“I love you so much,” Colton murmured against Ace’s lips, making his heart swell.

  “I love you too.” Ace kissed a trail across Colton’s body, moving from his neck to his torso, caressing every inch of smooth skin as he went. “Supplies?”

  “My toiletry bag in the bathroom.”

  Ace popped a kiss on Colton’s lips. “Be right back.” He hurried to the bathroom and grabbed the bottle of lube from Colton’s bag, pausing at the door and leaning against the frame when he spotted Colton lying on his side, head propped on his elbow. He’d been watching Ace walk away. “You staring at my ass?”

  Colton snickered. “I mean, it’s a really nice ass.”

  “Nice? Nice? Clearly, you didn’t take a good enough look.” Ace walked backward to the bed, laughing when Colton grabbed him and pulled him onto the king-size mattress. He rolled over Ace and kissed him.

  “Did I say nice? I meant gorgeous. Stunning. A work of art.”

  Ace hummed. “That’s more like it.” He rolled Colton onto his back, their kiss going from sweet to heated as Ace uncapped the lube. Nipping at Colton’s neck, he let out a growl. “You are so damned sexy.” He’d planned on taking his time prepping Colton, delivering sweet torture, but Colton had him revved up and desperate. He needed to be inside Colton, and from the pleading his husband was doing, he needed Ace inside him just as badly.

  Their tongues tangled as they kissed, and Ace readied Colton, using one finger then two to stretch him, soaking in every moan and gasp that came from Colton. When his husband was practically vibrating beneath him, Ace lined himself up. Carefully, he pushed in until he was buried deep inside Colton’s tight heat. He laced their fingers together and started moving slowly at first, but like always, they quickly found their rhythm, their bodies moving together as one. Despite Colton being a few inches taller than Ace, they fit perfectly.

  “Ace,” Colton pleaded, his fingers digging into the muscles of Ace’s back, prompting Ace to punch his hips, the sound of Colton’s groan was music to his ears. He slipped one hand under Colton’s left thigh and lifted his leg so he could thrust in deeper. His groin smacked against Colton’s ass as he picked up his pace.

  Face flushed, hair messy, and wet lips parted and swollen from kissing, Colton was the very picture of sex. Ace was so damned gone he thought he might fall apart. He pulled back enough to prop himself on his hands, giving him the leverage he needed to thrust deep and hard. Colton reached down between them, palming his stiff cock and jerking himself as Ace lost whatever rhythm he’d had. His orgasm rolled through, exploding inside him until he saw stars, and he cried out, cursing loudly as he spilled himself inside Colton.

  Colton’s muscles tensed, and liquid heat spilled between them, making Ace groan. He lay half on and half off Colton, the two of them trying to catch their breaths. Ace kissed Colton’s temple, his leg wrapped around Colton’s. It was scary sometimes, knowing how much he loved Colton. He’d never loved anyone like this before.

  Ace forced himself to get up before they could get stuck together—or his thoughts could run away with him.

  “How about we make use of that fancy shower in there?”

  “But that means I have to move,” Colton grumbled, eyes closed. “Counterproposal. We stay here and fall asleep.”

  “Counter counterproposal. We shower, kiss some more, put on those ridiculously plush robes, and then get into bed and watch TV. I’ll even go downstairs and make you some hot cocoa.”

  Colton hummed.

  “Well?”

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  “Or,” Ace said, getting out of bed. “I can carry you.”

  Colton scrambled out of bed. “I’m up.”

  “Geez, you drop your husband one time, and suddenly, he doesn’t trust you to carry him anymore.”

  Colton shook his head. “You were supposed to carry me across the threshold, not drop me on my ass.”

  “Maybe you’re forgetting the part where a freaking iguana landed on my head.” Ace narrowed his eyes. “That little bastard sat there, lying in wait for me, and then just when I opened the door with you in my arms, he made his move, and bam!”

  Colton snickered. “Yes, I’m quite sure it was waiting specifically for you to return from our honeymoon so it could land on your head, hear you scream like a teen at a boy band concert, and then join you on your five-mile run down the beach.”

  “He wouldn’t let go!” Ace instinctively touched his head. “Plus, I thought it was an alligator.”

