Page 44 of Wishes for August

Inside, the house smelled like cinnamon and apples, and I swept my eyes over the cream painted walls and oak side table in the entry hall on which a red Poinsettia stood. Lottie ledme further into the house to a large sitting room where soft music played, and candles flickered in the windows and above the huge unlit fireplace. A beautiful Christmas tree stood to one side of the large living area and the walls were lined with photo upon photo of Caleb, Lottie, an older man and younger blonde woman. I presumed they were his father and sister. The house felt warm and homely, and my heart tripped over itself when I thought about Caleb growing up here, with these people. It was no wonder he smiled so much. He had so much reason to.

“Ronan!” Lottie yelled, her voice surprisingly loud. “The boys are here!”

Just then Hamlet came bounding in, followed closely by Caleb and an older man who looked just like him.

“No need to yell love, I heard them arrive.” The older man walked over to me and offered his hand. “Ronan Winters, welcome to our home. We are so glad you could join us.” I shook his hand back and introduced myself.

Examining him, I could see where Caleb got his good looks, though his smile was all his mum’s. And where Caleb was on the bulkier side, his dad was more slender. Lottie gestured for us to sit but before we could, a loud shriek sounded from behind us.

“Baby brother!” Caleb spun around in time to catch the blonde missile that threw herself at him.

“Ash!” he buried his face in her neck as he spun her around. “I’ve missed you so much! I’m glad you made it home this year.” He hugged her again and dug his fingers into her ribs, causing her to wriggle and squeal. Then she attempted to tackle him onto the sofa. They were a mixture of limbs as they play-fought each other like children. Hamlet barked at their feet, yapping and jumping up to be part of the fun.

I watched silently from the sidelines as their mother tried to wrangle them to behave and their father looked on with a loving grin.

This was a real family. This is what I had been missing since I was eight years old. Since my father left and my mother decided I wasn’t worth anything. It almost felt too good to be true to be welcomed into the fold.

For years, the fear of being left behind again scared me so much, I’d kept my heart guarded. Never offering it to anyone. Keeping it safe behind its well-built walls. That was, until Caleb Winters came into my life. He’d made me feel wanted.

So, for the first time in years, I wished that this would never end. That this family could be my family too.

“Merry Christmas, sleepyhead,” came a low whisper to my right. I rolled onto my stomach and pulled the blanket over my head, burying myself into a comforting warmth that smelt like Caleb and Christmas. A cold gush of air startled me as the soft fabric was ripped off and replaced by a hard, warm body.

“Come on baby, it's Christmas. Wake up.” Caleb ground his very naked and hard dick into my ass and gently kissed my neck, trailing wet, sloppy kisses up to my ear. Goosebumps broke out over my skin as the cool air hit the trail he left behind.

“Too early, need more sleep,” I mumbled, lifting the pillow and burying my head beneath it.

Caleb was a morning person, I was not. Especially not when I didn't have anywhere I needed to be.

Caleb ran his hands down my sides, moving to pepper kisses down my spine. Trapped between my body and the mattress, my morning wood throbbed but I ignored it, like I did the man perched on top of me.

I let out a loud, startled yelp when a sharp stab of pain radiated through me and Caleb let out a wicked laugh, his tongue slowly licking across the bite mark he'd just left on my hip.

The pillow slid to the floor as I bucked him off and rolled to my side to face him, my eyelids still heavy with sleep, my head resting on my arm. He nuzzled his nose against mine.

“I have a gift for you.” Caleb’s voice was warm and sweet like melted chocolate. I wanted to close my eyes and drift back to sleep to the sound of it.

My brain that was only just waking up snagged on his words.

“You bought me a gift?” I sat up, resting against the black fabric headboard and rubbing my hand over the stubble on my chin. Caleb remained lying next to me, his fingers tracing circles on my thigh. “I didn’t know we were exchanging gifts, I didn’t get you anything.” I felt like such an idiot, obviously he’d want to buy gifts. That’s what couples did. Clearly, I had fucked up already.

Caleb sat up and straddled my lap, taking my face in his hands. His thumbs stroked my cheeks as he talked and butterflies took off in my chest at his words, “I don’t need a gift from you August. You already are my gift. I don’t need anything else.”

“You’re really cheesy, you know that right?” I joked, wiping a spot of dampness from my eyes. His words hit me hard and I was overwhelmed with emotion. I’d never been anything special to anyone before. I’d only even been a burden.

“Oh, I know, but that’s the way you like me.” He grinned and released my face, reaching over to the side table to retrieve a green and gold striped envelope. “Here you go, sweetheart. Merry Christmas.”

I held the envelope in my hand and turned it over. There was no writing on it and no indication of what was inside. I opened it carefully, pulling out a folded piece of paper and flattening it out.

Caleb, who was still naked, absentmindedly ran his hands along my abs and up and down my chest, rubbing over my nipples while his eyes stayed focused on me, waiting for me to react.

“A safari? You booked us a safari?” My eyes widened as I read the details out loud. “Five nights at the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Private lodge with a plunge pool. Personally assigned tour guides, a spa and outdoor dining. This is incredible.” I covered my mouth with my hand. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say you’ll go with me.”

I nodded and surged forward, pulling him against me and taking his mouth in a bruising kiss. I ran my hands through his hair and then down his back until they were resting on his ass. His hard cock stood firm and leaking against my stomach and he thrust forward as I deepened the kiss.

Breathing my words into his lungs, “Thank you baby, no one has ever done anything like this for me before.”

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