Good Enough to Share (Good Enough, Book 1 - Christmas) (11 page)

“I thought you
went home to pick up beer?”

“Shit.” For a moment Dane looked almost guilty, then grinned. “In
the back of the ‘rover mate, and I picked up Holls too, so win, win.” I hoped
he’d stop, not say any more. I’d always thought I was vanilla, through and
through. But now it seemed I had a hint of raspberry ripple. Or chocolate. Yeah
chocolate, whatever that meant.

The doorbell went
and nobody moved.

“Your door,
Charles my man.” If Dane got any more relaxed I’d be worrying he’d been body
swapped.

Charlie shrugged.
“Who the hell comes round on Boxing Day?”

“You are one lazy
sod at times, Dane.” Sophie kicked a foot out at him but he just dodged and so
with a sigh she got up.

“I’ll go, shall
I?”

“Good girl.” The patronizing
tone earned him a clip across the head.

It was a girl’s
voice that carried across the room when Sophie opened the front door, which
made us all perk up a bit. Sophie laughed as though she knew the visitor, but
left her at the door. Which wasn’t like Soph at all.

“Charlie?” It held
a question and we all looked. “It’s for you.” She looked uneasy and I got the
feeling that she would have liked to send the visitor away, but knew she
couldn’t. Charlie got up with a grumble and Sophie sank into his seat, avoiding
my eye.

“Well?”

She sighed and
twiddled with the hem of her skirt. “Anna.” And that was it. No-one said a
thing, we all stared unseeing at the TV and fell silent. I guess I wasn’t the
only one who wanted to turn the sound down but that would have been too obvious
for me, even for Sophie.

Whatever it was, Charlie hadn’t sent her away, but he had wanted
privacy—which he definitely wasn’t going to get easily with us lot hanging
around.

I peeked into his
room, on the way to the bathroom. They stood, foreheads touching, her arms
round his neck, his hands on her waist and I felt a little twinge of something.
He wasn’t mine, he’d never be mine, because like Soph had said he just wasn’t
right for me, and I definitely wasn’t right for him. But I still felt a twinge.
And they both looked so incredibly sad, just the way they were stood, their
stillness, the expressions I couldn’t quite see. The kind of sadness you can
only share with someone very close, the type of sadness I’d only ever had on my
own. The type of tenderness you never lose. The twinge became a lump in my
throat. Enough of a lump to make me tiptoe off and wish I’d never seen.

I knew Dane was
watching me, as soon as I sat down, his steady gaze making me feel even worse
inside, even though I was trying to persuade myself there was nothing to feel
bad about. In the end I caved and said something.

“I thought he said
it was over? She meant nothing.”

“Cut the man some
slack, Holly.”

“She doesn’t mean
anything.” He’d crept up behind, soundless with his bare feet, ruffled my hair
gently then walked round and sank onto the floor just in front of me. Which
meant I couldn’t see his expression, just hear the raw catch in his voice.
“Shit. Get us a beer mate, will you?”

I’d never seen
Dane just get up off his ass and get something without a word, but he did now.

“What did she
want?” It was Sophie who asked the question that I was only just able to stop
spilling out of my mouth.

“She was
pregnant.”

“Wha…?” He got
three open mouths to that, but I don’t think he was bothered.

“What do you mean
she was pregnant, when?” Trust Sophie to make sure she had all the facts
straight.

“When she…” I
wanted to say ‘left’ but I didn’t.

“Fuck man, so she
was seeing someone else?” Even Dane had an edge to his normal drawl.

“Nope.” Charlie
flicked open his can and let the news sink in. I think he was letting it sink
in for himself as well as us. “She was shocked, so she ran off to the family
villa in Tuscany.”

“Shocked, what do
you mean she was shocked? Too fucking shocked to tell you and let you have some
say in it?”

“Sophie.” Dane’s
tone was sharp. “Shut it.” She glared then clamped her mouth closed though I
could tell there was more she wanted to say, lots more.

