Snow Bunnies

"What do you mean you've never been skiing before? Didn't you ever head out to Mammoth in winter?" Nick asked incredulously.

Greg shook his tousled blonde head, not bothering to respond. The damn bindings on his boots were taking all of his concentration right now.

"So, um, why did you agree to come on a skiing holiday with me then, G? If I'd known I could have, I dunno, organised a trip to the Bahamas or something," said Nick, standing up and walking over to the closet to get out his ski jacket.

"Well, you see, Nick, I thought that it might be nice to actually spend some time together, alone, away from Vegas. I didn't really much mind where," replied Greg still struggling with the bindings.

Nick smiled and moved over to help Greg with his boots; kneeling down in front of him he moved Greg's hands from the bindings and started to do them up. "Well, you still should've said something; we're not going to get all that much time together during the day, what with you having to do beginners classes." He finished doing up the bindings and motioned for Greg to get up and walk around the room.

Greg got up awkwardly from the bed and made a few small jumps up and down. Damn the boots were heavy. He clumped over to the mirror to take a look at his reflection. Well, at least he looked the part if nothing else. "How does a Texan know about skiing anyway?" he asked Nick, still staring at his reflection, "I thought it was all cowboys and rodeos out there?"

"I've got an aunt that lives in Aspen and we used to visit her every winter when I was a kid. All her family skied so it was either learn to ski or be stuck back at the house on your own." Nick smiled at the memory, "We always used to have great fun there building snowmen and trying to make our own igloos. Never did get that to work," he chuckled softly to himself. "Anyway lover," he said snapping out of his reverie, "Are you set to go?"

He looked over at Greg and had to suppress a laugh. He was still standing in front of the mirror, but was now practicing what he obviously thought were skiing moves, ducking, bobbing and weaving as if he was racing through a slalom course.

"Hey, Eddie the Eagle, you ready?"

"Sure am, I'll be out there carving up the snow in no time with moves like these. Just you wait and see, Nicky boy," said Greg, "Snowboarders of the world look out, Greg Sanders is in the house."

"Tell me again why I agreed to come on a skiing holiday with you?" Greg groaned, gingerly settling back on the couch, "Was it because you're a sadist and I'm a masochist?" His whole body felt like one giant bruise.

"No," replied Nick, "it's because you were hoping we'd spend some time together away from Vegas and didn't much care where, I seem to recall."

"Yes, well I may have said something like that before I knew what a sadist you were. Now I know better! Oh." Greg's sharp intake of breath indicating that he'd hit another sore spot.

"Poor baby, you really are in a bad way aren't you?" asked Nick, just barely keeping the amusement out of his voice, "And you were having so much fun before the start of the lesson flirting with that instructor."

"Well, he was HOT and I'm only human and my boyfriend was abandoning me for the day, so yeah, I indulged in a little flirtage. I'm a flirty kind of guy in case you hadn't noticed," Greg shot back.

"Actually I kind of had, what do you think attracted me to you in the first place?"

"My super intelligence and amazing good looks of course, a rare combination indeed."

"That too," murmured Nick softly as he settled down on the couch next to Greg, trying not to make too much movement lest it cause Greg more discomfort. "So, tell me what happened to you today?"

"Seeing as you'd deserted me for the day I figured I should make the best of the lessons, that way I could spend time with you for the rest of the week. God, the things I do for you." grumbled Greg as he went on, "So, anyway, yeah, I was flirting a little bit with the instructor and maybe I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been to where I was going. The next thing I knew I was flat on my face and the board had come off and landed square on my back. And I'm here to tell you, snow might look soft my man, but it sure as hell ain't."

"Oh yeah, I know that one well. I remember when I was learning to ski; I spent more time on my ass and face than I ever did upright. The first time I fell I was amazed at how much it hurt," said Nick. "But I also know the best way to ease those aches and pains. C'mon lover." With that he stood up and motioned for Greg to give him his hands.

Greg looked at Nick warily as he offered his hands up. He wondered what on earth Nick could possibly have to offer that would help him feel less like he'd been trampled by a rhino. Grimacing slightly as Nick helped him off the couch, he asked "Oh yes, and what might that be then? 'Cos I don't think I'm up for anything too strenuous you know."

Still holding Greg's hands Nick led him into the bedroom, "Well the best thing for aching muscles is steam and heat and as it just so happens this little chalet of ours has its own private sauna and Jacuzzi. So, get your trunks on, surfer boy, and I'll show you how skiers unwind."

After 20 minutes of sitting in the hot steam of the sauna, Greg had to admit that maybe skiers did know something about relaxing. His muscles didn't feel half as achy as they had when he'd got back to the chalet an hour earlier. He opened his eyes and looked across at Nick who was watching him with a soft smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," replied Nick. "Feeling any better yet? You do look kinda relaxed."

