time my last attempt at changing Gray’s mind about the holidays was ready to go.

My ghosts of Christmas future had scrambled to get to the island on time, but I’d tempted them with a trip to the local kink club before they jetted back home. No one was complaining.

They loved Gray almost as much as I did.

Around sunset I put the plan into action.

“Gray, let’s go for a stroll down the beach before we eat. I feel like we haven’t been out of the house for days.”

He grabbed my hand automatically and headed for the door. “That’s because we haven’t been. Not since your Ghost of Christmas Past. I’m glad you’re done with your Dickensian plots now.”

“Hmm,” was all I said to that. I was trying extra hard not to give off any tells that he was in for a visit from one more Christmas.

“Angel. What are you up to?”

Coño. “Nothing.”

“Do you need another spanking?”

Luckily, I didn’t have to answer that because right then the ghosts of Christmas future showed up as carolers on the beach.

“Good King Wenceslas looked down on the something something. Something something blah blah blah, something baby Jesus.”

“Cade. I thought you knew the words to this one.” Vanessa curled her arm around her love’s and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He was adorably besotted. “Who is King Wenceslas, anyway?”

“Should we do Frosty the snowman?” Eden asked.

“It seems weird to be singing about a snowy anything on a tropical island.” Lilly laughed and snuggled her baby in her arms. “Doesn’t it, little guy? Yes, it does.”

All of our friends, Cade and Vanessa, Hawk and Lilly and their baby Ilario, Eden and Sawyer, Dominic, Ian, Celine, Addison, Jim, and more, stood in a circle around a twelve-foot pine tree. I’d had it flown in and replanted in a special patch of imported soil on the beach a few days ago. From top to bottom, the tree had sparkling balls and lights.

They hadn’t yet noticed us, but Gray looked at every one of them, happy and laughing, having a grand Christmas celebration because they were together. No presents, no snow, not even any mistletoe.

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