Winter laughed. “I had to buy what I could in a short time. Since you drink a glass of that brand every night, I figured I couldn’t go wrong.”
Ivan’s cheeks ached from smiling as he set the bottle aside. “Thank you. That’s amazing. We’ll need that to get warm again after we make us a snowman later.”
Winter’s gaze moved to the window. Longing etched his features. “I’ve always wanted to try that.”
“Get dressed and we will.”
Sexy blue eyes swung back Ivan’s way. Winter shook his head. “Not yet. I haven’t finished soaking up this part yet.”
Ivan got it. They were exactly alike. Deprived of everything that everyone else took for granted. Ivan nodded toward the gifts. “Let’s finish, then.”
They took turns. Winter got a box of candy. Ivan opened a laptop. His mind froze. It was an extremely expensive laptop. Obviously, Ivan wasn’t hurting for any such thing, but coming from Winter, who didn’t have this kind of money to be spending, Ivan didn’t know what to think. His gaze moved to Winter.
Winter flashed him a sweet smile. “I told you I always save money all year to buy myself one expensive gift. That’s what I bought for myself this year. As I packed last night, I decided I would rather give it to you.”
Ivan had no words, but he had questions. “Why would you do that?”
Winter’s smile turned sad. “This trip and everything you’ve done.” Winter motioned at their surroundings. “This is worth more than money and it’s definitely worth more than I can do for you. That laptop is literally the best I could do for you, and I wanted to give you the best.”
Ivan set the gift aside and shifted to his knees. He closed the distance between them and stole Winter’s kiss. When they got back home, Ivan would make sure Winter got an even nicer computer. No doubt Winter had saved his money all year because he needed the gift that he had chosen for himself. Ivan wouldn’t let Winter go without anything he needed.
Their kiss turned heated way faster than Ivan anticipated. He found himself slowing, forcibly controlling his emotions when he didn’t want to do any such thing. Winter made him want too hard. He made Ivan crave a life like this one. Ivan already knew he wouldn’t let Winter get away. This wasn’t a fantasy holiday that would be a moment cut from time and never repeated. Something had been building between them for the past two years. They were fanning the flames of that ember, becoming an inferno. There was no going back now. They were meant to be.
Winter fought a wave of disappointment when Ivan pulled away. He couldn’t explain the feelings in his chest. It was like he was in a dream and didn’t want to wake up. Winter worried that everything would go back to the way it had been when they got back to Malibu. He would serve Ivan a single drink every night. They would never speak as they pretended this never happened. He had to force that ugly thought from his head to keep from ruining the moment. Winter was good at finding the darkness among a thousand silver linings.
Ivan handed him a final gift. “Don’t forget this one. It was a tiny box wrapped in silver paper with a shiny silver ribbon tied around it.
Winter tugged the bow loose and unwrapped the box. He lifted the small lid. There was a tiny folded paper inside. He pulled it out, set the box aside, unfolded it, and read aloud. “I jingle when you shake me.” Winter’s confusion had him tossing a quick glance around. He spotted a bell on the tree that had a small sliver of paper taped to it. “No.” His gaze shot to Ivan’s smiling face. Ivan looked like a naughty kid. “Is this a treasure hunt?”
Ivan shrugged. “Maybe you should follow the clues.”
A smile exploded across Winter’s face. He couldn’t help it. Winter couldn’t believe Ivan had done this. He peeled the note from the bell. “You must kiss if you find yourself beneath me.” Winter scanned the room. Mistletoe hung from a nearby doorway. So too did another note. Winter pushed to his feet and retrieved the next clue. “I keep eggnog fresh and cool.” He headed for the fridge and found the next clue. “I have sturdy walls, but I’m much too small for anyone to live inside me.” Winter moved back to living room and spotted a gingerbread house on a sideboard table. The next clue was tucked beneath the corner of the house. Winter gingerly pried it out, trying not to destroy the icing. “Go back to start and open me again.”
Winter turned around and found Ivan innocently eating as if he hadn’t sent Winter on the most pointless treasure hunt of all time. The box sat on the ottoman at Ivan’s elbow. It was closed again. Winter pursed his lips and rejoined Ivan on the floor. He reached for the box.
Ivan set his hand on the gift, stopping Winter. “Before you open it, I have something kind of crazy to ask you.”
A surprise laugh burst from Winter. “Crazier than this trip?”
Ivan cocked his head to one side, as if thinking that one over. “Okay. It’s possible you won’t think it’s that farfetched, but I still need to ask you something before you open this box so you won’t get the wrong impression.”
Winter’s curiosity was at an all-time high. “Okay.”
“If you could afford it, would you stay here with me for a while?”
Winter didn’t need to think about it. “Yes.” Fuck, at this point, he might stay here forever if Ivan asked.
With a sharp nod, Ivan lifted his hand. Winter grabbed the box and removed the lid. There was another scrap of paper inside. Winter swallowed a groan before it escaped. He thought this was the end of the hunt and he would finally know where this game was headed. He unfolded the paper. His brain froze. It was a check for fifty thousand dollars. Before he could recover from his shock and tear up the check, Ivan chimed in, “Will you stay here with me for a while?”
Goddamn it. He had fallen right into Ivan’s trap. Winter re-folded the check and put it back inside the box. He was torn. On one hand, he didn’t want to accept Ivan’s money because he knew he would always feel like Ivan had bought him. On the other hand, Ivan had been unknowingly paying Winter’s rent for the past two years with his unnecessarily large tip each night. So how was this different?
Ivan took his hand and pulled Winter’s gaze his way. His heart was in his eyes and Winter couldn’t look away. Ivan immediately got to the heart of the matter. “I’m not trying to buy you. That’s why I asked before you saw the check if you would stay. I know that I am much older than you and therefore much more financially stable.” Winter fought a sarcastic burst of laughter. Age had nothing to do with how far apart they were financially. Thankfully, Ivan kept talking and saved Winter from saying as much. “I am afraid you won’t give me a real chance because you can’t afford to stay here for long.” Ivan admitting to even an ounce of fear had Winter’s annoyance melting away. He found himself listening for real and genuinely considering Ivan’s proposition. “Like I said, this isn’t me trying to buy you. I just don’t want money to be the reason you refuse when I ask you to stay for a while. It is beautiful here and I never get to stay as long as I would like. This year, I’m free to do so and I would like for you to be here with me. If you say you don’t feel like there is something between us and it’s all me, then I understand. But I think we are starting something, and I want to keep going.”