Christmas in Zonei - 19. Christmas Surprise

Chapter Nineteen

Steam billowed out the door as Raeden stepped into the bathroom. He could see Kim standing in the shower, his head thrown back, water running down his chest. His spill of ink black hair brushed the top of his tiny but oh-so-shapely ass. A shudder of desire ran through him. His cock, which had stayed semi-erect with anticipation the entire time he was putting the groceries away and the lasagna in the oven, now fattened and lengthened toward full readiness.

Balancing the wine glasses he carried, he carefully opened the door of the shower enclosure.

“Hey,” he said in soft greeting, not wanting to break the spell that Kim seemed to be under.

Kim opened his eyes and smiled dreamily up at him. Dazzling.

“Sip of wine?” Raeden offered him the glass of the Italian white he’d opened.

Kim took it and gave it a sniff before taking a small sip. Raeden tasted his own, rolling it around on his palate before swallowing. It was crisp and dry—not quite as cold as it should have been but still very drinkable.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“It’s fine.” Kim’s neutral expression matched his words, but Raeden felt his distaste.

“What do you really think of it?” he chided.

“It’s not what I was expecting,” Kim admitted. “All of the wine I’ve had before has been quite sweet. This is sort of sourish or maybe bitter.”

“Yes, it’s on the dry side.”

“Of course. ‘Dry.’ Must be an acquired taste.”

“I can get you something else,” Raeden offered, but now that he had finally made it back to Kim’s side, he was loath to leave it.

“No, this is fine. If we’re going to live in your fancy world, I should acquire a taste for fine wine.” He smiled up at Raeden and took another sip.

Raeden reached out and push a wayward strand of wet hair away from Kim’s face. “Have you washed your hair yet?” he asked.

Gorgeous color crept into Kim’s cheeks. “No … I haven’t done anything at all except stand here and … luxuriate.” Suddenly he stiffened, a shock of concern emanating from him. “How much will it cost—this long hot shower?”

“It’s fine, little one,” Raeden assured him. “We can afford it. We do live in a world of scarce resources, so I wouldn’t recommend taking a forty-five minute shower every day, but once in a while is just fine.”

Kim relaxed again and took another sip of wine before handing Raeden his glass. “I guess I’d better get on with it though.”

Raeden stepped out to set the glasses on the counter before joining Kim in the shower again. He stopped him just as he was about to pour shampoo into his palm. “Let me. I love to touch your hair.” He took the small bottle away from Kim and proceeded to lather his young lover’s hair with the fragrant liquid, massaging his scalp while he was at it.

Kim let out a moan of bliss that reverberated through Raeden. He would never get enough of hearing Kim’s sounds of pleasure. He ran his fingers through the silken strands of Kim’s long fall of hair. “So amazing. I love your hair.”

“Yeah? I was thinking of cutting it.” Kim’s voice was a dreamy murmur.

Raeden frowned. “Why on earth would you cut it?”

“It seems kind of juvenile now. I always kept my hair long because my father had a long braid. I used to love tugging on it. I remember so little about him.” Raeden felt Kim’s wistfulness and it brought a lump to his throat. He fervently hoped his plans worked out. He still couldn’t believe Kim’s father was alive and apparently well after all these years.

“…and it’s a pain to wash,” Kim was saying.

“I’ll wash your hair for you anytime, little one. Especially if that means you don’t cut it. It’s way too beautiful to destroy.”

Kim looked up at Raeden, his dark eyes sparkling. “Okay. I’ll keep it long for you—for now.”

Raeden finished washing Kim’s hair and began working a basil-scented conditioner into it. Meanwhile Kim had found the shower gel and a washcloth and was rubbing suds across his broad chest. His skin shivered with pleasure under Kim’s gentle hands. When his lover stroked the rough cloth across one of his sensitive nipples, the erotic sensation wrenched a gasp from Raeden.

Kim smiled at him slyly. “You like that?” He brushed the cloth back and forth across one nipple while he began pinching the other nipple. Raeden dropped his head back and let out a long drawn out groan. His hard cock twitched, bouncing toward Kim’s chest as if it were magnetic.

