Page 34 of The Humbug Holiday

I let go of his hand and gestured to the toboggan I’d hefted up the hill. “Well, what’s here is a sharp incline followed by a moderate slope. You ready to ride this baby?”

He frowned slightly. “Are we doing this together?”

“You’re welcome to do it on your own. Just be careful to veer right at that rock on the three-quarter mark and if you gain too much speed to avoid the trees, lean left. Got it?”

“Yeah. Let’s do it together,” he grumbled.

I snickered and motioned for him to climb on.

It took some effort to get in position. I sat behind Cam, my chest pressed against his back, resting my legs over his thick thighs. I wiggled suggestively, loving his growly protest.

And just to make him a little crazy, I kissed his earlobe and whispered, “I like being behind you. I think you like it too. We should try this naked…my dick in your ass. What d’ya think?”

I didn’t give him a chance to reply. I pushed off and sent us flying down the hill at full speed, yelling, “Banzai!” Cam hooted with laughter as we soared through the snow, lifting in the air after hitting the plateau that sent us careening toward the trees. I’d done this too many times to be freaked out. I knew how far to lean and when to straighten again. However, I misjudged the added weight of an inexperienced partner.

We narrowly skimmed past a fat stump and were heading for a giant pine, when I leaned heavily to my left. The momentum slowed our progress as we cleared the copse and better still, avoided a potentially bad crash. However, we got tossed into a snow bank like a couple of rag dolls.

I scrambled to my feet and hurried to Cam’s side. He was already brushing himself off, a wide, merry expression on his sinfully handsome face.

“Woohoo!”

I grinned. “You okay?”

He grabbed my face in his snow-crusted gloves and fused his cold lips to mine, pushing his tongue inside. I was thirty-seven years old, yet it occurred to me that I’d never kissed a male lover in broad daylight in my hometown. Other than a couple of kids throwing snowballs near the entrance to the tree farm, we had the hill to ourselves, but it felt oddly…significant. Maybe even important.

Okay, that was dramatic. Nonetheless, I threw everything I had into the connection, practically cleaning his tonsils as I twirled my tongue around Cam’s and pressed my body close.

We laughed when we finally broke for air. And when our laughter faded, we shared a sweet smile.

Cam leaned in and brushed his nose against mine. “Let’s do it again.”

We lugged the sled up the hill five more times, perfecting our cruising game and successfully avoiding any major spills. When twilight darkened the sky, I pointed at the cemetery in the distance.

“If you want to check it out, we should do it before the light is gone,” I advised.

Cam shook his head. “Nah, that’s okay.”

“You sure? It’s a five-minute walk.”

“Another day. I spend a lot of time with fictional people or researching dead folks,” he added. “I’d rather be with you tonight, Joe.”

That wasn’t a major declaration, by any means, but I was inordinately pleased. I punched his bicep affectionately, then led the way to my truck.

* * *

Thirty minutes later,we sat on pillows on the rug in front of a blazing fire in his office. We sipped hot cocoa, chatting idly as we watched the flickering embers and twinkling lights from the Christmas tree. We’d talked about taking a shower and rustling up something to eat, but this was warm and cozy. And it felt nice to lean back with our legs tangled and Cam’s hand resting over mine.

I snickered at his overembellished recounting of our adventure. “The snow drift was maybe three feet tall. Not twenty.”

“Hmph. We’ll measure it next time.”

“Deal.” I bumped his shoulder playfully. “Before you got here, when was the last time you were in the snow?”

“New York City, two years ago at a book signing on Fifth Avenue. It coincided with the premiere of theMorningsideseries on Netflix, so even though the weather sucked, the show went on.”

“I forget you’re famous sometimes.” My tone was light, but I must have struck a nerve.

Cam sipped his cocoa quietly. “I don’t feel famous. I’m a storyteller, that’s all.”