Christmas Comes Early for Eli

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop

MY name is Eli Taylor. I’m thirty-three years old, six-foot two, brown hair, brown eyes, etc. I live in Huntsville, Alabama and work for NASA. I’m a rocket scientist. That pretty much sums me up. Oh, and I have a brown and white pit bull named Clyde. He has a ripped-up ear and only one eye, which is blue and white and only semifunctional. He lost the other one, along with the missing part of his ear, in a dog fight that wasn’t really a fight at all, because he was tied to a tree and unable to defend himself. Don’t even get me started on that. Rocket scientists are, as a rule, pretty peaceful folks, but if I could get my hands on the assholes who did this to my dog.... Well, he wasn’t actually my dog at the time, but still, let’s just say, they’d be lucky if all they lost was an ear and an eye. Clyde’s got it made now, though. All the bad times are behind him. He watches Animal Planet everyday while I’m at work, lounging on the sofa staring at my flat-panel TV with his one goofy eye. He sleeps on my bed every night, drooling on the pillows, snoring and farting. Sometimes, when he gets to dreaming about something exciting, he’ll growl and kick me in the back. It’s almost like having a person there, except for no sex. 2

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop I miss sex. When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I thought guys in their thirties were probably too old to care much about sex. Boy, was I wrong. I had a ton of sex last year, and it spoiled me. Back then I was dating a guy named Dillon Wagner. We met at a party and were together for almost a year, until out of the blue he took a job in another city and left, like what we had was no big deal at all. We didn’t talk it over. He didn’t ask me if I wanted to go with him; he never really said much about it at all. Maybe he didn’t think I cared. After all, it wasn’t like we were bone-deep in love. Still, we were friends – I thought – as well as lovers, and it hurt when he broke the news like he was announcing a new car purchase instead of a permanent separation. “Eli, guess what? I got a job in DC! I’m leaving in three weeks. Isn’t that great?” Great for Dillon, I guess, but it sucked for me. I think it always sucks more to be the one left behind. He got to move someplace new and exciting, got to make new friends and experiment with new things to do. I’m still here in my same old house with my same old job and my same old boring life. Clyde is the best thing that’s happened to me in the nine months since Dillon left. Not to minimize Clyde, but it would be nice to have someone with less body hair and better breath to cuddle up with at night, especially now that Christmas is coming. I’m not Father Christmas Ho Ho Ho or anything like that, but it just seems wrong to be alone during the holidays. Truth is, I’m tired of being alone, period. I’m ready for somebody new.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop Not just anybody, though. I know exactly who I want. Unfortunately, I probably have a better chance of waking up with a box full of Chippendale dancers under my Christmas tree than this guy. His name is Jonas Cooper. He’s the new owner of the liquor store that I pass by on my way home from work and where I stop in occasionally for a bottle of whiskey. Since Jonas took over the store about three months ago, I’ve been making my stops a bit more regular, hoping to get a chance to talk to him. This hasn’t worked out so far, however, because almost every time I stop in, he’s flirting with some lady customer and barely gives me the time of day. Too bad for me, he’s my picture perfect fantasy guy, so even though I know it’s hopeless, I still go in faithfully for my bi-monthly dose of torture. You’ve probably already figured this out by now, but just in case you aren’t paying real close attention, I’m gay. I forgot to mention that in my initial introduction. Since I’m not getting any lately, it’s almost easy to forget I’m any different from all the other schmucks beating off in their showers every morning before work, wishing for someone they can’t have, wanting the life that they imagine everyone but them is living. Being single didn’t used to bother me. I actually liked it. I mean, I wasn’t ever gonna give the guys on “Queer as Folk” a run for their money, but I did hit the bars every now and then, played the field a little, and fucked around enough to be comfortable with who I am and what I like. But I guess I’m just past all that now. Even though things with Dillon didn’t work out, I got attached to the lifestyle. I liked sleeping 4

