Chapter 10
Every time things were about to end happily in Blaine’s life, something came along to knock that blissful possibility right out of his hands. The look on Group Captain Parker’s face as he interrupted his and Alfie’s kiss had all the markings of one of those moments.
“Parker,” Alfie greeted his superior with a nod. He shifted to stand beside Blaine but kept one hand on the small of Blaine’s back, which was potentially a good sign. “Do we need to talk immediately, or is this something that can wait?”
Parker tilted his head slightly to the side, studying Blaine and Alfie for a moment. Then he said, “The bigger conversation can wait, but I think I have to say something right now.”
Blaine’s blood practically froze in his veins. This was it. This was the moment the beautiful, potential thing he’d almost grasped was yanked away from him. Parker could only want one thing, and everything he was offering was a much better deal for Alfie.
“I’m all ears,” Alfie said with a half shrug.
Parker shifted to a more casual posture and smiled. “I’ve been watching you all evening,” he said. “Watching you with the kids and with your friend here.”
He nodded to Blaine, still smiling. Was that a good sign?
“I hope I haven’t done anything worthy of comment,” Alfie said with a troubled look.
“Oh, you most certainly have,” Parker said. He pretended to be serious for a moment, then, like he couldn’t keep up the act, chuckled and said, “I had no idea you were so brilliant with children. They flock to you like you’re Santa.”
Blaine blinked and felt Alfie tense.
“I’ve always liked kids,” he said, looking like he didn’t know where the statement was going. “I might have gone to university and earned a teaching degree when I left school, except that I couldn’t afford it.”
“Ah! Everything makes sense, then,” Parker said. “I thought I sensed something special there.”
“Alfie has been wonderful with the kids all evening,” Blaine said, not sure where the conversation was going, but wanting to speak up for Alfie in any way he could. Alfie had spoken up for him to his family, after all.
“I agree,” Parker said. “It seems like he likes you quite a bit, too.”
Blaine felt his face flush. “We’ve only just started dating,” he said, feeling way too bold for saying that out loud. One quick glance up at Alfie told him it was the right thing to say, though. They were absolutely an item now. “I’m a hot mess with questionable fashion sense, but he seems to like me anyhow.”
“You’re not so much of a hot mess that you can’t be sorted,” Alfie said, tightening his arm around Blaine’s waist.
Parker nodded. “And now I understand your hesitation to take up an offer for a commission. I would hesitate, too, if I had such an amusing and lively significant other here in the UK.”
Blaine felt suddenly off-kilter. He pulled away from Alfie slightly, glancing up at him in horror as he said, “I don’t want you to turn down the offer of a lifetime just for me. I would feel terrible if you gave up Cyprus and glory just to stay here and clean up after me wherever I go.”
Alfie laughed. The sound was warming instead of making fun of Blaine. “Believe me,” he said. “Whatever decision I make, it will be in my best interest and what I want to do.”
“Take this man at his word,” Parker said. “He’s as straightforward as they come. I’ve never known him to mince words or say something he didn’t mean. That’s one reason we’ve been so interested in persuading him to change his mind about transitioning to civilian life.”
“Thank you, sir,” Alfie said, looking pleased.
“Incidentally,” Parker went on, “I was chatting with one of the ladies from Maidstone Children’s Home earlier. I hear they have an opening for a full-time houseparent, since they’re planning to expand. I’m sure they’d welcome an application from a decorated military officer with a background in logistics.”
“Really?” Blaine answered, excited by the idea, even though it had nothing to do with him.
It might have something to do with him someday, though, if he didn’t mess things up.
“That’s an interesting prospect,” Alfie said. He sounded only mildly curious on the surface, but Blaine was sure from the twinkle in his eyes and the way he glanced over to a group of kids eating cupcakes near the rainbow trees that he was more interested than he was letting on.
“Think about it,” Parker said, reaching out to clap Alfie’s arm. “We would be sad to see you go, but I think some others would be delighted to have you on their team.”
“Thank you, sir,” Alfie said, nodding as Parker reached over to grab a cupcake, then walked away.
