Dec the Halls

  Dec the Halls

  A Taking Care Christmas special: First Christmas

  Gianni Holmes

  Editing by

  Tanja Ongkiehong

  Dec the Halls © 2019 Gianni Holmes

  All Rights Reserved.

  This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic, in whole or in part, without expressed written permission. This is excluding brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental in nature.

  Warning

  This book contains graphic sexual content. Intended for readers of 18 years and over.

  Table of Contents

  Holiday Greetings from the Author

  Trivia

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Thank You

  Coming Soon

  Become a Gem

  About the Author

  Holiday Greetings

  Hi Reader,

  I wish you and your family have had a great year. For each person, this time of the year may have a different meaning or significance. Regardless of the differences, I hope you have a splendid time and that the new year will be bring even greater things for you.

  I have brought us back to our unconventional couple Owen and Declan for the holiday season. Writing these guys filled me with such excitement and nostalgia because I have to leave them again. At one point, they tempted me enough to write a full novel for them, but time constraints would not allow me. I did try to include as much of the original ideas as possible.

  This holiday special takes a look at Owen and Declan’s first Christmas together. I thought it would be enlightening to see how, coming from different backgrounds, both men would navigate the holidays.

  I hope you enjoy the revisit of one of our favorite couples.

  XoXo

  Gianni

  A Taking Care Trivia

  Let’s see how well you know our characters from the Taking Care series. Take this quiz prior to reading the holiday special. After reading, record how many answers you got right and feel free to post them in my Facebook group Gianni’s Gems.

  Who is more likely to have ruined the Moore-Long home decoration for the holidays?

  a) Declanb) Owen

  Who is more likely to be the horrible singer?

  a) Declanb) Owen

  Who will more than likely not share in Owen and Declan’s first Christmas together?

  a) Owen’s kidsb) Declan’s father

  Who is more likely to wear a Mrs. Claus costume?

  a) Declanb) Owen

  Which foundation will Owen and Declan contribute to this Christmas?

  a) A cancer societyb) A children’s hospital

  In which public place will Declan and Owen more than likely have sex?

  a) In a storeb) At the Christmas tree lot

  How will Owen and Declan spend Christmas Eve?

  a) Watching Hallmark movies b) Watching the Christmas lights

  Where did the family Thanksgiving dinner take place?

  a) Charles and Poppy’s home

  b) Declan and Owen’s home

  Who is more likely to have given a blow job at the hospital?

  a) Owenb) Declan

  Who is more likely to have gone caroling in the past?

  a) Owenb) Declan

  Don’t forget to post in the group how many you got right.

  Take care of your memories, for you cannot relive them.

  Bob Dylan

  One

  Owen

  That’s the doorbell!” David announced, interrupting me midsentence about a new kind of stuffing I wanted to try for Christmas dinner.

  I snapped my head up from the notepad where I’d been scribbling and blinked at David. The butler’s cheeks were flushed and his eyes alive and dancing with excitement. He could barely keep still, and only one thing ever prompted such a reaction from him.

  I groaned, staring at the half-finished list I was working on. “It’s Pierce, isn’t it?”

  He gave me an apologetic smile and rose to his feet, grabbing his jacket he’d draped over the back of the chair. I should have known from that sight he wouldn’t be around for long.

  The butler had refused to give up his job working for Declan and me, but he did fewer hours as he was enrolled in the local college to finish his degree in events planning.

  “Am I that obvious?” he asked and worried at his bottom lip with his teeth. “You think I should be more subtle about my feelings?”

  I hid my amusement at his dilemma. I’d been just as reluctant and uncertain at first when I started dating Declan. It wasn’t so long ago I’d been in his position. Six months to be exact and married for the last two.

  At times I paused to think about the craziness of us getting hitched so quickly, but given a second chance, I’d choose to fall in love with him all over again. So fucking worth it, and I didn’t mean the pampering either—although that was a pleasant bonus I was getting used to.

  “Screw being subtle, David. You’re in love, it’s new, and he feels the same way about you. You’re more than entitled to the way you feel right now, and you should listen to me. I’m an expert at not being subtle.”

  David laughed, nodding wildly. “That’s true enough. Are you going to be okay finishing up the menu alone? I could ask Pierce to give us a few more minutes.”

  I’d need more than a few minutes to work out my complicated menu to feed our family. We had all been at Charles and Poppy’s for Thanksgiving—my not so brilliant idea to thaw the ice between Declan and his stepmother before Charles welcomed his little girl in the world. I tried to meddle and fix things because I hated everyone not getting together. That night at Charles’s had been the most uncomfortable dinner I’d ever attended.

  I wanted everything with Christmas dinner to be perfect to overshadow the bad memory of Thanksgiving. It was bad enough that my kids were not going to show up this year, since they had all decided to go on a cruise together. I’d been livid when Auggie broke the news to me, but I’d gotten over it. I liked that they were going together for a little brother-sister time.