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop with the same guy every night – or almost every night since we never officially lived together. I think I’d like having somebody to share all the ho-hum things that make the world go ‘round, like grocery shopping and mowing the yard. I’d at least like to have the chance to find out. Surely that’s not too much to ask. But sadly, I couldn’t see this happening with Jonas, and my discouragement was further enforced when I walked into Wine and Spirits that Wednesday afternoon to find him deep in flirt mode with a lady wearing leopard print leggings and black, stiletto-heeled leather boots that went all the way up past her knees. She’d topped the whole ensemble off with a fur coat that came complete with the animal’s actual tail, which she was toying with flirtatiously. If Clyde had been along, with his one bad eye, he would’ve probably mistaken her for one of the stars of his favorite Animal Planet show. Jonas was leaning over the counter, his dark head pressed close to her artificially platinum one, listening to her secrets and laughing at whatever she had to tell him. I swallowed back the urge to hurl and headed – not for my usual whiskey shelf – but for the wine display in the middle of the store. I had somehow drawn the short straw at work, giving me the dubious honor of hosting the office Christmas party. Since they don’t allow alcohol on NASA property, we have it off-site every year. The good news was I was only responsible for the booze. The other folks in my department promised to bring food in exchange for not having to get their houses ready for a party.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop In fact, I’d been planning to skip Christmas altogether, but in honor of the party I’d relented and gone out last Sunday and bought a tree and decorated it. It wasn’t glamorous, but enough white lights could make anything look festive. I’d vacuumed and dusted the night before to rid the place of all the excess Clyde hair and set out some cinnamon candles I got at the drug store. I’d even dug out a few holiday CDs. I was as festive as I could possibly be without getting strange with the ribbons and the twinkle lights. All I had left to do now was pick up wine, beer, and ice, check for Clyde clumps in the back yard, and shower. I’d taken off work two hours early to give myself plenty of time. As I stood staring at the wine – all seven hundred bottles – I suddenly wished I’d taken off much earlier, like maybe three days ago. I wasn’t a wine drinker. How the hell was I possibly supposed to know what to get? The laughter behind me at the counter faded out, I assumed in favor of more whispers, but when the bell over the door jingled a minute later, I soon found myself joined by the man who’d become my unknowing partner in my recent wet dreams. He was his usual handsome self, wearing snugfitting Levis and a white T-shirt with a long-sleeved, dark blue corduroy over-shirt, an almost matching blue-black shadow of stubble on his jaw emphasizing the whiteness of his smile. He was movie star perfect, and my cock stirred and stretched to greet him, although all I could do was stare at him like a deer caught in headlights.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “Hey! It’s Eli, right?” He held out his hand to shake mine, and I wondered if I’d somehow stepped off into another universe where I wasn’t me anymore and my life was unexpectedly about to turn out wonderful. “Umm... yeah.” I shook his hand, which was big and warm. He had long fingers with short, blunt nails that I could imagine digging into my back or curling around my cock. My cock was eager for that experience as well and surged to life hopefully, pushing against the flimsy resistance of my baggy boxers. This was not a smart day to be running around unfettered. “I’m Jonas. I’ve seen you come in before, but you’re always out so quick, I never get a chance to say ‘Hi’.” “You’re usually busy.” I cast my eyes back at the counter where he’d been talking to the animal lady, and he grinned. “Yeah, my uncle warned me about that. He was always a ladies man, loved to flirt. He’s got ’em all spoiled.” There was just a tinge of sadness in his voice when he spoke, and it occurred to me that I had no idea what had happened to the previous owner. The store had never been for sale; it had just quietly changed hands over a weekend. “What happened? Did he die?” “Oh no, nothing like that! He just decided to retire and move to Florida. He never married and never had any kids. Guess he’s just going down there to be all by himself. Kinda sad.” 7

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop Since that was the life I was looking at, except for the Florida part, I hated to hear him put it that way. “Maybe he didn’t want a family. Some guys like keeping their options open.” Not me, but some guys.... “Yeah, maybe. But that’s not what I think. I think he fell in love when he was young, and it didn’t work out and he got his heart broke and was too scared to ever try again. He never said, but that’s what I think.” He shrugged. “I suppose that could be it.” I looked at his fingers again. There was no ring tan, no indention where a ring would go. “So, did you and your family move here to take over the store, or did you already live in the area?” Subtle, huh? His moment of sadness vanished as he grinned again and held up his fingers, checking them out with exaggerated curiousness. “Now I just saw you looking at my hands, and there aren’t any rings there that I can see, so what makes you ask if I’ve got a family? You don’t see something I don’t, do you?” Ok, maybe not so subtle. “Ummm... just the way you said, you know, about your uncle being alone. Just made me think....” Between all the blood flowing to my parts south, and all the rest of it rushing to my cheeks to make sure he knew how embarrassed I was, there was none left to operate my brain and regulate my conversational skills. I needed to get back on topic and get the hell out of there before I broke something. Like my pride. “Anyway, it’s none of my business. I, uhh, actually, I need to get some wine.” 8

