I peered over at my Uncle John next to Jack and Ellie on the couch. He’d sported a big smile all night, but it never made it to his eyes. He’d always made sure to tell me all about my father, his big brother whom he adored and idolized. I loved hearing all the stories he told, about my dad playing football, becoming a cop, and how he died a hero.
But my father wasn’t a real person to me in any of those stories. He may as well have been talking about Batman or the Easter Bunny. I don’t remember taking the picture in my mother’s hallway on my first Christmas; me on his lap, my father gazing at me with the same big green eyes as mine. I never knew him, so he wasn’t real to me.
Now we’d be telling Jack Junior all about his father, who would never be real to him, either. He wouldn’t remember Jack’s larger than life voice, his deep, infectious laugh as he teased all of us, or how he would take on someone twice his size if they hurt anyone he loved. My cousin lived and loved hard, and would leave a gaping hole in the world when he left us.
Sometimes, life didn’t make one bit of goddamn sense.
Evan and I didn’t make it home until after midnight. We were headed back to my aunt and uncle’s house for Christmas Day, so the finality of it all hadn’t hit me yet. I expected to break down tomorrow evening with the rest of my family.
“Hey, you feeling okay?” Evan pulled me closer to him on the couch. I plopped my purse on the floor when we traipsed through the door and planted myself there, staring into space.
“Yeah, my stomach is a little upset, but my nerves are shot.” I cuddled into Evan’s side and wrapped my arm around his waist. Towards the end of the night, it was hard to swallow any dessert. Maybe my body was reacting physically to what I didn’t let myself feel.
“It’s Christmas, officially. And I think you said I had a present under the tree.” Evan smirked at me and I chuckled back.
“I don’t know . . . were you a good boy?” I raised my eyebrows as he kneeled in front of me.
“Oh, I’ve been a very . . .” Evan picked up my hand and gave me a soft kiss on the back of my hand. “Very . . .” He kissed my other hand and leaned in closer. “Very good boy.” He gave me a soft kiss on my lips and painted kisses down my neck.
“Mmm . . . I think I’m almost convinced.” Evan laughed as he ran his hand up my leg, lifted my dress and ran his lips across my nylon covered thighs.
“Under the tree, next to the radiator.” Evan stopped to meet my heated gaze.
“You’re so easy to break, Ms. Taylor.” He kissed the tip of my nose and headed towards my four-foot prelit tree.
My knee bounced up and down as he ripped open the package. I put a lot of thought into his gift, and I hoped he loved it.
“Paige, where did you . . .” Evan’s voice trailed off as his eyes grew wide. He was stunned and speechless, which I hoped was a good thing.
“One of my clients is a huge Beatles fan. I asked him where I could get an original record of Hey Jude and he found it with one phone call. I wasn’t sure if you wanted it since you can’t play it, unless you have a record player I haven’t seen. But John Lennon signed the cover . . .” Evan drifted his hand across the album before placing it on my coffee table. He turned back over to me and pulled me to stand before crashing his lips to mine.
“Thank you. I don’t even know what to say . . . my mother would have flipped if she saw this. This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten. Ever. I love you so much.” He brought his lips back to mine even as my hands drifted to his waist.
I lifted Evan’s shirt out of his black pants and slipped my hand up his chiseled stomach and his chest. I raked my nails over his abs and unbuckled his pants.
“Know what I always wanted to do?” I licked the seam of his lips as he pulled up the hem of my dress.
“What’s that?” Evan’s words were a throaty whisper as he pulled my dress over my head. He ran his hands down my chest and inched my tights and panties down, then bent to trail open mouth kisses over my exposed skin. A moan escaped me as I dropped my head back and grabbed his head to pull him closer.
“Make love under the Christmas tree.” My knees buckled as Evan’s tongue dipped into my belly button and inched closer to where I wanted him the most.
Evan stood and unhooked my bra and dropped it on the floor.
“Wait . . .” My voice was strained as Evan cupped my breasts and ran his thumbs over my rigid nipples.
“I always seem to be at a bit of a disadvantage . . . being the first one naked.” I unbuckled his belt and pulled it from the loops around his waist. It landed with a thud next to my heap of clothes on the floor. I unbuttoned his shirt and dragged my tongue down his torso and up along his collarbone with each newly exposed inch of flesh.
“Shit Daisy . . .” Evan grabbed my face to kiss me but I pulled back, shaking my head.
“I’m not done yet.” I parted his shirt and tugged the sleeves down his muscular arms. He was too fucking beautiful.
“I love it when you look at me like that.” Evan gazed at me with hooded eyes; he pulled at my hair as I ran my mouth all over him.
“Like what?” I looked up at him and batted my eyelashes.
He chuckled and shook his head. “Like you want to eat me alive.” His breath hitched as I grazed my lips down his shoulder and sank my teeth into his bicep.
“You do taste really good.” I licked my lips and shrugged. “That may leave a mark. Sorry.”
I slipped my hands inside the waistband of his boxer briefs and slid them down with his pants.
I settled on my knees in front of Evan and tried not to salivate at the huge erection extending up past his belly button.
“So now I’m naked like you wanted,” Evan’s voice was low and husky as he cupped my cheek and ran his fingers through my hair. “What are you going to do with . . . fuck, Paige.”
I ran my tongue along the underside of his cock and then took him all the way in my mouth as I wrapped my hand around the base. Evan was too big for me to take all of him in. He was only halfway in my mouth and already testing my gag reflex. I pulled back and wrapped my lips only around the tip and then took him back in as much as I could, alternating licking and sucking. I smiled as my six foot four boyfriend was reduced to whimpers as he pressed my head between his legs.
“God that mouth is so good . . . just like that . . . so good . . . so fucking good.”
Before Evan, this wasn’t my favorite thing to do. It was a special occasion or birthday activity that I hurried through as quickly as possible. Evan gave me so much love in every possible way, I reveled in giving him something like this. Something solely for him. He deserved everything I had, and I loved giving it to him.
“Stop, Paige!” Evan pushed my head back and knelt on the floor before me. He took my lips in a fierce kiss that made me wetter than I already was. Our tongues and teeth collided as our passion exploded. He climbed on top of me and ran his fingers along the wet and swollen flesh at my core. Evan hissed as he buried his head in my neck.
“You’re soaked. Please . . . I need you right fucking now.” With one thrust he was already deep inside. I was already close as I wrapped my legs around his waist.
“Harder.” I whispered in his ear as Evan moved faster. My legs shook as he brought me closer and closer to the edge.
“Paige, I want you to, please . . .” Evan bit his lip as his breathing quickened.
“What, babe? Anything.” I held his face in my hands as he moved inside me. There was something about the way he was looking at me; like he was afraid I would disappear if he let me go. The need in his eyes made me fall apart under him. Evan pulsed into me shortly afterwards and collapsed on to my chest. I rubbed his back as he shook in my arms.