Free Icecapade by Josh Lanyon Page A

with each powerful thrust of Robert’s hips.
    Noel’s balls tightened, tingling heat washing through. Robert fucked him harder and faster and deeper until the moment seemed to stretch and stretch and grow timeless—unique and fragile as a snowflake against glass—and then Robert was coming, exquisite relief pulsing in satiny long jets.
    Chapter Seven
    The smell of fresh brewed coffee infiltrated his dreams.
    Noel opened his eyes.
    Christmas morning. His mouth curved. It was a long time since he’d felt this sort of anticipation for Christmas morning.
    Through the half-raised window shades he could see the sun shining brightly, the trees feathered in white and the sugary hills beyond.
    A floorboard squeaked and Robert walked into the bedroom with two cups of coffee. He wore jeans and Noel’s black dressing gown, which was both tight across the shoulders and too short for him—and yet somehow totally sexy.
    “Merry Christmas,” Noel said.
    Robert gave him a look from beneath his dark brows and a funny little smile. “Merry Christmas.” He handed Noel one of the coffee cups.
    “Just what I asked Santa for.”
    Robert snorted. He sipped his coffee.
    “You’re a long way away,” Noel said.
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    Robert’s lashes raised in surprise. Self-consciously, he sat on the foot of the bed. “No.
    I’m not.”
    Noel stretched out his hand. Robert took it.
    Noel sipped his own coffee and tasted the sweetness of Baileys and the bite of whisky. He sighed. “This is nice.”
    Robert nodded. “It is.” His gaze caught Noel’s.
    Though his smile was guarded, there was something in his eyes that made Noel’s heart speed up.
    “So…you’re planning to hang around today?”
    Noel stared at their laced hands.
    “I thought I might.”
    Neither of them spoke for a few quiet, surprisingly tranquil minutes.
    Finally, Robert said, “Those phone calls every New Year’s Eve—”
    “I guess…I wanted to apologize.”
    “I did catch that much. It’s not that I wouldn’t have—if things had been different—”
    “I think I understand. I just want you to know I never meant our relationship to hurt you.”
    “Our relationship? You mean the fact that I was investigating you in the hopes of putting you in prison?”
    “Yeah.” Noel met that crooked grin with one of his own. “Hey, all couples have their rough patches.”
    Josh Lanyon
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    Robert snorted. It was an endearing sound, Noel decided. He could picture Robert spluttering and snorting at him with that same amused exasperation twenty years from now. Maybe.
    Depending.
    “If you had caught me, would you have sent me to prison?”
    Robert’s smile faded. “One reason I never picked up that phone was that I didn’t want to ever have to make that choice.”
    “Right.” Noel brooded over that. He looked up.
    “There wasn’t any copycat burglar, was there?”
    “No.”
    “You made that whole thing up about a string of cat burglaries fitting my MO.”
    “Yep.”
    “You never had any intention of arresting me.”
    “You said yourself the statute of limitations has run out on your last known robbery.”
    “You wanted an excuse to come and see me.”
    Robert grunted. “I’m not going to pretend I didn’t want to see you sweat a little. Actually, I wanted to see you sweat a lot .”
    Noel grimaced. “But you read the last book, right? You read Crawl Space ?”
    “Those books .” Robert’s groan sounded genuine. “And that last one.”
    “I was trying to apologize.”
    “I preferred the drunken phone calls.”
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    Noel pulled his hand free. “You know those books are very popular.”
    “Yes. I do know that.”
    Noel retreated behind his coffee cup.
    “Noel.”
    Noel looked up.
    “I didn’t want to be alone this Christmas.
    That’s the truth. I can’t pretend that my feelings for you through the years have always been, uh, tender, but I never forgot you. I made a point of keeping track of you, and I never stopped wondering what