Long_Way_Home

his hand and his warm fingers closed around my freezing ones.
    “You’re cold,” he said.
    I launched myself at him and he caught me in his arms, feeling so good. I stared into his eyes seeing the truth there, naked and laid out for me to see. “How – what – why didn’t you – I can’t believe this.”
    “I just know I’ve always loved you,” he said softly.
    I kissed him. It was too soon for a hot, sexy kiss; I just wanted to taste him, like I’d been dreaming of all these years. I wasn’t disappointed; his mouth was delicious and soft, eager for me as I brushed my lips against his. I felt his body tremble and wrapped my arms around him protectively.
    I could sense that this was all new to him. I had a brief 16

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    moment of bitter regret that my first time couldn’t have been with him, but I tossed it away. It was what it was.
    Then I pulled back and studied his face.
    “Don’t do that,” Jake pleaded.
    “What?”
    “Give me that look full of doubt. I’ve never lied to you and I wouldn’t about something as important as this.” I touched his cheek with my fingertips and he closed his eyes, turning his face into my hand and rubbing against my palm like a cat, before shivering because my fingers were cold.
    “I always loved you,” I said in a tone of wonder.
    “I should have told you. I always swore to myself that I would, but I thought there was time. I kept putting it off and then you went to college.” He stared at me accusingly. “You never came back. Not even for summer vacation.”
    “I had to work my way through, I got a job….” My voice trailed off. We both knew the reason I hadn’t come back.
    He bent his head to kiss me and his lips were hungry, if clumsy, as if he didn’t do this very often. “I want us to make love.”
    I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in six years. “You sure you want to strip in here? It’s freezing.” 17

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    He covered one of my cold hands with both his warm ones and grinned. “Let’s take this to my place. I’ve got a tree up and the furnace works. I’ll even throw in a fire if you want.”
    “Great, let’s go. I really wasn’t looking forward to freezing my ass off all night.” He leered at me and I was struck by how easily he seemed to be accepting all of this. “I’ll keep your ass warm.”
    “Is that a promise?”
    His eyes were intense as he stared at me. “You know it is.”
    I ran upstairs to get my coat and grabbed my mom’s gift off the bed, stuffing it into my bag. Jake was bent at the fireplace when I ran back down, banking the fire before pulling the screen into place. He grabbed my hand, pulling me to the door as if he couldn’t get me over to his place quick enough.
    I studied his profile in the blue light reflecting off the snow as he drove. “You seem sure that this is what you want.”
    “This is all I’ve ever wanted, Andy,” he said. The intensity in his voice shook me. “All I ever dreamed about.” His hand found mine, and we held hands all the way to his place.

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    I balked suddenly at the door. “What about your parents?”
    “They went to Florida this year. Something about old bones getting cold too easily.” He dragged me inside and I had just the glimmering of a suspicion about who his parents went to Florida with, but then he was unbuttoning my coat with eager fingers. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t drag you over here to have my way with you if they were here. We could have gone to a hotel.”
    “Motel 6?” I was unbuttoning his coat just as eagerly.
    “Only the best,” he said with a grin.
    Once both our coats were off and we tossed them onto a chair, he seemed nervous and at a loss.
    “First time?” I hardly knew which I preferred, that he knew what he was doing or that he’d waited for me. And despite my experience, I was nervous too.
    “Yeah.” He swallowed hard. The hopeful expression on his face melted me. This was so much more than just sex, for both of us.
    As if to break the tension, Jake went to the fireplace and built a fire. Of course, for him the flames came easily; the wood caught right away, giving off a welcome warmth.
    Then he went to the tree and turned on the lights, illuminating all the colors of the glass balls. His family still 19

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    used the old bubble lights. He flicked one with a fingernail to get it started, and it made me remember how