Raeden felt a tendril of fear break through Kim’s pleasure. He looked down to find the young man staring at his cock with wide eyes. Dropping to his knees, he sat back on his heels in a non-threatening position and felt Kim’s anxiety drop away.

Taking the washcloth out of his mate’s hand, he squirted more soap onto it and began to rub it lovingly across Kim’s pale wet skin. Kim wound his fingers into Raeden’s short hair and tugged gently. Then he poured shampoo into his hand and used that as an excuse to thoroughly entangle his fingers in the blond crop.

Raeden was lost in a haze. Between the feel of warm, supple skin under his fingers and the scrape of Kim’s fingernails against his scalp, he was in heaven. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on the curve of Kim’s hipbone. He felt a tremor run through the other man. This close, he could smell Kim’s sex, clean and earthy.

He ran the washcloth across Kim’s butt cheek with one hand while he kneaded its twin with the other. Pushing the cloth into Kim’s crack, he ran it slowly forward across his perineum, to wash his balls from behind. Watching the eggs jiggle in their wrinkly sacks, Raeden needed a taste. He pulled one gently into his mouth to a squeal from Kim. The hands washing his hair suddenly clutched and pulled. He rolled the ball around in his mouth, giving it a thorough tongue bath. Kim’s breath hitched and he let out a small needy sound.

Raeden let the orb go only to swallow up the other one, giving it the same treatment. The grip on his hair tightened and Kim’s small hips thrust forward. Then the young man slid one of his legs over Raeden’s shoulder, giving him full access to his taint and balls. Raeden adjusted his hands, taking part of Kim’s weight and steadying him as he renewed his efforts to map his lover’s balls with his tongue.

“Nnngh!” Kim said.

“So delicious,” Raeden murmured, nuzzling.

As the fingers of one hand automatically sought Kim’s puckered hole, petting softly, his tongue wound its way upward, tracing the veins on Kim’s slender cock. He sucked gently on the head, pushing the foreskin down with his lips to slide his tongue around the ridge.

“Rae!” Kim cried out and Raeden savored the sound of his name coming so desperately from his lover’s lips. He wanted more. He tongued Kim’s slit and then greedily sucked on the ruddy head.

“Raeden—oh!”

Raeden smiled around the cock in his mouth and then sucked it in, sliding his lips to the base, the head of Kim’s shaft bumping the back of his throat. He set up a rhythm then, steady and fast, his hands on Kim’s butt urging him to fuck his face.

Kim no longer cried out his name. Instead all manner of small frantic noises fell from his lips. His fingers scrabbled, trying to get a better grip on Raeden’s short hair. Raeden could feel the trembling in his legs and the build up of tension in his muscles even as he sensed Kim’s impending orgasm through their mind connection.

His own body was an electric wire, crackling with energy. He felt more alive than he had since—

He shut down that line of thought, forcing himself to stay in the here and now, in the moment. It wasn’t hard. His senses were swamped by Kim: his lovely, needy sounds, his intoxicating scent, the warm, wet skin under his hands, and the sheer pleasure flowing through Kim’s mind.

And then Kim came. He felt it through their mindlink—that moment when the pleasure and tension became just too much. The orgasm rocketed through Kim’s body, spilling into his mouth in a torrent of salty spray. Kim screamed his name as he thrust his hips helplessly into Raeden’s face. He was only peripherally aware of the painful grip Kim had on his hair, of himself swallowing quickly to keep up with flood of Kim’s release. Caught in the maelstrom of his mate’s orgasm, he couldn’t tell where Kim’s ended and his own began. He grabbed his leaking cock, pumping furiously, and in three strokes he his seed erupted from his organ in a pulsing torrent. He let out a guttural cry that mingled with Kim’s whimpers.

Everything was white noise for several long moments, then Raeden heard Kim gasping for air, felt his body starting to relax, heard a sweet moan of satiation come from Kim’s lips. He gave a few more soft licks to his lover’s spent member, then rested his head against Kim’s narrow hip, panting. The world was still spinning dizzily. He ran his hands up and down Kim’s legs, the motion soothing him, helping him to gather up the tattered remnants of his mind.