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop His smile switched from personal to professional in the time it took for me to flick my eyes over at the wine display, and I felt even worse than before when I was just humiliated. Some of his spark had gone, leaving me with the feeling that I’d somehow lost something special, but the whole exchange had only taken a minute and surely nothing important could’ve happened that fast. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. What are you looking for?” He shoved his ringless hands into his pockets, easing back into shopkeeper mode as he gazed at me expectantly with cool blue eyes. My whole body ached with need for him – I’d gone way too long without anyone – and my brain was almost ready to shut down. I was on the fast track to stupid, and the fact that I knew less about wine than most folks know about nuclear physics didn’t help. “Well, see, that’s the problem. I don’t know.” I shoved my own hands in my pockets, felt the rub of my pants on my still hopeful cock and jerked them out again. The last thing he needed was accidental touching at this point. “Is it for dinner? Or a gift?” “It’s for a party. I’m having a party.” I looked at my watch. It was almost four. “In about an hour and a half.” I was beginning to feel doomed in every way. “Oh. Guess you’re on the clock, then. Hmmm....” He drew one hand up to his face and rubbed his stubble. I wanted to do that for him, but figured he might not appreciate the gesture. Besides, the rubbing seemed to be 9

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop helping him think, and one of us needed to do that or my party was going to be a disaster. “How many folks are coming?” Just two – me and you – is what I wanted to say. “About fifteen. It’s the folks from my department at work.” “Oh. Cool.” He seemed to loosen up again at that bit of personal information. Maybe he could tell I was sorry and suffering. “Where do you work?” “NASA.” “Astronaut?” He looked impressed, so I nodded. I’m telling you, I was operating on fumes. He laughed and bumped me with his arm. I silently vowed never to let anyone touch that spot again. “You are not! What do you really do?” I stared down at our feet, his grey sneakers, my black loafers. “I’m a rocket scientist,” I admitted glumly, because that wasn’t nearly as exciting as being an astronaut. Since flying made me nervous, however, it was way better for my peace of mind. He looked me up and down, his eyes taking inventory of my close-cropped hair and my boring work clothes, evidence of my less than exciting profession. They stopped to linger midway, at which point I realized I’d forgotten to be discreet and had shoved my hands back in my pockets, revealing how excited I was to finally have his personal attention. He smiled as I yanked them out, but spared me the complete 10

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop humiliation of mentioning my boner. I figured he’d save that until after he made his sale. He cleared his throat to disguise his chuckle and kept going. “So. You’re having fifteen rocket scientists over for wine and cheese? Are ya’ll gonna play Dirty Santa?” I bounced on my toes. It was all I could do not to grab him. Normally I’m not like that around attractive strangers, but since he was my jack-off fantasy, he got special consideration. “I think they mentioned something about that.” “What did you get? For your present?” He tilted his head to the side, looked really interested. He had a mole by his lip, like Cindy Crawford. I wanted to lick it. “Ummm....” I bounced some more, dragging my eyes away from the mole so that I might possibly be able to remember what was in the Christmas bag sitting on my kitchen counter. “A bag of Starbucks coffee and a travel mug.” He nodded, pressed his lips together. “Wow. I bet they’ll be fighting tooth and nail over that one.” That hurt. “We take our moles coffee very seriously!” My heart was starting to beat off rhythm. I figured I had about five minutes max before I either hyperventilated or shoved him into the back room and did something very nonscientific. His lips twitched, but he gave me another pass. 11