"Amazingly so actually, maybe you skiers do know a thing or two after all," Greg smiled back at the dark haired Texan, drinking in the sight of his naked, well toned torso.

"And this is only the half of it. It's now time for the magic that is the Jacuzzi." Nick got up from the bench and opened the door to the sauna, "After you, G."

It was a cold 20 feet between the sauna on one side of the deck and Jacuzzi on the other and Greg hurried along it as quickly as his still semi-stiff muscles would allow. Sighing, he closed his eyes and sank into the warm water. Hearing the whirlpool jets turn on he again opened his eyes, just in time to see Nick sliding into the tub next to him.

"Still feeling sore huh?" asked Nick as he sunk down into the tub, "You aren't moving as gracefully as you normally do."

"Yep, still sore. You think I move gracefully?" Greg looked at Nick in surprise.

"Hell yeah, you can move like a panther stalking its prey. Very sexy, let me tell you," replied Nick hopping up to sit on the edge of the tub, "Here, sit with your back to me and I'll try and massage some of that tension out of your shoulders."

Greg moved around so his back was resting against Nick's knees, he relaxed and sighed as he felt Nick's hands start to move in a circular motion across the tops of his shoulders. "Mmmmmmmmmmm," he hummed softly as he felt those strong fingers dig into his faintly protesting muscles.

Looking down at the top of Greg's head Nick found himself contemplating yet again how lucky he was to have found him. He knew that most people only saw Greg's brash exterior and that that was fine with him. He liked the fact that only he knew that Greg cried when Animal Cops was on TV or that he still wrote to Papa Olaf every week without fail. Only he knew the nightmares Greg still suffered occasionally about the lab explosion. He was just in awe that there was this part of Greg that was totally his.

Greg noticed that Nick's hands had stopped their massaging motions and were now outlining the faint traces of his scars from the explosion. Turning around he looked up at Nick quizzically, "You okay, babe?"

"Hmm?" replied Nick snapping out of his reverie "Oh yeah, just thinking that's all."

"About what Nicky?"

"Aww, nothing really G, just that I love you," came his soft response.

At that Greg stood up in the tub so his eyes were at a level with the Texans'. He leaned in towards him, murmuring as he planted a kiss on his forehead, "Then I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

Nick slid off the side of the tub back into the warm bubbly water pulling Greg with him. "Actually I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he said planting a soft kiss on Greg's lips. He felt Greg respond, lips parting to let his tongue explore further, kiss deepening until they had to break apart to breathe.

Panting softly, Greg looked at Nick and smiled, "I definitely think you skiers know something about recovery." Running his hands over the older man's well defined chest, Greg allowed his lips and tongue to follow the trail his hands were blazing. Pulling Nick up, he hooked his thumbs into his swimming trunks and slowly slid them down his thighs. His lips and tongue resumed their journey, licking and nipping at well defined abs, pausing briefly but never actually stopping in any one place, continuing lower and lower.

Groaning, Nick closed his eyes and let the sensation wash over him. He felt as if his body was on fire everywhere Greg touched him. The fire continued its downward movement, finally stopping at the tip of his cock. A warm, wet heat slowly enveloped him as Greg wrapped his mouth around his cock, now licking, now sucking, starting off slowly but increasing the pace with each motion. Nick's hips started to buck involuntarily and Greg knew he was going too fast. Nick was getting close and he wanted to slow things down, give more pleasure to his lover, so he released his hold, letting his tongue run down the shaft of Nick's cock to the base it of. He nuzzled Nick's balls, first licking and then exhaling softy on them, breath warm. He then took first one then the other in his mouth, gently sucking and teasing.

Digging his fingers into Greg's shaggy blonde hair Nick moaned, "Oh Greg, God, feels so good, please..."

Smiling at the urgency in his partners' voice, Greg allowed his tongue to spiral lazily back up the shaft of Nick's cock, allowing it to rest on the tip, gently licking, before once again enveloping him with his mouth.

Nick's breath was becoming more ragged as he edged nearer to release, "Harder, yes, please, fuck..." he whimpered, voice rough with desire, "Oh, oh!" Nick's vision clouded as the waves of ecstasy overtook him, his knees suddenly weak he sank back down into the warm water of the Jacuzzi.

Blindly he sought Greg's mouth with his own, tongue demanding and receiving entrance, tasting himself there. He pulled back just enough to separate his lips from Greg's and whisper, "It's hardly fair I'm the only naked one here, take off your shorts." Greg obeyed, quickly wriggling out of his trunks. As soon as he was naked, Nick pushed him back down onto the seat in the Jacuzzi and straddled him, "What would you like me to do G?" he asked, his hand searching under the water, "Do you want me put my hand just here and do this?" His fingers gripped around Greg's erection and languidly started to stroke up and down. Greg gasped and bucked his hips involuntarily.