“Oh, Rae,” Kim said on a gasp as he collapsed against him. Raeden gathered the tiny man up in his arms, holding him close. He was still too overwhelmed to speak. It was the first orgasm he’d had in eight months and it had been … momentous. He felt tension that he didn’t even realize he’d been carrying ease away on a sea of bliss.

He’d thought his sex life was over forever. He hadn’t even been able to get hard since Lyzel’s death. And now this beautiful, erotic young man had given him one of the best orgasms ever. He was overwhelmed with love and gratitude.

After a few moments Kim began to giggle. “You still have soap in your hair.”

Raeden pulled back to look Kim in the eye. His mate’s dark eyes met his, sparkling with a joy that Raeden had never seen in him before. Raeden grinned back, feeling happy and relaxed and downright wonderful for the first time in a very long time.

*****

“Wow! Oh, wow!” Kim stared in awe as the lights on the Christmas tree began to blink. Raeden had just turned them on. Multicolored light reflected off shiny bulbs and cast pastel-hued shimmers across the walls. “I’ve never had my own Christmas tree before,” he said softly. “We never had enough money for such things.”

“I love the way the real ones smell,” Raeden said. “It seems a waste to grow them and then chop them down, especially since we’re so short on farmland. It must have cost a small fortune. Lyzel and I had a fake one, but it was a good fake one. I suppose I still have it somewhere with all the rest of our stuff—” He broke off not wanting to dwell on the boxes that were piled high in the spare bedroom. It was too painful to think about. He wasn’t sure when he’d find the strength to go through them.

He stepped up behind Kim and pulled the young man back against his chest, taking comfort in his warmth. His fingers automatically sought their way between the folds of his robe to splay across his bare chest. Raeden bent and nuzzled his hair, his melancholy slipping away with the touch of his new mate. His fingers brushed across a nipple and Kim shuddered.

Raeden caught Kim’s earlobe in his mouth and bit gently while he worried the nipple with his fingers.

“Rae!” Kim cried out, grasping Raeden’s wrist in his small hands and tugging. “I … you’re…” he panted.

“What?” Raeden asked with a smirk, letting Kim pull his hand away.

“God! Just one touch and I’m like—‘zing!’—ready to go again.” Kim looked down at himself and Raeden leaned over his shoulder to follow his gaze. They were both wearing nothing but the white terry robes they’d found in the bathroom, and Kim’s robe was starting to tent. Raeden was in the same condition.

“And that’s bad because…?”

“Because I’m hungry.”

Just then Raeden’s stomach chimed in with a loud growl. They both laughed. “I guess we’d better eat then.” Not wanting to lose the solace of Kim’s touch, Raeden grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen area. Glancing at the timer, he said, “We’ve got thirty more minutes on the lasagna—just enough time to enjoy some antipasto.”

Working together they made short work of slicing the cheese, bread, and salami, and arranging it on a large plate with some of the olives and pickled vegetables. As Raeden filled their wine glasses, he said, “Let’s eat on the rug in front of the fire.”

“An excellent plan,” Kim agreed. “I want to enjoy the tree and the view, but that white couch—that is such a bad idea for me. I know I won’t be able to eat anywhere close to it without spilling something on it.” Kim carried the tray into the living area and set it on the coffee table. Raeden followed with the wine and napkins.

“Is it always going to be like this with you?” Kim asked as he nibbled a piece of cheese and stared, trancelike, at the Christmas tree. He was nestled between Raeden’s legs, leaning back against his chest. “Perfect?”

Raeden snorted. “I’m far from perfect, Kim. I can get grumpy and irritable and be a downright ass. Surely you haven’t forgotten that.”

Kim turned surprised eyes on him. “I thought—” He broke off, but sensing his emotions, Raeden could guess what he had been about to say.

“You thought that I was cured now?” He chuckled softly. “You saw me at my worst, I will say. But I do get that way now and again. It usually doesn’t last long—I’ve never slid into a funk for months at a time before, but I’m not always a nice guy, so I’ll apologize in advance.”

“Nobody’s perfect,” Kim said, settling back against Raeden’s chest, “but you’re about the closest thing that I’ve ever seen.”