“Wow!” Blaine said, gesturing with his own cupcake as he realized he was still holding it. “I don’t even know what to say about that. Could you see yourself as a houseparent in a home for children?”
“Despite Parker’s confidence, I’m not certain they’d hire me,” he said.
“What?” Blaine was outraged at the idea. “Is it because you’re gay? Because you’re a man? I thought we were miles beyond that sort of discrimination. It isn’t fair. You’d be the perfect houseparent. I’m going to have to complain to someone. These people would do well to?—”
Alfie reached out and pressed a finger to Blaine’s lips. “It’s because institutions like that generally prefer married couples as houseparents,” he said.
That was all he said, but the spark in his eyes suggested something else to Blaine entirely. It suggested a future and a life he never would have dreamed of.
But it was a good suggestion, even if it was much too early to put something like that on the table.
Instead of pointing out the obvious, that the two of them had technically only been dating for fifteen minutes and marriage was a long way off, Blaine grinned. When Alfie moved his finger, he took an enormous, suggestive bite of his cupcake.
Alfie laughed low and deep in his throat in a way that had Blaine shivering with arousal, then brought his finger back to Blaine’s face. This time, he wiped a blob of icing from the tip of Blaine’s nose, then stuck his finger in his mouth to suck it off. That gesture nearly caused Blaine’s knees to buckle.
He chewed his bite of cupcake as fast as he could, then swallowed and said, “Wanna get out of here? I know a cozy corner upstairs where we could unwrap some presents.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Alfie laughed again. “Not quite yet,” he said, glancing past Blaine toward the dining hall’s door.
Blaine turned just as Uncle Robert burst into the room dressed as Santa.
“Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!” Uncle Robert said, throwing his arms wide and heading into the middle of the room, to the large Christmas tree. “I was told there were good boys and girls here.”
“Someone lied to you,” one of the teenage boys called in return.
Several people laughed. Blaine was one of them. It was the sort of joke he would have made at that age. It was the sort of joke he would make now.
“Come on,” Alfie said quietly as Blaine scarfed down the last of his cupcake. “Let’s go help hand out the gifts.”
Blaine never would have imagined anything would be more fun than rushing up to his flat and getting horizontal with Alfie. Joining Uncle Robert and Group Captain Parker to hand out the gifts that had been collected in the toy drive was definitely up there. Seeing so much love and kindness expressed to people who might not otherwise have seen it filled up Blaine’s soul.
Watching Alfie distributing the gifts to the kids and seeing the way the kids looked at him with as much awe and admiration as Santa was all the gift he needed that Christmas. Everything was still so new between him and Alfie, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit smug for finding himself such an amazing man.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, after the gifts were given out, Group Captain Parker made a speech commending Alfie on the work he’d done and thanking the Hawthorne family, after carols were sung and more treats were consumed, the party started to wind down.
“We should probably stick around and help clean up,” Blaine said after Alfie said goodbye to Parker. “It would be the responsible thing to do.”
“Maybe,” Alfie said, taking his hand and threading their fingers together. “But I have something else in mind.”
The look Alfie gave him hinted at exactly what that was. Blaine felt his insides turn to putty as Alfie tugged on his hand and led him out of the dining hall with a few other departing guests.
They veered away from those guests as they reached the front hall, heading to the family wing and up the stairs to Blaine’s flat instead. Blaine was already toeing out of his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt seconds after they entered the flat and shut the door behind them.
“Wait,” Alfie said in a warning voice that sent another shiver through Blaine.
Blaine’s hands froze on his buttons. “You don’t want to?—”
He dropped his question as he watched Alfie cross the room to the couch, where an overnight bag and a large, rectangular, wrapped present sat.
“I got you a little something,” Alfie said, picking up the present, then coming back over to hand it to Blaine. “A little something I think you’ll like.”
Blaine took the gift, surprised by how heavy it was. “You didn’t have to get me anything,” he said.
Alfie shrugged. “I wanted to.”
Blaine burst into a smile, then moved to the small table at the side of the room so he could open the gift.
