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“You want him to come to Vermont?” I ask aloud even though I’m confident in his answer. I might be the more vocal of the two of us in big social settings, but I never want him to feel like I’m speaking for him.

Joey turns back to look at me hopefully. “Yeah, I think we should invite him. You heard Scotty. He has no plans, and the two of us have always talked about how we wished we’d had another vacation with him. Do you think he’d be interested in hooking up again?”

“Fuck, it’s hard to say. I hope so. He was pretty flirty when he showed up.” I rub my beard as I consider. “The way he talked about his ex makes me think he’s over him, and spending the holidays alone is enough to make anyone feel a little sad. I’d want to invite him even if it’s completely PG just so that he doesn’t have that look on his face again.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Joey confirms with a warm smile.

Joey and I are both big softies. We love helping people, especially those we care about. It’s why when his nephew called all those years ago for help, we didn’t hesitate to pick him up in New Jersey and take him in. It was one of the best things that’s ever happened to us, and Jace is still one of my best friends.

We usually spend the holidays with him and his husband, but Kieran was invited to a huge event in Europe, and they decided to stay there for Christmas. They invited us to join, but we’d already had our hearts set on renting a cabin in Vermont this year, so we’ve planned a late Christmas with them when we’re all back in the city.

As much as I’d love a romantic Christmas with just Joey, I’m also more than happy to include Scotty in our plans. “We should invite him, love,” I confirm, squeezing his thigh as I grin at my husband. Joey’s thrilled smile and the way the corner of his eyes crease make my heart feel even fuller. He places his hand on mine atop his thigh and gives it a gentle squeeze.

“Luckily it wasn’t a big deal. They don’t need me or anything. So, what did I miss? Or are you two always this happy?” Scotty teases as he returns, sliding back into the booth across from us.

I turn to meet his gaze, crooked grin still in place. “Scotty, how would you like to come to Vermont with us for Christmas?”

“Oh god. Please don’t feel like you need to invite me on your romantic getaway,” he dismisses, but I didn’t hear a “no” or a “not interested” in that sentence.

“Let me rephrase for my husband,” Joey offers. “We’d like you to come with us to Vermont for Christmas. We have a stunning remote cabin rented, and there’s plenty of room for all of us. We’ve missed you, and there’s no reason for you to stay in the city alone when we want to spend time with you. We’d planned to go snowmobiling, chop down a Christmas tree in the woods, have lots of sex, visit the nearby village, and have our annual gingerbread house competition. There are endless options for entertainment, including a hot tub. Participating in the sex would be completely optional, of course, no pressure. But I will request your decorating skills if you choose to join us.”

I smirk at Joey’s lack of subtlety. Normally, I’m the more forward one, but Joey really comes alive around Scotty. It’s part of the reason I wanted to pursue hooking up with him so much all those years ago, and I’m getting the same feeling now. I love it when Joey isn’t afraid to ask for what he wants. It’s hot to see my husband take control.

Scotty’s eyes shift to mine, and I give him a nod to let him know we’re on the same page.

“Wait, is that something you guys still do?” he asks, leaning in with wide eyes instead of answering our question about Vermont.

“It is on vacation. We once had a really pushy neighbor who wanted to be our third, and let’s just say that one time wasn’t enough.” I smirk and lift my drink to my lips, taking a small sip.

“Wow, good for you. Not many couples can pull that off.”

“So, will you join us?” I push. “You don’t have to decide about the sex right now. We’d genuinely like to spend time with you, even if you keep your clothes on the entire time.”

Scotty laughs, and there’s a mischievous edge to his smile as he teases, “There’s a lot you can do without taking your clothes off. But as long as you want me there, I’m in. You know I’ve always had a thing for hot older men.”

“We’re only three years older than you, asshole,” Joey reminds him as I laugh.

“Still counts.” He winks.

“I think our Christmas in Vermont just got a whole lot hotter,” I add with a smirk that they both mirror.

We spend the rest of dinner eating and catching up. I pay the bill for all of us when it’s time, and we get separate cabs back to our apartments because, unfortunately, Scotty doesn’t live down the hall anymore.

3

Iwake up to Patrick’s thick arm wrapped around me and smile. My head is resting on his chest, with one of my arms wrapped around his waist and a leg bent over his. He chuckles, and my whole body shakes with the warm sound before he quietly comments, “Someone’s happy this morning.”

I belatedly realize my hard cock is digging into his thigh, but I don’t bother to pull away as I make a contented humming noise. “Uh-hmm.”

“Did you have a sex dream about Scotty?” he guesses, sounding amused.

Now it’s my turn to laugh as I run my hand through his chest hair. “I honestly can’t remember if I was dreaming, but I did wake up surrounded by your huge arms, so I’m not surprised I’ve got morning wood. Bringing Scotty up is only going to turn me on more, though. I can’t believe after all of these years, we’re about to go on another trip with him.”

Patrick runs his fingers through my curls before placing a kiss on the top of my head. “As soon as he said he wanted to pretend it wasn’t Christmas, I knew we’d be inviting him. Not only because we want to play—which I’m really hoping he actually wants to do—but you remember his place around Christmas, right? It was even more decked out than ours. I can’t imagine him not celebrating the holidays.”

“So fucking true. I’m glad we’re on the same page, as always. He did seem like he might be into hooking up with us again, but obviously he doesn’t have to. We’ll all have a great time either way. The attraction is definitely still there for me, though,” I confirm, thinking about the instant pull I felt toward him last night.

“For me too. It’s hard to stop my imagination from running wild with images of him sandwiched between us again,” Patrick adds, his voice deeper with lust. “I’ll never forget the way you thrusting into his mouth sent him back further onto my cock.”