Snow: A Gentry Boys Christmas Story Read online

  “I thought us desert dwellers were always supposed to be grateful for any rain we get.”

  “I know,” she sighed. “But I was hoping the forecasts were right.”

  “Come one, snow was always an extreme long shot. When was the last time there was real snow in Phoenix?”

  She made a face and tickled me. “I don’t know. Now close the door. You’re letting all the cold air inside.”

  I slid the door shut and latched it. “Snow would have been something of a miracle,” I mused. “Too bad it couldn’t happen.”

  Evie stood behind me and slipped her arms around my waist. “Don’t you believe in miracles, Stone?” she teased, sliding her hand underneath the hem of my shirt and running her fingers over my skin.

  I turned around and faced her. She was giving me her sexy, flirty smile and I knew what she wanted. In a minute I would give it to her. Rough and hard or tender and slow. However she wanted. In a minute.

  “I have a miracle,” I said seriously, holding up my left hand and wiggling my ring finger. “You’re my miracle.”

  The playful smile left her face and her eyes softened as she stared up at me. She took my big hand her two small ones and kissed the knuckles before letting her lips linger over the smooth metal of the wedding band she’d given me two months ago.

  “Stone,” she whispered when her lips left my hand. “Who are you?”

  She’d asked me that before, shortly after we met. At the time the question was delivered with puzzled wonder as she looked up at me, trying to figure me out.

  I untied her robe and pushed the soft fabric from her shoulders. A momentary shiver rolled through her. I wouldn’t let her shiver again. I picked her up gently. Our faces were level now and I stared into her eyes before carrying her to the bedroom.

  “Don’t you know who I am?” I asked her when we got there. I laid her out and ran my hands all over her body, kissing her everywhere. “I’m yours, baby. All yours.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CONWAY

  I must have been on edge even in my dreams because I woke up about eight times during the night. Finally, around three a.m. I decided to give up on sleep and move to the living room couch with my laptop and a Netflix plan. Halfway through a Sons of Anarchy episode my eyes started to bother me so I shut the computer and leaned my head back on the couch. I didn’t mean to doze off but the next thing I knew Roslyn was shaking my arm.

  I jerked awake, sputtering “What? What?” as my computer tumbled out of my lap and to the floor. “Is it time? Do we need to go?”

  “No. Con, relax.” Roslyn touched my cheek and then eased her body down beside me.

  I wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “How come you’re awake?”

  She handed my phone over. “Your alarm went off.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry.”

  She shrugged. “It’s okay. I was up anyway using the bathroom. Kind of wondered where you were though.”

  “Had some trouble sleeping so I came out here.” I felt bad about the fact that Roslyn had wandered around the house searching for me in the early morning dark instead of settling back into bed where she ought to be.

  Then another troubling thought occurred to me as I remembered last night and Eli. I’d purposely reset my alarm an hour early to make sure I’d beat Stone to work this morning but what if he decided to head in early for some reason? I’d have a tough time explaining Eli’s presence without mentioning the fact I’d let him use our place of business as a hideout. Stone wouldn’t shout or have a temper tantrum because that wasn’t his style but the look of quiet disappointment in his eyes would be far more painful than a raised voice or smashed furniture. Stone and I had grown up closer than any brothers I ever knew but then we lost our way from each other for a long time, so long that I didn’t believe we’d ever find what we’d had again. Now that we were whole once more I couldn’t stand the idea of letting him down.

  After I had some time to think about it I realized everyone would have been better off if I’d dropped Eli at the door of a cheap motel with enough cash to keep him going for at least a few days. Then I could have figured out how to help him get his car back from whatever impound lot it was sitting in and urged him to leave town before something bad happened. Anyway, I could always go that route tonight if Eli was still hanging around later. In the meantime, I was pretty sure Stone didn’t have any reason to show up at work early and I still figured I’d have more than enough time to get over there and remove any traces of Eli. The idea of keeping something this important to myself troubled me a little but I couldn’t see what would be gained by upsetting everyone just so I could clear my conscience.

