Page 5 of Celebrating the Season (Forestville Silver Foxes)

5

BOAZ

I winced as I shifted on the edge of the motel bed, my ass still deliciously sore from Ellery’s thorough attention. Every twinge sent a shiver of remembered pleasure through me. I closed my eyes, reliving the past twenty-four hours in vivid detail—Ellery’s strong hands gripping my hips, his gravelly voice in my ear, the exquisite fullness as he claimed me over and over.

“Holy shit,” I muttered, adjusting myself in my pants that suddenly felt about two sizes too small. My cock was half-hard from the memories.

It felt surreal, like some kind of fever dream. Had it only been last night that I first laid eyes on Ellery at my dad’s bachelor party? The moment was seared into my brain—the Santa suit stretched tight across his broad chest, that salt-and-pepper beard, those blue eyes that seemed to look right through me.

When he’d walked into the Double F, the whole energy of the room had shifted. Even in that ridiculous costume, he’d exuded a quiet power that made my mouth go dry.

The memory sent another jolt of arousal through me. I groaned, flopping back on the bed. What the hell was wrong with me? I never got this worked up over a hookup. But there was something different about Ellery, something that made me crave more than his body.

The silence in the motel room was deafening. Dad and Hawk had left for Texas an hour ago. They’d stopped by my motel on their way to the airport, and we’d hugged goodbye. Hawk, observant as he was, hadn’t missed my slight wince as I’d sat down, and he’d sent me a wink.

I had one more night in Skykomish before my flight back tomorrow morning. The only decent option had been an early morning flight, and I hadn’t wanted to book that the morning after the party. In hindsight, that had been an excellent choice, though now I felt adrift.

I’d been so caught up in the whirlwind of Ellery that I’d barely registered my father’s departure and the fact that I wouldn’t see them for another six weeks—their wedding day. As ecstatic as I was that my dad had found happiness, I wasn’t looking forward to that day. It would only drive home once again that I was single and alone.

The first, I was okay with, but the latter had started bothering me more and more lately. I’d never been good at making friends. Well, technically, I was great at making them but not at keeping them. People expected you to reach out when you were friends, and that was not my forte with my squirrel brain. And the older I got, the harder it seemed to be.

The emptiness of the room pressed in on me. I hadn’t felt this alone in ages. Twenty-nine wasn’t old or past my prime or anything, but it was like Ellery had awakened something in me, some need for connection that I’d been ignoring.

We had exchanged numbers. Not with any promises other than that if I were ever in the area, we could maybe hook up again. Maybe I should…?

My eyes darted to my phone on the nightstand. Oh, fuck it. I was not gonna sit here and feel miserable, like that sad “All by Myself” song. Before I could overthink it, I snatched it up, my fingers hovering over the screen.

I bit my lip, then typed out a quick message.

#Hey. I have nothing to do and nowhere to be until early tomorrow morning… Wanna meet up again?

My heart pounded as I hit send. I tossed the phone aside, trying to act casual even though no one was around to see. If he didn’t respond, it was no big deal, right? It had been nothing more than a hookup. A great hookup with fantastic sex and chemistry that was off the charts, but still a hookup.

But even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t true. The way Ellery had looked at me, touched me…had felt like more than a casual fling. And if I were honest with myself, I wanted it to be. I wanted to spend more time with him. I wanted him to fuck me again, but also to cook for me, to spoil me a little. And more than anything, I wanted to be good for him, which made zero sense.

I groaned, flopping back on the bed. “Get it together, Boaz. You barely know the guy.”

But as the minutes ticked by with no response, I replayed every moment we’d shared. Had I imagined the connection between us?

My phone blared to life, Ellery’s name flashing on the screen. I nearly fell off the bed in my haste to answer.

“Hello?” I tried to sound casual, but my voice cracked.

“Boaz.” Ellery’s deep voice sent a shiver down my spine. “You okay? You’re not in pain, are you?”

I blinked, caught off guard by his concern. “I… What?”

