Page 36 of Only Ever Yours
Dropping my hands down to my crotch, hoping to cover any evidence of my arousal, I tried to shrug it off. “Don’t mention it. The last couple of days have been eventful to say the least. If you hadn’t gotten upset, I’d have been more worried.”
“I think I need to get a good night’s sleep.” She reached out and touched my arm. “Thank you for everything. You don’t know how much it means.” Standing on tiptoes, she reached up and brushed her lips against my cheek. “Night, Jase.”
Once Hollis had left the kitchen, I hefted out a breath,giving myself a moment before heading upstairs. I got into bed and pulled the duvet over me, reaching for my phone.
Felicity
Hey, babe. What are you up to? You wanna come over? xxx
No, Felicity, I don’t.
My finger hovered over her number, ready to delete it this time. I hesitated because it could be one way to rid myself of the inappropriate thoughts I’d been having about Hollis. However, it would feel like a betrayal of sorts. After everything that had gone on between us the past couple of days, I didn’t want to risk the closeness we were developing.
It could never come to anything. I was reminded of how Finn had reacted when Neil had stepped over that line all those years ago.
Hollis was my best friend’s little sister.
And of all the women, why did I have to want the one I couldn’t have?
Chapter Fourteen
Jase
Barney’s stag weekend started with a poker night at ours. A low-key, chilled-out evening, not too much booze, a little bit of gambling, and an early night before the main event tomorrow.
Ha, who am I kidding?
A bottle of tequila, already half-empty, sat in the middle of the kitchen table, a result of too many lost bets and dares. The pile of cash next to it had grown into an all-or-nothing situation, given we didn’t really know the rules of the game and were probably too far gone to even care.
Finn, Barney, his brother Liam, and I had been chatting shit and playing cards for several hours, completely losing track of time.
“Always thought you and Ella would be the first to get married,” mused Barney, placing a card on the table.
I’d lost track of whose turn it was and what game we were actually playing. Squinting at the ace of clubs, I wondered if it was any use to me.
Finn grunted. “Can we not? I’ve had enough of Hollis banging on about how Ella and I should get back together.”
“Why did you two split up anyway?” I asked. “Like, she was here one day and gone the next.”
My best friend glared at me. “What did I just say?”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. Reaching for the card, I picked it up and placed it amongst the others in my hand before returning a seven of spades to the table. None of my cards matched in either suit or number, so if we were still playing poker, I was nowhere near winning.
“How about you, Jase?” Liam questioned. “Are you still seeing Felicity?”
I made a noncommittal noise. Since Hollis had returned to Maplebrook, I’d had nothing to do with Felicity despite her repeated attempts to get me to come out and ‘accidental’ meetings when we had been to the pub. Maybe I should have been more specific about what I wanted—or rather, didn’t want—from her, but I hoped she’d get the message.
“Thought you looked pretty tight with Hollis the last time we went out,” commented Barney.
Finn instantly shut him down. “As if, Barn. It’s never happening, right, mate? Not like you’re the relationship type of guy, is it?” He directed the last part of his answer to me.
After all that had happened when we collected her stuff from London, there had been a shift in our relationship. How she’d confided in me, how we’d ended up in the hotel room, the incident in the kitchen when we’d arrived home. We’d always been close but had never crossed any kind of line even though I’d been sorely tempted. After that night, things were different. I couldn’t be sure she was interested in me although, at the same time, she wasn’t showing any signs that she didn’t like me.
Forcing a laugh, I replied. “Yeah, what a crazy idea.”
Trying to move the subject along, I poured us allanother shot. “What the fuck game are we playing here anyway?” I threw my cards on the table.
The others did the same, chiming in with their thoughts.