  Roslyn was resting against my shoulder, one hand absently rubbing her belly.

  “It’s raining,” she said, yawning.

  “Is it?” As soon as I said it though I heard the steady patter of rain on the roof. “What the hell happened to the snow?”

  She shrugged. “You know how the news is. Everyone get hyperactive when the temperature drops low enough to shiver.” She yawned again. “Snow in Phoenix is a myth anyway.”

  I caught her yawn. “Kind of like Santa.”

  She elbowed me. “That’s blasphemy my darling. Santa Claus is real.”

  “Well,” I reasoned, “there’s another storm moving in tomorrow night. Maybe the snow will show itself yet.”

  “Could be. That would be some serious magic.”

  I touched her stomach. “This is some serious magic.”

  We held each other for a brief, contented moment.

  “I should shower and get going,” I said with reluctance.

  Roslyn yawned again and stretched as I rose from the couch. I held my hand out to help her up.

  “Why don’t you go back to bed for a few more hours?” I suggested.

  She patted the couch. “Think I’ll try to nap right here for a while. Feels better on my back than the soft mattress. By the way did I see a certain automotive project of yours parked outside?”

  “Yeah. I wanted to test it out on the road.”

  “How long have you been working on that thing?”

  “Takes a long time to properly restore a classic, babe. It’ll be something special by the time I’m done with it though.”

  Roslyn let me prop her up with some large pillows. I found a soft fleece blanket to cover her with and leaned in for a brief kiss. She curled her arm around my neck and turned the kiss into something fierce and passionate. The instant our tongues touched my body reacted. Since Roslyn had reached her third trimester we hadn’t done much fooling around except for a few hand jobs and I always felt kind of guilty over the one-sidedness of it. We were newlyweds after all and I wanted her bad all the time. I’d heard about how some men were all turned off by a pregnant body but the fact that my girl was carrying our child only made her sexier.

  A breathy little moan escaped her lips as the kiss broke and I dropped to my knees, letting my hands explore her. My palms covered her breasts, relishing the fullness of her changed body and she arched into my touch.

  “Conway,” she moaned as I stroked her. She reached for me eagerly and I moved my boxers aside to give her easy access, letting out a moan of my own as her hand closed around the stiff rod that demanded some kind of satisfaction. God, I wanted it. I needed it. So did she.

  I eased my hand between her legs and cupped her gently. “Is this okay?” I asked, getting even more riled up by the way she immediately pushed against my hand.

  “Yeah,” she whispered and then helped me slide her panties down. I stayed on my knees, her hand stroking me as my fingers teased a path inside her. I got her off gently, tenderly, reveling in the way her face flushed and her muscles shook when she came.

  “Conway, I love you!” she blurted out in the middle of her orgasm. Those words were always sweet music no matter how many times I heard them.

  “I love you too, sweetheart,” I said, keeping my hand in place until she was finished.
She pushed a long lock of hair out of her blushing face and stroked me harder.

  “Stand up,” she begged, her hand still going. I was having a tough time keeping myself at bay but I wanted to play for just a minute longer.

  “Tell me why, honey,” I whispered, tracing her lips with my finger.

  Her mouth twitched. “Why what?”

  “Why do you want me to stand up?”

  She looked at me with wide eyes and then flicked her tongue out, tasting my finger. “So I can suck you.”

  “You want to suck my dick?”

  “Yes.”

  I stood and brushed my dick over her cheek. “Say it,” I ordered.

  Her face was flushed as she took her hand away and braced her palms on either side of my hips. The sight of her mouth hypnotized me. “I want to suck your dick.”

  I pushed against her lips. “Then fucking do it.”

  She felt insane. Plus she knew how to tease, sliding her rosy lips over me before pulling back a few inches to lick every hard inch. When she sucked me all the way in I was ready. I didn’t ask for permission to come in her mouth and she didn’t back off when she felt it. As the spasms shook me I twisted my hands in her long hair and watched her face.

