was very different than our life back home, and I was grateful we had several weeks left to enjoy it.
Suddenly, I remembered how close Christmas was and how much Mikey adored the holiday. Despite being in the middle of the season, Christmas was a big deal at our house back home. Mikey usually decorated like a pro, setting up several trees around the house and twirling garland and lights everywhere. If we happened to be home for Christmas Eve, he made a huge feast and invited everyone over.
“Let’s go get a tree tomorrow before the game,” I said excitedly. “We’ll pick up lights and decorations in town and put it in the kitchen near the fireplace so we can see it every night.”
His eyes lit up until he remembered something. “I told your parents we’d go there for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Your sister and the kids are coming over for brunch. There’s no reason to decorate this place if we’re not going to be here.”
I pushed his hair back from his forehead and dropped a kiss on the smooth skin there. “Don’t care. We’ll still do a tree here, okay? We can enjoy it until Christmas Eve.”
The idea of missing the game tomorrow made me itchy, but I tried not to think about it. Winter had told me my arm and shoulder were doing better than expected, and I was in good shape to bump up a level on the conditioning. My hand was another story, but we were working on it. All I could do in the meantime was keep up my food intake and exercise, study the game film the coaches sent me, and be ready to return as soon as I got the green light.
“I’d like that,” Mikey said. “And Tiller?”
I looked down at his sweet brown eyes framed by his adorable, nerdy glasses. “Hm?”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot today. Actually, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and maybe that says something slutty about me, I don’t know—although, that’s not very sex-positive of me, so I take it back—but anyway.” He gasped in a breath. “Where was I?”
“Pretty much, I’m still back on the word slutty,” I admitted. He was clearly flustered. “Talk to me, Mike.”
We were still standing in the large entry hall, so I pulled him by the hand toward my bedroom. When we entered the large space, I sat him on the edge of the bed and squatted in front of him, holding his hands and meeting his eyes. “What’s going through your head?”
“I want to have sex,” he blurted.
I blinked at him. “Ah, maybe I’m an ass for making assumptions, but I sort of figured we’d get naked at some point tonight and…”
Mikey shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. Fucking. Anal. Like… sex.”
He seemed so flustered. I hated seeing him dance around his words with me. “You want me to fuck you, or were you thinking—”
His head snapped up. “Yes! That one. The first one. I want you to fuck me. And you don’t have to worry. It’s not that I don’t know if I’ll like it. I, um, I use a dildo and stuff at home. I just… I just haven’t been with someone I really wanted to do it with. But…”
He didn’t have to say it. Things between us were good. Really good. And I’d never felt more comfortable with someone in bed before the way I did with him.
“You sure?” I asked, smoothing my thumbs over the back of his hands. “Because you know I’ll be super fucking happy with anything we do. I don’t need—”
“Stop talking. I’m sure. You’re killing me.” Mikey rolled his eyes and threw himself back on the bed. “This is excruciating.”
I stood up and crawled onto the bed over him, peering down at his closed eyes. Dark eyelashes brushed the tender skin beneath his eyes. I pulled off his glasses and dropped a kiss right there. And then another on the other side. When I was done kissing his entire face, I carefully placed his glasses on the nightstand and began undressing him.
“Is this why you didn’t eat dinner?” I asked.
Mikey’s face flushed deep red, and it sent streaks down his throat. “Maybe. I was hoping you hadn’t noticed. Can we not talk about it, please?”
I ran a finger along the side of his neck and felt my heart kick up when he shivered beneath me. “Talking is important. I hope you know I’m not