Broken Boughs Read online

  “You want romantic? How about this?” Jonah hummed a few bars from his favorite song. The song Neil had attempted to sing to him last year when he’d given Jonah his promise ring.

  “I still don’t know the words,” Neil admitted. He pursed his lips. “Let’s see. You keep me standing tall. You’ll…”

  “You’ll help me through it all,” Jonah finished. “I love you, Neil.”

  Neil slid the ring onto Jonah’s left hand.

  “Perfect fit,” Jonah whispered.

  “Yeah, just like you.”

  “Shit. That’s it. Say something stupid.”

  Neil laughed. “What?”

  “We’re getting too mushy. Quick, say something stupid. Or grab your crotch or something.”

  “How about I grab your crotch?” Neil leered.

  “Yeah, that worked.” Jonah laughed. “Hoser.”

  Only them. “Ah, take off, eh?”

  “Wait, does this mean I get to be a Brogan?”

  Neil reared back. “You want to take my last name?”

  “It’s not like I have any love for mine.” Jonah stroked a hand down Neil’s face.

  “Babe.” Neil didn’t know what to say. He was getting choked up again.

  “Is that a yes?”

  Neil sniffed. “You know you’re going to be my mom’s favorite forever, if you do that.”

  “I’m already her favorite.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?”

  “I love you.”

  “Ah, shit. Jonah, I love you, too.”

  He wasn’t sure who made the first move, but suddenly they were in each other’s arms again. Jonah held him tight, pulling him close. Neil sighed, angling his neck for the lips that suddenly came closer. He kissed Jonah, moaning in to the other man’s mouth. They clung together, embracing, their lips moving slowly. The kiss was languid, relaxed.

  Jonah moved back imperceptibly. “Neil.” he murmured.

  Neil moved forward, making up the small space and pressing his lips tight to Jonah again. He opened his mouth, accepting Jonah’s tongue, drawing it deep into his mouth.

  A peal of barking had them both pulling apart with a gasp.

  “Let the dog in?” Jonah asked. “I’ll get the vacuum. Then we’re returning to this.”

  They finished cleaning up the mess while Kato danced at the end of his leash in the kitchen. Neil hadn’t wanted to risk letting him into the living room until they were sure it was safe, but it was too cold to keep leaving him outside. Plus, the neighbors probably wouldn’t be too happy about that.

  Finally, the three of them were curled up on the sofa with the lights dimmed low and the now-cold appetizers being passed around. Well, being passed between Neil and Jonah. Kato was gnawing on his pig’s ear.

  Jonah had taken the broken boughs and placed them on the coffee table with the vanilla candles and the remains of the tree had been remounted in the corner.

  “You want to open the rest of the presents?” Neil asked. He stretched in place, feeling Jonah’s body move against his own where they were propped against each other.

  “You tried the same thing last year. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “Oh, come on! You already got to open one,” he wheedled.

  Jonah laughed. “I don’t think a wedding band really counts as a Christmas gift.”

  “And that’s why you have another gift tucked away in that pile.” He pointed to the pile they’d dropped in a chair. “Kato got his gift, too. You really don’t want me to start pouting now, do you?”

  “Neil, you aren’t going to get me.”

  “You know you want to.”

  Jonah pursed his lips and Neil knew he had him. Easy mark. “Yes! I’ll get them.”

  Leaping up from the couch—and sending Kato into frantic barking again—Neil grabbed the packages and started to pile them in front of Jonah. “Seriously, Mom really did go all out.”

  “We’re lucky she gave us anything. I thought she wouldn’t talk to you after I told her we weren’t coming. And I really don’t know how it became my duty to tell your mother about our Christmas plans.”

  Neil grinned. They’d been over it about a dozen times already. “Hey, you’re going to be one of her sons, soon. Better get used to it.”

  He turned with the last present to see Jonah smiling mistily at the gold band on his finger. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I just finally get to have your family.”