*****

Kim awoke to the realization that he was stark naked and there was a very large cock nudged against his butt cheek. Terror flashed through him, but he caught Raeden’s scent and immediately started to calm down. Raeden wouldn’t hurt him—he’d promised and Kim trusted him. The night before he’d been so gentle with him; they’d made love three times and each time Raeden had treated him with reverence. They hadn’t gone all the way, but they’d exchanged blowjobs and hand jobs and frotted, and it’d been better than he’d imagined it could be. Raeden had not pushed for more—had not even hinted that he might want more.

The big mod stirred. “What is it, love?” he mumbled sleepily.

“Nothing. I’m good. It’s early. Go back to sleep.”

Raeden pulled him a bit more tightly to his chest, nuzzled his hair, and his breathing dropped back into slow steady rhythm.

Kim sighed in contentment. Am I really going to wake up every morning in his arms? It seemed too good to be true.

Kim was awake now and he sensed it was early morning, too close to the time he normally got up for him to fall back to sleep, but he wasn’t ready to move from Raeden’s embrace. He opened his eyes and stared sleepily out the window.

The sky was still dark with no sign of the late winter dawn, but big fat flakes swirled lazily down, and the ambient glow of the city lights reflecting off the new fallen snow gave a brightness to the world that belied the night. Kim’s thoughts drifted along with the snow, not following any particular line, but mostly focused on Raeden and the magical evening they’d spent together.

“Merry Christmas, little one,” Raeden whispered in his ear.

Yes, Christmas! Kim had forgotten. “Good morning. Merry Christmas. I didn’t know you were still awake.”

“It doesn’t look like it, but it’s quarter to seven,” Raeden said. “And it’s Christmas morning. How could I possibly go back to sleep?”

“I haven’t gotten you anything,” Kim said with regret. “I … there hasn’t been time.” Kim pushed the memories of the terrifying days they’d spent at CorpSec headquarters out of his mind. He didn’t want any bad thoughts to encroach on his beautiful Christmas morning with Raeden.

“I haven’t gotten anything for you either,” Raeden kissed along Kim’s shoulder, “but just spending time with you is enough for me.”

“It is more than enough for me too, but I’d still like to get you something. Maybe we can have a second Christmas in a few days after we’ve had time to shop?”

“You just want more presents,” Raeden chided, but Kim heard the smile in his voice.

He shifted around so he was facing Raeden. “More something,” he said suggestively, eyes fastening on Raeden’s wide lips. He had no more time for thought before his mind was blown with a crushing kiss.

*****

Kim’s jaw ached slightly, a pleasant reminder of their morning sixty-nine session. Much to his surprise, he’d fallen back to sleep afterward. Now he’d woken alone in bed. “Jingle Bells” was playing over the speakers in the bedroom. Stretching his mind as well as his ears, he detected Raeden in the kitchen. It was odd to have that sixth sense—the awareness of another’s mind and along with that a knowledge of their whereabouts.

He sensed Raeden approaching just before the big man bounded into the room.

“It’s Christmas! Up and at ‘em. There’s presents awaiting.” Raeden’s grin was huge and the expression on his face was so reminiscent of a little boy that Kim couldn’t help but catch his enthusiasm.

Not waiting for Kim to climb out of bed, Raeden whipped the covers back and scooped him into his arms. Kim started to protest, but Raeden circumvented him with a kiss, then he jogged into the living room and deposited him on the couch.

Kim pulled a throw blanket around his shoulders, shivering slightly as he looked at the fresh snow that was now several inches deep on the back porch. Raeden whisked into the kitchen and returned a few seconds later with a platter of the Italian Christmas cake they had bought the day before, sliced, as well as the exotic fruit, plates and napkins. One more quick trip to the kitchen and he was delivering a cup of hot coffee into Kim’s waiting hands.

“I could get used to this,” Kim said, taking a sip of the dark brew.

Raeden added milk to his coffee and then began munching on the sweet, dense cake. “What do you suppose they got us?” he asked, nodding towards the two wrapped packages still sitting under the tree.

“I can’t imagine,” Kim replied. “Shall we open them?” Without waiting for a response he got up and retrieved the presents. Noting the weight of the boxes, he said, “Clothing of some sort, is my guess.”

