The cold air hits me and it’s nice when Dane pulls me close. He leads the way down to the bottom of the garden, over the wall, through the small coppice and into a clearing where there’s a fallen tree. I’m pulled onto his lap as he sits down and for a moment we just sit there, in the dark, his arms wrapped around me. His breath warm against my neck.
“I’ve been doing some thinking.”
“Oh boy, now I’m worried, you doing thinking. There’s been too much thinking going on around here, even for me.”
He laughs and hugs me closer. “Shush, woman, you always say men don’t talk enough.”
“True, consider me shushed.”
“I’ve been thinking about Sal.” His voice is soft and deep, and I wish he’d talk more often just so I can close my eyes and let his voice play with my senses. “I was talking to my Dad the other day and he told me he’d heard she was married with a toddler and another on the way.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t surprised about Sal, but talking to his dad? “Your dad?”
“I thought it was time to man up.” He gave a gruff laugh that sent a shiver of goose bumps down my arms.
“Just like Soph told you to?”
“Yeah, just like Miss Bossy Boots said.” He sighed. “I knew me and Sal weren’t right you know, before all the baby stuff. We were fine, but that was it, and I guess we just rushed into getting married, I didn’t know what hit me after we got engaged, it was like some mad shopping spree. Not that I minded.” He kissed my neck, his lips warm and moist. “She was happy.” His teeth teased the skin and I tilted my neck and tried to ignore the little spiral of need that was unfurling in my body. “And I never even thought to wonder if I wanted to get married. But we had problems, we wanted completely different things, and when she couldn’t get pregnant it was the final straw. I didn’t realize until now—” His tongue snaked over the area that his teeth had been teasing and a rush of warmth seeped between my thighs. I bit my lip, trying not to groan, trying to listen. “—just how different we were. I wasn’t acting the martyr letting her go, we should have faced up to it before. The baby stuff was a bit of a reality check I suppose, which is good.” He sucked gently on my neck, just in that little sensitive dip where it met my shoulder and I did moan, and run my fingers up the inside of his thigh. “And I should have faced up to my family and not thought they’d be disappointed in me.”
“Ah, eldest son syndrome.”
“Yeah, smart arse.” He pauses. “You women know everything don’t you?” He moves back a little then and the cold air hits my neck. When I look at him those deep slate eyes are almost black with need. “I do want a family you know, my family are great.” His fingers rest on my chin, holding me still, his thumb rubbing gently over my skin, and his gaze travels over every inch of my face making me squirm. “And I do want you.”
“Oh.”
“To myself.” His lips are firm and warm against mine and it’s heat not cold that is making me shiver. “I only left you with Charlie because I was shit scared that if I didn’t leave right there and then I’d make the biggest idiot of myself.”
“Really?”
“Really, I would have dragged you away from him and might never have left.”
“Really?” My vocabulary had suddenly become stunted, but it was the way he was looking at me. It was stealing away everything but the need to concentrate on him. My heart was hammering and my throat was dry and all I could do was stare and wish he’d kiss me again.
“Well maybe not never, you know you might get old and wrinkly.”
I swallowed hard. “True, and you might get bald and saggy.” Though I just can’t imagine it, not now when I’m pressed tight his hard body.
“Distinguished they call it.” I’d come up with a witty response if I could, but his hand cupped my breast, his thumb rubbing over my nipple until it feels like he’s rubbing my naked skin. All I can do is sigh.
“Stand up.” I do as I’m told and he kneels down in front of me, and the warmth of his hands slides up my inner thighs. “I want to make love to you.”
“Here?” My voice is small and needy.
“Here. Stripped and tied to a tree would be nice.” The shimmer that goes straight through me makes my pussy throb with need. “But I don’t think I can wait that long.” The heat of his hands burns through my dress then he turns me and I can feel him slowly, oh far too slowly pull the zip of my dress down. The front starts to fall off my breasts and I reach up.
“Don’t. Don’t move.” I let it fall and the soft dampness of his lips is on the back of my neck, small kisses burn a trail down my spine, stopping only when he reaches the lace of my knickers. My nipples are hardening, two small tight ultra-sensitive buds as he tugs at the lace, the fabric almost rough against my skin as they join my dress pooled around my ankles. The rough skin of his fingers makes me gasp as he traces a line over the base of my spine, between my buttocks. I clench as his finger presses against the puckered entrance and he chuckles.
“Oh I do need to explore all of you some time.” Then the finger slides further until he reaches my wet pussy, gliding in effortlessly. I groan, rub against him and his other hand reaches round to the front of me, instantly finding my swollen clit. The one finger becomes two, pushing deep inside as he rubs little circles that are as excruciating as they are bliss. I grab out, my fingers grasping his hair as he sucks at my waist, rubbing and pushing, twisting until he’s found my G spot and every other spot in the alphabet. “Oh, shit.” My legs are trembling and I’ve reached that point where I could be coming, but not quite. And he keeps going, pushing deeper, rubbing hard until I’m parting my legs further and pushing down against him and the tremors that I thought were all I was getting turn into trembles that are rolling through my stomach as I shake and clutch at him.
