Snowflakes on Silver Cove: A festive, feel-good Christmas romance (White Cliff Bay Book 2) (26 page)

‘You don’t have to go away; this doesn’t change anything between us.’

She smiled and reached up to touch his cheek. ‘I know that. We’ll always be a part of each other’s lives, but I think you need some space now, some time to enjoy your new relationship. She loves you, you know.’

‘I know.’

‘Then why are you still in here talking to me and not out there taking her in your arms and kissing her?’

Seb smiled but still didn’t move. He’d just declared his love for Amy to Judith, something which he never thought he could do. He wasn’t sure if he could declare it to the whole pub yet.

‘Come on.’ Judith put her glass down and moved to the door. He followed her, his heart pounding.

She stood back and let him open it, which he did, and his eyes sought out Amy straight away. She was clearing tables of glasses and as the door opened she looked up at him, her eyes filled with worry. Judith gave him a little nudge from behind. He smiled at Amy, and the rest of the pub faded. The woman he loved was standing just a few metres away from him, and there was no reason to hide from it any more, he could finally shout it from the rooftops. He loved her and he didn’t care who knew it.

He took two large steps forward and took her face in his hands and kissed her. The tray she was carrying clattered to the floor as her hands moved round his neck. The pub went silent and someone somewhere gasped, but he didn’t care.

A
my’s head
was spinning as she kissed Seb, wanting to touch him all over, to hold him tight and never let him go. Was this it, were they really going to spend the rest of their lives together? Could they? Her heart pounding in her ears, she pulled away. He smiled at her, his eyes filled with love.

Someone cheered, probably Nick. Someone else clapped and then suddenly everyone was clapping and cheering. Seb kissed her fondly on the head and she gently pulled out of his arms, trying to find Judith in the sea of clapping faces. But Amy couldn’t see her – had she gone? Had he told her he was going to be with Amy and he didn’t care what she thought? Had she walked off in disgust? Amy suddenly felt panic-filled, she didn’t want to hurt her.

But then she saw her and Judith was smiling.

‘Thank you,’ Amy said.

‘Take care of him,’ Judith said and Amy smiled as she kissed Seb again.

G
eorge pulled
up outside his flat later. The drive back had been silent, the tension between them hanging heavy in the air like a thick smoke. His mind was racing wildly, his heart pounding, his stomach churning so violently he thought he was going to throw up. But as soon as they got back into his flat, Cerys pounced, sticking her tongue down the back of his throat and rubbing herself up against him like a dog on heat. She started pulling him towards the bedroom. So this was it, no backing out now.

But as they approached the bedroom door, his heart leapt at what he saw over Cerys’ shoulder. Libby was lying on his bed, curled up like a black cat in her pyjamas, fast asleep.

‘
A
rgh
!’ was all he could manage as he pulled back from Cerys in shock.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I… I’m a bit nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a woman – do you mind if we…watch a film for a bit, maybe… calm myself down.’

‘George, I’ll be very gentle,’ she whispered, nipping at his ear, as she started to inch back into the bedroom. Something told George that the way Cerys would have sex would be a million miles away from gentle.

He let out a hollow laugh, and resisted as she tried to pull him into the bedroom with her. His heart was beating so loudly now, he was sure it would actually wake Libby up.

‘Come on, I’ve got some great films. What’s your favourite, I bet I have it.’ His strength won out and he dragged her, unwillingly, back into the lounge.

‘Do you have any porn?’ she pouted as she threw herself down on the sofa.

He turned to look at her incredulously. He didn’t really go in for porn. He and Josie used to watch it together sometimes, but he always ended up feeling very inadequate afterwards, in comparison to the great godly male specimens that starred in them. That’s just what he didn’t need right now, another reason to feel bad about himself.

‘How about a comedy,
His Girl Friday
, now that’s a classic.’ He quickly grabbed the DVD, loaded it, then pressed play. ‘Here, you watch it, I’ll grab us some wine.’

He hurried over to the kitchen, stopping en-route to the bedroom. He watched Libby sleeping peacefully in the middle of his bed. Cerys would not take kindly to finding another woman in his bedroom. He looked back into the lounge. Cerys was already looking decidedly bored, but she hadn’t noticed anything was amiss.

Not really knowing what to do about the Libby situation, he quickly closed the bedroom door. Like an ostrich with its head in the sand, he thought if he ignored the problem it might just go away. Maybe once the film got underway, Cerys might actually enjoy it, or she might be so bored she might fall asleep. Either way might buy him a few more hours to think of something he could do about the Libby situation.

‘George? You OK?’ asked Cerys, eyeing him leaning against the bedroom door.

‘Yeah… yes I’m fine, so… red wine or white?’

‘White.’ She turned her gaze back to the TV.

He opened up a bottle of wine and slugged back a glass. He didn’t normally drink wine. Wine always got him stupidly drunk and really quickly too. He looked at the wine bottle, thought about Libby on his bed and refilled his glass, then took both the bottle and two glasses through to the lounge.