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “So you said wine for fifteen?” He walked ahead of me towards the stand with the big bottles. I followed, eyes glued to his ass. “Plus my neighbors.” He looked back and caught me in mid-ogle. “How many neighbors?” “Two. But they drink a lot.” “Are you serving anything else? Punch, sodas?” “Beer.” “Nothing non-alcoholic?” Shit. I hadn’t even thought about that. “Okay. I’ll pick up some bottles of water. And diet Coke. The women drink that at work all the time.” My cube partner Melinda wasn’t even human without it. “Good plan. Most folks like a to-go drink. You want to give them some safe options.” “Yeah, I didn’t think about that. I don’t have many parties.” “I used to have some, but not since I moved here.” As he reached for a big bottle of wine, he added quietly, “All by myself.” I muttered “Thanks,” acknowledging the information I’d asked for earlier, and then I listened as he explained to me about the different wines. Since I had no idea what anyone 12

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop liked, I bought two bottles each of red, white and pink, which was actually White Zinfandel. Between that and the beer and soft drinks, we should be set. They were only planning to stay for a couple of hours. It was almost Christmas, after all. They had other stuff to do besides hang out at my house and get sloshed. (Or so you would think.) We carried all my stuff up to the counter. The bell rang and another customer came in, but thankfully it was a guy who wanted a bottle of vodka in a hurry, so I let him go ahead of me, and we soon had the store to ourselves again. He rang me up, the scanner beeping over each of my bottles, my heart rate accelerating as he rang up the fourth one, then the fifth, and then the last one. “That’ll be one oh seven fifty two.” Oh yeah. I dug in my back pocket, pulled out my wallet, and handed over my credit card. We stood there in awkward silence as we waited for the transaction to go through. My palms were sweating, and my fingers felt like spaghetti noodles. I wondered if I’d even be able to hold the pen to sign my name. The door bell chimed again as he drummed his fingers on the counter. He looked up and smiled at the young man who walked in. “Hey, Grady.” “Hey, Jonas. How’s it going?” “Okay. Kinda slow right now, but it’s been busy.” The machine whirred and spat out my receipt. Jonas pulled it

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop free, but didn’t hand it over. I listened to their conversation, eager for any bits of information I could gather. “You got anything special you want me to do?” “Just put the empty boxes out for the garbage pick-up. I’m gonna be heading out pretty soon if you think you’ve got it.” “Sure man. No prob.” “Thanks.” Jonas gave the young man a smile and then turned back to me as he disappeared into the back. “I’ve been killing myself around here. Finally got some reliable help so I don’t have to work all the damn time.” “That’s good. It’s no fun working all the time,” I said, reaching for my receipt. His fingers touched mine as he handed it to me, and even though the touch was small and quick, it still melted my heart just that much more. I was a certified goner as far as Jonas Cooper was concerned. “No, it’s not, even when you don’t have a wife and kids to go home to.” His expression was bland. The ball was in my court, but it was an easy lob he’d set me up with, leaving me with lots of options for my return. “So who do you go home to?” “Cujo.” I handed him back the receipt with its illegible signature. “Who’s that?” It sounded vicious, whoever it was.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “My cat.” He got a worried look on his face. “You’re not allergic to cats, are you?” “No. But I don’t have one. I have a dog. Clyde.” He looked away for a second, then back at me. It was his turn to blush when he asked, “Is he allergic to cats?” “I hope not.” We stared at each other for a minute until finally I realized that still nothing had happened, and it wouldn’t until I made the next move. I shuffled and mustered up the last of my nerve. “If you’re not busy tonight, you’re welcome to stop by the house and have a glass of this wine. My friends are pretty nice. They might give you some hell once they’ve had a few, but they’re harmless.” His eyes got big. “What kinda hell?” I shrugged, blushed some more. I felt like a twelve-yearold girl at my first school dance. “About me.” I rolled my eyes, hoping to convey all the things I desperately did not want to say. “You know.” He nodded, got that oh yeah look on his face. “Gotcha.” He twirled the pen in his fingers and closed his eyes for a second, which gave me a chance to study his eyelashes. They were long and thick and sensual. I’d never thought of eyelashes as sexy before, but that was just the tip of the iceberg of the havoc he was causing in my preconceived notions. He was changing all my rules about everything. I’d never flirted with a virtual stranger before in broad daylight 15