“The soreness,” he clarified, a hint of worry in his tone. “I wasn’t gentle earlier today. Wanted to make sure you’re all right.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “Oh! Oh, that. Yeah, no, I’m fine. Just a little…you know. Nothing I can’t handle.” I paused, then added with a grin, “Though I might need a cushion if I sit down anytime soon.”

Ellery’s low chuckle sent butterflies swirling in my stomach. “Glad to hear it. Wouldn’t want to damage that perfect ass of yours.”

“Please,” I scoffed, my heart racing at his words. “My ass is indestructible. Though if you’re worried, you’re welcome to come inspect it.”

“That so?” The amusement in his voice was clear. “And here I thought you wanted to come to my place.”

I bit my lip, debating how far to push it. “Well, I’m flexible. In more ways than one, as you know.”

“Christ, kid,” Ellery growled, the sound sending a jolt of arousal through me. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

“What a way to go though,” I quipped, then added more softly, “But seriously, we don’t have to…you know. If you’re worried about hurting me, we could always find other ways to have fun.”

There was a pause, and for a moment, I worried I’d said too much. But then Ellery spoke, his voice low and full of promise. “Oh, I’ve got plenty of ideas for that, sweetheart. Question is, are you ready for ’em?”

I swallowed hard, my body already responding to his words. “I can take whatever you dish out.”

Half an hour later, the gravel crunched under the tires of my rental car as I pulled up to Ellery’s log cabin, nestled in a clearing surrounded by towering pines. I hadn’t been able to see much of it the previous day since it had already been dark when we’d arrived, and when Ellery had driven me back to the Double F N, I’d been too focused on him to pay attention to my surroundings.

I held my breath as I took in the scene. Warm light spilled from the windows, casting a golden glow on the snow-dusted ground. Smoke curled lazily from the chimney, promising warmth and comfort within. It looked like a picture from some Hallmark movie—except, in our case, it wasn’t exactly rated PG-13.

As I killed the engine, my eyes focused on the porch where Ellery stood waiting, his broad frame silhouetted against the warm light. My heart did a little flip. God, he was gorgeous.

I scrambled out of the car, nearly face-planting in my eagerness. “Hey,” I called, wincing at how breathless I sounded. Real smooth, Boaz .

Ellery’s lips quirked in a smile as he descended the steps. “Hey yourself, kid.” His eyes swept over me, concern creasing his brow. “You okay? You look a little pale.”

I waved off his worry. “Oh, I probably need to eat.”

His frown deepened. “Have you eaten since breakfast?”

I opened my mouth to lie, then thought better of it. Something about those eyes made me want to be honest. “Uh… Not really?”

Ellery shook his head, his expression a mix of exasperation and fondness that made my insides go gooey. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, guiding me toward the cabin. The heat of his body against mine sent a shiver through me that had nothing to do with the cold. “Come on. I’m feeding you before we do anything else.”

“But—” I protested, even as my traitorous stomach growled loudly.

“No buts,” Ellery said firmly, his hand sliding down to the small of my back. “Well, maybe one butt. But food first.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, letting myself be steered inside. “Yes, Sir,” I teased, delighting in the way his eyes darkened at the words.

As we stepped inside, the contrast with my sterile motel room hit me like a punch to the gut. This… This was a home.

The scent of pine and cinnamon enveloped me as Ellery led me into the kitchen. Warm light from copper pendant lamps cast a golden glow over the rustic space, highlighting the worn wooden countertops and well-used cast-iron pans hanging from hooks.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Ellery said, gesturing to a stool at the kitchen island. “I’ll whip up something quick.”

I hopped onto the stool, my legs swinging like a kid’s as I watched Ellery move around the kitchen with practiced ease. He pulled ingredients from the fridge—eggs, cheese, some veggies—and set a pan on the stove.

“So, uh, what’re you making?” I asked, trying to fill the silence.

Ellery glanced over his shoulder, a small smile playing on his lips. “Frittata. Simple but filling.”

“Fancy. I usually go for cereal when I remember to eat.”

His hands stilled for a moment, and the muscles in his back tensed. When he spoke, his voice was gruff with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “You need to take better care of yourself, Boaz.”

