Page 5 of Only Ever Yours

Chapter Four

Jase

Felicity

Are you coming out tonight? X

I stared at the screen as I washed up after work.

Everything had been done; all the cars had been collected, and I was ready for the weekend.

Normally, I’d hang out with Felicity and see where the night took us, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

Hollis was here, and it had been a long time since I’d spent any quality time with her.

Maybe I, Hollis, and Finn would do something instead.

Not sure. Might stay at home, been a long week.

Felicity

Really? I haven’t seen you in ages xx

I could almost see her pouty face. We’d been out earlier in the week—hardly ages. Nothing had happened even though it was patently obvious Felicity wanted it to. That seemed to be where her problem was. As I started to type a reply, another message arrived.

Finn

We’re going to the Live Wire later. Wanna come?

The Live Wire Lounge was a bar in town that usually had a local band playing on a Friday night and always ended up being a great night out.

I wondered who ‘we’ was. Finn didn’t have a girlfriend since he’d split up with Ella.

Maybe he’d persuaded Hollis to go out. Despite the fact I had almost convinced myself it would be a good idea to stay in, the temptation of a night with Hollis had a pretty strong pull. Even if her brother were there.

Sounds good. Who else is coming out?

Finn

Barney, Lenora, and Hollis.

As long as you don’t let on to Felicity where we’re going, I’m in.

Finn

Why would I tell her? I don’t even have her number.

Best keep it that way too, lol

Finn

You headed home soon?

Just about to lock up.

Finn

Pick up some beers on the way home. We’ll start early

I rolled my eyes. Typical Finn. He’d had all day to do the shopping, having taken the time to spend with Hollis, and I ended up having to do it.

Still, I couldn’t really complain. The shop was on the way home, and it would take me less than five minutes to pop in.

Checking I’d set the alarm properly, I locked the garage and started the walk home.

Standing in front of the fridges, I grabbed a pack of beers and headed for the till.

Then I remembered Hollis didn’t like to drink beer—something about it being too gassy.

Turning on my heel, I went back to check out the wine.

I knew nothing about wine; however, I knew Hollis drank rosé.

Selecting a mid-priced bottle, I paid for the drinks and left the shop.

Going into our house, I wrinkled my nose. There seemed to be a scented candle burning in the living room, and on first glance, the place looked tidier than I’d ever seen it. Finn sat on the sofa, a beer in one hand, watching the sports news channel.

“You took your time,” he said, not taking his gaze off the screen.

“I was picking up your beer even though it seems you already have one.” I tossed a can over to him, which he deftly caught. I wouldn’t want to be around when he opened it. Getting covered in beer wasn’t an option.

“Thanks, mate. Much appreciated.” He raised his can in my direction. “We’re going to grab food at the bar, so the sooner you’re ready, the sooner we can eat.”

“Can I at least have a drink first?” I cracked open one of the cans and took a slug. After my day, it tasted fantastic and would no doubt be the first of many.

Hollis came into the room and eyed the bag in my hand. “Is there anything for me? ”

“Hope this is okay.” I pulled out the wine and went over to her.

She glanced at the label and grinned. “Maybe when I was twenty. My tastes have moved on since then, but after all the work I’ve done today, it’ll have to do.

Thanks, Jase.” Unscrewing the bottle, she tossed the cap to one side, and to my surprise, swigged straight from the top.

“Might as well start the fun early. Oh, your peppermint tea is on the side.” She winked at me, then went back towards the kitchen.

“Jesus,” I breathed, quietly enough so only I could hear. The tea had been a joke, but she’d actually gone out and bought it anyway. “I’m going to get a shower before we go out.” Maybe this evening promises more than I thought.

Finn nodded. “Sure. We’ll head off after that.”

An hour and a half later, Finn, Hollis, Barney, Lenora, and I sat at one of the long bench tables at the Live Wire Lounge.

We all had drinks and burgers, with a selection of sides to share, and were enjoying the DJ who was playing before the band.

Hollis sat to my left, and I relished the warmth from her body as we were squished together.

“Oh, I thought you said you weren’t going out tonight?”

Felicity’s voice. I’d recognise it anywhere. “Things change, though, don’t they, babe?” I kept my tone light, not wanting to get into a fight with her.

Her gaze fell on Hollis. “I didn’t realise you were back in Maplebrook, Hollis. Is this a weekend visit?”

Hollis swallowed the French fry she’d taken a bite of. “Who knows? I might stay around permanently.”

“Hardly the big city lights here, though, is it?” Felicity examined the tip of a freshly manicured nail, desperately trying to look disinterested. “When you left for London, you said you’d never come back.”

Hollis had never said those words, and I was sure Felicity was only doing it to provoke a reaction. They had never exactly got on, and I doubted they were going to become best friends anytime soon.

“Like Jase said, things change.” Hollis placed a hand on my forearm, her own nails lightly digging into the skin, almost like a display of ownership.

While I absolutely knew it wasn’t true, my dick didn’t seem to agree and enjoyed her small touch a little too much.

“How are you, Felicity? It’s been a long time. ”

Felicity pursed her lips, eyes zeroing in on the contact between Hollis and me. The devil in me wanted to reach over and cover Hollis’s hand. Given her skin on mine had already got me aroused, I didn’t want to risk anything more embarrassing happening.

