17. Haze
17
HAZE
I’d thought Thanksgiving on the Van Doren Estate was a big to-do, but damn. There are people everywhere and they’re all in pajamas. I’d been skeptical about wearing pajamas to the big house where there would be more than a hundred people - enough Van Dorens that they could seriously form their own state. But here we are, everyone in cute and ridiculous pajamas.
Oren and Adak chose to stay with me in one of my spare rooms, which turned out to be a good thing. The five cottages beside me, each with three or four rooms, are filled to the brim. As are the cabins at the opposite end of the estate.
The on-site hotel with forty-eight rooms is full. I’ve heard that even the insane number of bedrooms in the big house are all nearly full.
Speaking of the big house, I feel like I’ve been transported into a magical Christmas world. Every single room is decorated to the rafters. And I mean that, even for the rooms that span two, three, and four stories.
The ballroom is where the fourteen-foot tree is located, and yes, it’s decorated majestically. There are hundreds of presents all around it. Piling high and spilling out. The room is filled with couches and chairs and pillows on rugs. So many seating areas I can’t even fathom that many people.
Not only that, but the ballroom has two enormous fireplaces, one at each end. And yes, there are stockings. Not one for each person, but definitely one for each child, and I know there are some for some adults, too.
It’s absolutely insane. That’s where we’ll be gathering for the present exchange as one enormous family after the equally massive brunch at eleven.
When we woke up yesterday morning, we saw that overnight, the entire grounds were decorated. Jalon had hired three horse-and-carriages to entertain his family outside. There were paddle boat races on the lake and kite building and flying in the fields. I think there was even a scavenger hunt that encompassed the entire estate grounds.
Oren looked at me with wide eyes and said, “This is wild.”
To be fair, we’d only been here since July, so it’s not like we’d known the kind of extravagance the holidays brought to the property.
One of the aspects of working for the university that I’ve added to a ‘ pro ’ list is that I get nearly four weeks off for winter break. There is a winter term, but I’m not teaching during that time. Which means I get to enjoy the time off as the students do.
That means I’ve spent the last four days with my brother and Adak. We’ve gotten together a few times since we both left Anaheim, and the visits were increasingly less awkward. Since our last visit, we’ve talked a lot. We’ve virtually hung out. I think we were both relieved over the last few days to find that we’re finally getting to a comfortable sibling place.
It’s strange. I didn’t know you could miss a relationship you never had until recently. And it’s definitely the feeling I have now. All the years we didn’t have this, I missed it. I miss the easy familiarity and the sibling bond we’re beginning to form. The only thing I’d change is having good memories we could recount together.
There weren’t any.
It’s early Christmas morning and I’m lying in bed with a really hard, frustrated cock. Spending all this time with my brother has been great. However, I haven’t seen Imry in days. As I lie here, I’m surprised it’s not just my libido that misses him.
I miss Imry. I miss talking to him and hearing his voice. I miss cuddling together on the couch, cooking dinner. I miss his laughter. The way he smiles at me.
How incredibly inconvenient.
Sighing, I roll to my side to grab my phone. Before I can overthink, I send him a text message that only says hi.
Almost instantly, I receive a laughing emoji back. Then my phone rings, and I see his name flashing on my screen.
Laying back, I answer. “Hey.”
“Why are you awake?” he asks.
“Says someone equally awake,” I point out. “I don’t know, though. My cock is frustrated.”
Imry laughs. “I’ll take care of you later. Promise.”
Sighing, I close my eyes. “I guess I miss you, too.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Don’t get too excited about that or anything.”
I hear his smile. “Oh, I’m excited. I’m just trying to play it cool. I need you to think I’m chill or… hip or something.”
I laugh. “You using those words definitely means you’re not. But I applaud your efforts, Im.”
He hums. “How’s it going with your brother?”
“Great. I love that he gets to spend so long here. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m bummed he’s leaving tomorrow.”
“To see his husband’s family, right?”
“Boyfriend, but yes. Not far from here, actually. The mountains of Colorado. They have a chalet or something.”
“Ohhh, nice. I think we have one too.”
“You think?”
“Haze, you’re sleeping with a mega-rich man,” he says flippantly. “I don’t even know how much property we own.”
I snort. “Nice.”
Imry laughs. “But really, I know we own a mountain luxury something. I just don’t know if it’s called a chalet or even where it’s located.”