  “Oh, they climb trees now?”

  Ace planted his hands on his hips. “You know what? You’re one more alligator joke away from making your own hot cocoa.”

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t tease you about going up against such a formidable enemy. I’m sure it was very traumatic for you both.” Colton opened the glass door to the shower and stepped in to turn on the water. He then turned to Ace, his expression deadpan. “At least when you dropped him, he hit sand and not tile.”

  “Ooh, ouch.” Ace put a hand to his heart. “I think someone left a window open because it’s getting frosty in here.”

  Colton laughed and held his hand out. “Aw. Don’t worry, I’ll warm you up.”

  With a pout, Ace took Colton’s hand and let himself be led into the deliciously warm water. “Is it me?” Ace asked. “Is it my animal magnetism?”

  “It’s something all right,” Colton muttered, getting a laugh out of Ace.

  Ace wrapped his arms around Colton and kissed him. “That’s why I love you so much. You give as good as you get.” He waggled his eyebrows. “In more ways than one.”

  “You’re terrible, and I wouldn’t change a thing. ‘Air gators’ and all.” Colton snickered against Ace’s lips.

  Ace grabbed the loofa and squeezed shower gel onto it. “Besides—” Ooh, that smelled good. He gave it a sniff. “This is nice.”

  “Peppermint and tea tree oil.”

  “Of course it is.” He handed the loofa to Colton. “Besides, you should be the one comforting me and not because of my iguana trauma.”

  Colton cocked his head to one side. “Oh?”

  “What did you do after?” Ace asked, folding his arms over his chest.

  “Rub the sore spots on my butt cheeks?”

  Ace narrowed his eyes. “No.”

  “Sweetheart, that was over three years ago. I remember the air gator falling on your head, you taking off, and me getting up and going inside.”

  “You called Fitz.” Ace snatched the loofa away from Colton. “And what happens when you tell Fitz anything?” His husband could at least attempt not to laugh, but no.

  “He tells Jack,” Colton replied.

  “Who then tells Joker, and that’s when I walk into an office filled with rubber iguanas everywhere, several of which were wearing little parachutes.” Ace pursed his lips. “You have to admire their attention to detail.”

  Colton laughed and took the loofa back from Ace. He brought him close. “I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you. I’ll wash you, and then when we’re done, I’ll make you a hot cocoa.”

  “With whipped cream and marshmallows?”

  “Of course.”

  “And chocolate syrup.”

  “All the sugar you want.”

  “Deal.” Ace turned so Colton could wash his back. Their shower led to more fooling around, which meant more washing up. When they finished, they dried off and pulled on the soft, plush red plaid robes hanging from the hooks behind the door.

  They went downstairs to the kitchen, not surprised to find Red there making himself some tea. His auburn hair stuck up at all angles. He was barefoot, dressed in sweatpants and a black t-shirt that said, “Size Matters,” and had a bunch of different-sized camera lenses. Ace snickered. No need to guess who that was from.

  “Can’t sleep?” Ace asked, grabbing a mug from the cabinet.

  “Nah, settling in to a new place always takes me a day.”

  The first night of sleeping somewhere new was always challenging for Red, especially if he woke up early. Not recognizing his surroundings in the dark used to trigger his PTSD, but now, thanks to therapy and Laz, when Red woke up in the middle of the night, it took him a moment, but he was okay. By the second night, he was usually fine.

  “Laz asleep?” Colton asked, getting the milk out of the most enormous fridge Ace had ever seen. They could probably fit a whole cow in there.

  Red chuckled. “He’s adorable. Fell asleep loading photos onto his laptop.”

  “Good thing cameras are digital now. Can you imagine the amount of film he’d have gone through?”

  Colton snickered. “Wow. Thanks for making me feel old.”

  “Laz said film photography is getting popular again,” Red said, sipping his tea. “Not that he plans on switching over. He takes way too many pictures for that. But he might play around some with film.” He took another sip of his tea. “Do you think Clara would let me assess the Ice Castle tomorrow? If we can see the damage, I can get a plan together with Lucky and Mason for the repairs.”

  “I’m sure she’d be okay with it,” Colton replied. “I have her number, so I’ll call her in the morning, maybe meet her for coffee. Strange that we haven’t seen the mayor around.”

