Page 20 of Her Holiday Heartthrobs

Henry drops his arms and groans. “It was a mistake.”

“And what was your weakness exactly? Alcohol? A little Mary J? She throw herself at you?” Eli stabs in the container with that little green monster riding his back.

But the look he shoots us makes me second guess my judgment, my limitations.

“She threw herself at you.” I toss my phone on my coat and plant my hands on my hips.

“Not…not like that sounds. But we were drinking, and…”

“Why were you drinking with her? Alone?” Eli asks, finally abandoning the fork to face Henry fully.

The story comes in fits and false starts before he says it plainly. He went to see Patrick, found her home alone drinking, and didn’t like the thought of leaving her there with that bottle.

“The more we talked, the closer we got, the more we clicked.” Henry heaves a giant sigh and rubs his cheeks. “I tried to fight the allure of her, but when she slid into my lap and kissed me, I was a goner.”

Pausing, he grabs a glass of water and downs it. “Fuck, need something stronger.”

“You need to keep going,” Eli says, face and neck red like he’s about to have a stroke.

“She had me tear her leggings.”

“Off?” I loosen my tie and the top button of my shirt. The usual routine doesn’t settle me at all.

“In half. Down the crotch seam. She wasn’t wearing any panties.” His voice has gone hoarse. His eyes shut like he’s remembering it.

I let myself simmer in that image for a few breaths too.

“She was so wet and hot. I only have so much self-control.”

“I feel like I’m missing too many details, but first…” Eli holds up his hands and disappears, returning with a good bottle of scotch and three glasses.

I grab the one he fills for me and take a swallow, grateful for the burn blooming as it goes down. A good distraction from the other burning sensations I’m swimming in.

Eli continues to prod Henry for details, step-by-step of how she broke him down, told him she wanted him, her consent, being an adult, taking him in her hand. It was all too much. I would have never lasted either.

“We shouldn’t be talking about this. Shouldn’t even be thinking about Patrick’s daughter this way. She isn’t just any girl?—”

“Woman,” Eli interjects.

“She’s young enough to be our daughter. Besides, the term girl should help you keep it in your pants.” And hopefully, me too.

“I don’t think semantics is going to help in this situation.” Henry knocks back his glass, emptying it.

Yeah, I suppose it won’t.

“Fine. But my other point still stands. She’s our best friend’s daughter. You know, the quarterback of ourhigh schoolfootball team. The one who went over each prospectus with us before we built our first business. The man we consoled when his wife died and left him with two preteen daughters to raise. One of which we’re talking about like some piece of ass.”

We all still at my last point. Do I think we’re talking about her that way, really? No. If this was just sex, we wouldn’t be discussing it at all.

But there’s something about Paige that has me hooked, tethered to the idea that she could fit with me. And not just me, but the three of us.

I shake my head, all of this speculation has another logical issue. Does she even want us? All three of us?

Henry’s the one to break our brooding silence. “This isn’t going away. Believe me, it won’t.”

I fear that he’s right. As much as I’ve resisted, that desperate attraction to her won’t be suppressed. “So what are we going to do about it?”

PAIGE

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