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop without being at least slightly hammered. I’d never asked the man of my dreams to come to my house for wine and cheese with my coworkers without even the benefit of a date or two first. I’d never wanted so badly to slam someone down on the floor and fuck their brains out that it was all I could do to stay civil and upright. He was showing me glimpses of myself I’d never seen before, and it was scary, but it was exciting too. I realized we were staring at each other. He’d opened his eyes somewhere in the middle of my thoughts. It was gratifying to see the want I was feeling mirrored in his face. “It’s cool, though. I’m up for it. I’d like to come.” “Great,” I said, smiling and breathing free for the first time since I walked in. He passed me a square of paper, and I wrote down the directions to my house and my home phone and cell phone numbers as well. I added a little map with an X at the store and another one at my house. I noted the big tree with the tire swing that we all used as a landmark. I thought about drawing two stick men fucking, but I figured that might be over the top. Best to take things slow and easy. No need to rush. I handed over the information. He studied it for a few seconds; then he looked up, smiled, and said, “Thanks. What time?” “Whenever. They’ll start showing up around five thirty.” “Do I need to bring anything?”

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop I had condoms and lube. I couldn’t imagine what else we would need. “No, everything’s covered.” Including you, I hope. I shivered at the thought. I probably needed to take a valium just to be on the safe side, only I didn’t have one. Damn. If we ended up alone at the party, as revved up as I was, there was no telling what I might do. I didn’t want our first encounter to be in the pantry up against my canned vegetables. “Ok. See you in a couple of hours then.” He held up the paper. “Thanks, Eli.” It was time to go. I said, “Sure. See ya.” then hurried out with my bags of wine, eager to finish my errands and get home. Time couldn’t pass fast enough for me anymore.

THE doorbell rang while I was tugging on my jeans, still damp from the shower but too rushed to finish drying myself. I wished it would be him, not that we had time to do anything, but I’d just like for him to see that underneath my clothes, I do have muscles and a hard, flat belly. I’m not a soft, squishy lab rat. But it was Janice from work and her sister Gwen, who I didn’t even know was coming. They dutifully admired my muscles, and Janice even giggled and tweaked my nipple before I could get my shirt buttoned. Apparently I wasn’t the only one having a horny Christmas. By the time Jonas got there, they house was full with at least twenty-five people if not more. I wasn’t the only one who’d decided to invite an outsider. My Christmas tree was 17

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop crowded with gift bags, Jingle Bell Rock was blaring on my Bose stereo, and the booze was flowing freely. In addition to my wine and beer, we had spiked eggnog, cosmopolitans and screwdrivers. People were everywhere, sucking down alcohol and chomping on finger foods like there was a famine on the horizon, telling stupid jokes, and outlining vividly the remainder of their exciting holiday plans. As soon as Jonas walked in the door, I was ready to tell them all to leave, but that wasn’t an option. I caught his eye and waved. He held up his bag, and I motioned with my head towards the tree. I had drinks in both hands and was trying to herd Clyde away from a short, round lady who I hadn’t even met, who was talking enthusiastically and waving around a plate overflowing with cocktail sausages and cheese cubes. Even with only one goofy eye, Clyde was deadly accurate when it came to tracking down potential snacks. Jonas set his present down with the others under the tree and came over to say hi. The short lady was tipsy and not helping her own cause at all, holding the plate at a tempting level just a few inches above Clyde’s nose, while she blabbed non-stop at my neighbor. “Hey! Great party!” Jonas had changed into different jeans that rode low on his hips, cupping his package nicely, and a soft, black V-neck sweater that gave me just a glimpse of chest hair. My mouth started to water. Clyde and I were two peas in a drooling pod.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “Um... thanks. Everybody brought somebody.” I glanced around at all the unexpected strangers and then back wistfully at my wonderfully thoughtful present to myself – him. “Oh. Well, that’s cool, I guess. The more, the merrier, right?” He looked happy, amused, not put out at all by the human delay we were facing. Maybe it hadn’t been nine months since he’d last gotten naked with a real person. Thinking that brought up questions I had no right to ask and feelings I didn’t need to be having, at least not yet, so I refocused on what I was trying to do, which was deflecting Clyde from his prey. “Could you take this?” I handed him my beer. “Sure. Is this Clyde?” He reached out his free hand, and Clyde sniffed it eagerly. “Yeah. He wants her food, and I’ve gotta get him away from her or he’s gonna get it,” I said, motioning to the oblivious woman behind me. “I thought people were supposed to be scared of dogs like him!” Jonas scratched the top of Clyde’s head, and Clyde made his happy noise. I was officially consumed with jealousy. “Yeah, I know, but I guess they’ve got him figured out. I’m gonna have to put him in my bedroom ’til folks get done eating.” “Okay.” He gave me one of his soulful, hungry looks. He could speak volumes with his eyes. “Need any help?” 19

