This Christmas by J.R. Hart

Author:J.R. Hart [Hart, J.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: NineStar Press, LGBT, gay, in the closet, holiday season, coming out, virgin, opposites attract, new adult
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2019-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

“We don’t have to…I mean, if…do you want to?” Nicholas stammered. “We can.” Nicholas wanted to, but after what he’d revealed to Alex earlier in the evening, the way Alex had exited the conversation so quickly, after how he’d already run from barely a second of holding hands, Nicholas didn’t want to push the issue or make Alex think he was coming onto him, unless Alex wanted him to.

“Do you, uh, want to?” Alex blinked at him.

“It’s tradition, right?” Nicholas answered. Alex lifted on his heels a little and kissed him, chaste and fast. Resting his arm on Alex’s, Nicholas held him a little closer, wanting to show him he was fine with Alex deepening the kiss if he wanted to. But Alex cut it off quickly, and Nicholas worried he’d been wrong to push this forward.

“I need another drink,” Alex said quietly, turning his back to Jade and Nicholas and walking to the snack table, glancing back shyly. Nicholas stood in stunned silence. He couldn’t process what was happening. For a moment, he believed Alex hadn’t kissed him out of any actual desire, but, instead, did it because of Jade’s pressure and the mistletoe and maybe too much punch.

“Told you,” Jade said under her breath. “That kiss was destined to happen.”

“Yeah? Because look. He’s gone. He only did it because of the mistletoe, J.” He decided what he believed was true, and Alex was only doing what was expected in the situation.

Jade’s elbow in his ribs disrupted his thoughts, though. Alex was walking toward them, two cups in his hands, and as he got close enough, he passed one to Nicholas. “Can we talk for a second?” Alex asked, nodding to the corner of the room. Privately, apparently. Nicholas glared at Jade, then followed Alex. “So, here’s the thing. I sort of hate mistletoe.”

Nicholas’s heart sank. “Oh. Sorry.”

“I hate it because it makes it seem like you have to kiss. Like you don’t kiss because you want to,” Alex explained.

Nicholas didn’t exactly love Alex’s clarification either. He should have dropped it, let them kiss and never clarified. Now he’d been flat-out rejected. He tried to hide how wounded he was, but he was damn near angry with Jade for forcing this, for making Alex think his hands were tied.

“The thing is,” Alex said, “I actually did want to kiss you. I figured you should know, in case you thought the kiss was because of a stupid plant.” He paused and took a sip of his drink. “But because of the mistletoe, what I’m worried about is that you weren’t interested.”

“Wait, what?” Nicholas stopped in his tracks. He’d been in his head so much he wasn’t sure he’d heard Alex right.

“I’m worried you weren’t interested,” Alex said. “Anyway, I should probably go, so…uh…”

“So, uh, what?” Nicholas asked. He turned toward Alex fully, dipping his head to meet his eyes. This time, there was no mistletoe there as Nicholas let his hand graze Alex’s cheek. Alex tilted his head up, and—without Jade or anyone else egging them on—Nicholas kissed him.

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