  “You’ve had them for a year. Hell, if we’re perfectly honest, you’ve had my family since we were both in diapers.” It was true. Neil’s big, boisterous family had always loved Jonah. It’d gotten even more intense when they fell in love and his family had seen how important this relationship was to Neil. They’d welcomed Jonah with open arms.

  “I seriously love your parents. And your brothers.”

  “Careful, I might think you’re only marrying me for them.” Neil grinned. He wasn’t concerned Jonah would think he was serious.

  “I am. The truth is out. I’m deeply ashamed,” Jonah said dryly.

  “I knew it! I always knew you were only after me for my folks. Tell you what, you can keep them. I’ve got more than enough relatives.” Neil was grateful he got to share them with Jonah. His family was awesome, and he fully realized it. After everything Jonah had gone through with his fucking relatives, it was nice to be able to give him the loving he deserved. Although, not all Jonah’s relatives were bad. His cousin Rita-Anne and her husband were definite keepers.

  “We’re going to have to tell them.”

  Neil pursed his lips. “Tomorrow. We’ve got to do the phone calls anyway, and this way we have tonight for ourselves.”

  “Deal. You know your mom is going to want details.”

  “What?” Neil picked up a parcel that had his name on it. “Like how I proposed to you?”

  “No, well, yes. But, wedding details.”

  “Tell her we don’t have anything planned right now.”

  “Why am I telling her?”

  Neil snickered. “Because if I tell her I’m probably going to start mentioning what I did to your delectable body tonight.”

  “She’s your mom and you even try to pull that you’d be dead. Don’t think I don’t know an empty threat when I hear one.”

  Shit, Jonah had him there. “Presents?” he asked, deliberately changing the subject.

  It didn’t take them long to go through the pile. Neither one was normally sentimental about wrapping paper and shit. Not like Neil’s mom who meticulously kept everything and made them open their presents with surgical precision when they were at his folk’s house.

  Surrounded by their spoils, Neil admired the jersey Jonah had gotten him along with the season tickets to the local lacrosse team. Pretty sweet. Jonah was lying against him shaking a snow globe with a miniature mountain scene inside. It had been part of Neil’s gift to him, along with a voucher for a romantic weekend stay at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Banff National Park.

  “Ready for bed?” he asked when his eyes started to droop.

  “You head up. I’ll get Kato.”

  Neil wasn’t going to argue with that. He watched as Jonah put Kato outside for one last run before he headed upstairs to disrobe. His clothes were thrown in the hamper on the way to the bathroom. A few minutes later Jonah came up beside him.

  “Kato back in already?”

  “I think he was tuckered out. He barely moved from the back deck. I locked up, and you don’t have to go check.”

  Neil sheepishly ran a hand over his head. He’d done that for months after he’d moved in with Jonah. It was a habit Jonah was trying to break him of.

  “It’s nice knowing I don’t have to wait up for David tonight.”

  Jonah shook his head as he finished brushing his teeth. “You never have to wait up for David. You choose to.”

  Yeah, well, who wouldn’t? His baby brother was barely nineteen and stayed out all the time. What was Neil suppo
sed to do? Just go to bed and not worry about him?

  “Come on, worrywart. To bed with you.”

  Jonah moved closer, capturing Neil’s lips with a kiss. He was vaguely aware of the light switch being turned off before they were moving back into the bedroom, hands and lips moving against each other.

  Jonah angled him backward, careful to keep their lips together. Neil’s legs hit their bed and Neil let himself fall back. Jonah followed him down, never letting go of his lips.

  Jonah covered him from above, a warm, familiar presence. Neil wrapped his arms around Jonah, holding him close. Jonah hummed, obviously content to take things slow. Neither man made any effort to speed things up.

  He shifted, his cock bumping against Jonah’s. They slid against the other, their pre-come slicking them so the movements were slow and easy.

  Jonah grabbed Neil’s cock in his palm, squeezing in time to the thrust of his tongue in Neil’s mouth. Neil bucked his hips, encouraging Jonah. He managed to free one arm that had been clinging to Jonah’s back. Sliding his hand down Jonah’s side, he touched as much of Jonah as he could. He loved touching him. He’d never get enough of this.

