Good Enough to Share (Good Enough, Book 1 - Christmas) (6 page)

“No green goddess
today?” Oh that voice was pure unadulterated sex.

“It was green
elf.” I shot the girl, who was holding the horse, an apologetic look. No-one
liked it when their private session with Dane was interrupted, their half hour
of one to one, their chance to flirt and push for more.

“More goddess from
where I was stood.” The lopsided grin spread further across his face, right to
the twinkling eyes and the wink that was oh so dirty. He stepped back from the
horse, straightening up and pocketing his diary. “Or should I say, sat?” Lay.
The one thought that went through my mind was lay not sat.

He knew, and was
almost laughing now and I didn’t know whether to thump him or succumb to
embarrassment.

“So, six weeks
then?” The girl hanging on to the horse was getting narked.

“Yeah, the twentieth,
same time.” He flashed his best disarming smile and I watched her kind of melt.
Then he glanced back my way and she solidified again and glared. “You okay?”
Yes, apart from feeling hot and bothered.

“Sure.” I stubbed
at the ice hardened ground with the toe of my boot.

“So we’re on for Christmas
Day then?” He’d stepped nearer and I was torn between backing off or jumping
him. Decisions, decisions.

“Sophie won’t be
there.”

“I know. She
said.” Well, I know she said, but without the catalyst I wasn’t sure where I
stood. “Is that a problem for you, can’t you handle two men?” I made the mistake
of glancing up and he had the dirtiest grin on his face imaginable, his thumbs
were hooked into the belt loop of his jeans and every filthy cowboy dream I’d
ever had vied for attention. “Think you can cope with us?”

“If you can cope
with me and Soph, then I think I can cope with you two.” This conversation was
going the wrong way, it was turning bits of me on it shouldn’t and leaving me
with damp knickers. “Anyhow, what about this skating?” Attack being the best
form of defense and all that.

“Come and share a
bale of hay with me and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Is that safe?”

“Do you want it to
be?”

I sighed. “You are
one bad farrier.”

“And you are the
naughtiest little Santa’s helper I’ve ever got into the knickers of.”

“In the habit of
it are you?”

“Oh, I love
Christmas. Come on.” He nodded his head in the direction of the hay store. “Not
sure whether you’re sexier in jodhpurs or elf costume, although—” he pressed
one rough finger against my nose “—elf costumes have easier access, but those
are more of a challenge and I do love a challenge.”

“I don’t have
long.” I glanced at my watch as he settled himself down on a bale of hay,
stretching those firm legs in front of him. I’d only meant to re-introduce
myself to my mare then have a quick shower and change before meeting Sophie for
a bit of a flat-hunting expedition.

“It won’t take
long.” His intent gaze and soft tone took me by surprise a bit. He meant to
talk, not molest. Which was good and it was bad. “There isn’t much to tell, you
know.”

“It doesn’t really
matter.” I stood in front of him and just wanted him to touch me. “If you don’t
want —” He pulled me down on to his lap and the touch of his warm hand on my
knee sent a wave of longing that scared me. He’d touched me, he’d made me come,
but I wanted him. I wanted him to touch me again, to make love to me and it was
scary. Lust was a powerful thing. I swallowed hard.

“Last night was
fun, but I don’t want you to think I’m the type of guy that only gets off in
that situation.”

Fine. His thumb
was tracing a circle just above my knee and I was tingling, actually tingling.

“And Sophie and me
did have a fling years ago, she had a fling with everyone.” The lack of censure
in his voice was comforting. “And we’re mates, she’s a great girl, but I’ve not
been with her for years.”

“Apart from last
night.”

“Apart from last
night.”

“It’s not that I—”

“Ssh.” He put a
finger on my lips and I let the tip of my tongue, just the tip that is, taste
him. He laughed. “It was just fun. I fancy you so bloody much Holly, but I’m
not the type of guy –”

It was my turn to
shush him. I didn’t want to hear what type of guy he was and wasn’t. I didn’t
want to hear him say that he was out for having fun, because I somehow felt it
would spoil it. Even though I felt the same. Fun, good time.

