Sarah gulped down whatever was in her mouth.

"What?" I asked in a panic.

"She-" Another retching sound. "She"-he pointed at the toilet-"ate the marshmallows."

I winced and tried to hold my own gag reflex in check.

"No fair!" Stephen yelled. "I want 'arsh 'ellows!"

He made a dash for the toilet, but thankfully, Eli stopped him. "Kitchen," Eli rasped, his throat probably sore from the almost vomiting. "We eat food in the kitchen."

"When did Jed say they'd be back?" I asked as we led the two kids out of the bathroom slash snack center and into the kitchen.

"Not a minute too soon," Eli responded.

I lifted Sarah into her high chair and strapped her in. "You said you wanted kids," I said, reminding him of something he'd mentioned once or twice over the years. "That means we'd have this fun every day."

"Your mother mother said we had to have kids." He walked into the kitchen and started filling sippy cups with water. said we had to have kids." He walked into the kitchen and started filling sippy cups with water.

I had been joking around, but suddenly, the conversation no longer struck me as funny. I looked up from the high chair and met his gaze. "Does that mean you don't actually want them?"

He paused in his task, a lid in one hand and a filled cup in the other. "Do you?" he asked hoa.r.s.ely. That time I was pretty sure emotion was the cause, not imminent vomiting.

I thought about it, really thought about it. I loved having Eli to myself, but seeing a little version of him running around our home, watching him laugh and play with our child, raising a person together... those ideas made my heart soar.

"Yes, I think I do," I said.

His nostrils flared as he sucked in a quick breath. "Me too."

"HAPPY V VALENTINE'S Day, baby," I whispered in Eli's ear. Day, baby," I whispered in Eli's ear.

We were in our hotel room after our adventures in babysitting-freshly showered, stark naked, and dancing.

"You're pretty good at this," he said as he laid his head on my shoulder.

"Not as good as you, but I'm learning." I rubbed his back and pressed my nose to his hair, feeling equal parts calm and aroused from his scent.

"Well, if dancing means your naked parts pressed against me, I promise to teach you anytime," he said saucily.

I lowered my hand and gave his backside a squeeze. "Tomorrow we'll have to dance in our tuxes, too many eyes, but after that, it's a deal. Naked dancing anytime you want."

He leaned back and gazed into my eyes. "We're getting married tomorrow."

I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. "I know."

"I think we should have a little advance"-he ground his groin against mine-"celebration."

I chuckled. "What do you have in mind, Mister Cheesy?"

He dipped his head and licked a path from the base of my neck to my lips. "I want to f.u.c.k you."

I trembled, gulped, and nodded. Eli liked to bottom more than he liked to top, which worked out well because I liked topping more often. But both of us enjoyed switching things around, too, and based on the rapid hardening of my d.i.c.k in reaction to his words, my body was all in favor of feeling Eli pounding inside hard and deep.

"C'mere." I gripped the back of his head and tugged him forward, mashing my lips against his.

He whimpered and melted against me, moving his mouth over mine, licking my tongue and nibbling on my lips.

I led us to the bed and lay down, pulling Eli on top of me. Then I spread my legs and he settled into the spot between them, his d.i.c.k slotting next to mine and giving us delicious friction as we writhed together.

"Eli," I gasped against his mouth, tilting my hips and wrapping my legs around his thighs. "You feel so good." I ghosted my hands over his shoulders and back, enjoying the feeling of his hot skin and sinewy muscles.

"Mmm," he moaned and thrust against me. "You're so hot." He arched his neck and humped faster. "I'm close already."

I managed to stretch my arm far enough to reach the nightstand, and after a couple of fumbles, I got hold of the lube. "Let's get you inside, baby." I flipped the cap, slid my free hand over Eli's back, and poured some slick onto my palm. Then I tossed the bottle and wedged my hand between our bodies, taking hold of his rigid d.i.c.k and stroking him. "Ready?" I asked when I felt him shaking.

He nodded, seemingly too aroused for words, and sat back on his heels. I reached between my legs and rubbed the remaining lube against my pucker.

"Now?" Eli asked when I gripped his waist and tugged him close.

I gazed at him and smiled. "Always."

He pressed his c.o.c.k to my entrance and lowered his body onto mine. "And you call me cheesy?"

I flung my legs around his waist and pulled him down, forcing his crown past my tight ring of muscles and into my pa.s.sage.

"I guess we're both a little cheesy," I said breathlessly.

"How about"-he pumped his d.i.c.k all the way in-"we think of it as sweet."

We stopped talking after that, the feeling of joining together too intense. Eli gazed into my eyes as he thrust in and out of my body. I cupped his a.s.s and encouraged him, digging my fingertips into his firm globes and pulling him into me over and over again. When my hands slipped and I dipped my fingers into his channel, he hissed, the need clear on his face. I wiggled one finger down and pressed the tip into his hole as he pushed his rigid c.o.c.k into me.

"Seth," he groaned.

"Yes, baby. What do you need?"

He stilled above me and panted. "More."

I removed my hand, fumbled for the discarded lube, and drizzled it into his cleft, making him shudder. Then I circled my finger around his entrance at the same pace he was circling his hips against mine.

"You want me inside?"

"Yes."

I pushed my pointer finger into his hole past the second knuckle, and he practically vibrated with excitement. I rocked my hips up, reminding him that his d.i.c.k was still inside me and he moaned, dragging his c.o.c.k out of my channel and simultaneously f.u.c.king himself on my finger. We set up a rhythm, not too slow and not too fast, both of us enjoying the feeling of being filled and filling each other. All the while, our mouths met in soft kisses, our gazes never strayed, and our hearts beat in sync-faster and faster with every pump.

"Don't want to come like this," Eli said suddenly. He pushed his d.i.c.k in all the way, circled his hips in a sensual motion that rubbed his b.a.l.l.s against me, and then slowly pulled out.