  I think.

  In any event, I wanted to keep myself busy, so I didn’t have to think about my kids away for the holidays. My first Christmas without them, but at least I had Declan, so I wouldn’t be lonely.

  I’d just gotten back from a business trip with Declan two days ago, and for the first year I was behind in getting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house. I had hopes of taking care of it this weekend, though, when Declan was off work. I wanted it to be our new tradition— to choose our tree and decorate together.

  Still, it was hardly David’s fault that I’d left everything until the last minute. It was unfair to ask him to stick around when he clearly was looking forward to whatever Pierce had planned for them.

  “I can manage on my own.” I waved him away. “Six months ago I didn’t have a butler, and I managed just fine, so don’t even worry about it.”

  “Are you sure? Because Pierce can wait.”

  “No, Pierce can’t.”

  David and I swiveled our heads in the direction of the newcomer who had intruded on our conversation. I smiled brightly at the young man, who filled the entrance of the kitchen. He had eyes only for David, who, if he didn’t take a deep breath soon, would swoon like a tightly corseted bride in the Victorian era on her wedding day.

  I was ridiculously happy for them and how much in love they were. Declan
kept insisting that I needed to butt out and allow them to navigate their relationship on their own, but I couldn’t help interfering. These men were our friends, and they made excellent double-date companions.

  “Pierce!” David’s voice came out on a breathy cry.

  “The door was open, so I took the liberty of letting myself in,” he said, striding toward David, who had yet to move. Pierce stopped in front of David, so close not an inch separated them, stepped closer and cupped the back of his head.

  Like a peeping Tom, I watched them, grinning so hard my cheeks hurt.

  It was amazing to witness the change Pierce brought about in the butler. He had always been a nice guy but aloof and standoffish even, but he completely melted for the younger man. He seemed to forget work, forget my presence as he tilted his head to receive Pierce’s ready kiss.

  I’d expected them to give a peck, considering they had an audience. So wrong. Pierce wrapped his arms around David’s waist, his hands planted over his lower back. I heard David’s excited moan, but still I didn’t stop them. Declan and I had our gag-worthy moments. It was refreshing to note we weren’t the only ones.

  Finally, Pierce broke the kiss, but he didn’t let go of David. He eye-fucked the butler for a few seconds, then turned his head toward me with a cocky, shit-eating grin.

  “Owen, what’s up?”

  I glanced toward their fronts and couldn’t help my outburst of laughter. “Apparently a lot.”

  He and David both had a similar problem of sporting a hard-on, although the butler shifted into his lover in an attempt to cover the evidence.

  “Make fun all you want, Moore,” Pierce said, the smile he swept David’s way full of affection. “I’ll take the ribbing all day for this one.”

  It was still awkward at times to hear someone call me Moore since I’d chosen to discard my father’s name. I’d thought long and hard about it before getting all my documents changed after the ink had dried on my marriage certificate. My family didn’t care one damn about me anyway.

  No, that was wrong.

  My family thought the world of me. It was my parents’ family, who didn’t think I was worthy of their love, but I no longer agonized over it.

  “I can see that,” I said, saluting Pierce. “You guys are coming for Christmas dinner, right? And by the way, don’t be fooled. That’s definitely not a question.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Pierce replied. “Especially if my guy’s cooking.”

  “Yes, I—”

  “No, you’re not cooking, David. You’ll be a guest in our home. I’ll take care of the meal.”

  “I can at least help,” the butler protested. “That’s a whole lot of cooking to do, and you and I both know Declan can’t even boil water.”

  “Hey!” I shrugged and gave up protesting facts. Declan still did not care for the kitchen, and on the rare occasion he hung around the kitchen while I cooked, the only heat he was interested in bringing was the one that incinerated me each time he touched me.

  “Leave the cooking to me,” I said to David. “I’m sure I can handle everything. Now go on out of here with Pierce before he starts humping your leg in my kitchen.”

  David’s face could not be any redder, and Pierce grinned at his squirming boyfriend. He was so repressed. I fucking loved how Pierce reached him and brought him out of his shell.

  “Yup, we’ll get going.” Pierce ushered David from the kitchen, his hand right on the butler’s butt. “And thanks for the invite to Christmas dinner. Wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the day.”

  “Good. See you guys!”

  Their chuckles continued until the front door slammed. I sighed contentedly and reached for the pen on the island to continue with my menu list.

  On my tablet, I browsed different websites boasting the best Christmas menus to borrow ideas. Thankfully, our guests weren’t peculiar about food except for Charles, who, as vain as he was, followed a very strict diet. I couldn’t begrudge the man, though; he made forty-eight look damn good.