“It’s a date for
tomorrow then?” He grinned and in one easy move had stood me on my feet and
stood up beside me. So that he was towering next to me, all testosterone and
yum.

“Is Charlie okay
with it?” Sophie might have told him he was, but it still bothered me. Maybe I
was being soft, but from my side of the fence a cosy Christmas with just me and
Charlie, feet up, shared choccies and an old film was different when it had
Dane thrown into the mix.

“I was over at
Charlie’s last year, that’s why Soph mentioned it. He’s cool.” Ah, so that put
me in my place. “Okay?”

 “It’s a date.” I
was being daft, Charlie would probably find it far more fun having a drinking
buddy rather than just boring old me.

“Good.” He leaned down and kissed me on the lips. A firm, confident
kiss that was a goodbye but left me wanting more. Oh, so much more. “One more
horse to do and then that’s me until next year.” And the smart smack on my bum
left me too surprised to say anything but watch as he marched off. It had been
quite a hard smack, one that left a bit of a tingle. Shit, if I did any more
tingling I’d be in serious trouble.

***

“What happened to
you?” Sophie stared.

“Sorry, am I
late?” I could have sworn that even with the mad dash I was more or less on
time.

“No, you look like
you’ve been up to no good.” Ah.

“I wish.”

“He does like
you.” It was my turn to stare, and wonder if my internal thoughts were always
stamped on my forehead for all to see. Okay I had been musing about Dane, and
how after last night my dreams had been ramped up even further. And how he’d
just more or less demanded an action replay, with or without Soph.

“Who?”

She harrumphed,
knowing full well that I knew, that she knew, exactly what she was getting at.
“He’s more interested in you than I’ve seen him for a long time, but he’s a
deep one, our Dane.” She gave me a hug to show she didn’t mean anything by it
and I hoped my face hadn’t dropped. “He was always the hottest guy in school
and you can’t blame him for wanting a bit of fun.” She shrugged and I wondered
just how much Sophie would have liked Dane to mean to her, and how much he
actually had. “But—” another uncharacteristic Sophie pause “—he’s not one for
making promises.”

“I know, and I
don’t want any promises right now, so he’s ideal isn’t he? You said so
yourself.”

“That was before
you started mooning at each other.”

“I don’t moon!”
Me, moon, never. Casual looks was as good as it got before I backed off and
looked down.

“You were this
morning.”

“Was not.”

“Was so.” She
stuck her tongue out and we both felt better now that was off our chests and
normal grown-up behavior could be restored. “So where is this flat?” I named a
road and she squished up her face. “There are some right dives down there.”

“I know.” Dive
being a relative term, everywhere in this particular leafy corner of Cheshire
was okay, but as with every town some parts are better than others.

“There’s no rush
you know, Charlie doesn’t mind having you at his place. I camped out with him
for ages when I decided living a la parents was too much to stand for a second
longer.”

I knew there
wasn’t a rush. And I know it’s a bit of a strange thing to do on Christmas Eve
but something was niggling at me. In a way, after my evening with Sophie and
Dane I felt like maybe I should be moving on. I’d opened the local newspaper
after Dane and Sophie had gone and this place just jumped out. Well, it jumped
out because it was the only ad. No-one puts adverts for property lets on
Christmas week now do they, who the hell would be looking?

“Hi, there.”
Darren the agent was waiting for us, jiggling from foot to foot which meant he
was cold or more likely he was in a rush to get rid of his only viewing of the
day and get to the pub so he could start the holiday season properly. Sophie
planted a kiss on his cheek which mollified him a bit, she knew him, of course.
She knew everyone in this town.

“Hi yourself Daz
boy. Is this place as crummy as I think it’s going to be?” He shrugged, a
mixture of mild denial and embarrassment.