"You want me inside?" I pushed in a second finger as I asked the question, already knowing the answer.

He nodded rapidly. "Yeah."

"Gladly."

I wiggled my fingers and he slammed his lips against mine, taking a hard hungry kiss and not stopping until I gripped his d.i.c.k and squeezed.

"Climb on," I said roughly.

We found the lube again and slicked me up. I held my d.i.c.k out, and Eli straddled me and lowered himself onto it, inch by delicious inch.

"Love that feeling," he whispered huskily and shivered as I stretched his pa.s.sage. "Nothing better."

I placed my palms on his knees and rubbed them up his thighs to his groin. Then I cupped his b.a.l.l.s and caressed them. He dropped the rest of the way down, taking me completely inside.

"Oh G.o.d." He arched his back, reached back, and held on to my knees with both hands.

I thrust my hips up and he immediately started bouncing up and down, taking me inside and then moving his tight pa.s.sage up my c.o.c.k before slamming back down again.

"Seth!" he shouted. "Seth, Seth, Seth."

I dug my heels into the bed and bucked up, shoving myself up into him over and over again. When his shouts turned into desperate wails and his face looked tortured with pleasure, I grasped his d.i.c.k and tugged. Within seconds, Eli was shooting off in my hand, coating me with his hot e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.e. I came right away, shooting deep inside his welcoming body.

Once he was spent, he collapsed on top of me and held on tightly. I kissed his sweaty brow and hugged him. We stayed that way for a long time, enjoying the warmth of being together, but then the sticky fluid started getting uncomfortable.

"Can you reach the tissues?" I asked.

He tried to stretch but couldn't, so he had to climb off me to get the box from the nightstand. We wiped off the bulk of the mess and decided to deal with the rest later, both of us feeling too sated to move.

We lay on our sides and snuggled-touching, kissing, and breathing each other in.

"Did I ever tell you about my wish?" Eli asked after a long while.

"I don't think so." I tried to remember but couldn't. "What wish?"

He wedged his leg between both of mine. "That first day I saw you at camp, when I was eleven, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Later that night, we were walking back to our cabins from the evening campfire and I looked up and saw all these stars. There were way more there than at home, or at least I could see more of them." He smiled at the memory. "I saw one of the stars shoot across the sky, and I thought I'd better make a wish. Falling star and all, right?" He grinned at me and I nodded. "Well, I wished for you." He petted my chest. "I looked up and then said the words quietly, so the other guys wouldn't hear me."

I wrapped my arm around his waist and pulled him flush against me. "What'd you say?" I whispered.

"I asked for you to be mine forever and ever." He bussed his lips over mine, combed his fingers through my hair, and gazed into my eyes. "And after tomorrow, you will be."

"I've been yours for a long time, Eli. But I'm glad we can finally make it official."

AFTER ALL ALL the dramatic weddings I'd seen in my career, my own wedding was surprisingly stress-free. The weather was mild. Everyone arrived on time. Animals, and their fluids, were blessedly absent. And the most adorable, kind, smart, wonderful person I'd ever met walked with me down the aisle. the dramatic weddings I'd seen in my career, my own wedding was surprisingly stress-free. The weather was mild. Everyone arrived on time. Animals, and their fluids, were blessedly absent. And the most adorable, kind, smart, wonderful person I'd ever met walked with me down the aisle.

Eli and I reached the front and stood under a chuppah canopy made of the tallitot prayer shawls Eli and I had worn in our bar mitzvahs. We listened to our fathers take turns reciting words that were mindless in their familiarity and yet sounded brand new when they were applied to us. And then it was our turn to share our vows. We turned away from our fathers and faced each other, gripping each other's hands.

"Eli." I gazed into beautiful green eyes, shimmering with emotion and shining with love and affection. "I promise to be honest and open with you; to cherish, enrich, and support all that is special in your personality; to trust in you throughout our lives during times of happiness and times of sorrow; to be your partner and your friend; and to dedicate myself to helping you realize your potential to be the best version of who you are."

I took his hand in mine, slipped a gold band around his ring finger, and said, "With this ring, I am wed in the religion of Moses and Israel. I will be loyal to you, nourish you, and respect you."

He trembled, took in a few deep breaths, and blinked rapidly to hold in the tears threatening to slip from his eyes. I squeezed his hands, and when he looked into my eyes, I mouthed, "I love you, baby."

He nodded, squared his shoulders, and started talking.

"Seth, I promise to work side by side with you to build a home where holidays are observed; a home dedicated to charity and kindness; a home where candles, blessings, and wine decorate the table; a home that is a link to all of Israel; a home ringing with song, music, and children; a home we can call our own."

I placed my palm on his and lost my breath when I felt the metal slide onto my finger.

Eli gazed into my eyes, his cheeks wet but his smile bright. "With this ring, I am wed in the religion of Moses and Israel. I will be loyal to you, nourish you, and respect you."

Everything was silent for several long seconds. All I could see was the man standing in front of me, the man who would always be standing in front of me.

"Eli," Avi said. "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to honor and respect, to cherish and adore, in good times and in bad, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Seth," my father said. "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to honor and respect, to cherish and adore, in good times and in bad, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

We were already kissing by the time our fathers, in unison, p.r.o.nounced us husbands.

THE END END BEGINNING BEGINNING.

About the Author.

CARDENO C. C.-CC to friends-is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few "awwws" into a reader's day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno's stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset. Cardeno feels that characters write their own stories and just hopes to find enough time to get those stories on the page.

Cardeno's Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/M Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, "You bring joy and love and make it part of the everyday."

You can learn more about Cardeno's writing at http://www.cardenoc.com/.

The Home Series by C CARDENO C. C.[image][image]