I’m still swaying when he lifts me out of the tangled mess that is my clothes. When he puts me down I’ve got my back hard against the rough bark of a tree. My wrists are pinned in one strong hand before I can object and he bends his head and takes my nipple into his mouth making me gasp. I’d pull away but there’s nowhere to move and he’s grinning when he looks up at me.
“No escape darling.” All I can think as I watch him undo his belt is that it’s amazing what you can do with one hand, then that one hand is holding his cock and I don’t need to be told to open my legs wider. As he thrusts inside me I lift one leg, wrap it round his waist and he plunges so deep that the moan in my throat turns to a small scream. He’s looking at me, checking I’m okay.
“More.”
He grins. “Oh, you’re greedy.” And he pulls out a bit and thrusts again. I think he meant to tease me but both of us are past the point. His large hand is gripping my thigh and he’s pushing deep inside me and I’m babbling. At least I think that’s what you’d call it, all I know is I’m begging, demanding, moaning and something is building inside me that’s going to explode any moment. Then he stops. And looks at me.
“You know when realized I’d never actually loved Sal?”
“No.” I was gasping, finding it hard to breathe, wriggling my hips to get him moving again.
“That first time I made love to you.” I didn’t know what I was supposed to say, but from the way he thrust hard enough to make me swallow and gasp he wasn’t expecting words. He let go of my wrists, slipped both hand behind to cradle my bum and as he held me firm and pushed harder and deeper into me I threaded my fingers into his hair. We were inches apart but I felt like I was seeing inside his head, inside his body and our bodies just moved and tumbled, my fingers grasping in time with the greedy clenching of my pussy and it didn’t matter that we were in a clearing in the middle of nowhere, all that mattered was the need to feel him coming deep inside me. He gave one hard thrust and as his pelvis pressed hard against me I came, grasping at him, then he let go and I swear I could feel his heat bathing me inside and out.
Oh my God, the only whimper that this year was going to end on was mine. Because I’m sure t
hat is what I’m doing, whimpering as I clutch him tighter to me, whimpering as I press my hips forward, wrap my leg tighter round him and hold him in until every last bit of my orgasm has fizzled away.
***
Sophie raises an eyebrow, and flicks a bit of the undergrowth off my dress as she pours us a glass of champagne. “I was going to say you missed seeing the New Year in but I’m not sure that’s true.”
“Nope, we didn’t miss it.” Dane downs his bubbly and sinks into one of the armchairs, taking me with him. I’m not sure my best party dress will be up to another outing.
“Well guys, a toast, to all of us.” We raise our glasses, well Dane raises his can of beer. “Although I still don’t know how you’ll cope without me.”
I glance over at Charlie, he looks happier than I’ve ever seen him and Anna is nestled against him. All dark, mysterious and serene. I can see why Charlie loves her, there’s something so together about her, I can imagine her running his country manor, if he ever decides to go back to his roots. Something tells me he will, that one day soon he’ll stop running and accept what belongs to him.
A few minutes later Charlie makes his excuses and the pair of them make their way upstairs to Dane’s bedroom. We’re all staying over and being the gentleman he’s given over his beds to the guests. Me and Sophie get the guest bedroom and it’s nice, we get a chance to talk, just the two of us. Our last chance before she heads off in the morning.
“You will come back, Soph?” I hug her tight, the best friend I’ve ever had or could wish for.
“Of course I will. Here, this is for you.” She digs deep into her massive handbag and hands me a little book shaped package. “Happy New Year, Holly.” I go to tear it open but she stops me. “Open it tomorrow, but you’ve got to promise me you’ll do what it says inside.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
She laughs. “It’ll be fine, and you’ve got to do it because I’ll be back to check next Christmas. Come on let’s get some sleep. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow.”
I lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling. It is almost like she planned all of this. She wanted to get me and Dane together, hooking the three of us up at the start, because she could see we were just dancing around each other being polite. And even when I told her she couldn’t sort other people’s lives she still knew that she could. And Charlie? For a while Charlie had thought he wanted me to himself and for the briefest of moments I’d let myself believe in it, but Sophie had known deep down that it wasn’t right for him and even though she hadn’t been able to work out what was, she’d been determined to protect him.
The only surprise for Sophie had been that she’d finally worked out that she needed to confront her own issues, which meant leaving us. I run my finger over the still wrapped present that is on the bedside cabinet. We’d shared a lot the four of us, but maybe, just maybe sometimes we have to do things on our own, for ourselves. I glance across at Sophie, the slim shaft of moon that has slipped in through the partly open curtains shimmers around her. She’s smiling, the slightest smile on her cupid bow lips making her look almost serene. Maybe, at last she’s realized she can relax.
I suddenly think of Dane, alone, crashed out on the couch and I can’t help myself. I slip my feet out of the bed, onto the cold floorboards. Some things aren’t for sharing, some things, sometimes are just too good to share….
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Table of Contents
Copyright
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Good Enough to Share (Good Enough, Book 1 - Christmas) Page 13