Three Little Words

"Well then, I guess we've got our tree." I got down on the ground on my side and began to saw at the trunk while Giselle held it in place so it didn't fall over, before I'd sawed it through.

Once I'd cut it down, as I dragged it back through the bush toward the house, Giselle kept smiling over at me like she couldn't believe we were doing normal stuff together, like going out to find a tree. I guess because our time together was always so tight, until now, we'd never had the opportunity to do much more than get busy between the sheets and maybe share a meal together.

Though our love life was incredible, I wanted her to realize that over the last two years our hot little trysts had turned into something pretty amazing, something that I felt was worth hanging on to.

GISELLE

As we approached the house, looking up, it made me smile when I noticed all the seed bells hanging from the trees, and the bird feeder that looked like he'd designed it to sit on the edge of the deck. But as we watched a beautiful big blue jay fly onto the deck rail, bobbing it's head, anxiously waiting for Rory to toss it a peanut, that he scooped up and flew away with, I liked that he had a sweet side, and even took care of the birds that landed in his yard, especially at this time of year, when it would be harder for them to find food.

Rory left the tree out on the deck so he could clean up the bottom, and get the tree holder ready for it inside. And we'd just got in and pulled off our boots by the sliding back door, when I looked out surprised to see a beautiful white Persian cat with big green eyes, looking in at us. "Rory, I didn't know you had a cat."

He chuckled. "I don't know who owns her, but she comes over here a lot."

I pushed opened the door and she wandered in and sauntered straight over to Rory who picked her up and started rubbing between her ears. It was so cute the way her little motor kicked in the moment he touched her, and she really started to purr. Closing her eyes, she looked so blissed out as he massaged her head, stroking his thumb between her eyes, asking her, "You like that, don't you, Marshmallow?"

I laughed. "Is that her name?"

Smiling at the cat, he shrugged. "It's what I call her, because she's big and white and fluffy. And she's really sweet, too. All she wants is to be held and petted. I got some food and treats for her, but she never wants to eat, and just comes over for a little lovin' I guess."

"I can see that," I said, thinking it was pretty adorable watching him rub its head, while the white fluff ball happily purred its little heart out. Running my hand along its back, it felt so soft and clean that I could tell it had a home and it wasn't a stray. So I guess she knew that her neighbor was a soft touch and she just liked to come by for a visit, and a little extra affection.

After he'd decided she'd had her fill, Rory walked her to the back door. With one last stroke down her back, he set her down outside and told her, "Okay, now you'd better head back home, or they'll wonder where you've got to."

As we watched, she jumped off the deck and sauntered away. Smiling up at him, I slipped my arm around his waist, stroked his cheek and touched my lips to his. "You're awfully sweet you know that, looking out for all those little creatures."

He just shrugged, pulled me into his arms, and rubbed his nose against mine. And I could tell he was wondering if I thought he was sweet enough to make me reconsider ending what we have together.

But since I didn't want to go there, deciding a little distraction was in order I slid my fingers into his hair, tugged his head down and nearly kissed his socks off.

And as always happened with us, soon we were lost in the kiss, and he was groaning, pushing up my sweater, stroking his thumbs along the bottom of my breasts, making my nipples grow hard, and nearly soaking my panties. And all I could think of was getting him out of his clothes.

Then he surprised me when he pulled away, considering we were both breathing pretty hard, and I couldn't imagine why, till I noticed him smiling over at me, when he put on some music with his phone. And I sure wasn't expecting to hear one of my mother's holiday favorites from a guy his age. I had to swallow past the lump in my throat at the sound of Nat King Cole's deep, smooth voice, singing The Christmas Song, or Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, that my mom always sang along to, every year since I could remember.

I could feel myself getting a little misty-eyed as the song filled the air. It had me thinking back to when I was young and my father would smile into my mother's eyes, pull her into his arms and they'd seem to be in their own little world dancing together close, singing the lyrics to each other. It had to be the nicest Christmas tradition I could remember from when I was growing up, seeing how much in love they were and that they weren't afraid to show it. Now with both of them gone, hearing the song again had me feeling pretty nostalgic.