“Stop bragging. I own my car.” Hold on… do I? Oh, fuck. I think it’s still in my father’s name. It was a gift from him, and yeah, I’m quite confident he registered it in his name. I never changed the California registration once we moved to Arizona since I was a student and therefore considered a temporary resident. “I need to get rid of my car and get a new one.”
“Why? What’s wrong with it?”
“It has a last name I hate.”
Imry doesn’t answer. Because I sound like a lunatic. Actually, I also have a last name I hate. What will it take for me to go change it? I suppose I need to have an idea of what I want to change it to before I go about changing it.
This is why people don’t make big changes easily. It takes effort and energy and thought, and… it feels like a mountain. One I’m not going to think about because it’s Christmas and a good day.
“Okay,” Imry answers, and I laugh.
“I’m going to get up, take care of this wood, and I’ll see you later.”
“I’m going to counter that. Don’t take care of your wood, and I’ll make sure you get a really great orgasm later to make up for it.”
“It’s unfair that you’re edging me, and you’re not even here,” I mutter. “It better be epic, Imry.”
“I’m going to make you scream for me.”
A chill races down my spine in anticipation. “Fine. Yes, good. Bye.”
I hang up to his quiet laughter. The sound of it puts a smile on my face as I throw my covers back and look at my straining dick. Sorry, boy. You’re just going to have to wait.
After a quick shower in which I think about cactuses and how thorny they are in an effort to convince my dick to deflate, I dress, stuff my gift for Imry into my pocket, and head into the kitchen to make breakfast rolls, both sweet and savory, to hold us over until brunch. I’m not entirely surprised to find Adak already cooking them with Oren sitting at the counter watching him.
I receive smiles from them both. Honestly, if Christmas only consisted of this, it’d be the best one yet.
* * *
The big house is chaotic. There are kids running around everywhere. People everywhere. The ballroom is a madhouse. Somehow, we managed to get a seating cluster with my friends and the younger Van Doren brothers. Not the youngest generation, since that’s now Emerson, and also not including anyone who’s not Daddy Jalon’s direct relation bloodline.
I’m snuggled up between Honey Bee and Briar on a couch currently seating five, though it’s made for three. Adak and Oren are sharing a chair at the edge of the couch.
I look around the room at the loud noise and smile. The laughter filling the air. I can smell pine, which is rather impressive with all the bodies in here. It’s probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. To think that I’m in some way a part of it is just… incredible. Humbling.
Kairo comes over and hands Noaz a wrapped gift. Emerson is currently lying across Briar’s and my legs, fast asleep. I’m not sure how he’s sleeping through this, but he’s nearly four months old now and enjoys his naps.
“Thanks,” Noaz says.
Kairo frowns, but his gaze drifts to Emerson.
“You want to hold him?” Briar asks.
Kairo doesn’t answer right away. I’m actually a little surprised when he nods, though he does so stiffly. Briar gently picks up his sleeping son and offers him to Kairo.
I think we all watch, somewhat in awe, as the scowl that Kairo’s always wearing fades away. He doesn’t look at any of us, probably feeling that we’re all watching him. His eyes remain firmly locked on Emerson.
“Where is this from?” Noaz asks, pulling our attention to them instead.
Kairo sighs, his lips pinching together. I have a feeling he doesn’t want to answer with an audience. “I kept it from our childhood.”
I’m not entirely sure what’s inside the box that has Noaz emotional. He puts the cover back on and meets Briar’s eyes. Briar touches their cheek before gently kissing their lips. “Thank you,” Briar tells Kairo as he wipes a tear from just under Noaz’s cheek. “It means a lot to us.”
Kairo huffs. “Don’t make such a big deal about it,” he mutters.
Briar pulls Noaz to their feet. I follow, so Kairo has somewhere to sit with Emerson. Now seems like a good enough time to find a bathroom, though the task feels like an epic quest with this many people in residence. Will he find a toilet before he has an accident? Twenty points if he does.
Oof. I’ve been playing Second World far too much.
“Be right back,” I say.
“Where you headed?” Honey Bee asks.
“To use your bathroom. I think it’s probably the closest that’ll be unoccupied.”
She laughs. “You’re probably not wrong.”
It’s probably going to take me twenty minutes just to get there since the ballroom is on the opposite end of the house and on the main floor. Oh well. At least I’ll get some exercise, right?