He finished his glass, refilled it and sat down. Cerys immediately cuddled into his arms, which reminded him of how Libby cuddled him when they watched a scary film. Thinking of her, he took another big mouthful of wine.

Cerys cuddled him tighter, running her hand round his waist.

‘George, do you go to a gym?’

He looked down at his belly distractedly and shook his head.

‘You should, it’s good fun. I always feel so much better, so energised after I’ve been to the gym, and you’ll notice the difference after just a few short weeks. You should go. I bet you’d love it.’

He nodded as he looked over to the door of his bedroom. He’d heard something, he was sure of it, but the door stayed closed.

The film continued, but he couldn’t concentrate. Every minute that ticked by was another minute closer to the time when Libby would wake up and come out into the lounge. There was no way he was going to get through the whole film without her waking up. He just wasn’t that lucky. And even if he was, what was he going to do afterwards? He finished his third glass of wine and poured himself a fourth.

Sure enough, about halfway through the film, he heard a loud yawn come from the other room. This was it. He finished his wine, waiting for the big confrontation. Cerys had not heard the yawn, but it was now only a matter of seconds before Libby appeared looking dishevelled and sleepy and gorgeous. He started tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair, as the long seconds stretched on.

The bedroom door opened, and George closed his eyes. He heard Libby gasp and then the bedroom door slammed again.

‘What was that?’ Cerys asked.

He shrugged, pretending he hadn’t heard it.

‘Your bedroom door opened and closed again.’

‘Did it? Oh, the window’s open, it probably got caught in a draught or something.’ He shrugged again, trying to pull off an air of nonchalance.

Cerys sat up and looked towards the bedroom door and then back at him.

‘George, is there someone in there?’

‘No, of course not,’ he said, his voice high with anxiety.

Detecting the note of anxiety, she got up and walked towards the bedroom and he quickly followed. What was he going to say, how could he explain it? Maybe he could say he had a flatmate, or… a live-in maid or a… There really was nothing he could say that would justify a woman in his bedroom, in her pyjamas.

Cerys opened the door and his empty bedroom stared back at them, the window pushed open, the curtains blowing in the wind.

‘You see, no women lurking in my room. Did you want to check my wardrobes as well?’

‘No, sorry, George, I just… I was sure I heard someone gasp.’

He laughed. ‘I might just shut the window, it’s started to rain.’

He went to the window and saw Libby outside in her pyjamas, already soaked to the skin. He laughed nervously and she put her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter as well. She motioned with her hand that she was going round to the front. He nodded as he closed the window and turned back to Cerys, grinning, he thought, in a very inane way.

He sat back down on the sofa with Cerys and she took her place in his arms again. He bit his lip as he heard the faint sound of the buzzer in Giselle’s flat above him. Libby was trying to gain access to the building. But he knew that Giselle was out; her lights had been off when they’d got home. George knew Libby would be trying Rosie and Alex next, but he also knew that they had gone away for the weekend. He laughed to himself as he poured himself another glass of wine. He would have to let Libby in, but how could he explain to Cerys why he was suddenly going to the front door, or why he was buzzing someone in who hadn’t actually rang his buzzer?

Cerys looked at George in confusion, wondering why he was laughing. This made him laugh even more.

He needed an excuse, a reason to go outside. He patted his pockets.

‘I think I might have left my wallet in my car, I’ll just go and get it.’

‘Get it later.’

He drummed his fingers nervously.

‘George, are you OK? You seem really… highly strung all of a sudden.’

‘I’m fine, I’m fine, but I might just get my wallet, there’s been a spate of car break-ins round here lately,’ he lied.

‘Really?’ She sat up in alarm. ‘I might come out with you then, put the steering wheel lock on my car, just in case.’

‘No, I’ll do it for you, it’s raining, there’s no point in both of us getting wet.’

She conceded this and passed him her keys.

As soon as he had closed the flat door behind him, he yanked open the main front door, grabbed Libby’s hand and pulled her towards her flat.

She laughed as she followed in his wake, despite the fact that she was already soaked to the skin.

Inside the flat, he turned to face her. She was shivering violently, but laughing hard. He laughed as well.

‘Libby Joseph, you will get me into so much trouble one day.’

She couldn’t stop laughing, as she trembled. ‘I must have sleepwalked again. I’m sorry, George.’

‘Yeah, I’m sure you are.’

‘George, are you drunk?’

‘Yes. Completely.’ He laughed. ‘I can’t actually remember the last time I was this drunk, but I imagine I was very young.’

She giggled. ‘Have you been drinking wine?’

He nodded, sheepishly.

‘You know you shouldn’t drink wine, how many have you had?’

‘Five, six, I’m not sure. I was very stressed.’

Libby laughed, shivering against the cold.

George pulled her to her bedroom and without thinking he pulled her t-shirt off. As soon as he had done it, he realised how inappropriate it was, but as he was on his fifth glass of wine, he found it really funny and started laughing again.