  “Speaking of the mayor,” Red said, sounding concerned. “Does anyone know why Leo is so hung up on this guy? It can’t be the whole Santa thing.”

  “I don’t know.” Ace slid onto one of the chairs at the counter. “He does keep calling the guy Santa.”

  Colton finished constructing Ace’s hot cocoa—including a mountain of whipped cream and marshmallows drizzled with chocolate syrup—and placed the mug in front of him. “This is Leo we’re talking about. I’m sure there’s a very logical explanation. He’ll tell us when he’s ready.”

  Ace had no doubt. His curiosity was piqued, though. Leo was logical about everything. Why was he interested in Santa? And why hadn’t he come to one of them to explain why? None of this was like him. Maybe he’d talk to Fitz. The two of them were so close, it was sweet.

  Come to think of it, Leo was the only person Fitz was ever tight-lipped about. Hm.

  “Uh-oh,” Red gave Colton a look. “He’s got his thinking face on.”

  “Hey!” Ace plucked one of his marshmallows off his whipped cream and chucked it at Red. It bounced off his arm and plopped to the floor. “Damn you and your ridiculously huge biceps.”

  Red chuckled and headed for the door with his tea. “Goodnight.”

  They said their goodnights, and Ace sipped his hot cocoa, his eyes on Colton, who leaned against the counter, arms folded over his chest. He was lost in thought. Most likely thinking about tomorrow and putting together a to-do list. His husband loved lists.

  “You mind if I explore while you meet with Clara tomorrow?”

  Colton snapped out of it and blinked at him. “Of course not.” An idea seemed to strike him. “We need a Christmas tree. Maybe you can find a nine- or ten-foot one? Fitz, Laz, Gio, and Leo can help.”

  Ace almost choked on his cocoa. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “There’s plenty of space in the living room in front of the main window. I made sure before booking the cabin.”

  “No, I mean, you want me to take the Boyfriend Collective with me?”

  Colton pushed away from the counter. “I know you think you’re a one-man army, love, but you do not need to throw out your back trying to get a ten-foot tree in here.”

  “First of all, throw out my back?” Ace plucked another marshmallow off his whipped cream and chucked it at his husband. It hit him in the nose, and it stuck because it was partially melted. Colton was not impressed.

  “Really?”

  Ace couldn’t breathe; he was laughing too hard.

  “Are you done?” Colton removed the marshmallow and flicked it at Ace. He caught it with his mouth and waggled his eyebrows as he chewed.

  “I can’t with you. Hurry up and finish that so we can go to bed. And yes, please take them with you. It’ll be fun.”

  “For who?” Ace stared at him. “I won’t survive.”

  “You’ll be fine.” Colton headed for the door. “Just feed them before you go. You know how hangry Fitz gets if he doesn’t get regular meals. And snacks.”

  Ace shuddered. “He goes from cinnamon roll to pumpernickel.” He narrowed his eyes. “The devil’s fart.”

  “You know, some people use Google to look up useful information,” Colton called out as he left the room.

  “What’s the fun in that?” Ace let his head fall back with a groan. “No, it’s fine. It’ll be fine. They love me. It’s all good. I can handle this.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Mommy, mommy! I saw a bear chasing a man!”

  Colton lifted his gaze from his phone. Were there bears in the woods? Obviously, there were bears in the woods. He hadn’t thought of that before sending Ace to find a tree. Not that Ace would venture into the woods to get a tree, but the town’s Christmas tree lot was near the woods.

  An adorable little girl in a pink pea coat tugged on her mother’s sleeve. “The bear was pretty and had makeup on.”

  The woman at the café counter was stunning. Her dark skin contrasted beautifully with her gorgeous silver hair, which was braided and rolled into a perfect bun on her head. She wore a fluffy white sweater, red leggings, and white boots. She blinked down at her daughter. “Sweetheart, bears don’t wear makeup.”

  Some did. Different kind of bear, though.

  “This one had eye makeup, and he was chasing a man, and he yelled, ‘Mints are not food!’ What did the bear mean by that, mommy?”