 Yup, it was as
crummy as Sophie expected. The flat was cold and unwelcoming when Darren opened
the door, it looked unloved and unlived in and smelled damp. I tried so hard to
imagine it with a few Christmas cards up and a tree in the corner, tried so
hard to ignore the way Soph pulled her jacket tighter round her and pulled
funny faces. But my stomach was all clenched up inside and all I could think of
was how much nicer it was with Charlie.

I really had to
sort things in the new year, find a place I could call home and put down some
roots, because if I didn’t I’d never move on. And Charlie didn’t deserve coming
home to find me with an undressed Dane, or whoever I might find in the future.
And I knew now that there was a future post-James. And whether it was a casual
shag or one day something more serious, or whether it was just me with a toy
box, I was all grown up and needed to have a place I called home. My home, not
someone else’s.

And yet, I think
on balance I’d picked this flat because I knew I wouldn’t really like it, well
apart from it being the only advertised place of course. Nothing as perverse as
a woman who knows her own mind, maybe, is there?

When Sophie had
encouraged me to make the move to Cheshire I’d not been completely convinced.
In my heart I’d known I needed a new start, but the sensible side of me kept
reminding me that I knew lots of people in London, there were tons of jobs that
paid well, and, well and nothing really. I guess I was just fighting change.

London had been
fun, a challenge, but was all about James if I was honest. It was his territory
and although in some ways he appeared weak-chinned and feeble he had this hard
core deep inside that meant what he wanted he got. And he wasn’t bothered how.
I had been his respectable cover, the slim blonde with a degree and good table
manners who put up with his pernickety ways and over the top personal grooming
because I thought I loved him. And all I’d got was the shell and what he got
was exactly what he needed, permission to carry on the lifestyle he really
wanted to. But I wasn’t anyone’s cover story,
even
if I had been able to lead my life however I wanted. I wanted to either be part
of a team, or be on my own.

Sophie poked in
the cupboards and showed me the stunning view of next door’s garbage. Then she
dared to open the bathroom door and that finished it for both of us. We both
let out eeks and I slammed the door shut with a force that shook the glass in
the rotting window frames.

I thanked Darren,
and Sophie gave him a festive kiss, and we trudged down the dingy stairs and
back into the street. After Christmas I’d try, I would really try and find the
place I wanted to call home. But first I’d make sure that I gave Charlie the
kind of thank you Christmas he deserved.

“So, you going to treat
me to a mince pie and mulled wine before I have to head over to little sister’s
place to pluck the turkey.”

“You actually need
to pluck it?”

“Just a turn of
phrase. Well, peel the sprouts or whatever.”

We grabbed a cosy
seat by the fire in the pub and I was disappointed and relieved that there was
no sign of Dane. Tomorrow. All I had to do was wait until tomorrow, and with
Sophie it would have been embarrassing. My mobile shuddered just as I took a
tentative sip of the warm wine.

“Bugger.”

“Trouble?” Sophie
grabbed my phone to check out my text, she never was one to stand on ceremony.
Confidential was not a word that featured in her very extensive vocabulary for
some inexplicable reason. “Oh yeah, bugger. What does the little shit want
now?”

It was from James
asking what I was doing for Christmas. “Erm.”

“His gang bang
fallen through then?” Sophie said exactly what I was thinking.

“Maybe all the
bangees have family to see at Christmas?”

She grinned. “I
like that, gang bangees.”

“I think he’s
feeling all sentimental.”

“James was never
sentimental, Holly.”

“True.” I read the
rest of the text, phrased carefully and precisely like all of James messages
were. “Maybe he’s lonely.” Anyone could get lonely, even James.

“You’re not going
to answer?” She sounded a bit surprised as I dropped the mobile back in my bag.

“Nope.” I gave her
an impulsive hug. All of a sudden, flat or not, I knew that this was where I
wanted to be. James and my life with him already seemed a hundred miles away, a
different reality.