The Holt Conundrum

seventh december

It's December and I get home late after a final editing session with Keith. We wanted to wrap up our latest project before the holidays.

"I'm home!" I announce the second I walk in, dragging my feet inside.

"I'm in the bathroom," Holt answers.

When I'm a few feet from the door, I hear water splashing around. I'm smiling before I even push it open. "Well, well, well, look at that sexy merman."

He's grinning at me, sitting in the middle of bubbles. God, how can he be this adorable all the time? "Good evening."

I go to sit on the floor beside the tub. "How long have you been splashing around?"

"I just got in, I swear. Look, my fingers haven't even started to prune yet," Holt is shaking his hand in front of my face as proof.

I grab it and kiss his palm. And suddenly I'm thinking, what am I doing on the floor when my boyfriend is naked beside me?

I get up and start taking my clothes off.

Holt narrows his eyes at me. "What do you think you're doing?"

I'm grinning. "What does it look like I'm doing?" We have a fairly big bathtub so I know we can both fit in there. Quite a few of our shower session have ended up lying at the bottom of it.

"If you flood the bathroom, you call the landlord," Holt tells me, looking up at me.

I throw towels on the ground beside the tub. I'm ready to deal with the consequences of my actions.

I think he's put one of his gel bubbles thingy in the bath because it's super slippery and I almost slip and fall on my face the second I put a foot in the tub.

Holt is laughing at me. "What a sight you are Boo."

When I've got my two feet in the tub, on both side of Holt, I sit on top of him. "Oh yeah? You're quite the sight too," I tell him, my hands running up his arms.

My hands go all the way up, cradling his face before I press my lips against his. Holt wraps his arms around me, his fingers digging in the muscles of my back.

I drop one of my hands under the bubbles and take a hold of the both of us, muffling the sound of Holt's moan in my mouth.

I know I can't wrap my hand completely around us, but I can do enough. The friction is always amazing, especially considering that half of the skin I feel is Holt's.

His lips leave mine and press on my neck, kissing and licking and sucking my skin there. We're both moving and fussing and splashing water, but all I care about is Holt's voice panting a "Eliah you feel so good."

If we had to do the whole PG thing again, I could do it, but I would miss this intimacy there is when we're close like this, when I can see him undone like this, when he can't keep quiet and he can't ignore the flood of sensations he's feeling.

Anytime we've try out something new in bed it's like I'm discovering another part of Holt that he's kept hidden, even from himself.

When I can feel Holt close to the end, I let myself go, our bodies stilling almost at the same time.

When we've both got our breaths again, Holt says softly, "Bath time is not for carnal pleasure."

I laugh. "What is it for then?"

"Self care."

Adorable. Absolutely adorable. "I think what we just did is the definition of self care," I tease him

"How am I supposed to relax when my heart is almost beating out of my chest?"

I chuckle and kiss his pouty lips and then the skin over his fast beating heart. "You want self care? I'll give you self care Smooches."

I wash his hair and rub his shoulders. He's got a lot of tension, he's had a lot on his plate lately. We're all rushing to get things done before the holidays. I soap up every each of his body. I'm very thorough.

When I'm done taking care of him, we sit in the tub, his back against my chest, my arms and legs around him.

Holt's got his eyes closed, his face tucked against my neck while I rub the muscles of his forearm.

"How did the conference call go?" I ask him softly. He had to call the company that's hired him for the photography contract he's working on right now. He's work with them many times, but it hasn't been going well lately. I know he was stressed out about it.

"What do you think? Their stupid head of sales had notes again. I swear, I usually love working with these guys, but since that stupid frat dude started to complain about everything I've seriously been thinking about just dropping the contract."

"Would you have to pay any penalties?"

Holt sighs and nuzzles my neck. "No, not at this point. I gave them something, and if they reject it, it's not my problem. I just won't get paid."

"Well, if you're serious about dropping them, do it. I've actually heard other people talking about their late changes and how it doesn't make sense. You can get other contracts, you're not desperate. And if you are desperate, I can always find you job."

I can feel his smile against my skin. "Working with you might be fun."

"Hmm, I don't know, I'm pretty bossy."

Holt lifts his head to look in my eyes and I almost whine because I liked holding him. I was comfortable. "Who can you boss at work? Keith?"

I roll my eyes. "Interns. We have interns."

Holt snorts at me. "You're barely ever at the web newspaper anymore. You have a boss at the New York Times and not the other way around. You've got no one to boss, Boo."

I kiss his nose. "Well, I boss you around at home."

This time he full on laughs. "Telling me what you want me to do in bed with you is not my definition of bossy."

I'm laughing too. "Oh no, what is it then?"

My boyfriend is looking at me with sexy hooded eyes and I know that look. "Not bossy."

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

He wiggles his eyebrows. "Sleepy-time bed, or smoochy-time bed."

God, I love him. "Sleepy-time. Keith and I got our final cut of the latest documentary. We'll be ready to let it come out in January. So you've got new material to fall asleep to."

"Oh my god," Holt shake my shoulder. I laugh at his outburst. "Why didn't you tell me this the second you got here? This is huge!"

I smirk a little. "That's what you always say to me in bed, I'm not impressed."

He pushes my shoulder. "Shut up." He laughs. "I mean it. I'm so proud of you."

"Well, let's start by watching it before you start throwing compliments."

Holt ignores my comment. "I'm proud of you."

I run the tip of my fingers along the side of his jaw. I smile at him. This is all I need.