After a loud sneeze, Ethan groaned and headed to the kitchen drawer where they kept their stash of painkillers. He’d dodged around all of Lachlan’s concerns that morning and managed to get his lover out of the house early to get into town. But now the aches, pains, and sneezes—he grabbed a couple of sheets of kitchen paper to catch the latest—were coming out.

Ethan had put his sore throat from the previous evening down to the amount of shouting he’d done. But he’d woken up with it as well and now it seemed he was going to be full of a summer cold. There was no way he could imagine traipsing around town. I hate shopping when I feel well. There’s no way I can go out feeling like this.

First things first—Ethan switched on the kettle and, once it boiled, he poured out a mugful to which he added the juice of a lemon plus as well as a couple of slices, and then sweetened it with honey. Pulling off several more pieces of kitchen paper, he stuffed them into a pocket and shuffled out of the kitchen.

In the small area off the kitchen they used as an office, Ethan sat at the computer and switched it on. If there was one word he could use to describe Lachlan it was hedonistic. His lover was very tactile; he loved massages and pedicures, and was more than happy to be pampered for an hour or so.

Since there was no way Ethan could go out feeling the way he did, he’d look online for his presents. With the rudiment of an idea in mind, Ethan surfed for a couple of minutes until he found what he needed and punched the air when he found just the gift he wanted. Cold or no cold, he could buy online, and then he’d have some special gifts to share with his beautiful lover.

The first gift was for the bedroom. They had wooden floors and Lachlan often grumbled about a cold floor. But not with this beauty on his side of their bed. A rectangular long-wool sheepskin, eight feet by eleven, in steel—a stunning smoky grey, almost blue shade—with a three inch pile. That is fucking perfect. Ethan didn’t care about the price, only the delivery timeframe.

His gaze constantly returning to on the image of the rug, and imagining Lachlan stretched out naked on it—his lover’s pale skin and blond hair would stand out beautifully against the dark rug—Ethan called the shop. Five minutes later, delivery the following day was confirmed, thanks to a hefty surcharge, and the rug was his.

The next on his list was a silk bra and pantie set—in Christmas red of course—with a matching red and black short robe. Finally, some bath bombs, natural soaps and moisturisers, and his shopping was complete.

Ethan switched the computer off, headed back to bed and sipped at his hot lemon and honey. Picking up a book from his bedside table, Ethan smiled.