Holly's Intuition (6 page)

“Kyle,” Mrs Dawson admonished sternly. Al three of them turned their attention to her as she told him off. “How many times have I told you not to wear your iPod when we have company, you have no idea you’re shouting with that thing blasting in your ears.”

Hol y stared in amazement. She’d thought Kyle was going to be told off about what he’d said, not his volume. Kyle removed one earpiece and made a big deal of it for his mother’s benefit, but Hol y noticed that he left the other one in place.

Mr Dawson, who was stil hovering nearby, winked at Hol y. “You’ve dispel ed that rumour, Hol y. Although I have to confess that when the three of you turned up together it reminded me of your Uncle Ted.”

Mr Dawson directed the latter part of his comment to Joshua, and chortled loudly. Hol y could tel Joshua didn’t have a clue what his old man was on about. What did he mean?

“What was it you cal ed it?” Mr Dawson asked his wife, as he continued to top up wine glasses around the room. “A polyamorous marriage?”

“No, that’s not right.” Apparently unfazed by the turn of the discussion, his wife shook her head. “Your brother had one of those open marriages, which basical y meant if they wanted to, they could…you know,” her eyebrows went up and her eyes rounded, “invite an extra person home, if you get my drift.”

“That was it,” Mr Dawson said. “Maybe we should have tried that, my love.”

Mrs Dawson reached out from her armchair and gave him a sound slap on the arse as he passed, but her cheeks were pink and she was chuckling at the idea of it.

Once again, Hol y didn’t need to look at Joshua. The poor man was slumped back in the sofa, one hand to his temple, the other lifting his wine glass so that he could swig from it in an attempt to numb the confusion. When she glanced at Stewart, she had to turn away quite quickly, because Stewart looked as if he was about to laugh aloud. If he got started, so would she.

“These three don’t look like Ted and his wife. They always had someone different tagging along, sometimes two.” She rol ed her eyes. “These three look more like a…watchamacal it…a threesome.” Mrs Dawson rocked back in her chair, high heels lifting from the floor, giggling heartily.

They think we look like a threesome
. Hol y stared into the room beyond to distract herself. It was a conservatory, and Donna and the friend who had been introduced as the bridesmaid were doing some kind of exotic dance demonstration that involved a lot of hip wiggling and laughter. It al added to the dreamlike quality of the moment.

“I can see the wine was flowing long before we arrived, Mother,” Joshua declared, somewhat bitterly.

“Oh, you’re far too serious about things, my boy,” she replied. “Always were. Where’s your sense of humour?”

“Where indeed,” Stewart muttered under his breath, covered his mouth with his hand and laughed into it.

Mr Dawson nodded sagely, as if his wife had made a good point.

Hol y dared not say a thing, because her stomach was tight with withheld laughter and poor old Josh was in an entirely different mood altogether.

They were here to support him, but under the rather surreal circumstances that was virtual y impossible.

“I’m so sorry about this,” Joshua stated, staring across the double bed at Hol y.

Hol y gave him a comforting smile. “Don’t worry about it!”

The bed had been made up for the pair of them, and Josh’s mother had only just left them alone in the room, after fluffing the pil ows and arranging a heart-shaped cushion on top—an item that made Joshua frown heavily.

“I had no idea she was expecting us to stay,” he added, “and she was so insistent there didn’t seem to be any way out of it.”

There would have been a way out of it, she reflected, but it was up to Stewart to push it. Stewart, who had stayed on soft drinks in order to drive them al home, hadn’t argued. He was having way too much fun observing the situation.

“She’s gone to a lot of trouble,” Hol y commented, as she peered around the bedroom that Mrs Dawson had deposited them in, her curiosity baited.

Mrs Dawson had done her best to set the mood for a romantic night in. The only light came from a smal bedside lamp, but she was adjusting. It was Joshua’s old room and it stil had a lot of his stuff there, including posters for blockbuster action movies and a selection of pin-ups of Madonna in her conical bra period. Mel ow from the good company and the wine, she chuckled at the juxtaposition of big guns and breasts.

Her attention retuned to Joshua. His eyebrows were drawn together, but he was studying her thoughtful y. His mood was uneasy but nothing like it had been earlier, when his brother had dropped his ‘gay’ bombshel and his parents had launched their shel shock commentary on his uncle’s sexuality and threesomes.

The whole evening had been bizarre and she half expected Joshua to col apse in a state of nervous exhaustion, but he didn’t. In fact he seemed to be on another plane altogether. Something about having her alone in his teenage bedroom made him think about how it might have been had she walked in, back then. His reaction was flattering to stay the least—he was getting aroused.

Hol y blushed. “If I’m making you uncomfortable, I could get a taxi home.”