“She thought we
were too young to get tied down, she said she didn’t want to put pressure on me
to do the right thing and she just panicked.” His shoulders tightened. “She was
thinking of having an abortion and didn’t think I’d agree and then—” he took a
long swig of beer and when he spoke again his voice was softer “—she lost it
and felt it was all her fault.”

“But she’s come
back now?” I had to ask.

“She thought it
only fair to tell me what had happened.”

“Five
frigging years on? She waited five years and now it’s
all supposed to be fine, wiped clean?” There was a trace of scorn in Sophie’s
voice and in a way I couldn’t blame her. She’d been there for Charlie when he’d
been in pieces, there for him ever since like the good friend she was. But I
was sure there was something else when I glanced her way, she was just too
angry, and there was a sheen to her eyes that shouldn’t have been there.

“She said she did
come back, but knew I’d moved on and she hated me for it, but knew it was her
fault.”

“What did she mean
you’d moved on? What the hell did she expect that you’d just sit and weep for
her?”

Dane was glaring
at Sophie, but she wasn’t going to stop. It was as though all that hurt that
she’d fielded with Charlie was about to spill out. Sophie didn’t often get
emotional, she was sharing and caring, the giver who always had a plan to make
things right, but for the first time I saw what looked like a tiny crack.

“I don’t know what
she meant, Sophie.” Charlie’s voice was soft and his head was heavy against my
leg, he sounded tired. He shrugged, his answer for everything. “Maybe that I’d
left Oxford, I dunno. Anyway what does it matter now? She’s told me what she
wanted to and now she’s gone.”

“But I—” She was
cut short by the jingle-jangle of her phone, set to play something loud and
seasonal. “I just—” It sounded like it wasn’t going to give up and go away, but
then the answer service flicked on, followed by a text. We all looked.

“Fuck.”

“What’s up
Sophie?” I was glad that whatever it was had happened, this was all getting too
hyped up and emotional for me. I don’t like scenes, leaving well alone is a
lesson my mother taught me well.

“My frigging
sister has just tried to burn her house down.”

“Really?” Her
sister was a bit dippy, but no arsonist.

“Christ knows what
she’s done this time, she can’t even look after herself let alone kids. Do you
know what she did yesterday?”

We obviously
didn’t. But we were going to find out. “She only decides that the hamster
should have freedom seeing as its Christmas Day, so she persuades her kids—who
are much more sensible than she is—to let it out of its little plastic ball and
then of course she forgets and gets the vacuum out. I mean who vacs on Christmas
Day anyway?”

“She didn’t?”
Charlie spoke for the first time and actually sounded horrified.

“Well the poor
little sod is being sucked across the floor, and the dog notices and makes a
leap—”

“She’s got a dog?
And a hamster?” She’s got our attention now. Even Dane, who has been trying to
be Mr. Cool, has the hint of a smile on his face.

“Oh yeah, and one
of the twins suddenly screams, so she whirls round not knowing why and sucks
half the table cloth up. There are dishes flying, the frigging dog is licking
the plates.”

“What about the
hamster?” I don’t know whether I should dare ask, but I have to.

“Oh the hamster is
fine, little Matilda has grabbed him before he has time to recover from the
effects of the force. But while she’s still bleating about the sucked-up
tablecloth and trying to work out how to switch the vac off before it blows up,
the bloody dog starts puking.” She grins. “The sprouts probably, evil things
the sprouts. And now the silly cow has tripped the fuses, everything’s gone
off.”

“But no fire?”

“Not yet.” She sighs dramatically and stands up, grabbing her bag.
“I better go, but I’m coming back to hear the rest of this Charlie and don’t
you dare, don’t you dare go to her.” She stopped abruptly. “Oh fuck, oh do what
the hell you have to.”

It was quiet when
she’d gone. I think we were all thinking about the hamster being slowly dragged
across the room to its doom.

“More drinks?”
Charlie dragged himself to his feet and waggled his empty beer bottle about in
invitation.

“Never say no,
mate.”