He settled cross-legged on the couch next to Raeden, his knee touching the mod’s thigh. He tossed Raeden’s gift at him and they both set about opening them. The packages were labeled from Randy, but they each had an envelope from Michelle tucked into the ribbon. Raeden opened his envelope first.

“Oh, way cool! She got us tickets to a Crushers’ game.” The Crushers were K-Corporation’s basketball team. Professional sports had all but died out after the war, but recently some of the corporations had put together teams for basketball, football, soccer and baseball. They competed with teams from other “friendly” Corporations, although there weren’t really enough teams to make a full season’s worth of games. Kim didn’t know much about any of the sports and didn’t really understand the attraction, but Raeden seemed quite pleased with the gift.

Kim opened his envelope to find tickets to the opera.

“Opera?” Raeden said aghast. “What was Michelle thinking?”

“I’ve always wanted to go to an opera,” Kim said. “I’ve read about them. You’ll come with me, won’t you?”

“As long as you’re there, it won’t be all bad,” Raeden conceded, smiling.

Then they both attacked their packages from Randy. Kim’s gift turned out to be black fleece lounge pants with a pattern of white doves and a black long-sleeved tee with a single dove in the center. They looked like they would fit perfectly. “These are great!” Kim said, holding them up. Then he noticed something else in the bottom of the box: violet briefs in a silky fabric. He snatched them up and ran them through his fingers. He’d never owned anything except cheap cotton briefs. His eyes misted slightly as he stared at the sexy underwear.

“Can’t wait to see you in those.” Raeden’s husky voice sent a shiver up Kim’s spine.

He smiled up at his lover. “What’d you get?”

With a grin, Raeden held up a pair of Santa boxers and matching red tank top. “But I also got some sexy underwear.” He tossed the clothes back in the box and held up a pair of blue silk briefs.

Kim launched himself into Raeden’s lap, bowling him back onto the couch. He attacked Raeden’s mouth with his lips, but they both started laughing too hard to give it a good go.

“There mere sight of sexy underwear gets you going—I can’t imagine what you’ll be like once I get them on,” Raeden teased.

Kim plucked at the boxers Raeden was wearing. “Let’s find out.”

*****

“A taxi? Really? Do they even go to Zonei?” Kim knew they did. He’d seen them there before, but the sight was so rare that he had to question the notion.

“Of course,” Raeden answered. “You have to hire the high-security taxis, but they’ll take you into Zonen even. Not usually Zoneo or lower, but I’m not sure why anyone would want to go there anyway.”

Kim shivered slightly, trying not to imagine what life might be like in the lowest zones. “But it must cost a fortune.”

“Kim, we have money.” Raeden’s tone was exasperated. “You need to quit worrying about it.”

Kim clenched his teeth against a hot retort. He and Raeden had already had that argument several times in as many days. Kim did have money now—tons of his own money, it seemed. As Raeden’s new mate, somehow he’d inherited all of Lyzel’s assets. By rights her money and belongings went to Raeden. The mods didn’t have any family other than their mate. They could have willed their assets to someone else, but Raeden said he’d never heard of that happening. Mods were usually killed as a pair and then all of their assets returned to the Corporation. It was unprecedented for a mod to outlive his or her mate for more than a few months, let alone retain the wherewithal to do something with their partner’s wealth.

Raeden seemed to relish sticking it to the Corporation. He could have kept Lyzel’s money for himself, but he’d assured Kim that he didn’t need it. He’d said it made more sense for Kim to have it because then Kim wouldn’t have to come to him if he ever needed anything expensive. Kim would have his own salary soon enough, and Michelle had assured him it would be generous. Kim imagined it would be way more than he would have any idea what to do with.

The first day that the banks were open after Christmas, Raeden had had Lyzel’s accounts closed and all the money transferred into Kim’s account. The amount had been staggering. Kim was still reeling in shock. Even Raeden had been surprised with the sum.

“I hadn’t realized she was such a savvy investor,” he’d murmured, looking stunned. “She always seemed to spend without thought and she didn’t like to talk about money so we didn’t. I figured she had some set aside, but I had no idea…”

At that point, Kim had tried to get Raeden to take it back, or at least take most of it back, but he refused. “If you don’t want it, you can give it away,” he’d said. Kim had considered that. Was still considering it but wasn’t sure where the money would do the most good. He had decided to sit on it for the time being. Then that afternoon he had spent a small fortune on Raeden’s Christmas present.