But Rory really surprised when he walked over, smirking and asked, "You know what we've never done together?"

I shook my head, not really sure where he was going with this. At least until he took my hand, wrapped me in his arms, smiled and said, "We've never danced together, have we?"

I just shook my head, smiling up into the warmth in his gorgeous blue eyes because I was a little afraid I'd break down and cry if I told him how much it meant to be dancing with him to this particular song.

As we danced, he brushed his lips to the top of my head, and it felt so romantic to be holding each other close and swaying together to the perfect Christmas song.

Amazingly all we did was dance, and though he kept smiling into my eyes, it struck me as kind of odd, because normally we'd be naked in bed by now. But considering we'd have an entire week together, it felt nice not to be in a rush to get busy with each other, just enjoying ourselves.

When All I want for Christmas started playing, he kissed the end of my nose, pulled back and said, "I guess I should bring in the tree." Though I nodded, part of me wished that we could have kept on dancing, even though it was a faster song.

As Rory set up the tree on the metal base in the corner of the living room, while I held it upright till he got it screwed into place, I noticed some pictures he had on a book shelf of three adorable little kids. I was pretty sure he didn't have any children, or at least none that I knew of, but I was curious to know who they were, imagining not many single guys had baby pictures on display in their living rooms.

He noticed me looking, smiled and said, "Those are my buddie's kids; Aidan, Celeste and Bella. And I'm godfather to all three of them."

I could just imagine how good he'd be with them, too. And that made me realize that he really needed to find someone who not only deserved him, but who could give him the family that I knew he wanted, because I knew I'd never have any children, especially with what was going on with me now.

Once he had the tree secured, and I stood back and made sure it was standing up straight, I asked, "Do you have any decorations for it?"

He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Do I have any decorations? My mother's got boxes and boxes of them. She buys them everywhere she goes. And she's been collecting some for me since the year I was born. So, we've got tons of things to pick from."

When he came back carting three big boxes that he had to crane his neck around to try and see where he was going, I laughed. "I think you should have gotten a bigger tree."

He put them down on the coffee table, shaking his head. "And this isn't even all of them. I'll let you pick what you want from these for now. She's got all different kinds; ordinary Christmas balls, some a little fancier and loads of kitschy ones, so you go ahead and look through, while I get us some lunch."

I sat on the couch, carefully unwrapping each tissue covered ornament, realizing I'd dug into the kitschier ones first. Smiling to myself, I just couldn't get over them. They were all just so cute, I couldn't decide which ones should go on the tree, kind of wishing there was a way that we could hang every one.

"Oh, I love this one with the two little gray mice in striped stocking caps sleeping in the little red match box, with a spring of holly over their heads. Like they're dreaming about what they'll get for Christmas." Grinning, I held up another one. "And this one with the moose driving a shiny red sports car dressed like Santa Claus, with a bag of toys in the back seat is really cute, too. Aw, and the kitten with the candy cane is so sweet, the way it's licking at it and smiling, like it could eat the whole thing."

Watching me from the kitchen, Rory just smiled, listening to me gush. "She's got quite the collection, doesn't she?"

"No kidding. Only problem is they're all so cute, I wish we could find a way to fit them all."

He eyed me for a moment and said, "Maybe next year we'll have to look for a bigger tree."

I looked away when he said that. Biting into my lip I didn't know what to say, because I think we both knew we wouldn't be together by next Christmas.

Finally, realizing I'd gone quiet, he suggested, "Why don't we have some lunch?" I nodded and went into the little kitchen, glad that he'd let it drop.

He'd made us some clam chowder, from scratch by the taste of it; that he'd poured into big soup mugs. He also had a nice looking cheese board with crackers. And I was surprised at how hungry I was once we started eating, probably from our walk in the fresh air. "The soup's delicious, and it's really hitting the spot."

Cutting into the wedge of cheddar he nodded. "Glad to hear it. So, if you like butter tarts, I could pop some in the oven after we've finished this."

