Got Mistletoe? (Mistletoe Madness) (3 page)

Blake reached over and grabbed Ryan’s left hand, pulling it between them on the bucket seat. Ryan’s hand was soft; a little cold from the outside weather, but Blake didn’t mind. He was finally getting to touch his precious elf, and at the moment, that was all that mattered to him.

Ryan felt his heart stutter when Blake grabbed his hand. Blake had large, work-worn hands that were slightly rough and calloused in places, but they had a warmth and firmness to them that soothed Ryan’s soul. For the first time since Ryan had gotten into the truck with Blake, he was able to take a deep breath and allow himself to take in the events of this truly amazing day. Blake had reached out to him twice: once by seeking him out for a ride home, and now by holding his hand. Maybe he didn’t have anything to worry about; maybe Blake liked him after all.

“Well, since you said Mexican first, that leads me to believe it’s really your favorite. I know a great hole-in-the-wall Mexican place not far from my house that has the best authentic Mexican food around. How does that sound?” Blake squeezed his hand softly. Ryan squeezed back and nodded happily. “That would be awesome. Do you live far from here?”

“No, I live about five miles away. It’s not as built up and congested as it is here in town, but I like the peace and quiet of living outside the city.” Blake slowed down to stop at a red light. Ryan scooted as close to him as the seatbelt would allow and nodded in agreement. “I live on the opposite end of town. It’s not as nice as this side is, but it’s cheaper there, and it’s home, so it’s okay.”

Blake knew how dangerous the other side of town was. The crime rate was higher, and there was something always in the news about a murder or some other crime going on over there. He tried to shake off the unwanted thought of Ryan getting mugged or worse. Where did this overwhelming need to protect this sweet man come from? God, he barely knew the bouncy elf beside him, but he found himself wanting to make sure he was safe and happy.

They made small talk for the next few miles. Any house that had lights on it, or any kind of Christmas decoration in the yard, Ryan would excitedly point it out and make a positive comment about it. Even it was just one string of lights that looked like the person just wadded them up and threw them in a bush, Ryan would still say something nice about it. Blake found himself more and more captivated by Ryan’s enthusiasm over the little things in life and his ability to spin a positive note on just about anything. Blake had a feeling he could listen to Ryan’s happy chatter forever.

When they pulled up to the restaurant, Blake was reluctant to let go of his elf’s hand, but he made a conscious thought to grab it again at any given opportunity. He turned off his truck and hopped out of it, then quickly circled around to the other door and opened it up before Ryan even got his seatbelt unlatched.

Ryan’s gemlike eyes widened in surprise and delight to see Blake standing there holding the door open for him. No one had ever treated Ryan as if he was this special before. Blake bit his lip nervously, and held his hand out to Ryan to help him out of the tall truck.

He’s as nervous as I am,
Ryan thought as he unhooked his seatbelt and slid his small hand into Blake’s much larger one. They continued to hold hands lightly as they walked into the little restaurant together.

6

As soon
as they were seated in the restaurant, they began to talk. Once both men got over their initial nervousness of getting to know one another, words began to flow easily between them. Ryan found out that Blake had just turned thirty December ninth, which made him seven years older than himself. Blake had a construction company that he has owned for the past five years. He wasn’t afraid of work or getting dirty, so he often worked alongside his employees instead of just supervising them. Ryan appreciated how Blake really seemed to care and respect the people that worked for him. He treated them like family, and in return they were as loyal to him. He had both a younger brother and sister, and they had given him several nieces and nephews to spoil rotten. His parents were retired; they now lived in Florida, but had plans to come up and celebrate at his sister’s house on Christmas Day.

Blake’s family sounded like a dream come true to Ryan. His family even embraced his sexuality. They never gave a Blake a hard time about it; instead, they accepted Blake as he was, and gave him unconditional love and support that Ryan found fascinating in more ways than one.

Blake discovered that Ryan basically liked his job, even though he hated the hours and the low pay. Ryan had a year of college under his belt, but at nineteen, his parents were involved in a horrible car accident, killing them both instantly. Ryan admitted that he hadn’t really had the desire to go back to college at that time because he was unsure of what he really wanted to do. His parent’s death had made him realize that he should try to enjoy life to the best of his ability, even when it doesn’t always go your way.

