No, Christmas had never had any specialmeaning for Vic until Matt came into his life.
As he buttoned up his Santa jacket, hestudied Matt’s reflection in the mirror. God, he still didn’t knowwhat exactly it was that had made that gorgeous creature give him adouble-take in the gym, but every evening when he fell asleepholding Matt close, he thanked the stars above for sending such aperfect man his way. He didn’t deserve Matt, he knew, and the merefact that Matt loved him just as he was—piercings and tattoos andall—well, the love they shared erased everything bad and negativeand cruel in Vic’s past. There was only the two of them, he andMatty, and the rest of their lives stretching ahead of them like apromise.
From the corner, Sadie huffed into her paws,as if to remind him to include her in their future. “You too, yousilly mutt,” Vic groused.
Matt snickered. “Are you talking to the dogagain? Don’t think I didn’t notice at least one of thepresents under the tree for her isn’t from me.”
Vic chose not to answer. Instead, heconcentrated on straightening the row of big black buttons lined upon the front of his jacket.
“And it isn’t from Santa, either.” Matt stoodand stretched, the turtleneck pulling above the waistband of hispants to expose taut, tanned skin. As he smoothed down the shirt,he appraised Vic and nodded in approval. “You look hot in that, Imust admit.”
“I am hot,” Vic grumbled. “I’mroasting in these damn gauchies.”
Matt crossed the room to stand behind Vic.Peering over Vic’s shoulder, Matt bent his knee into the back ofVic’s playfully. “You know what I mean. When I was sixteen, I hadthis crazy idea that if I fell asleep on the couch half-naked,Santa would see me when he came in and fall madly in love with me.You know, all that nubile young skin just longing to betouched. I could see him scooping me into his arms and whisking meto the North Pole—”
“Where you’d die of frostbite,” Vic pointedout. “So you thought Santa was a pedophile?”
Matt groaned. “Vic, please. I was alreadyhaving sex. I just thought that would be the life, you know?Pampered by a rich guy in seclusion…”
Stifling a grin, Vic reminded him, “Well, youare pampered all right. Spoiled rotten, if you want to knowthe truth. I just need to win the lottery and move you into themiddle of nowhere, and I’ll have made all your dreams cometrue.”
“You already do.” Matt wrapped his armsaround Vic’s shoulders—easier to reach than around the now amplegut he sported—and pressed his lips to the back of Vic’s neck for adamp kiss.
“Sixteen,” Vic murmured. He met Matt’s gazein the mirror and asked, louder this time, “You were sixteen?”
“Ish,” Matt admitted. “Old enough to knowwhat I wanted.”
Vic couldn’t hold back his grin any longer.“Old enough to know the truth about Santa. You were sixteen yearsold and still believed in him…I wouldn’t really tell that to a lotof people.”
A thin blush pinked Matt’s cheeks, making himlook flustered and so adorable, Vic’s grin widened. “No, I—”
“I’m just saying you might want to keep thatto yourself.”
When Matt tried to pull away from him, Viccaught Matt’s hand between his shoulder and chin and planted a kisson the fingers. “I’m just playing,” Vic said, staring at Matt untilhis lover met his gaze, not in the mirror but face to face. “I loveyou.”
Matt frowned hard to try to keep fromsmiling, but it was a losing battle. Covering Vic’s mouth with his,he whispered, “You’re just lucky I love you.”
Damn lucky, Vic already knew.
* * * *
As silly as Vic felt all decked out in theSanta suit, it was worth it to hear the cheer that rose up amonghis coworkers’ children when he stepped into the garage where thecompany held its dinner. Vic raised a hand to wave, and thecrescendo of noise rose to a deafening roar. “It’s Santa!” someoneshouted, and another child shrieked in pure joy. “Mommy, Santa’shere, he came!”
Beside him, Matt pointed out, “Didn’t I sayyou looked convincing? I feel like I should’ve worn green. Icould’ve been your assistant.”
Vic grunted. “You’d be a cute elf.”
“See?” Matt cried, triumphant. “I alwaysthought the same thing. If I could’ve just convinced Santa…”
“When you were sixteen,” Vic remindedhim.
Matt slapped his arm playfully. “Shut up.Sixteen isn’t too old.” At the arched look Vic threw his way, Mattslapped him again. “It isn’t!”
“Did you believe in the Tooth Fairy, too?”Vic teased. “The Easter Bunny?”
It wasn’t yet time for dinner—caterers stillworked to set up the buffet tables edging the room, and Vic’scoworkers mingled with their families, drinks in hand as theymunched on appetizers. Once he’d been spotted, the kids left theirparents or the games they’d been playing to crowd around Vic. Alittle girl closest to him overheard his conversation with Matt andclapped her hands in delight. “You know the Easter Bunny? Iknew it!” Turning, she yelled back at her mother, “He knowsthe Easter Bunny!”
Great, Vic thought, suddenly wadingthrough a sea of children. Then he saw Morrison up ahead, pointingat a hastily constructed stage covered with sparkly white paperthat was supposed to look like snow. On the stage towered adecorated Christmas tree, dozens of little gifts wrapped beneathit, and a gaudy gilded high-back chair whose legs and arms werewrapped with fake pine boughs. A rope leading away from the stageindicated where the line was to sit on Santa’s lap. Unfortunately,no one was waiting—they all pressed in around Vic, threatening totopple him in their eagerness to talk to Santa.
“All right, kids, let me through.” Vic triedunsuccessfully to wade through the children crowding him. When hecouldn’t move, he tried a different
