Winter Rescue (I'll Be Home for Christmas) (7 page)

Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

slowly sliding over and around each other. Curt moaned as

the kiss deepened, and Oscar tangled his fingers in his hair.

Curt grinned against Oscar’s mouth as his hand ran over the

stubbled, warm skin of his face. When they pulled back a bit

from one another, all Curt could see was the black

swallowing the green of Oscar’s eyes and the man’s dimpled

smile.

Bang
!
Bang
! Aaron pounded on the hood of Oscar’s

truck, startling them both. “Let’s go inside, shall we?” he

asked, eyeing them both, and not happily.

Once they were inside, Aaron took Curt by the arm and

steered him away from Oscar, while Angelica and Oscar

followed the shelter’s manager to the kitchen area.

“Son—”

“I’m sorry, Dad. We weren’t—”

“Thinking? You weren’t thinking?”

“Dad—”

Aaron sighed and ran his hand over his face, clearly

trying to measure his words. Curt was impressed. “Son, your

mother and I…. We didn’t handle things well before, and

we’re sorry about that—”

“Dad, it’s okay. We all handled it poorly.”

“Let me finish, please.” Curt fell silent. “We’ve been

going to these… meetings over in Hennepin. You know,

talking to other parents with… with….”

“This issue?”

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

Aaron nodded. “Others in
this
situation. Of not really

understanding. Of believing all the bullsh—
misinformation

that’s put out there about….”

“The LGBT community?”

Aaron sighed and grinned, grateful. “Yes.”

“But those meetings don’t tell you how to handle seeing

your son kissing another man.”

Aaron blushed violently and shook his head, looking at

his boots. Curt smiled and hugged his father. “Thanks, Pop.”

“For what?” Aaron asked, the surprise evident in his

expression.

“For trying so hard to understand. I love you.”

“I… I love you too, boy.” Aaron smiled, his eyes filling.

“You
have
to know that.”

“I do, Pop. I do.”

or the next three hours, Aaron, Angelica, Seth, and

Curt Knutzen helped serve breakfast to the needy in

F Anoka. Assisting them in this were Oscar and Seth’s

girlfriend, Layla. Around noon, the rest of the clan showed

up with their children, bearing gifts for the shelter dwellers

and their little ones. Everyone sat around a donated

Christmas tree and watched the families open their gifts,

then they sang carols before a new group of volunteers came

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

in to get lunch ready and serve another group of struggling

families.

“That was amazing,” Oscar said. He couldn’t seem to pry

the grin off his face.

“Yeah,” Curt sighed. “I’d almost forgotten how much fun

that was.”

“You and your family did this every year?”

“Yep, since I was around eight, I think. At least that’s

when they started taking me along to help.” Curt’s stomach

growled aggressively and both men chuckled.

“What was that?”

Getting his laughter under control, Curt said, “I only

had a quick bowl of cereal this morning. I was running late,

and then we got so busy at the shelter….”

“Let me fix you lunch.”

“Uh….” Curt glanced at his family as they struggled into

their coats. “I’d better—”

“Go on, dear,” Angelica said, appearing at their side. She

tightened a muffler around her neck and slipped on her

gloves. “I don’t need you under foot while we’re cooking this

afternoon.”

“Mom—”

“Just don’t fill up too much before dinner. There’ll be

plenty.” She looked at Oscar through narrowed eyes. “You

are still joining us this evening, aren’t you?”

“Uh, y-yes, ma’am. I plan on it.”

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

“Good.” She nodded, signaling to her husband to get a

move on. “We’ll be expecting you both around six. Make sure

you bring your appetites.”

Oscar and Curt watched the Knutzen clan file out of the

shelter.

“Uh, Curt?”

“Yeah?”

“I think your mom likes me.”

Curt grinned. “I think so too.” He held the door open for

Oscar. “Shall we?”

o what’ll it be?” Oscar asked as he looked in his

fridge.

“S Once they’d arrived at the Nylund spread, the

two men had quickly shed their winter gear, even

their boots, preferring to amble around in comfort and their

stocking feet. Now, standing in the kitchen doorway, Curt

watched Oscar bend over, his top half practically

disappearing into the massive stainless-steel appliance. It

was a French-door unit, obviously big enough to house party

platters.

“Was your gran an excellent hostess?”

Oscar reemerged. “Oh yeah,” he said. “Her and Gramps

used to throw some serious parties, fundraisers for

conservative candidates and the like, but that was years

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

ago.” They fell silent as their eyes met. Curt smiled, looking

Oscar up and down. “Uh, I’ve got cold cuts. I could make

sandwiches, or, if you’d like something warm, I could open

some soup. We ate all the stew I made, and I’m afraid most

of what I have left is easy bachelor stuff.”

Curt walked deeper into the kitchen and around the

island, closer to Oscar. “Well, we have orders from Mom not

to fill up,” he said softly, using what he considered his “sexy”

voice. “You know… with dinner and all.” He placed his hand

on Oscar’s, where he held the ice box’s door open, and felt it

warm under the contact. Oscar gulped.

“I thought y-you were hungry?”

Curt nodded. “I’ve been thinking about tasting you ever

since I watched you start that fire yesterday.”

“Yeah?” His dimples appeared briefly, much to Curt’s

delight.

Curt’s eyes fell to Oscar’s lips, and he kissed him,

pushing him backward into the open fridge. He felt Oscar

shiver and wondered if it was him or the cool air at the

man’s back. Oscar suddenly gripped Curt’s waist and

pushed back until the island stopped their progress. The

refrigerator door closed with a muted
thunk
as Oscar ravaged

Curt’s mouth and tugged at his clothing.

“Hey, hey,” Curt said, breaking the connection but

smiling at how black Oscar’s eyes had become, at how

heavily he panted as he looked over Curt’s face. He saw

nothing but want in his rescuer’s face. “Oscar, have you ever

been with a man before?”

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

“I f-fooled around a bit in college, vet school, but I’ve

never had—I’ve never gone all the way… m-made love before,

no. I’ve been with a couple of women, but it wasn’t….”

Curt smiled and ran both hands through Oscar’s wavy

black hair, tightening his grip and tugging him down and

forward for another taste. “Come with me.” He took Oscar’s

hand and led him to the bedroom he’d awoken in the other

day. He backed Oscar up to the bed until the man sat

abruptly. “Take your shirt off.”

Wide-eyed, Oscar did as he was told, and quickly, while

Curt shed his clothes and knelt to undo Oscar’s belt. “Oh my

God,” Oscar gasped.

“You okay?” Curt asked, never taking his eyes from

Oscar’s crotch as he worked at freeing the man’s erection.

“Y-yes, I’m… I’m fine.”

Curt paused and looked up at the big man who had

come to his rescue just two days ago. Oscar’s eyes flitted

over Curt’s body, his shoulders, chest, arms, and, most

intently, the hands at his zipper. He didn’t seem able to

settle his gaze.

“Oscar?”

“Hm?”

“Look at me.”

“I am.”

Curt smiled. “
Look
. At Me.” Oscar raised his eyes to

Curt’s and smiled. “Tell me what you want.”

“I… I want to see you, all of you, touch you, taste you.

I… want.”

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