  When he reached Jonah’s hip, Neil slid his hand along the surface, searching for his dick. They jerked each other slowly, long teasing touches that went from root to tip. Neil groaned.

  Soon, it wasn’t enough for Neil. He needed Jonah inside him.

  “Please, Jonah.”

  Jonah nodded, releasing Neil to reach for the bedside table. The familiar bottle was brought out and a dollop squeezed into Jonah’s palm before he was back and teasing fingers were toying with his ass.

  Neil brought up his legs, holding them at the knee. He stared steadily back at Jonah, never taking his eyes off the other man. Jonah bent down, licking a path along one ass cheek. Neil hummed approval.

  Jonah steadied him with one hand on his hip, pressing his face close to Neil’s hole. He licked again, a single swipe through Neil’s crack, paying special attention to the small opening.

  Jonah moved in for the kill, sucking and licking at Neil’s hole, running his tongue around and around the opening. Narrowing his tongue, he pressed it into Neil’s ass. Neil sighed. Fuck, that felt good. Jonah’s fingers soon joined the party and took over, thrusting into Neil’s ass and driving him mad.

  “Fuck, Jonah. Enough.”

  Jonah reared up, grabbing the lube and slicking his cock. He placed his right hand by Neil’s head, holding his cock with the other. Leaning down for another bruising kiss, he lined his cock up against Neil’s entrance.

  Neil couldn’t look away when Jonah started to press into him. The man completely owned him whenever he fucked him, Neil would gladly do anything as long as this never stopped. He loved the feeling.

  Jonah’s face was flushed, his bottom lip red where he was biting into it. Leaning up, Neil soothed the spot with a lick of his tongue. He grunted, wrapping his legs around Jonah’s waist. He pressed his heels into the man’s thighs, just under his flexing ass. Jonah moaned, leaning down to capture Neil’s mouth.

  The men moved together, in a dance choreographed from shared time together. They knew each other’s bodies, knew which spots were sensitive and would drive their partner mad. At times like this, Neil felt as if Jonah knew his body better than he did.

  He gasped when Jonah hit the spot inside his ass destined to drive him absolutely out of his mind. He arched his back, trying to get Jonah to hit that spot again. Jonah chuckled, slowing down his strokes and teasing Neil. The man knew how desperate he could get.

  “Say it,” Jonah whispered, his voice barely audible.

  “What?”

  “The magic word.”

  “Please, Jonah. Fucking do it already.” Neil tossed his head to the side.

  Jonah sighed, languidly stroking his cock inside Neil, driving them both to the edge. They came seconds apart, Jonah’s hand on Neil’s cock coaxing his seed out of him and his own release flooding Neil’s ass. God, he fucking loved that feeling. The day they’d stopped using condoms was a happy one for him. He’d never been able to experience that before, and it was amazing feeling so close to his partner.

  Messy, but amazing.

  Finally, Jonah stopped breathing like a freight train and slumped to the side. Neil put his arm around him and pulled Jonah closer. “That rocked.”

  Jonah laughed. “Seriously? That’s all you have to say?”

  “I hope you still do that to me when we’re sixty.”

  “Okay, well, that was romantic.” Jonah lifted his head and pressed a gentle kiss to Neil’s lips. “For that, I’ll even get the washcloth so you don’t have to sleep in the wet spot.”

  “Hallelujah. Babe, I knew there was a reason I kept you.” Neil placed both arms behind his head and grinned.

  “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m keeping you.”

  “Ah ha. But, I’m the one who proposed.” A wet rag hit him on the belly. Neil laughed and picked it up to remove the traces of semen from his body. “You know you love it.”

  “I’m telling everyone you cried when you asked me.” Jonah took back the wash cloth and threw it in the direction of the hamper.

  “You are not.”

  “Yeah, I am. You cried, and you bought me roses and spelled out the words in rose petals.”

