Page 29 of Snowbirds
“Oh my god,” Chris moaned, cradling his head in his hands. “I don’t know if I can stand this. Can’t we pretend we broke up or something? The woman doesn’t sleep! It’s not even seven a.m. and she?—”
“She loves you,” Ivan reminded him. “Both of your parents do. And, no we can’t pretend we broke up. Sorry, Dude, no can do. Can you imagine how sad Susie would be? And Lance too. Besides”—Ivan rubbed his belly—“I could do with something to eat before we leave. Worked up an appetite last night,” he added with an evil grin.
Dropping his hands, Chris stared at Ivan, at the man he loved. “You are incorrigible.”
“Sounds a lot better than being corrigible. Is it like being sheveled, as in un-disheveled? I’ve always wondered about those two words.”
Chris squinted at Ivan, shaking his head. “You are the only person I know who would wonder about those two words which do not exist.”
“Chris? Ivan?” His mom’s voice was only slightly muffled by the thin front door.
“We’ll be right there, Mom,” Chris responded, willing Susie to get a clue.
“It stands to reason that, if incorrigible and disheveled exist, then there has to be a corrigible and sheveled. And also a gruntled.”
“See you in a minute, boys.”
“We better dress and get over there ASAP. Mom might resort to picking the lock or something like that to make sure we really are okay in here.”
Chris stood up again to finish getting ready. Just how did one prepare for a day that would be spent with Ivan Morrison anyway?
“Are you okay?” Ivan asked abruptly, his words spilling out fast. “Are you okay with us?”
He sounded worried, which was so unlike the confident man Chris was familiar with that he paused with his shorts halfway up his legs. Hastily, he finished pulling them up before stepping over so he was standing between Ivan’s knees.
“Yes,” Chris said once he had Ivan’s undivided attention. “I am absolutely okay with this, with us.”
“So, this was a successful wooing? Thing is, I don’t know if I can work up the courage to try something like this again.” Ivan swiped at his forehead as if he was sweating bullets.
“You don’t have to, I promise. But why would you be worried? You’re Ivan the Undaunted.”
“Yeah, well.” Ivan shot him a weak grin. “It’s a lot of smoke and mirrors if you want to know the truth. But”—he squinted in what Chris supposed was an attempt to look threatening—“don’t tell anyone.”
“What will you do if I share your little secret?” Chris teased. He stepped back to grab a t-shirt.
Ivan looked thoughtful as he reached over, snagged his own shorts, and pulled them on before answering. “It’ll be badfor sure.” Done with fastening his waistband, Ivan’s big hands landed on Chris’s hips and he tugged him closer. “I might have to ravish you.”
Chris’s dick twitched, but he reminded himself that his parents were waiting for them.
“Oh, ravishing. I like the sound of that.” Chris waggled his eyebrows this time, earning a smile from Ivan. He’d do just about anything to make Ivan smile at him like that.
“Anytime, baby, any time.”
“Anytime except now.” Chris moved away slightly. “Mom has breakfast ready and we need to go if we want to hit the road.”
“Just know there’s a possible ravishing in your future.”
“Possible, huh?” Grinning, Chris bent and brushed his lips across Ivan’s. Anything more and they wouldn’t make it to breakfastorthe Grand Canyon.
EPILOGUE
New Year’s Eve
Hatch
“What fresh fuckinghell is this? How do you wear these monkey suits every day of your fucking life?” Ivan complained.
Suppressing a grin, Chris paused mid-unpacking and closet organizing to glance across the suite at his boyfriend.