“No,” he replied, hastily, “you’re not making me uncomfortable at al .” He smiled at her.

That smile made her melt—always had, always would—and if anything it got to her even more since she’d got to know him better. Was there anything more attractive than a good-looking guy with a hint of vulnerability about him? Hol y gave an inward sigh of appreciation. Right at that moment she wanted to walk around the bed that separated them, take him in her arms and embrace him. Actual y, she wanted to do much more than that, but she focussed on the embrace part instead because it made her feel less of a lusty voyeur with a dirty little secret. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, becoming aware that she was a tad tipsy.

“I wasn’t expecting the sleeping arrangements,” he said, “but I real y should have guessed.” He scrubbed at his head with his knuckles, a mannerism that made him look cute and bewildered whenever he did it.

“We’l manage,” Hol y replied. “It’s no big deal, real y. We’l see it through and you can sort the misunderstanding out next week.”

She found herself gazing at his torso, outlined as it was in a fitted shirt, wondering what he’d look like as he took it off. She pictured him unbuttoning and removing it, wanting to see it, and her legs wavered under her.

“You shouldn’t have to do this.” He spoke absent-mindedly, and stared across at her again. “I keep tel ing her we’re just good friends.”

She sensed he was wondering why his mother insisted there was more to it.
Was there more to it?
His question echoed through her mind. His gaze travel ed over her and Hol y realised he was stil aroused, much as she was. It wasn’t just the reflection on his teenage self that had done that to him. The arousal wasn’t going away.

The wine had done bad things to them both, apparently.

How tempting it would be to touch him now
, she thought. To run her fingers over his body, to explore that beautiful cock that she had gained so much pleasure from through her secret psychic connection. An image of Joshua sprawling and naked in the bed flashed through her mind, thril ing her.
Must
stop
, she warned herself, because her errant thoughts and desires could lead to a horrible mistake. She would hate to do the wrong thing and risk their friendship. She glanced at the heart-shaped cushion. If they fel into bed together, now, would she be in danger of snuggling with him while she was asleep

—or worse, given that she’d had wine and felt horny—and would that be a terrible embarrassment to him?

Just then the door clicked open and Stewart stepped into the room, a toothbrush stil in its packaging held aloft in one hand. Mrs Dawson had thought of everything. Moving quickly Stewart gestured at them to stay quiet. He looked rather like a spy as he peeped back down the corridor before he closed the door behind him, and the action made Hol y giggle.

“What the hel ?” Joshua lifted his hands in a gesture of disbelief, once Stewart had shut the door. “What if someone sees you?”

“No one saw me. Besides, I could be cal ing by to borrow a pair of pyjamas.” There was humour in his expression and he winked at Hol y.

Something about the way he looked at her made her already-aroused body tighten with anticipation. He’d been flirting with her al the evening, and after what had been said about the three of them, there had been much more physical contact—a shoulder rub here, a jovial hug there, and a kiss on her cheek at bedtime. Now he stepped over to her side, as if he had no intention of leaving, with or without pyjamas.

“You think I was going to miss the private party?” There was such a suggestive edge to his comment that the already simmering atmosphere turned electric.

Hol y stared at him. He had a brooding look as he observed them. Was it because of his muscular physique and his unashamed bisexuality that he looked so sexual y self-assured? She had the feeling that he was holding back somehow. It was because of Joshua, because Joshua was finding his way with his sexuality. He was stil flirting with her though. She swal owed. The room seemed even smal er than before, with the three of them in there alone together and surrounded by imagery of big guns and Madonna with her legs akimbo and her boobs popping.

“Yes, we need to talk, but…” Joshua sighed. “What a mess.”

“And whose fault is that?” Stewart responded, depositing his brand new toothbrush on the bedside table.

Hol y assessed them both. Stewart was in a provocative mood. Joshua, however, was al owing his emotions to get the better of him again. He stared across the bed at the pair of them.

“You’d better go back to your own room,” he muttered vaguely. “What is my Mum going to think if she finds the three of us in here together?”

He had a wild look about him and Hol y could feel the confusion he faced. Once again she longed to take him in her arms.

At her side, Stewart gave a wry laugh. “If they find the three of us together maybe they’l think you’re having one of those fancy ‘polyamorous’

relationships that your family is so fond of.”

Hol y bit her lower lip between her teeth. The wine had definitely made this moment seem even crazy.

Joshua’s jaw tensed. “That’s right, take the mickey why don’t you.”

“Lighten up, for crying out loud,” Stewart said.

Stewart was right. Hol y knew that Josh would soon see the funny side of what had happened, given a bit of time. The comments that had been made had wound Joshua up even more than he already was, but it would fade. His glance flitted to her and she held her breath, hoping that he wouldn’t be offended by her amusement.