Cocking an eyebrow, I looked at him like he was crazy. "Is that a trick question? Because I think if you're Canadian legally you have to like butter tarts, back bacon and maple syrup or you could have your passport revoked for being unpatriotic." As he laughed, I looked over at him, puzzled. "But I never knew you could bake, or even cook."

He shrugged as he topped up my wine. "I think everyone should know how to feed themselves. And butter tarts are pretty easy to make. I've been making them with my mom since I was a kid. You just have to mix up the filling. Then you prebake the tart shells for a couple of minutes, take them out, lower the temperature a little, and put whatever you want in them. I like mine with chopped walnuts or pecans and raisins or sometimes dried cranberries that makes them taste a little tangier. Then you add the sugary filling, pop them back in the oven for about twenty minutes, and that's it, and you've got butter tarts. So, you just have to tell me what you like in yours and if you prefer them runny or chewy."

"I'm pretty easy."

He grinned, wiggling his eye brows. Considering the way we'd met, and how fast we'd hopped into bed together, I realized I'd walked right into that one.

Smirking at each other over our soup, after I'd been silly enough to say that, I had to admit, it was fun getting to know him, especially like this in his own environment, since we normally met at a hotel. And now I was glad that he'd suggested we have this one last week together. At least it would give me something to look back on, the wonderful week we'd spent together at Christmas... right before we broke up.

Though we'd been seeing each other for two years, we'd never really spent much time together getting to know much about each other, at least with our clothes on. But as I enjoyed the last tasty spoonful of soup, I decided there was a lot more to him than what I'd assumed. Not only was he crazy good in bed, which I already knew, but he was smart and funny, surprisingly sweet and pretty good in the kitchen, too.

Studying him as he ate, I imagined that he'd make some lucky girl a wonderful husband, which had me wondering what he'd think of my assistant Marcie, since I knew she was already pretty crazy about him. And since she was a really good looking girl, I also wondered what he'd think of her. Though, if I was going to be honest, I didn't love the idea of the two of them together, but I knew he had to find someone new once we'd said our goodbyes, because I hated the thought of him being alone.

When he started to clear the table, I followed him into the kitchen to help him make the tarts. He made us a pot of tea while they were baking. Smirking at him, I thought he looked awfully cute with candy cane striped oven mitts covering his big hands, which had me wondering what he'd look like in an apron, of course with nothing underneath but his nice hard body.

Then once he had the tarts in the oven, his eyes twinkling with mischief, he took the tea cup out of my hand, lifted me onto the kitchen counter, got between my legs, and we did a little kissing while we waited. Because we just couldn't keep our hands off each other, even for the few minutes it took for them to cook.

Once the oven timer went off, he gave me one last brush of his lips on mine. Then with a smile in his eyes he nuzzled my nose with his, lifted me off the counter and set me back on my feet. Looking up into his eyes, I knew I was really going to miss this with him; he was just so affectionate that I wondered how I'd ever survive without his touch.

Once the tarts had cooled enough for us to try them, they were so good I just had to have two. I was enjoying them so much I didn't realize that I had a little drop of filling on my lip, till Rory leaned and licked it off, making me laugh.

And when he smiled and took the time to steal another kiss, I decided I was enjoying myself with him more than I even thought I would. He was always so playful and fun and so loving, that I knew when he found the right woman, she'd be overjoyed to have him in her life, and hopefully would treasure him as much as I did. Though I felt a little sad thinking how happy they'd be, starting a new life with together, since he couldn't deny the fact that he was hoping to settle down.

And he confirmed it when he said, "Hey, I should show you my house plans."

Looking over the sketch and layout he'd created on his tablet, I just loved what he'd designed. I could imagine it fitting in beautifully on the lot, surrounded in trees, with the creek flowing behind it. And I knew it would make a wonderful home for when he finally found the right woman to marry, especially since he'd designed it with five bedrooms, obviously hoping to fill them with children.

I smiled up at him. "It's beautiful, Rory."

"Is there anything you'd do differently?"