  “Goddamn, you’re sexy,” I moaned as she finished me off. I dropped back to the couch, panting. When I looked over at Roslyn she had a smug smile on her face.

  “You’re welcome,” she said.

  “Back at you,” I answered, still staring at her mouth. “And I expect I’ll have a tough time getting through the workday without jerking off to that memory at least once.”

  She primly tucked the blanket around herself. “Good. I’ll require some evidence though.”

  “What evidence?”

  She considered. “Video will do.”

  “You want me to send you a video of me jacking off in the Brothers Gentry bathroom?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “What will you do for me?”

  “The same.”

  “Dirty girl.”

  “Dirtier boy.”

  We looked at each other and broke into laughter. I kissed her cheek and went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water so she wouldn’t have to get up again. As I filled the glass I thought about what a gift it was to find someone to be filthy with and silly with and tender with all in the same unique package. It was what everyone on earth searched for.

  Roslyn drank the water and smiled at me as I worried over her makeshift couch bed, trying to get her as comfortable as possible. She was yawning again when I retreated to the shower and when I returned to say goodbye she was sound asleep. I stood there in my living room for a moment, just staring. There was something almost holy about the sight of Roslyn sleeping quietly with her hands spread protectively across her belly.

  “Love you,” I whispered and then crept out of the house, carefully opening and closing the door because Evie, the neighborhood Santa Claus, had installed a holiday wreath full of silver bells on the front door. It was real pretty and stuff, but somewhat impractical if anyone needed to leave the house quietly.

  Once I was outside I charged right for the Chevy, feeling a sense of sudden urgency about getting to the garage. I tried to talk myself out of my own worry. I’d known Eli for a long time and trusted that he wouldn’t trash the place or steal anything. And since Stone didn’t often deviate from his routine, there were still a good forty minutes left before he’d show up. Still, I’d rather get there ASAP and make sure all was well.

  The drive was short and I didn’t make any stops along the way. The rain was still falling but not hard, just scattered drops on my windshield. When I paused at a red light I sent a quick text to Eli letting him know it was time to clear out for the day. He didn’t answer but five minutes later I was in front of Brothers Gentry so it didn’t matter.

  I stood outside the car and listened for a few seconds. There was utter silence and the lights of the garage were off. I hoped that meant Eli had already cleaned up and headed out. He still hadn’t answered the text and I didn’t imagine he could get far without a car. There was a Denny’s just down the block and not too far from that was a public library so at least he had a few choices when it came to finding someplace to lie low for the day.

  The sudden glare of bright lights startled me and I whirled around to find myself confronted by the headlights of my brother’s truck. My first instinct was to dash inside the building to make sure all traces of Eli were gone but that would have looked weird. I stood still and waited for Stone to park.

  “You’re early,” I blurted out when he headed my way holding a newspaper over his head so he wouldn’t get wet.

  “So are you,” he shot back. His keys were already in his hand and he went straight to the door. Before he went inside he looked over his shoulder quizzically. “Con, don’t just stand out there in the rain. Get in here.”

  Stone was still turning on all the lights when I got there. I could tell right away that Eli was gone. There wasn’t really anywhere to hide and a sense of emptiness reigned. I noted with relief that the floor tarps had been rolled up. All appeared to be well.

  “Hey knucklehead, make it a point to throw your own trash out,” Stone grumbled as he picked an empty bag of Cheetos off the floor. Eli must have missed that little detail.

  “Sorry,” I said. “Here, I’ll take care of it.”

  Stone raised his eyebrows. “That’s it, just apology and cooperation? No cosmically sarcastic retort?”

  “Consider my good will an early Christmas gift,” I said cheerfully as I tossed the bag and grabbed a broom.