Her mood seemed to level him, and he gave a deep sigh and rubbed his head with his hands. “That was unbelievable. Why didn’t they talk about al that stuff years ago?”

Hol y breathed a little easier. “You didn’t know about your uncle’s relationships before tonight?”

“Not a clue. I mean Uncle Ted always had a lot of friends around him, but I thought they were just that, friends.”

“Like we’re supposed to be,” Stewart commented, with irony.

“We are friends, aren’t we?” Josh bit back. Nevertheless, he seemed to have given up asking Stewart to leave.

These things had to be said, perhaps, and the time was right.

Stewart was al ready to spar. “Friends with benefits, huh, just like Uncle Ted.”

“I’m not like him though, am I?” Josh was attempting to address the similarities, and the differences, and it was weighing him down.

“Oh, yeah, right.” Stewart picked up the heart-shaped cushion and tossed it between his hands as if he was warming up for a game of rugby. “You’d love to analyse that one inside out and get yourself in a sweat about it.”

The remark was meant to be teasing, but Joshua took it badly. “It’s just the way I am,” he muttered. “I worry about stuff. We can’t al be perfect like you.”

Tension fil ed the atmosphere and Hol y felt it swel ing al the time—angst-laden, and shot through with the simmering chaos brought about by their mutual needs and desires.

Stewart lifted his hands in the air. “Why the hel are we arguing?”

“I have no idea.” Joshua glared at him.

“Wel , try to keep that thought in mind.” Stewart lifted an eyebrow. “I am the one who is waiting patiently here.”

He threw the cushion back on the bed.

Joshua reeled at that. He stared across the bed at his lover then turned away, lifting the curtain to stare out of the window into the night.

Hol y ached to comfort him. Stewart’s disappointment had hit him like a fist to the solar plexus. There was a building sense of self-resentment inside him and she couldn’t help herself. She stepped around Stewart, resting her hand on his shoulder briefly as she passed.

He nodded at her, understanding her intentions.

When she closed on Joshua she put her arm around his shoulders and drew him into her embrace. At first he was tense, then his resistance caved and he gripped on to her tightly. Affection and need poured from him and she felt her response rising. Drawing back she looked at him while she caressed his jaw affectionately. His expression was intense, dark and questioning, and he stared deep into her eyes. It made her want him, and her hips swayed dangerously close to his. With effort, she tried to put her own involvement aside for a moment and concentrate on his confusion about coming out to his family.

“What you’re feeling is natural,” she whispered. “You’re worried in case they are sad that you won’t have a traditional family, but tonight showed us that they love you and they wil love you whatever your situation.”

He nodded. “You’re so right. It’s made me feel like a total idiot.”

Hol y could feel how much he wanted to kick himself. The yearning to reassure him had taken a hold of her. “I know you couldn’t just say it right there and then, not when your brother joked about it, but your parents weren’t offended when he did.”

“That’s because they thought it was a joke.”

“Did they?” She wondered if it was a no-smoke-without-fire situation.

He eyed her thoughtful y.

Assuming she’d got his attention, she pressed on. “You’re worrying too much, trying to gauge their responses ahead of time, and that means you’re throwing up al sorts of possible scenarios and putting yourself through the wringer over it.”

He nodded, stil looking at her with curiosity.

“The most important thing is they care about you, and they are warm and accepting people. Even if it takes time to get used to the idea they won’t judge you because of it. Deep down you know that, even if you wish it were easier to get past the tel ing stage.”

He shook his head at her, and his mouth had lifted in one corner. “How is it that you know how I feel?”

“Oh, I…”
Damn
. Hol y pul ed away, aware that she must have said too much and got too close to exposing her own secrets.

“You’re a sensitive person,” he added, “but I knew that already.”

He was thinking back to the accident, and Hol y was captured by his mood as he remembered the sound of her voice cal ing his name when he was out cold on the road. Hol y let his experience fil her senses. Their attachment had formed then, because the sound had reached inside him, the concern in her voice triggering a connection. He’d always found her voice attractive, sultry and evocative, and it put him in a good mood in the mornings when they chatted. Hol y, who knew none of this, had to fight hard not to react.

“You’ve got a special way about you, Hol y. You’ve put me in a better place.” He sighed, and it was relief he felt. He was lightening up, and Hol y thanked the heavens for that. “Some of the things you said are so true. It’s as if you understand me…better than he does.” He shot a glance at Stewart, but it was a mild-mannered, humorous warning.

She was about to gloss over his comment, when Stewart interjected.

“You needed the feminine perspective, perhaps.”

When she glanced his way she saw a man enthral ed, a man inspired. The undertow of arousal that had tugged at them al was visible and simmering in him. His posture was alert to the point of being predatory. Something about seeing them together, talking in that intimate way, had affected him.