I looked at it a little more closely, and couldn't see a thing I'd change. I really liked how both the kitchen and master bedroom looked out over the back of the property, so he'd be waking up in the morning looking out at that beautiful view. And whenever he was in the kitchen he'd be looking out on the forest, maybe even spotting another deer. "No, I think it's perfect, and I wouldn't change a thing." He just nodded looking pleased.

After we'd gorged ourselves on butter tarts, and washed it down with tea, we decorated the tree together, with some of my favorite Christmas songs playing in the background. Bing Crosby's White Christmas was another one that always brought me back to my childhood and could get me a little teary eyed. But thankfully we were having too much fun trying to decide if the Santa with his butt hanging out of his red costume should be in a place of honor on the front of the tree, or if his bare backside should be hidden away in the back. Of course Rory thought it should go front and center, and I liked it there, too, adding a bit of fun to the big beautiful tree.

Once we'd finished, deciding it looked nice and full, Rory wrapped his arms around my waist, and picked me up to add the star to the top, of course letting me slowly slide down his body once I had it secured. And I just smiled at him shaking my head as he brushed his lips to mine, sliding his hands over every inch of me, getting me all tingly.

The roaring fire in the old brick fireplace, gave a nice warm glow to the room. And the tree lit up, sparkling with little white fairy lights, illuminating all the kitschy decorations, just felt so Christmassy. It also felt pretty cozy with just the two of us, especially when Rory finally gave up trying to behave himself and pulled me down to the floor. We took our time, though, teasing each other with little kisses, spread out together on the big white plush rug in front of the crackling fire, before he began to groan. When I started to unbutton his shirt, eager to get a feel of his nice hard body, grinning, he shook his head and pushed my hands away.

And then he teased me, like he loved to do.

Dropping kisses across my lips, his eyes dark with arousal, he slid his fingers up under my sweater, and slowly slid his hand over my tummy. Gradually tracing his fingers higher, barely grazing the bottom of my breasts, before they'd retreat, making me moan and want to give in and rip his clothes off.

He had me so hot, I needed to feel his naked body against mine, and this was torture, divine torture, but still almost too much to take.

I could feel the heat pooling between my legs as he stroked his thumb across my distended nipple, and began strumming it like a guitar, smiling at the way my breasts were already heaving, and the way I was licking my lips, anxious for him to finally get us naked.

I'd never made love in front a fire before, and I've got to say, once he finally quit teasing and peeled us out of our clothes, of course kissing every inch of me he exposed, it felt pretty romantic with our bodies bathed in a soft orange glow from the fire, while Rory seemed to be lost in exploring my breasts.

Running my hands through his hair, he had my girls tingling so hard, with what he was doing with his tongue, that I thought I'd come just from the feel of his mouth on me. So, to test the waters, and tease him back, I said, "You know you could have had a three way last night."

He stopped kneading my breast and licking around my nipple long enough to look up at me, confused. "Are trying to tell me that you'd be up for a three way?"

Chuckling, I shook my head, stroking his beard with my nails. "No. But I know a couple of the girls that work with me sure sounded like they'd be up for it with you. One of them said she thought the two of them would have fun, sexing you up." Though he didn't look too amused, running my hand across his cheek, till I was brushing my thumb across his bottom lip, I teased him a little more, eager to finally to see him blush, and hopefully get a reaction out of him to see what he'd think about being with someone else. "They kept telling me how hot they thought you looked, and what beautiful eyes you've got, and they mentioned a few of the things they'd like to do with you, too -- all of them very naughty. Of course when they asked me what I thought of you, I told them you weren't my type." Then, curious, I narrowed my eyes and asked him, "So, have you ever had a three way?"

Though he didn't answer I could tell from the twinkle in his eye, and his little naughty little smirk that he had. But since I didn't really want to think about him with two other women doing who knows what to him, especially now with us naked in front of the fire, I pushed him onto his back, grinned and said, "Well, for tonight, lover boy, it's going to be just us."

He smiled into my eyes, running his hands down my back, till he was squeezing my ass. "Just the way I like it." Then he stilled, and the amusement left his eyes, his tone suddenly serious. "I hope you know by now, that you're all I'll ever need."