“All good, Hollis.” She glanced into the distance, seemingly seeing someone she knew. “My friends are over there. I guess I’ll catch up with you all another time.” With a final glare, she spun on her heels and went over to the other side of the bar.

I turned to my left, my nose brushing against Hollis’s ear. “Nice save. Thank you,” I whispered.

She squeezed my forearm before taking her hand away, leaving the skin there cold. “Anytime.” Her chin dipped, and she gave me a sideways glance, her blue-green eyes mischievous.

Come on, Jase. This is Hollis. She’s Finn’s younger sister.

And you’ve secretly been lusting after her for years, remember? Enjoy the moment.

The angel and the devil started a conversation in my head. Now wasn’t the time to listen to either of them. Nothing had ever happened between us. I didn’t even know if Hollis harboured any of the same thoughts about me .

“Do you want another drink?” I asked, standing up abruptly and breaking the moment.

Downing the remains of her wine, she held her glass out to me. “Why not? I don’t think any of us are getting out of here sober tonight.”

Taking it from her hand, I headed over to the bar, muscling my way into a space just vacated by a guy carrying a tray of shots. I watched the bar tenders moving around, trying to catch the eye of one of them with little success.

A couple of moments later, Finn joined me. “What’s going on there? It all looked very cosy.”

I could barely hear him above the chatter of the other punters waiting to be served and shrugged instead, raising my voice as I answered. “Don’t know what you mean,”

“All that stuff between you and Felicity, then Hollis steps in. What’s between you two?” Finn’s brow furrowed.

“Nothing.” More’s the pity.

“She’s been through a lot recently and needs friendly faces around her.

No complications.” His words sounded a lot like a low-key warning.

He’d always been protective of her. In the past, if any of our friends had shown an interest, it fizzled out almost as soon as it began.

It looked like nothing much had changed.

I held up my hands. “I’m only trying to make her feel welcome, mate. I don’t know her deal, but while she’s staying with us, I’m not about to make things difficult.”

“Good.” Finn nodded. He waved over one of the bartenders. Why didn’t I just do that? “Now, what are you drinking?”

The evening flew by, with everyone chatting and having fun. After the band had finished, the DJ started up again, playing a bunch of crowd-pleasing tracks.

“I want to dance!” Hollis grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the small space in front of the stage where other people were already doing the same. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, no doubt due to the amount of wine she’d consumed.

“Er, no. When did I ever dance?” Despite my protests, I already knew I’d join her, if nothing else, to protect her from falling over.

“Come on, Jase. I want to have fun .” Her emphasis on the last word had me wondering why she wouldn’t have had fun in her life in London. “Please?” She fluttered her eyelashes at me, and I was a goner. Couldn’t say no, even if I wanted to.

Even if Finn was watching us.

She started moving in front of me, hips swaying along to the beat, waving her arms in the air and nodding her head along to the song.

When it came to the chorus, she sang-shouted the words, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Her enjoyment was clear and a totally different vibe to the one she gave off when she arrived yesterday.

It was almost like we were at university again, catching up in the holidays and pretending we didn’t have essays or responsibilities.

A wide grin spread across my face just watching her.

Hollis held out her hand. “Come and dance with me.”

With a shake of my head and an eye roll, I took her hand and twirled her around under my arm before pulling her in tight against me.

We moved together to the song, our bodies almost as one.

I wrestled with my conscience, trying to keep my hands off her arse and enjoying how she fitted perfectly into me.

This is not how tonight should go. Remember what Finn said.

I wouldn’t do anything to mess up our friendship.

We’d been close for years, closer than brothers at times, but I couldn’t deny my attraction to Hollis.

And if she kept grinding against me, the attraction would be all too obvious.

Reluctantly, I spun her away from me. She stumbled as I did so, clamping a hand to her mouth.

Instantly, I knew what was about to happen.

Grabbing her, I took her away from the dance floor and towards the bathrooms. Pushing in front of two girls who were about to go in, I justified myself.

“My girlfriend’s about to be sick. Please let me through. ”

Instantly, they moved out of the way; no one wants to be covered in someone else’s vomit.

Thankfully, one of the cubicles was free, and I queue-jumped again to get Hollis inside just in time.

Pulling her hair out of the way, I massaged the back of her neck while she retched.

After a couple of minutes, it subsided, and she sniffled through tears as she straightened up.

“Thanks, Jase. You shouldn’t have had to see that.” Tearing off some toilet roll, she wiped her mouth before flushing it away. “I’m so sorry.” Hollis dropped her head. “And totally embarrassed. You haven’t seen me in ages, and I end up throwing up right in front of you.”

“Hey, don’t be sorry. Finn tells me you’ve had a rough time, and if this”—I gestured to the cubicle—“is your way of dealing with it, who am I to judge?” Brushing her hair away from her face, I smiled. “Do you want a drink?”

She wrinkled her nose, managing to look cute even in her current state. “Ugh, seriously?”

“Water, Hollis. I meant water.”

“I think water would be a very good idea.”

Unlike the thoughts I harboured about her, which ranked as being a very bad idea.