Just for funsies, I note the time on my watch to see how long it takes to get there. I’m only off by seven minutes and that was with me walking rather quickly and taking the stairs three at a time. Gotta get the leg burn in since I haven’t done any exercising in days.
I find Imry in the gathering area when I step out of Honey Bee’s bedroom. He’s leaning against the edge of one of the couches, hands in pockets, giving me a smug look. That look goes straight to my balls. I’m ready to beg for that orgasm.
“I don’t think we’re going to find an empty room,” I point out.
“Everyone is busy. We’re fine right here.”
I look around and, not gonna lie, the idea we’re somewhat public really gets me going.
“First, I want to give you your present when there aren’t so many people watching,” Imry says.
I laugh. “I understand.” I accept his envelope and hand him the little box from my pocket.
“You first,” he says.
There are two hockey tickets to the game against Carolina in April. I meet his eyes, smiling.
“I’m not going to tell you how difficult it was trying to think of something to buy you, but please don’t feel like you need to take me. You can take anyone.”
“Do you like hockey?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I don’t dislike it. I guess I’ve never paid a lot of attention to the sport. Or any sport.”
I set it on the table. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
“Hopefully, Oren can come with Adak, and you can visit for a while,” he says.
I’m not sure I can adequately tell him how his thoughtful gesture means the world to me. I’m not overly open about my relationship with my brother or our past. I think he’s looked up what there is in the public world to see, and yes, that’s awful enough. You can glean a lot from the bullshit out there. However, I don’t like to talk about it—shocking, I know. So from my own mouth, he knows very little.
“Your turn.”
He turns his attention to the little box that is unmistakably a jewelry box. I watch as he opens it. His eyes widen a little, and then his head tilts. He takes it out and looks at the little axe with his name engraved on the handle.
“It reminded me of the axe on your wall,” I tell him. “It’s the only decoration in every room I’ve been in inside your house that isn’t a painting, which made me think it’s special to you.”
Imry’s lips part. His chest rises with a deep breath, and he nods. “Put it on me?”
I take it from him and try to get my big fingers to undo the little clasp. It’s on a black rope, but the clasps are still tiny little lobster claws. “For the record, I think this clasp is probably really weak and doesn’t match the vibe at all, and maybe you know a jeweler that only accepts golden nuggets to put something more appropriate on it.”
He laughs quietly, his hands resting on my stomach. When I finally manage to get the stupidly little clasps together, I follow the length of the black cord around his neck and straighten the axe between his clavicles. He’s watching me when I meet his eyes.
Something passes between us, sending warmth down my spine. Maybe I’m just a horny bitch right now because that warmth settles in my balls. Imry shoves me onto the chaise, his mouth crashing against mine as he begins stripping my clothes off. I’m naked far sooner than he is and while I struggle with his clothes, his fingers are already buried deep in my ass as he aggressively bites my tongue between rough, sloppy kisses.
There’s something thrilling about being handled by this man. The way he takes my complete control is intoxicating. I’m on my hands and knees on the fucking coffee table when Imry—only partially naked—stands behind me with his wrapped cock at my hole.
With a handful of my hair, reminding me it’s far too long—though I’m loving the sting from his harsh grip—Imry has me up on my knees. His hand wraps around my throat as he shoves his dick inside me.
I cry out, just as he promised I would. My cry is cut off when his hand tightens around my neck and I gasp for breath, body shaking, ass stinging, dick throbbing. His hand flexes and I see stars as he fucks into me again. And again.
Maybe it’s the angle. Maybe I’m horny as fuck and desperate for an orgasm. Maybe it’s the way he’s only letting me take a half breath every five or six deep, harsh thrusts, but this doesn’t last long. My entire body is on fire. My nerve endings burn. My balls are tight, aching.
I come far too fucking soon. Imry’s right, I scream, though the only sounds anyone can hear are the slurpy slaps of our bodies together.
He takes much longer and I nearly come again by the time he’s ready to fill the condom in my used ass. His hand stays around my neck, bringing a whole new level of control and eroticism to my world that I never want to escape from.
When he’s spent, he pulls me off the table and I land on his lap on the couch, his dick still buried deeply. My body spasms, back arching as I try to suck in a breath. His hand continues to control my breathing, which I still don’t hate.
With his lips at my ear, Imry says, “You’re the hottest damn thing when you come for me, Haze. Now be a good boy and sit on my dick while we catch our breath.”
I groan, heart racing. I’m going to make this man fuck me again before we go back downstairs.