He expected something naughty or sexy, something like boyfriends of the past had given him that had led immediately to sexy times. That’s what he expected people to think of him. But as soon as he saw the Burberry box waiting for him under the wrapping paper, he gasped and his heart sped up. He tore through the rest of the paper and lifted the box’s lid to reveal the peacoat he’d admired through the shop window the week before.
“I could tell you’d fallen in love with it as soon as you saw it,” Alfie said, his smile filled with hope and delight. “I had to get it for you, to keep you warm.”
Blaine pulled the coat reverently from its box, shook it out, and looked at it in absolute awe. He was relatively certain he made more money than Alfie and that it was no casual gift. In fact, he would probably feel bad about the expense at some point. But in that moment, all he could think was that Alfie got him. He cared for him as a person, as a man, not just as a bit of fun.
“I love it,” he said, hugging the coat close. Then, in a wild fit of emotion, he turned to Alfie and said, “I love you.” He gulped, then went on with, “I know it’s way too early to say it or to think any of the things I’m thinking right now, but how can I not at least put it out there? I’ll take it back later and we can work on things until we get to the point where?—”
That was as far as he got before Alfie stepped into him, grasped the sides of his face, and captured his mouth in a kiss that silenced not only his words, but the frantic buzzing in his soul.
The kiss was so good that it relaxed every muscle in Blaine’s body. He gave into it completely, reveling in the warmth of Alfie’s affection, then returning it with passion.
Too soon, Alfie took a step back, sucking in a breath as he did. The pause was only so he could pluck the coat from Blaine’s hands and put it on the table. Then he grabbed Blaine’s hand and with a wicked grin, led Blaine towards the bedroom.
There were a lot of things they should probably do first. Showering might have been a good idea. There was a particular attachment in the shower that he should probably get intimate with first. But none of that mattered in the moment as Alfie nudged the bedroom door shut behind them, then reached for the sides of Blaine’s shirt to finish unbuttoning it.
“You don’t want me to slip into something a little more comfortable first?” Blaine asked, working the buttons of Alfie’s dress jacket as he did. “Nothing you want me to do or prepare for you before we….” He nodded to the bed.
“Nope,” Alfie said, pushing back Blaine’s shirt once the buttons were all undone. “I just want you.”
It was a small, potentially corny comment, but Blaine loved it. It gave him wings as he finished undressing and fumbled to get Alfie out of his clothes as well. He was hindering more than he was helping with Alfie, so he left off to pull the covers back and jump into bed instead.
It was the most wonderful thing in the world when Alfie slipped between the sheets with him, stretching his body over Blaine’s, but not pushing, like he was in a rush to get to the end. He slanted his mouth over Blaine’s kissing him with hunger while stroking one hand down his side and balancing on his other arm.
Blaine brushed his hands over the delicious muscles of Alfie’s back, wondering how on earth he could have gotten so lucky to find such a wonderful, kind-hearted, noble man.
A minute or so later, he wondered how he had gotten so lucky to find a man who was so good with his mouth as Alfie broke away from his lips to shimmy lower. He kissed all over Blaine’s chest, laving and sucking on his nipples for a moment before traveling lower still. He kissed his way across Blaine’s belly, traveling down even more until he could nuzzle the join of his thigh.
Blaine sucked in a breath and let it out on a vocal sigh as Alfie dragged the flat of his tongue up the underside of his cock. He was already hard, but that little gesture had him throbbing.
“You don’t have to—” he started. Not every guy liked giving blow jobs. He was usually the one doing the sucking anyhow.
“Shush,” Alfie told him before diving back down to mouth one of his balls.
The pleasure was so good that Blaine may have made a few undignified sounds of begging. He was downright delirious as Alfie kissed his way up his cock again to lick at his dripping tip, then to swallow his entire head. Whether it was some sort of secret military training that civilians didn’t know about or whether Alfie was just that good, Blaine found himself panting and thrusting into Alfie’s mouth with small, tight jerks before he could stop himself. Alfie didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he made a sound like he loved it, then bobbed on Blaine, taking him deeper and deeper.