He grabbed another t-shirt and pulled it over her head, but it was very low cut.

‘Did you want to do my pyjama bottoms as well?’

He blushed and grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it round her, holding her in his arms.

She giggled. ‘God, it feels like we’re having a sordid affair, creeping around behind your wife’s back.’

‘Well in that case, I better give you a quickie before I go back.’ And not really knowing why, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. Just a brief kiss, feeling her hot mouth against his, made his heart explode.

He stepped back, and laughed at what he had just done. God, he was stupidly drunk, and the adrenaline coursing through his body was just making the situation worse.

Libby looked stunned, but then laughed as well. ‘I’m not taking the blame for that. I take full responsibility for turning up in your bedroom in the middle of your date, but I’m not taking the blame for that kiss.’

‘You should, Libby Joseph, you drive me wild.’ With that he stepped forward and kissed her again, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her tightly against him.

But to his great surprise, after a few seconds of her standing in shock, she started to kiss him back. Her mouth was moving softly against his lips, her tongue tentatively sliding against his, her hands in his hair.

George pulled back in shock. ‘Good God, woman, what are you doing to me?’ He laughed. ‘I better go. Get changed for goodness’ sake, you’ll catch your death, sitting around in wet pyjamas. I’ve got to go back now and have sex with a beautiful woman, wish me luck.’

He was confused slightly by the look of disappointment that suddenly crossed Libby’s face. ‘Check under your bed for your next present.
Three days before Christmas
…’ he sang as he raced back to his flat, burst through the door and vaulted over the sofa. ‘Hey!’ he said to Cerys, with a big grin on his face.

She frowned. ‘You OK? You’re practically glowing, like you’ve just won the lottery or something.’

‘No, I’m fine, I just… I just ran back here so I wouldn’t get too wet in the rain.’

She surveyed him. ‘You don’t look very wet.’

Oh what a tangled web we weave
. ‘Like I said, I ran.’ George turned away so she wouldn’t see him smirk. He grabbed his glass of wine and drank it down. His heart was beating so fast. But now amongst the fear of sex, the panic of Cerys discovering Libby, was another feeling: lust and desire for Libby, for what had just happened with Libby.

L
ibby stood
in her bedroom in shock. What had just happened between them? She knew she shouldn’t read too much into George kissing her, he had been very drunk, but she had really enjoyed it. It hadn’t been part of a date or for practice, it had been purely because George had wanted to kiss her.

But why had he kissed her? Was it at all possible that he had feelings for her? But then why was he with Cerys if he liked her? Libby wanted to talk to him about it, but he was with Cerys. At this very moment they might be having sex, she could hardly walk in and say, ‘Excuse me, George, but about our kiss…’

Libby wondered what he would do if she walked over there now and said that she wanted him to finish that kiss, that she wanted him to choose her. Would he? Would he politely show Cerys the door and then take her into his bedroom and make love to her as beautifully as he had kissed her? Would he laugh and say something like, ‘Libby, that’s really sweet but I’m with Cerys now, I don’t need you any more.’ She didn’t think she could bear that. But she couldn’t bear the thought that he and Cerys would be having sex either.

There was a tiny part of her that wanted it to go well tonight, for George to get what he wanted out of it. But the wholly selfish part wanted it to go badly, wanted him to be thinking of her, comparing her favourably with Cerys.

She knelt down and dug under the bed to find a large paper bag. Inside were two oversized green elf shoe slippers with curly toes and bells on the end. She smiled with love for him.

She got changed out of her wet pyjamas, switched on her laptop; she needed some distraction now, and paced the lounge whilst it loaded up.

She wanted to finish that kiss, she knew that much, she wanted George’s hands on her just like he had held her when he had kissed her. It was so…commanding.

The laptop flickered to life, distracting her with its usual ping, with her emotions whirling out of control. She sat down in front of it.

She opened up her latest story, ideas suddenly whirring through her head. She closed her eyes, remembering how lovely it felt to be in George’s arms, remembering his kiss. She opened her eyes, and started writing.

G
eorge and Cerys
watched the rest of the film in silence. Well, ‘watched’ was probably an overstatement, especially on his part. He stared at the screen, experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. Part of him wanted to come up with another excuse to leave the flat just so he could run over to Libby’s flat and kiss her again. But another part of him was wracked with guilt. Had he just cheated on Cerys? Could it be classed as cheating when they were only on their first date? Either way he felt absolutely crap about it.

Now, the pressing problem of sex was also creeping back into his mind. With Libby out the picture there was nothing else to stop the forthcoming coitus. He finished the bottle of wine that Cerys had hardly touched and opened a second.

The film finished, way too prematurely for his liking, and he turned it off. Playing for time, he ejected the DVD and put it back into its box. ‘Well, what did you think?’

She shrugged. ‘Yeah, it was OK, I suppose.’

He felt incensed by this. How could she not enjoy it?
His Girl Friday
was one of his all-time favourite films. She should at least have a bit more of an opinion than just ‘it was OK’.