Page 23 of Meeting Mr. Christmas
Excitement at the thought of kissing Noel. His best bud. His friend since birth.
Fuck.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Stacey screamed. “You gotta do the whole sucking up spaghetti thing.”
“I ain’t cooking spaghetti, baby,” Connor said, “but what about…” He jumped up and rummaged through the remains of the snacks, thrusting a breadstick with a large blob of mayo on each end into Jed’s hand
“I, erm, think we’ve got to nibble our way through from each end until we end up in the, erm, you know, the…” Noel muttered.
“Kiss.”
“Hmm.”
“Okay, guys. Breadstick at the ready. And go!”
Noel plucked the breadstick from Jed’s fingers and placed it in his mouth, pink, mayo smeared lips clamping down.
Jed swallowed, his throat dry. All they had to do was crunch their way to the middle and then have a quick peck, because the quickest of quick pecks was still technically a kiss. That was allthey needed to do. It was no big deal. He’d kissed Noel plenty. On the cheek, even an occasional quick, hard peck on the lips, hugging him close. Christmas. Birthdays. Lots of other times, just because…
Just inches away, Noel’s brows arched high.Get moving, you dick, let’s get this over with…Noel was already crunching his way towards him.
Cheers, stamping feet, and clapping urged them on. The breadstick, despite the mayo, was dry, making it hard to swallow… Only three, four inches between them, just a peck, which absolutely counted as a kiss.
“Wanna see tongue, guys…” Connor’s raucous voice was joined by others, laughing and whooping.
No, they didn’t have to go that far, they wouldn’t… All he and Noel had to do was to give each other the briefest, tiniest kiss, nothing more than a peck.
An inch, less than half an inch… Then nothing, as lips found lips, Noel’s mouth relaxing, opening up to let him in. Noel kissing him. Not a peck. Not a glancing of lips. Most definitely not a technicality, not as his tongue responded and tangled with Noel’s, not as lips moved against lips, not as his eyes closed as he gave himself up to the wet heat of Noel’s hungry mouth, a mouth that was every bit as ravenous as his own.
Jed’s heart hammered against his ribs, threatening to crash and splinter the bone. The heavy hum and whoosh of his blood racing through his veins thundered through his ears, blanketing all the shouts and whoops until they faded altogether. Because this was all there was. Him and Noel. Nobody and nothing else, just like it had always been, everything and everyone else just surface noise.
Noel whimpered, the sound low and breathy, and Jed pulled him close. Cradling the back of Noel’s head, he pushed his fingers through Noel’s hair as he kissed him deeper and darker,cupping his head between his hands, feeling the rasp of fine stubble on his palms. Jed’s dick throbbed within its denim prison, a prison he wanted to set it free from. Noel pulled back, and Jed’s eyes snapped open. Noel was staring at him, his blue eyes huge and his lips slack, wet, and puffy as he chased his breath, his chest rising and falling.
“Wow, that was…”
“Oh my god, that was the hottest thing I’ve seen…”
“They didn’t do it likethatin the movie…”
“Gee, fellas, if you wanna use the bedroom, be my guest…”
The world was crashing back in. Jed smiled, aiming for a calm nonchalance he didn’t even remotely feel.
“You asked for a kiss.” Jed shrugged, before turning to Noel, forcing himself to hold Noel’s pupil blown gaze. “You ready to go?” He prayed to god nobody else heard the shake that rattled around inside him. Pushing himself up on legs that wanted to buckle beneath him, he held out his hand for Noel.
Noel nodded, rapid little movements, accompanied by a strangled squeak that was probably a yes, as he placed his hand in Jed’s.
“Thanks for the party, Connor,” Jed said as he held on tight to Noel’s hand, unsure who was holding who up.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jed stabbed his finger on a thorn and cursed under his breath. Or he thought it was under his breath, but the glare he got from the prissy little pastor from the Hope & Joy Church told him something else. The guy left, carrying a large floral cross that looked too much like it should be sitting on top of a coffin for Jed’s liking.
“I think you could do with some tea and a Hobnob. Or several.”
Jed looked up at Lucian as he sucked at his sore finger, the question conveyed by Lucian’s raised brows a clearwhat’s got into you, you bad tempered ass?
It was a valid question, but he wasn’t bad tempered, he was confused. Confused? Jesus. The manic laughter bubbled up in him and he swallowed it down.