Blake was intrigued by Ryan’s strength and his ability to laugh at himself. He had a positive outlook on life, even after all the negative things that had happened to him, and Blake silently vowed to himself that Ryan wouldn’t be lonely anymore if he had anything to do with it.

They ate, laughed, and had a wonderful time together. Both men were happy in each other’s company, and they frequently held hands on and off throughout their meal. All too soon the meal was over, and they sat staring into each other’s eyes as the waiter came to pick up their plates.

“Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Blake; it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed myself like this. The food was great, but the company was better.” Ryan affectionately rubbed his fingers over Blake’s hand. He was rewarded with a huge smile that made Blake’s eyes glittering in the soft lighting of the restaurant.

 “It was my pleasure. I hope we can do it again really soon.” Blake fought the urge to pull Ryan to him and wrap his arms around him. Instead, he reluctantly let Ryan’s hand go, reached for his wallet, and paid the bill. He felt Ryan’s gaze on him almost as strongly as if the man had reached out and touched him. He knew he was already addicted to this wonderful man’s company, and was reluctant for the night to end.

“I’m looking forward to it. I really like you, Blake. I find myself not wanting our time together tonight to come to an end, but it’s getting late, and we both have work tomorrow.” Ryan’s voice had a note of disappointment in it as he gazed at the object of his affection with big sad eyes.

Blake sighed and nodded reluctantly. “Stay here, Ryan. Let me get the truck started so it can warm up before you get in.”

Never in all of Ryan’s life had someone been so considerate of his needs. Who would have thought that a big strong man like Blake would have such a tender and affectionate side to him? Ryan hoped that it wouldn’t be long before he would get to see the big man again. He already had a compulsive urge not to allow Blake out of his presence, and Ryan could only hope that the feeling was mutual.

Blake walked back into the restaurant, shivering from the cold. “Whew! The temperature’s really dropped out there! I’ve heard that there’s a chance we might have a white Christmas this year. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

Ryan immediately wrapped his arms around Blake’s middle and hugged him tightly to him. “Yes, a white Christmas would be perfect ,” Ryan mumbled, inhaling Blake’s scent as he tried to warm the bigger man up with his own body heat. Blake smelled like some kind of fabric softener, a hint of leather from his jacket, and there was a faint smell of citrus that must be either his cologne or the soap he had used when he had showered earlier. Ryan immediately felt his dick start taking notice and was getting slightly uncomfortable in his tight jeans. Blake couldn’t have been more surprised when his small elf threw his arms around him and held him tightly. He laid his cheek on top of Ryan’s soft, red hair and allowed the scent of cinnamon and vanilla to fill his senses. When he felt something warm and hard against his thigh, he felt his own cock fill in response, and he fought the urge to rub it against that small delectable body.

Knowing he had better pull away before they made more of a scene than they already were, Blake pulled away from Ryan and smiled down into his sweet elf’s dark green eyes and rosy cheeks. “As much as I hate to let you go, we’re about to cause a scene. I think the truck is probably warmed up by now. Are you ready to go?”

Ryan nodded and smiled impishly at Blake. “Sorry about that, I just felt the overwhelming need to warm you up.”

 Blake laughed, and grabbed Ryan’s hand as they started to walk out the door. “I think if you would have gotten me any warmer, they would have called the police for indecent exposure.” He walked Ryan quickly over to the passenger’s side and opened the door for him. Ryan chucked softly and hopped in the truck. Blake reached over, grabbed the seatbelt, and locked Ryan in. Ryan reached up, grabbed Blake’s stubbled cheeks with soft hands, leaned over, tenderly kissed him on his lips, and slowly pulled away.

Blake’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest as he grinned nervously at his sweet elf and reached up to touch the tip of Ryan’s nose with a shaking fingertip. He slowly took a step back and closed Ryan’s door and ran to the driver’s side of the door and got in. He looked over at Ryan with a slightly dazed look on his face, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened. He reluctantly looked forward into the rearview mirror and backed the truck up. As soon as he got the truck in gear, he reached for Ryan’s hand and held onto it tightly.