Everything within Blaine wanted to see just how far Alfie could swallow him. An impish part of him wondered if Alfie would choke if he went too far. He doubted Alfie would come close to doing anything that resembled losing control. But he didn’t make it that far. His whole body buzzed with energy as he started to come. He cried out with pleasure as Alfie swallowed all of him, making everything feel hot and wonderful.
He wanted it to go on forever, but as soon as the intensity began to fade, Alfie pulled back, panting, and knelt above him, between his spread legs. He took his own, iron-hard cock in hand, working himself like he was going for a record as he gazed down at Blaine’s spread, spent body with fire in his eyes.
It was the most glorious sight Blaine had ever seen. A big, muscley, sweaty, wanking Alfie drinking in the sight under him would have made Blaine come again if he could. Alfie was the epitome of power and sexuality, and when he started to shoot all over Blaine’s belly and chest with a growl of completion, Blaine knew he’d keep that image in his memory forever.
“God, you’re so hot,” he gasped as Alfie finished, then grinned smugly at his handiwork. “Please fuck me whenever and wherever you want for the rest of our lives. I’ve never really been kinky, but I will sub the fuck out of this relationship, if that’s what you want.”
Alfie laughed with that low, rumbling sound that made Blaine hot all over as he relaxed and stretched himself out over Blaine again. He gathered Blaine’s still overheated body and rolled to the side so they could tangle and snuggle together, then he kissed Blaine in a way Blaine hoped lasted forever.
“I’m not really kinky either, but I’m definitely a top,” Alfie said, nuzzling Blaine’s neck and breathing in deeply.
“And I’m yours in any way you want me,” Blaine sighed happily in return.
“I want you,” Alfie replied, his voice growing tired and his body heavy. “I want all of you, just like this, for a long, long time to come.”
“Good” Blaine sighed, closing his eyes and surrendering to the sleepy feelings settling in on him.
He popped his eyes open a second later and said, “Ha! I bet this means you like Christmas now.”
Alfie had his eyes closed as well, but opened one of them, then laughed. “I like you. Is that enough?”
“No!” Blaine teased him, poking his chest. “You have to adore Christmas. It’s required at this time of year.”
“We’ll discuss it in the morning,” Alfie said with a bear-like grumble, closing his eyes again and hugging Blaine closer.
“No, we should discuss it now,” Blaine said, laughing. “You have to like Christmas. All good houseparents love Christmas.”
Alfie chuckled without opening his eyes. “I love you,” he said.
Blaine gasped with pretend offense. “You can’t say that yet. We’ve only been dating for—” He looked over Alfie’s shoulder at the clock on the bedside table. “We’ve only been dating for two hours.”
“Sorry,” Alfie said, kissing Blaine’s shoulder, which was the closest part of him he could reach while snuggled in and falling asleep. “Would twelve hours be enough? I could tell you again in the morning.”
Blaine laughed and gave up, nestling into Alfie’s arms. “I suppose,” he said, happier than he could remember being for a long time. “But I want a confession that you love Christmas in the morning, too.”
Alfie just grunted, either pretending to be asleep or actually nodding off. Blaine grinned from ear to ear. He didn’t mind if Alfie refused to accept his undying love for the holiday season yet. After all, he had a feeling that the two of them would have years together to come in which he could convince his man that this was the very best time of year.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Blaine and Alfie’s little Christmas love story! It was so much fun to write about these guys! I had to do a lot of research about the RAF in the process, especially about the evacuations from Afghanistan, and boy did that make for some reading! I do have to point out a bit of a liberty that I took with the story, though. As far as I was able to discover from my research, it was only the Americans who gave out commendations to airmen who aided with the evacuations from Kabul. I haven’t seen that any were given to RAF airmen. But I definitely think they deserve those decorations!
What about Blaine’s brother, Baxter? Can that black sheep of the family (he’s an accountant in a family where everyone else are artists) find love at Hawthorne House as well? Is it a good idea for him to set his sights on Nick, who is not only the widower of Raina Hawthorne, but who is straight? What kind of journey of self-discovery is single-father Nick about to go on as he spends the winter in close proximity with Baxter? Find out next in Forged !