Chapter 16
In downtown Whitman, we walk arm-in-arm around the town square. Their public light display is beautiful, and it’s well worth spending more time out in the chilly air, especially when I’m surrounded by two warm—make that hot—men.
When a gust of cold wind blows, they move in closer, shielding me, rubbing my arms, and very effectively making me warm on both the outside and inside.
To accommodate holiday shoppers, the stores are open later than they typically would be, but we just window shop until something catches Felix’s eye.
“That looks just like Cupid.” He points to an ornament hanging in a window display. It’s a round glass bulb, hand painted with a cat that does look remarkably like my girl.
Before I can spend long admiring it, Felix leads me into the shop, talks to the clerk, and the next thing I know, we’re back on the sidewalk with the ornament tucked in a gift bag in Felix’s hand.
“That was really sweet of you,” I tell him. “Thank you.”
“I can be sweet,” he says. “But mostly spicy.”
I shake my head and laugh at his comment, until he pulls me into a dark alcove and puts his money where his spicy mouth is. He uses the length of his body to pin me between him and a brick wall, then nips at my neck like a vampire materializing during the wrong holiday season.
His hands start wandering, and he makes me feel things I shouldn’t be feeling on a busy city street, even if we are hidden from view. Meanwhile, Jasper’s right beside me, and he’s not an innocent bystander.
Two sets of hands slide under the bottom of my shirt and skim over my bare skin. Two mouths kiss my lips, my neck, my cheeks, the top of my chest.
My breathing grows shallow as I use my hands to explore every bit of them I can reach.
The sound of children’s laughter from somewhere nearby brings me to my senses. “We can’t … not here. Not now.”
The men step back, but not before straightening my sweater and smoothing my hair.
After they make sure I look like I did before Felix pulled me into the alcove—not counting my cheeks, which are surely flushed pink—they take my hand and lead me back out onto the street, where we continue as if nothing ever happened. Tell that to my rapidly beating heart.
After we turn a corner, something catches my eye in one of the store windows. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
When I return, the brothers are standing under a lamppost, the light casting gorgeous shadows across the beautiful bone structure of their faces. I’m ready to find another dark hiding spot for us, but I fight the temptation.
I hand each of them a small bundle wrapped in tissue paper, and tell them to open them. Their big hands make quick work of it, and seconds later, they’re unfolding matching, bold-striped Christmas scarves.
“I know how much you both love your elf costumes. The scarves are pretty close to the pattern of the leggings, don’t you think?”
Jasper arches an accusatory brow.
“Now you’ll have these scarves to remind you of your elf gigs. Plus, I’ve been wanting to do something to thank you for buying my Christmas tree.”
“I could have suggested things you could do to thank us,” Felix teases darkly.
“This is making me wish we never bought the tree,” Jasper says, but he’s smiling as he leans in to kiss me. “Thank you.”
Felix gives me a quick peck of thanks, too, and both men immediately put the scarves on and wear them the rest of the evening.
Later, on my front porch, when we’re working toward saying goodnight, Jasper winds his scarf around both me and himself, joining us together. “I’m going to think of you every time I wear the scarf,” he says between kisses. “Not that I need a special reminder.”
His movements are more tender tonight, but they still have the same effect on me. I want him, and I want Felix, who playfully offers me a full-body massage, in case my muscles are sore from skating.
My head is already thoroughly muddled, and something tells me that sleeping with these men would make it impossible to find any clarity about how I truly feel.
We kiss a little longer, but I hold back, and later, when I’m alone, tossing and turning in my bed, I regret it. I try to remind myself that I think sex should mean something beyond physical gratification, but right now, all I want is to be gratified.
I want Felix and Jasper so badly, but I want Nick and Rudy, too. Both sets of brothers are so different—how can I be so attracted to all of them?