My cheeks heated up. “I know, I know. It’s hard, you know? Like, I’ll be in the middle of a commission, and suddenly it’s three a.m., and I’m starving but too tired to cook. And it’s so much effort to cook for me alone. It doesn’t seem worth it.”

Ellery nodded, his focus on chopping vegetables. “I get it. Life can get overwhelming. But you gotta fuel that gorgeous body of yours.”

As he spoke, he cracked eggs into a bowl with one hand, whisking them with the other. The casual display of competence made my mouth go dry.

“Want to help?” he asked, breaking me out of my trance.

“Oh, uh, sure.” I stumbled off the stool. “Fair warning, though, I’m a disaster in the kitchen.”

Ellery chuckled, the sound warm and rich. “I think I can handle it. Here, grate this cheese for me.”

He handed me a block of cheddar and a grater, his fingers brushing mine. The brief contact sent sparks shooting up my arm.

As we worked side by side, I relaxed into the domesticity of it all. Ellery’s presence was steady and calming, a stark contrast to my usual frenetic energy.

“So,” I said, desperate to keep the conversation going, “how’d you learn to cook like this?”

Ellery shrugged, pouring the egg mixture into the pan. “Necessity, mostly. Can’t live on MREs forever, even in the Army. And when I became a smokejumper, well, you learn to make do with what you have.”

I frowned. “A smokejumper? What’s that?”

“Smokejumpers are special firefighters who parachute into a wildfire to battle it.”

My mouth dropped open. “Hold on. You parachute into a fire? Why?”

“Sometimes wildfires are in remote areas without road access, or it would take too long, giving the fire too much time to spread. So smokejumpers are dropped near the fire and do what they can to fight it back.”

That had to be the craziest, most courageous thing I’d ever heard. “How did you get into that? You said you were in the Army?”

He nodded as he checked the frittata. “I was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, so I had a lot of experience with the parachuting part. I became a firefighter after I left the Army and then heard about smokejumpers. It seemed to combine two passions of mine, so I applied, did the rigorous training, and got in.”

Wow. I didn’t even have words to express how badass that was. Made me feel like a total wimp since I couldn’t even change a tire. I suddenly understood those people who said competence was sexy. “But you’re no longer doing that?”

“No, I hurt my knee badly on my last jump when a gust of wind slammed me into a tree. I needed surgery to fix it, but even after recovery, my knee never fully healed, so I had to walk away. The good news is I was able to grow my beard.” He stroked it almost sensually with one hand. “Can’t have a beard as a firefighter, and I always wanted one, so here we are.”

“Definite benefit,” I said. “The beard is super sexy.”

He chuckled. “Thank you. What about you? Any hidden culinary talents?”

I snorted. “Unless you count burning water as a talent, nope. My roommates banned me from the kitchen after The Great Pasta Disaster of 2021.”

Ellery raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Do I want to know?”

“Probably not,” I admitted. “It involved a fire extinguisher and a very angry neighbor.”

His laugh echoed through the kitchen, deep and genuine. The sound wrapped around me like a warm blanket, making me feel…safe. Cared for. It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

As Ellery slid the frittata into the oven—to broil the cheese for a few minutes, he explained—I wished this moment could last forever. The simple act of cooking together, sharing space and laughter, felt more intimate than any hookup I’d had in years.

And as we sat down to eat, the first bite melting on my tongue, I realized how hungry I’d been—not just for food, but for connection. For someone who saw me, flaws and all, and still wanted to take care of me.

I looked up to find Ellery watching me, his blue eyes soft with an emotion I was afraid to name. “Good?”

I swallowed hard, nodding. “Yeah,” I said, meaning much more than the food. “It’s perfect.”

As we finished the last bites of frittata, a twinge of disappointment went through me. I didn’t want this moment to end, didn’t want to leave the warmth of Ellery’s cabin and go back to my cold, impersonal motel room.

“So, uh, should we clean up?” I asked, fidgeting with my fork.

Ellery nodded, his lips quirking into a small smile. “Seems fair. I’ll wash, you dry?”

“You don’t have a dishwasher?”