He was very excited about what he’d found to give Raeden. He hoped his new mate would be overwhelmed by it—in good way—but he was nervous. He wasn’t sure if his gift would bring up sad memories or be comforting. Raeden himself seemed quite nervous about the gift he was giving Kim and that piqued his curiosity. Like Kim, Raeden was not carrying a visible gift, only a bag of food for lunch.

They’d agreed on only one personal present for each other and, for some reason, Raeden had insisted that they exchange gifts at Kim’s old unit in Zonei—he seemed to think it’d be romantic, although Kim couldn’t think of anything more romantic than the night before Christmas when they’d spent their time snuggling in front of the fireplace and gazing at the city lights spread out below them—with the twinkling Christmas tree adding magic to the mood. But in any case, they needed to pick up the things Kim wanted to keep from his old life and figure out what to do with the things he didn’t, so Kim had readily agreed to Raeden’s plan.

Now he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right,” he conceded. “We can take a taxi there, but I think we should take the train back.”

Raeden smiled at him. “It’ll get easier,” he said.

“What will?”

“Spending money.”

Kim laughed. “I imagine it will.” They’d gone shopping the day after Christmas and bought clothes for both of them. They’d also ordered groceries and things for the apartment on the infonet. Kim’s mind goggled every time he looked at a bill. “Much easier to go from having no money to having lots of money than the other way around, I imagine.”

Raeden grinned. “Yes, definitely.”

The taxi was indeed high security. Both he and Raeden had to provide not only their intel but also their retina scan before the unit opened for them. The vehicle itself was heavily shielded—able to withstand a significant-sized blast, according to their infonet ad. It ran on surface streets and was driven by computer rather than an actual human being. It did come with an armed guard, however, who politely introduced himself before raising the shield between the front of the cab and the back.

The guard would have frightened Kim if he hadn’t been with Raeden. The man was completely encased in high-tech riot gear and carried a high-powered automatic weapon. What disconcerted Kim, however, were the thoughts he picked up from the man—his brain was that of a thug: he was hoping for a confrontation because he enjoyed killing. Kim shivered and shifted closer to Raeden on the red faux leather seat, fully aware that although they seemed to be in private, the guard was observing and listening to them via a hidden video monitor.

When Kim brought that up to Raeden via their mind link, Raeden confirmed that he had already smelled the spy electronics. They kept their audible conversation to the mundane, but mostly Kim stared out the window in horrified fascination as they passed from one zone to the next and their surrounding became shabbier and more dangerous.

In due time they arrived at The Shangri La and it looked even more tawdry than Kim remembered.

I’ve been gone less than a week and already this doesn’t feel like home.

Good! Your home is with me. Raeden smiled at him but Kim could feel his nervousness. He didn’t think it was caused by Zonei—it was caused by the Christmas present that he was planning to give Kim. Kim stringently refused to let himself pry into Raeden’s private thoughts, and as nervous as he was, Raeden wasn’t allowing his thoughts to leak out.

Dirty snow crunched under their feet as they stepped out onto the curb and a biting wind stole Kim’s warmth within seconds, reminding him that he needed to buy a warmer coat. The taxi immediately buttoned itself up and took off back the way it had come.

Kim went through the familiar ritual of getting through security. The cold seeped into him and by the time they were standing in front of the door to his unit, he was shivering in spite of just having climbed four flights of stairs. He was about to place his hand on the scanner to open the door when Raeden grabbed it.

Hold, little one. Raeden then knocked on the door.

What’s going on, Rae? Kim asked in confusion. Then he heard the sound of someone approaching the door from the other side.

Who the hell is in my unit?

Raeden didn’t respond but his anxiety peaked. Kim felt his stomach flipping over. He was thoroughly perplexed and would have been having a panic attack if his protective mate, whom he trusted implicitly, wasn’t standing right next to him with a nervous grin on his face.

The door swung open and Kim found himself face to face with an older Japanese man.

Welcome, son, a voice rang out clearly in his head.