  After working for half an hour on the menu, I powered off the tablet, grabbed my notepad and pen, and went looking for Declan. He’d taken the day off because he had the sniffles, and I’d made him miss work this morning when I’d climbed on top of him. I’d pretended innocence when we finally made it to the bathroom, but I had purposefully distracted him. He’d been holed up in his office all day though; he might as well have gone into work.

  Sometimes I missed working in his office. At least he was close by, and I was able to see him if I just raised my head while I tried to iron out some pesky plot detail for my book. My office was incomparable, but when he was home, I still grabbed my laptop often and curled up on the lounge chair, writing while I watched him.

  At times I watched him more than I wrote.

  His office door was left ajar and was pushed open before I could grasp the knob. Lucky came out, wagging his tail as he wound himself through my legs. He had been keeping Declan’s company while he worked.

  “Hey there, boy.” I circled the pen around his head playfully, and he barked, turning around and around, following the pen until he keeled over onto his back, legs pawing the air. I chuckled and stepped over him. “Give me a minute to talk to Daddy, and we’ll play catch. How about that?”

  His ears straightened, and he bounded away, more than likely to find his ball. I entered Declan’s office, not deterred by his sharp tone, which drifted toward me. He sat at his desk, snapping into the phone pressed to his ear.

  “Tommy, I told you to keep those days open. You need to undo this mess you’ve put me in.”

  I pitied whoever was on the other end of the line. Declan was a fair man, but he could be a bit of a hard ass when it came to business.

  He beckoned me over with his index finger, and I hurried to him. When I was close enough, he pulled his chair back and patted the top of his desk. I eagerly took my place and put down my notepad and pen, ready for anything he needed.

  Declan’s arms came around my waist, and he pressed his face into my middle as he continued his business call. I didn’t make a sound. I stroked his hair, sifting my fingers through the fine dark locks, massaging his scalp. He let a moan slip as he burrowed deeper into me.

  “Tommy, get started on fixing this.”

  Declan ended the call and left the handset off the hook. He eased back out of my arms, and I leaned forward and pressed a hard kiss to the pinched line of his mouth. He wasn’t happy with that call at all.

  “You didn’t have to end your call because of me,” I told him. “I could have come back later when you’re not as busy.”

  “I needed a break,” he answered. “And admit it. You came here just to distract me.”

  “A little,” I agreed, giving him a slanted grin. “But that call sounded serious.”

  “Just the intern fucking things up as usual.” He ran his palms up my thighs, sending shivers up my spine. “Have you come to make it better?”

  “You know I have no head for business.”

  “On the contrary, I think you have just the head I need to terminate some business right now.”

  His hand grabbed the waistband of my sweatpants, and he tugged it down. The elastic waist gave in, and before I knew it, my flaccid cock spilled out.

  “But, Declan, we need to talk about something important.”

  Declan didn’t take his eyes off my cock. As though mesmerized by the sight, he cupped my cock at the base. “What could be more important than feeling how hard I can make you get in my mouth?” he asked.

  My cock twitched, and the blood rushed south. I was just as captivated as he was with how fast it grew under his grasp.

  “What could be more important than feeling your hot seed gushing down my throat?”

  Two

  Declan

  I would never get tired of dirty-talking Owen while we were having sex. Never get tired of seeing color creep into his face, even after six months, when I’d fucked him damn nea
r every way a man could be taken. I’d never find it exhausting how this unassuming man could go from the Virgin Mary to Playboy Bunny in a matter of seconds.

  Never tire of him.

  A moan poured from his lips when I cupped the base of his cock. My mouth watered for a taste of him, but I had to satisfy my visual needs as well. I watched the way his cock responded to me squeezing and gently pulling on his growing erection. I tried not to tug too hard on his dick while I caressed him, mindful of the friction of flesh against flesh.

  “Seriously, Dec, we have to talk,” he gasped, clutching the edge of the desk.

  “What about?” I asked, humoring him, although I wasn’t in the mood.

  That business call had pissed me off. Who the hell conducted business at this time of the year? Maybe the old Declan would have done something like this, but my first Christmas with Owen was coming up. No way was I going away to discuss business with anyone. Even when hundreds of thousands of dollars were at stake.

  My husband was worth so much more.

  “Thanks—oh!”

  I had him by the balls, pumping the twin sacs with slight pressure before releasing them. “You’re welcome.”

  “No, not thanks,” he panted. “I meant Thanksgiving dinner! It was a disaster, and I want to make Christmas dinner special. I want to go through the menu with you.”

  He rushed out the words, which made him even more breathless. The chair creaked as I rose to my feet, never taking my eyes off him longer than I needed to blink.

  Owen raised his head, tilting it to the side when mine descended. His lips slammed into mine, and the familiar hunger to consume him possessed my soul. The kiss deepened with our tongues sliding against each other. I explored his mouth, and he exploited mine. My hand remained on his cock, stroking him until I eventually broke the kiss.