I grinned and held
up my empty wine glass. Poor Charlie looked knackered, steamrollered by Anna
and Sophie. “I’ll bring you the bottle of red, shall I?” He ruffled my hair
again, which seemed to be getting a bit of a bad habit.

“That man needs a
diversion.” Dane winked at me when I looked his way, then looked out from
hooded eyes that were all sex.

“Hey no, Dane.”

“When you’ve been
screwed the best things to do is—”

“Get screwed
again?” I just knew where he was going with this, and I was sure there was
already a bigger bulge at his crotch. Not that I should be studying his crotch
I suppose.

“I was going to
say climb back in the saddle. Something you know plenty about.”

“I will assume you
are talking about the fact that my crotchety mare likes to dump me in hedges?”

“Assume what you
want.” His deep throaty catch him me in the base of the stomach, like it always
did, stirring something basic up.

“What are we
assuming?” Charlie was back, and settled himself on the settee next to me, his
hand resting casually on my thigh as though it belonged there. Dane gave me the
dirtiest leer I’d ever seen and moved to sit next to me on the other side, his
hand matching Charlie’s.

“We’re assuming
that we need a bit of fun.”

I gritted my teeth
as he squeezed sending little shockwaves all the way up to the top.

“Ah, that.”
Charlie’s thumb rubbed a lazy line, up and down until my pulse started to race.
He leaned forward, kissed me gently, almost chastely on my lips and I reached
up instinctively, ran my fingers through his blond curls.

“Are you okay,
Charlie?” His blue eyes were looking straight back at me, clear as ever. “Fine.
Distract me, Holly.”

“You heard the
man.” I hadn’t forgotten Dane, how could I when the heat of his hand was
burning a path from my thigh to my pussy? But I still jumped a little as his
lips came down on the back of my neck sending a little shiver through me.

Maybe two men was
one too many but I felt like I wanted them both right now, we all needed this
in a strange way. We were all bringing something to party, though what we’d
take away was anyone’s guess.

“Stop thinking
about it.” That damn man always seemed to read my mind. “Just enjoy it.” His
warm mouth was doing things to the back of my neck which shouldn’t be possible.

“Come here.”
Charlie stood up, offered me a hand and I wondered what he was going to do.
“I’m going to undress you.” He spun me round so I was facing Dane and I don’t
know which was more of a turn on, feeling him against my back, his hands slowly
undressing me, or seeing the look on Dane’s face as he watched, his hand
rubbing over his crotch.

He stripped my sweater
slowly over my head, stood behind me looking over my shoulder with his hands
cradling my breasts, his thumbs rubbing my nipples until I gasp and tip my head
back. He kisses my neck. Firm fingers skate down over my rib cage, over my
stomach so that I draw in breath and clench my muscles, then, his arms still
round me he undid the button of my jeans, pulled the zip down, eased them over
my hips. One hand slipped between my thighs, his fingers playing against the
damp crotch of my knickers and I shift my hips pushing back so that I can feel
his hard cock press against me. When he stops playing with me I mewl an
objection but he just laughs and then pulls my jeans right down, helping me
step out of them so that I’m stood there in my Christmas undies, one man behind
me, the other sat watching and I feel so horny I can’t believe myself.

“Open your legs.”
He slips his hand down the front of my panties and I’m holding my breath as he
finds my wetness. “You are so fucking wet.” His cock nudges harder against my
bum as his fingers curl inside me.

“Look at me.” It’s
the first thing Dane has said and I just obey instinctively. He’s undone his
flies and his hand is on his hard cock, fingers wrapped round and I wish they
were mine, but I can’t move, all I can do is sway as Charlie pushes his fingers
deeper inside me. Dane’s dark eyes are almost black as his gaze locks with mine
and I bite my bottom lip, trying to fight the way my pussy is clenching. He’s
pulling at his dick in the same rhythm that the fingers inside me have and I shift
my legs wider apart as Charlie rests a steadying hand on my stomach, pulling me
tighter against him.