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “Uh... Well, yeah, but it’s probably not a good idea. I’m not real stable right now.” My cock was unfolding in my jeans, prodding me. He stepped closer, and I could smell his toothpaste breath. “Well, since I’m not a horse, I don’t really care about stable.” “Oh.” I could feel my dick weeping tears of joy at his forwardness. Since there was no doubt in my mind that whatever happened in my bedroom now would have no negative impact whatsoever on my ability to have fun later, I saw no good reason to demur. The bird in the hand theory prevailed. My door had a lock, after all, and the party was on autopilot, or it would be once Clyde got corralled. “Okay.” I nodded, trying to hang onto my vanishing composure. “Sounds good.” Luckily, he was able to sense the enthusiasm behind my stilted words. He grinned salaciously and waggled his eyebrows. “Lead the way.” I grabbed Clyde’s collar and headed for my room, never more thankful for his abysmal doggie manners than I was at that moment. By another stroke of amazing luck, my bedroom was free of people when we got there. There wasn’t even anyone in the hall leering at us, ready to listen at the keyhole. I shoved Jonas inside first, then Clyde, then shut the door quietly behind me, not wanting to take even the tiniest chance on attracting anyone’s attention. I twisted the lock in 20

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop the knob at last, and we were safe. As soon as I let Clyde go, he ran and jumped onto the bed, heading straight for his pillow, worn out from all the excitement. I, on the other hand, was all fired up from all the excitement, and without another thought, no please or mother-may-I either, I shoved Jonas up against the door and laid into him like a starving man on Thanksgiving Day. His mouth was open to greet mine, tasting like mint and beer and man. His tongue was hot and eager to play, thrusting against mine in rough, hungry jabs. Our teeth ground together as he grabbed my head and pulled me in tighter. I gave him all that I had, nipping and sucking at his lips, playing a hard game of tag with his tongue. He panted and moaned and urged me on, his hands twisting and pulling in my short hair, and I was gratified to discover that I wasn’t the only one skating on the edge. As I kissed and licked at his stubbled jaw line, I felt his hands fall away from my head, drifting down to my shoulders. After rubbing their way down my back, they settled in on my ass and jerked me in tight. My breath caught in my throat as he squeezed my cheeks, and I thought I might pass out for sure as our crotches slammed together for the very first time. “Oh Jesus,” I groaned, pulling back to look at him. He looked sleepy and dangerous at the same time. “Fuck, it’s good, isn’t it?”