He shook his head.

“How quaint. I’m not even sure I know how to dry dishes by hand. That seems more like a Gen X thing,” I teased him.

“I’ll be happy to teach you, you little brat.”

But he was laughing as he said it, and inside me, happy fireworks popped and sparkled. “Deal.”

I jumped up from my chair with probably too much enthusiasm. But hey, ADHD brain, right? Always in motion.

As we stood side by side at the sink, it hit me how perfectly we fit together. Ellery’s solid presence beside me was grounding, calming the constant buzz in my head.

“You know,” I said, as usual, unable to keep quiet for long, “this is nice. I mean, not the dishes part, obviously. Who likes dishes? But the whole domestic thing. It’s nice.”

Ellery chuckled, handing me a plate to dry. “You’re good company, Boaz.”

My cheeks heated up at the compliment. “I am? I mean, most people find me annoying after a while. Too chatty, you know? Can’t sit still, always blurting out whatever pops into my head. It’s a lot to deal with.”

Ellery turned to me then, his eyes gentle and kind. “I like your chatter. It’s refreshing.”

My heart did a little flip in my chest. Before I could overthink it, I leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his bearded cheek. “Thanks,” I mumbled, immediately ducking my head to focus on drying a bowl.

We didn’t say much after that. Would Ellery send me back to my motel now? We’d pretty much both acknowledged that another fuck was off the table. I wasn’t a complainer, but I was too sore…and he was not exactly small.

When we finished the dishes, I felt Ellery’s hand on my hip, gently turning me to face him. “Boaz,” he said softly, and the way he said my name sent shivers down my spine.

“Yeah?” I looked up, my breath catching at the intensity in his eyes.

“Come with me.”

I followed him without hesitation. He sat in one of his comfortable reading chairs, then dropped a pillow on the floor between his legs. A simple hand gesture from him, and I was on my knees on the pillow, anticipation and excitement thrumming through my veins.

“Is this okay?” Ellery asked, his fingers threading through my curls.

I nodded, unable to find my voice for once. I felt safe here, cherished even, as I looked up at Ellery. The trust between us was palpable, electric.

“Good boy,” he praised, and those two simple words made me melt.

He unbuckled, and I licked my lips. He wanted me to suck him off? I was so on board with that. My ass might be out of commission, but my mouth still worked. And if my mouth was full of cock, it would be hard to annoy him with my chatter, so that was a bonus.

He took out his cock, which was only semi-hard. I immediately leaned forward, opening my mouth, but he held me back. “You can’t suck me off.”

Huh? “I’m not following.”

“You can suckle, but not suck. But above all, I need you to sit there and keep my cock safe and warm. Think you can do that?”

Where was the fun in that? Maybe it was a first step to something else? “Sure.”

“Come a little closer.” I did, and then he patted his thigh. “Put your head here.”

He was specific, wasn’t he? Not that I was objecting. In a way, it made things easier for me because I didn’t have to wonder or worry if I was doing it wrong. I followed his instructions, opening my mouth when he told me to.

He placed the tip of his cock in my mouth, just far enough that I could suckle on it. It was similar to sucking on a lolly and not at all unpleasant, even if I didn’t understand why he’d prefer this over me sucking him off, but whatever.

As I suckled his cock, he stroked my hair, the gentle touch grounding me.

“That’s it,” he encouraged. “Such a hot, pretty mouth.”

My eyes drifted closed as I focused on the sensation of his cock in my mouth. This was very different from a blowjob, but I liked it more than I had expected. I didn’t really have to do anything. Ellery was basically using my mouth to keep his cock warm, yet it felt good, somehow.

The world narrowed to Ellery’s cock in my mouth, his hands in my hair, the soft sounds of pleasure he made above me.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” Ellery murmured, soft as a caress. “You’re doing so well.”

A profound sense of contentment washed over me. Here, on my knees for this man, I felt safe, valued, cared for. It was a heady feeling. Time seemed to slow, stretching out in a haze of pleasure and connection. I lost myself in the rhythm of him stroking my hair, in the taste of him, in the gentle suckling.

I was at peace.