"You like that huh?" Nick's voice teased, his hand starting to move faster up and down Greg's shaft, gripping a little harder at the head. "Do you want more? 'Cos all you have to do is ask. Whatever you want baby."

Nodding Greg breathlessly replied, "More Nicky, please. Just don't stop."

Smiling Nick leaned in and started to kiss along Greg's jaw line, his hand sliding faster and faster along his cock, gripping and twisting at the head, knowing exactly what he needed to do to get Greg off. He continued raining kisses down Greg's neck to his collarbone, now sucking at the tender skin there, his tongue licking in a circular motion in time with his strokes.

"Are you going to cum for me baby?" he whispered into Greg's ear, "Fuck you're so hot when you cum."

Crying out Greg arched his hips up towards Nick; his orgasm so intense he thought he might die from it. He slumped back down against the tub and reached up and wrapped his arms around Nick tightly, as if holding on for dear life. "God I love you," he sighed into Nick's chest.

Cupping his hand under Greg's chin, Nick tilted the younger man's face up so he could place a kiss on his forehead, "Ditto babe, I don't know how I ever lived without you," he said. "C'mon, I think we've done enough relaxing for one evening."

Laughing, Greg followed him out of the tub and back into the chalet, "Well, if that's how skiers relax I think we should try it more often."

Try as he might Nick had been unable to convince Greg to head back out into the snow the next day. "Greggo, it's just like riding a horse – if you fall off, well you just get back on. Look, I'll take the classes with you."

However Greg had been adamant that he was still feeling too sore and that Nick should go without him. "I'll be fine for tomorrow, I just want to have a bit of a relax and it'll give me a chance to catch up on some reading and research I've been meaning to do."

"You brought work on out holiday?" asked Nick in amazement.

"Not really, just the computer so I could check a couple of things out online from my last case. Now – go, have ski-tastic fun, but no flirting with any cute instructors. That's my job," and with that he'd shooed Nick out of the chalet.

Nick tried to cut his day in the snow short, but managed to get stuck up on the runs when one of the lifts had broken down, so he wasn't in the best of moods when he returned later in the afternoon.

Trudging in the front door, he tossed aside his keys and went looking for Greg. He noticed the computer was on and the web page displayed on the screen was all about survival in the snow. Weird, he thought.

"Greg, hey man, where are you?"

"Here Nick, in the bedroom."

Walking into the bedroom Nick was surprised to see that Greg was all decked out in his ski gear and that the curtains looking out onto the deck and snow covered yard were closed. "G, what have you been up to? I thought you were staying here all day?" he asked.

"I did," replied Greg.

"So why you are in your ski gear then?"

Grinning Greg held up a blindfold and said "Surprise. Now close your eyes while I tie this on."

Nick obliged and closed his eyes while Greg moved over to tie the blindfold around his head. He wasn't even going to try to work this one out. Knowing Greg, he could have been up to anything.

"Ready?" Greg asked. Nick nodded his response, so Greg took his arm and started to guide him around the bed and out onto the deck. "Okay, there are three steps down here; I'll count them off for you. One, two, three." He said helping Nick off the deck and into the chalet's small yard.

"Right, you still got your eyes closed?" Greg asked moving around behind Nick to take off the blindfold, "Cos I want you to keep them shut until I tell you. Okay?"

Nick nodded his assent, feeling the cold against his eyelids as the blindfold was removed.

"On the count of three Nicky, you can open your eyes. One, two, three"

Opening his eyes slowly, Nick could hardly believe what he saw. There, sitting in the middle of the yard, was what looked like a very badly made igloo. He walked over to investigate it further, and discovered that it had an entrance he could crawl though. Kneeling down he inched into the cavity slowly, looking around him in amazement. It wasn't a perfect igloo by any stretch of the imagination, but it was miles better than anything he'd managed as a kid.

Hearing a noise he turned back to the entrance to see Greg on his hands and knees making his way into the remaining space. "So, you like?" he asked with a goofy grin on his face.

Smiling back, Nick leaned over and gathered Greg into his arms, "You are the most amazing person you know that? I didn't even think that you'd heard the bit about the igloos."

Greg looked intensely at him for a moment, his brown eyes so dark they were almost black, "I hear everything you say Nick, your voice is part of my soul, it helps me survive."

Shaking his head slightly as it to clear the powerful emotion he was feeling, he grabbed Nick's hand and started to pull him out of the igloo. "C'mon, we've got snowmen to make. Time waits for no man."

And, as Nick followed him out of the igloo, he couldn't help thinking again how lucky he was to know the secret Greg Sanders and, even better that the secret belonged to him.