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “Yeah.” I thrust my hips, grinding into him, and everything went silent around me as I felt my orgasm begin to build. “Oh yeah,” he whispered, rocking his hips into mine, running his fingers down my butt, spreading my cheeks, stretching my hole. I didn’t normally get a lot of attention back there, but this felt good, and when he rubbed me hard, right on my rosebud, I huffed and pumped harder into his crotch. “I want you, Eli,” he growled in my ear, rubbing me harder back there, pushing with his fingers against my pants. “I want to see you and touch you and taste every inch of you!” “Ahhhhh oh God!” I cried as his words joined with his touches and the rub of his dick against mine to send me over the edge and into the heavens, humping in his arms and coming like a teenager in my jeans. “Are you...?” he breathed, shocked, and when I answered, “Shit, yeah,” he repositioned his hands on my hips and said, “Okay, me too,” then pumped hard and fast, grunting and churning while I moaned and spasmed, and within a minute he was there with me with a quick, sharp cry of joy. When we were done, we hung there for a minute in the loose circle of each other’s arms, panting and recovering ourselves. As the fog of lust lifted and we realized how badly we’d lost it, we both felt a little embarrassed. “Been a while since I did that,” Jonas admitted, sounding sheepish.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “Been a while since I did anything,” I countered, hiding my face in his neck. “Sorry I’m so out of control. That’s why.” I felt his smile against my cheek. “It’s okay.” He bit my earlobe. “I like it.” “You probably won’t like it for long with a load of come in your pants.” I was already starting to feel clammy down there, but I could change. He didn’t have that option. “It’s okay. It was worth it.” That was good to hear. I hugged him, not wanting to let him go now that I finally had the right to touch him. “Yeah. It was awesome.” “So you’ll invite me back sometime?” The way he said it caught my attention. “Why? Do you have to leave?” His smile faded. “Yeah. I gotta go to my crazy aunts’ house for dinner. They called me just as I was leaving the shop today. They’re going on a cruise, leaving tomorrow, so they wanna give me my Christmas present and my turkey dinner tonight.” He looked bummed, but resigned to it. It was obviously a done deal. “Oh,” was all I said, struggling to cope with this new information. It was amazing how quickly the human spirit could freefall from the heights of ecstasy to the depths of despair.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “But I’m closing up the shop early tomorrow, and after that I’m free ’til Monday, so if you wanna do something, I’m available,” he offered, his eyes big and hopeful. Unfortunately, that was almost twenty-four hours away. I needed more now. “What about tonight, when you get done with dinner?” I asked, trying to keep the pitiful desperation out of my voice. “Maybe the party’ll be over by then. We could be alone.” I said all this with my lips touching his, kissing him while I talked. “You want me to come back? Tonight?” He sounded surprised. He obviously wasn’t picking up on all my signals. I wanted him to come back with his bags packed, ready to stay ’til forever. It was too soon to say it, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t think it. “Yes.” I pulled back so that he could see the need and hope in my face. “Please.” “You sure?” He slipped his fingers through my belt loop, fiddling with the fabric, uncertain. “I don’t usually sleep over right away.” My heart sank. I didn’t want to push him, and I sure didn’t want to make him think all I cared about was sex, because that wasn’t the case at all. I was head over heels infatuated with him, all of him: his sense of humor and his charm as well as his good looks and hot body. While I’d liked Dillon well enough, I already knew this thing with Jonas was going to turn into a whole lot more.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “If you don’t want to, it’s okay, but if you do want to, I’d really like it. We don’t have to fuck tonight if it’s too soon. Whatever you want is fine with me.” Clyde chose that moment to snort, already deep in the land of Z’s. Jonas looked over at him and then turned back to me with a worried expression on his face. “What about him? Will it be fine with him?” I nodded confidently, hoping against hope that he and I could come to some agreement. “Is that where he sleeps?” Jonas was stuck on the issue. Clyde farted. We both winced. I reached for him, eager to distract him. “Yeah, but he’s negotiable. He likes the couch too.” “I hope so.” Jonas sounded doubtful, and truthfully, I had no idea how I’d ever convince Clyde that he needed to find a new place to sleep, but just the hope of having Jonas in my bed gave me courage and determination. “Trust me,” I muttered, pulling him into my arms for another kiss, and after a minute he seemed convinced, or at least willing to be misled. “Okay. I’ll come back, but it’s gonna be late. Probably after midnight.” “That’s fine. I’ll try to bust them outta here by then.” Jonas grinned his sly, sexy, heart-melting grin and pinched my ass. “See that you do.” 25

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop I SHOWED him where the key was hidden on the front porch as I walked him out to his car, a dark red Jeep. I kissed him again against the side of his Jeep even though it had started to drizzle, just because I couldn’t stop myself and because I needed him to know how much I wanted him. “I hope you’ll come back, even if it’s late.” “Okay. I will.” He kissed me back. “I want to.” I held him for a minute longer and then forced myself to let him go and return to my job as host. I shivered on the front porch as a cold rain began to fall. As I watched him drive away I wondered if maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of the rest of my life. I really liked the way it felt, and I hoped that maybe it was. The party carried on until midnight. I couldn’t believe that no one had anything more pressing to do that hang out at my house and get drunk, but that appeared to be the situation, in a nutshell. We ordered pizzas at eleven, because all the snacks were long gone, and sat around the kitchen and living room when the delivery guy finally showed up, wolfing down slices like it was a pizza-eating contest. We didn’t stop until every box was empty. It did the trick of killing the buzzes, though, and once the food was gone they packed up their empty dishes and went home. I peed and brushed my teeth, then collapsed, exhausted, on my bed. Clyde groaned, and I remembered my promise, so I led him, sleep-walking, out to the sofa. I clicked on his channel and turned the sound down low, then tip-toed back to my room 26

Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop and eased the door shut. After a minute of silence, no doggie claws clicking on the hardwood, I felt safe. I ditched my clothes and was asleep two minutes later.

I

WOKE up the next morning to the gentle stroke of a hand

on my belly, fingers swirling in soothing touches, up around my nipples and then back down. My dick was already awake and anxious for attention. I told it to wait and reached for Jonas’ hand and pulled it up to my lips for a kiss. “Sorry I fell asleep on you.” “It’s okay. It snowed last night. I had a hell of a time getting back.” “It snowed? For real?” It almost never snowed in Huntsville. “Yeah. Got colder than they expected, and that rain turned into snow.” I opened my eyes to find the room lit with that strange dim-brightness that comes with snowfall. “I love snow,” I murmured. “Me too. We should go to the mountains sometime, get a cabin, and get snowbound.” I twisted onto my back to stare up at him. He was just as gorgeous now as when he’d walked in my door the night before, his rumpled hair and sleep-creased face just another look I was coming to love. “That sounds awesome.” I touched

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop his face, ran my fingers along his jaw and over his lips. “How was dinner?” “It was good.” “What was your present?” He rolled his eyes. “A new bed for Cujo.” “How thoughtful!” I reached for his hip, dragging him closer. He finally got the message and crawled on top of me, between my legs. “Yeah. He’ll be over the moon.” He flexed his hips and I sighed with pleasure as his dick pressed into mine. We were both hard, but there was no hurry this time; we could go slow. “What’d you get from Dirty Santa?” “Chocolate body paint.” He grinned. “For real?” “Yeah.” “I brought that.” “I know. I saw the bag. I had to cheat to get it, but oh well. Their loss.” He ground his cock harder into mine, leaned down and bit my nipple. “Maybe we’ll use it this weekend.” He ran his hands up my arms until he got to my hands. He pressed them back into the pillows, trapping me, and thrust some more as I arched and hissed.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop “Maybe. Just so happens I’ve got a little cabin a couple hours north of here, up in the mountains. Wanna go?” I lifted my head up and licked his chest. “You already taste good, but I wouldn’t mind having a go at you covered in chocolate. Maybe with some peppermint sprinkles too....” I licked his nipple and sucked it into my mouth, worried it with my teeth. “Marshmallow crème,” he suggested, his words a throaty moan of hungry desire. I could only imagine how delicious his dick would be coated in that gooey sweet stuff. Whatever I was going to say about it, however, got lost in his kiss as suddenly play time was over. He was on the move, forcing me deep into the pillows as he kissed me with eager passion, letting go of my wrists to run his hands down my body, his touches fierce and urgent. That was okay, though, it was what I wanted. I wanted this time to be wild and hot and out of control. Later, a weekend alone in the mountains would be heaven. We could take our time, talk, share secrets, and make slow, easy love, but at that moment in my snow-dark bedroom, he was giving me just what I needed: his hands hard on my body and his mouth demanding on mine. As he wrapped his fingers around both our dicks and brought us off quickly in mutual bliss, I called out his name and held him tight, thankful to the spirit of Christmas for this unexpected treasure-trove of gifts: hope for a wonderful future, unbridled joy in his new lover’s arms, and yes... a secret heart budding with love.

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Christmas Comes Early For Eli Sienna Bishop

©Copyright Sienna Bishop, 2008 Published by Dreamspinner Press 4760 Preston Road Suite 244-149 Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Art by Dan Skinner/Cerberus Inc. [email protected] Cover Design by Mara McKennen 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. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ Released in the United States of America December, 2008

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