He returned with two bottles of Budweiser. I unscrewed the cap on mine and waited while he did the same, then tapped my bottle against his.
“Here’s to the first of many Christmases together.”
“And may we have a hundred of them.” His eyes were a warm brown in the candlelight.
“Why limit ourselves?”
His smile was broad and happy, appropriate for Christmas Eve. “Then here’s to a forever of them.”
* * * *
A well-behaved feline, Miss Su waited politely for us to finish eating, giving an occasional “mrrow” to remind us that she hadn’t yet dined.
“I think it should be okay to feed her now. The sedative seems to have worn off.”
“Sedative?”
“I had to fly down with her from Cambridge, and Jill gave her something so she wouldn’t cry the whole flight.”
“When did you get her, babe?”
“Today.”
“You flew there and back in one day?”
“Sure. I’ve done plenty of day trips. They’re no big deal. Get her, okay?”
I picked up the kitten and followed him into the kitchen. There was a small can of cat food on the counter, and he popped off the lid, put the food into a stainless steel bowl, and set it on the floor.
“We’ll have to get her name put on these.” Beside it was a bowl for water.
“Someone was hungry.” Miss Su was gobbling it down with dainty greed. Wills smiled at her, and I noticed a smear of red at the corner of his mouth. “You missed some sauce, babe.”
He would have taken a paper towel from the roll, but I stopped him from moving and licked it off. I ran my nose along his cheek. His skin was smooth, and I knew he must have taken the time to shave when he got home. I blew into his ear and nipped the lobe.
He shivered and gave a soft growl. “I want to fuck you, Theo.”
My jeans became snug. Usually he preferred to be fucked, but I loved the times when he wanted to take charge and top me. “We don’t want to shock Miss Su.”
“We can shut her in the kitchen for the time being. We won’t be that long.”
“Wills, if we’re not that long, we’re not doing it right.”
He gave a huff of laughter. “Let me get the Sherpa bag Dad and Jill gave her for Christmas.”
“She gets Christmas presents too?” I crouched down and watched the kitten fastidiously lick her paws and clean her face and whiskers.
“Oh, yeah, babe. And birthday presents, and any other occasion you can think of, Easter, Halloween, Valentine’s Day. It’s like having a baby.”
I looked up quickly. Did Wills regret that we couldn’t have children? But he was sauntering out of the room, and the sight of his ass encased in that black silk drove everything else out of my mind.
Was he wearing anything underneath those pants? Well, I grinned to myself, I’d find out soon enough.
I stroked a finger over Miss Su’s tiny head, and she butted my hand, then made her way to the utility room beside the kitchen where Wills had evidently put a litter pan. After she used it, she came back to me and rubbed her head against my leg.
“Oh, Miss Su.” My own kitten. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms.
By the time Wills returned, her eyes were closing. She uttered soft, questioning “Mrrow?” when I put her into the bag, then curled in a ball on the blanket that was on the bottom and began to snore, a dainty little, girl-kitty sound.
“Thank you, Wills.” I rose to my feet and kissed him again.
“I’m so glad you like her. When I saw you with Faster Pussycat, I knew it was a safe bet to get you a kitten.”
“You’ve been thinking about it since then?”
“Well….” He gave me an innocent look, and I reached down and pinched his butt. “I was relieved to know you weren’t allergic.”
If it had turned out that way, I’d have gone to see Dr. Rosen and gotten him to prescribe pills or give me shots. “Come on.”
“We’re not going in the bedroom?”
“Later.” Now was as good a time as any to give him his present. I ran my fingertips back and forth over one of his nipples. It plumped under my touch. “You sure I can’t talk you into a nipple ring?” He would look so good…so hot…
“Nnnno.”
“Will you ever tell me why not?” I paused in the doorway to the living room.
He grinned and shook his head. Was it the thought of the pain that stopped him? It really wasn’t that bad.
I realized I was nervous. Would he like the fireplace? I licked my lips and stepped back, allowing him to enter the room, then followed him, my gaze on his face.
His eyes widened as he took in the fireplace, the rug in front of it, the tree with its fairy lights and the decorations his mother had chosen for him.
“Theo?”
“You wanted a fireplace. Your wish is my command. Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Oh, Theo!” He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. “Thank you!”