“Where do you live?” Blake quietly asked as he drove the opposite direction of his house, toward the other side of town where he knew Ryan lived.

“Do you know where the Dove Creek apartments are at?” Ryan spoke murmured as he gripped Blake’s hand like a lifeline. Blake inwardly cringed. It was bad enough that the impromptu date was coming to an end, and he knew that his elf lived in a rough side of town, but hearing that the apartment complex Ryan lived in wasn’t the safest place bothered him. Instead of commenting, Blake just nodded, and drove toward Ryan’s house with a heavy heart. Both men were quiet on the drive to Ryan’s apartment. They just held each other’s hand and listened to the radio softly playing Christmas music in the background. As they entered the complex, Ryan murmured the directions to his apartment and Blake slowly pulled the truck up as close as he could park to it before turning off the truck. He took a deep breath and looked at Ryan, squeezing his hand.

Ryan looked as reluctant as Blake felt, but then his face lit up with one of the bright smiles to which Blake was quickly becoming addicted. “Thank you again for the dinner and the ride, Blake. I had a really great time tonight. I hope I’ll see you again really soon.” But he made no move to open the door, or to let go of Blake’s hand.

“Give me your number, and I’ll call you tomorrow,” Blake said, reaching into his left jacket pocket and pulling out his cell phone. Ryan shook his head and gave him an apologetic look. “I don’t have one, right now. You can reach me at work if you want to call me.”

Blake’s unease increased as he put his cell phone away. How could Ryan not have a phone? What if he got into trouble somehow, or hurt himself in some way? There wouldn’t be any way for him to call for help. Blake knew it wasn’t his place to say anything, so he nodded and kept silent.

Ryan’s expression turned troubled as he released Blake’s hand and unfastened his seatbelt. He grabbed the discarded reindeer antlers on the seat between them, the jingling of the bells loud in the silent truck. “Well, I shouldn’t keep you any longer—”

“No, wait! I’m sorry. Please don’t go just yet.” Blake reached out and put his hand on Ryan’s arm. Ryan stopped and faced Blake with hopeful eyes. “It’s not my business why you don’t have a phone, but it worries me that you can’t get a hold of anyone if you needed help in some way,” Blake explained as he let go of Ryan’s arm and reached up to trace his elf’s freckles on his cheek.

“It’s just never really come up before. I’ve been saving for a car, and having a phone is a luxury I can do without until then. My friends always reach me at work, and Angela works with me, so it’s really never been an issue before,” Ryan stated as he leaned his face into Blake’s gentle caress. Not having a phone could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but not having a car was worse, so he willingly made that sacrifice.

“I understand.”

Ryan raised one eyebrow slightly.

“No, I really do. I would rather have transportation too. I’ll worry about you, but that’s my nature. We’ll just work around it.” Blake grinned sheepishly and tried to shrug his shoulders, trying to convey nonchalance instead of the frustration he really felt about the situation. Evidentially it worked, because the sparkle once again returned to those handsome green eyes.

“Can I walk you to your door? I want to make sure you make it inside safely,” Blake asked as his fingers slid from Ryan’s cheek to behind his neck and he started rubbing the soft skin lightly. Ryan turned and lightly kissed his wrist.

“You don’t have to; it’s just right across the way. I’ll be fine, and there’s no need for us both to be out in this freezing night air. You’re very sweet, but I’ll be okay.” Ryan said as he slid closer to Blake on the bucket seat of the truck.

“What time do you get off of work tomorrow?” Blake asked as he himself edged closer to Ryan’s warm body.

“Seven o’clock.” Ryan put his hand on the side of Blake’s face and pulled his mouth down to his.

As their lips touched, Blake wrapped his arms around Ryan, holding him in a light embrace. Blake couldn’t believe how supple Ryan’s lips were as they gently kissed each other several times softly. When Blake slid his tongue out and traced those delectable lips with it, Ryan opened his mouth, and they explored each other’s mouths with their tongues. Ryan tasted like the peppermint candy he had eaten right after dinner. He was delicious and Blake quickly found himself becoming addicted to tasting this adorable man that was nestled so perfectly in his arms.