  “Speaking of Christmas, Evie asked me to triple check that you and Roslyn are still planning on being at Cord and Saylor’s tomorrow for Christmas Eve. I mean, barring a thrilling obstetric event.””

  “Didn’t we talk about this yesterday?”

  “Yes, but I have my orders.”

  “Well of course we’ll be there. I told Roslyn all about Chase’s annual Santa ritual.”

  Stone snorted. “I’m not sure Chase understands that most of the kids just humor him at this point.”

  I pushed the broom around the floor even though Stone swept the place clean yesterday and he always did a better job than I did. Stone started brewing a pot of coffee and peered out the window.

  “Looks like the rain’s stopping.”

  “Is it?”

  “Yup. On the way here I heard it’s going to plunge back down below freezing tonight. Could mean we’ll see some ice on the roads.”

  “Hmph.” I quietly checked my phone, making sure Roslyn hadn’t called. Lately I’d been doing that about seventy five times a day. I probably did it in my sleep. No call from Roslyn and no text from Eli.

  “Conway?” Stone’s voice sounded strange.

  My head snapped up. “What?”

  He frowned. “You okay? You seem kind of out of it.”

  “Nah, still just getting used to being a morning person. Nine months ago this was my usual bed time.”

  Stone walked over and clapped a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Look, I know you’re tense about the baby and it’s totally understandable. And Con, I haven’t said so lately, but I couldn’t be prouder of you.”

  I stopped and looked critically at the floor. “I do sweep a pretty circle, don’t I?”

  He gave me a playful shove. “You know what I mean. Look at you now. Husband, father-to-be, business partner. Goddammit bro, you’ve become the model man.”

  Stone and I busted each other’s balls all the time and we loved each other like brothers should but generally we didn’t say stuff like this. I suddenly felt embarrassed, unworthy.

  “You hungry?” I asked suddenly. “I could take a ride down to McDonald’s and grab some breakfast. My treat.”

  Stone grinned. “Yeah. And since it’s your treat I’ll take two Egg McMuffins. No, make it three.”

  “You got it,” I said and hustled out the door.

  The rain had stopped. There
was only the noise of wheels on wet pavement as the occasional car sped down the street. Two days from now would be Christmas morning but today the world was cold and quiet, like it was waiting in between breaths.

  CHAPTER SIX

  STONE

  Conway was preoccupied. Throughout the course of the morning I had to repeat myself more than once and it seemed like he couldn’t sit still.

  Of course I understood. The guy was on the verge of being a first time father. When his cell phone rang around ten a.m. I could tell right away Roslyn was on the other end because his voice got low and soft in a way that only happened when he talked to her. I smiled and went back to my painstaking inventory lists. For a second I even wistfully put myself in his shoes, wondering how it would feel to know that any minute now my life was going to change.

  When he ended the call and returned to the front desk for a coffee refill I caught his eye with one eyebrow raised meaningfully.

  He smiled but shook his head. “Not yet. She had some back pain when she woke up but that must have just been from sleeping on the couch for a few hours. Whatever the cause, it’s gone now. She actually said she feels pretty good so she’s planning on doing some baking for Saylor and Cord’s party tomorrow. Apparently Evie’s coming over to help.”

  “Yeah, she’ll help,” I laughed. “She’ll help eat the cookie batter.”

  A few minutes later a flustered woman arrived with two little boys in tow. She said she was driving home from the mall when she noticed her tire pressure light blink on and heard a thumping sound. She pulled into the neighboring parking lot to check it out and sure enough her passenger side front tire was flat. Luckily she noticed our garage a few yards away and was hoping we’d have time to do a quick fix.

  That’s something I could have taken care of but Conway waved me off and pulled the woman’s car into the garage himself. Meanwhile, the woman sank tiredly into a chair in the tiny reception area and gave me a grateful smile when I told her to help herself to the coffee or the bottled water in the small fridge.

  “Gimme it back!” one of the boys howled before elbowing his brother in the chest.