  Colton almost choked on his coffee. Oh dear. He wiped his mouth and then smiled at the little girl. “The bear meant that the man should have gotten him breakfast before leading him on an adventure. In the bear’s defense, the man had been warned.”

  The little girl stared at him, then looked up at her mother, who laughed. “I take it you know both the man and the bear.”

  “The man is my husband, and the bear is a sassy hairstylist in an enormous faux fur coat who clearly wasn’t given breakfast despite my warning.”

  “Oh no.” She laughed again and held her hand out to Colton. “Amara. I own the ornament shop down the road. This is Dorothy. We call her Dotty.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Colton.” He shook Amara’s hand before turning his attention back to Dotty. “I hope the man and the bear didn’t scare you.”

  Dotty shook her head, her dark curls bouncing. “He was silly. There were three other men running after them. Was it the Three Wise Men?”

  “I don’t think it was the Three Wise Men, but they’re certainly three of the wisest men I know.”

  Dotty nodded. Her face lit up. “Are you going to come to the shop? We have lots of pretty ornaments. They’ll make your Christmas tree look beautiful!”

  “Well, it just so happens that we’re going to need lots of ornaments for our new tree. How about I drop by later, and you can help me pick out some?”

  “Yay!” Dotty clapped her hands excitedly. She hummed and tapped her lips with one of her little fingers. “You look like a silver and blue theme kind of person.”

  Colton blinked at her, then lifted his gaze to her mom, who laughed.

  “My little sales manager. Not only can she sell you the ornaments, but she can tell what your colors are.”

  “Count me in.” Colton thanked them and waved goodbye as they were leaving. They were almost to the door when Clara came in. The trio cheerfully greeted one another before Clara headed over and joined Colton at his table. He’d arrived as soon as the café opened while the town was mostly asleep. It had been so peaceful, and the scenery outside the window was beautiful. A fresh layer of snow had fallen overnight.

  “Good morning, Colton. I hope you slept well.”

  “I did. Thank you,” Colton replied. The young barista, a cute blond with big hazel-green eyes, stopped by the table to take Clara’s order. He jotted it down, then smiled brightly at Colton.

  “You must be Mr. Connolly. It’s so amazing what you’re doing to help the town.”

  “Oh, um, it’s my pleasure.” Colton hadn’t expected anyone to know.

  Clara leaned in, her smile apologetic. “This is a small town. Everyone knows everything.”

  “Right.” Colton chuckled. He hadn’t thought of that. He’d lived in big cities all his life. Most of the time, people didn’t even know who their neighbors were. “It’s lovely to meet you….”

  “Merrick,” the young man replied. “But everyone calls me Merry.”

  The little bell above the café door jingled, and Colton smiled at who it was. “Hey, Noel.”

  Noel waved, and next to Colton, Merry let out a squeak. Colton turned to find Merry’s cheeks had gone bright pink, his eyes wide as he stared at Noel.

  “I’ll, um, go put in your order, Clara.” Merry promptly took off like someone had lit his candy cane socks on fire.

  Colton arched a questioning eyebrow at Clara, who sighed.

  “Those two have been dancing around each other for months. Ever since Merry moved into town. It’s adorable and frustrating.”

  Noel was a big man, ruggedly handsome. He had that lumberjack vibe to him. He was older than Merry, but not by much. Colton leaned in. “And how does Noel feel about Merry?”

  “Between you and me, I think he’s interested, and I’ve seen him flirt with Merry before, but Merry just short-circuits. Neither of them seems to get anywhere.”

  Colton hummed. If Fitz were here, he’d have already devised a plan to get those two together. Noel stood at the counter, waiting patiently, a gentle smile on his face while Merry took his order, his face looking like it was about to catch fire. Merry’s gaze would move to Noel’s, then dart away. Clara was right. They were both adorable and frustrating. For crying out loud, kiss already! Good grief, he sounded like Ace.

  “I have our invoices for you right here,” Clara said, snapping Colton out of it. He turned his attention back to her as she handed him a flash drive. “Since we order almost the same supplies every year, I thought the easiest way to get you all the information you need is to give you copies of all our invoices.” Her expression softened. “Are you sure about this, Colton? You can still back out, and no one would blame you.”