  “Shit, no one in their right mind will believe that.” Neil frowned. No one would believe that, right?

  “Ha! You’re worried. You’re actually worried people might think you’re a sap.”

  Neil rolled his eyes. “You’re stuck with me forever. That actually reflects worse on you.”

  Jonah finally crawled back into bed and snuggled close to Neil. “You’re stuck with me forever, too.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Jonah laughed. “I love you.”

  Neil grinned and pressed a kiss to the top of Jonah’s head. “I love you too, babe. Merry Christmas.”

  “It certainly is.”

  Neil couldn’t wait to share their news. Hell, he couldn’t wait to share his life with Jonah. But, it could wait. Tonight, it was just the two of them.

  A warm bundle jumped up on the foot of the bed and lay down with a huff.

  Well, make that the three of them.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jade’s writing is as eclectic as her reading tastes, with over thirty gay, lesbian and bisexual stories currently published. She’s been known to accept writing challenges from friends and family just to see their reactions and she’s also a firm believer that love and romance are universal concepts, no matter a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

  Originally from Northern Ontario, Jade has lived in British Columbia and the Sultanate of Oman in the Middle East. Jade currently lives in Calgary, Alberta where she’s hard at work on her next story. Jade loves to hear from readers! Check out her website at http://www.jadebuchananbooks.com

  TRADEMARKS ACKNOWLEDGMENT

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Facebook: Facebook, Inc.

  Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

  MLR PRESS AUTHORS

  Featuring a roll call of some of the best writers of gay erotica and mysteries today!

  Derek Adams

  Z. Allora

  Maura Anderson

  Simone Anderson

  Victor J. Banis

  Laura Baumbach

  Helen Beattie

  Ally Blue

  J.P. Bowie

  Barry Brennessel

  Nowell Briscoe

  Jade Buchanan

  James Buchanan

  TA Chase

  Charlie Cochrane

  Karenna Colcroft

  Michael G. Cornelius

  Jamie Craig

  Ethan Day

  Diana DeRicci

  Vivien Dean

  Taylor V. Donovan

  S.J. Frost


  Kimberly Gardner

  Kaje Harper

  Alex Ironrod

  Jambrea Jo Jones

  DC Juris

  AC Katt

  Thomas Kearnes

  Sasha Keegan

  Kiernan Kelly

  K-lee Klein

  Geoffrey Knight

  Christopher Koehler

  Matthew Lang

  J.L. Langley

  Vincent Lardo

  Cameron Lawton

  Anna Lee

  Elizabeth Lister

  Clare London

  William Maltese

  Z.A. Maxfield

  Timothy McGivney

  Tere Michaels

  AKM Miles

  Robert Moore

  Reiko Morgan

  Jet Mykles

  William Neale

  N.J. Nielsen

  Cherie Noel

  Gregory L. Norris

  Willa Okati

  Erica Pike

  Neil S. Plakcy

  Rick R. Reed

  A.M. Riley

  AJ Rose

  Rob Rosen

  George Seaton

  Riley Shane

  Jardonn Smith

  DH Starr

  Richard Stevenson

  Christopher Stone

  Liz Strange

  Marshall Thornton

  Lex Valentine

  Haley Walsh

  Mia Watts

  Lynley Wayne

  Missy Welsh

  Ryal Woods

  Stevie Woods

  Lance Zarimba

  Mark Zubro

  Check out titles, both available and forthcoming, at

  www.mlrpress.com

  GLBT RESOURCES

  RAINBOW ROMANCE WRITERS

  Raising the Bar for LGBT Romance

  RRW offers support and advocacy to career-focused authors, expanding the horizons of romance. Changing minds, one heart at a time. www.rainbowromancewriters.com

  THE TREVOR PROJECT

  The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves lives though its free and confidential helpline, its website and its educational services. If you or a friend are feeling lost, alone, confused or in crisis, please call The Trevor Helpline. You’ll be able to speak confidentially with a trained counselor 24/7.