***\ETHAN'S P.O.V/***
Hollie sat up in her seat, head facing the road ahead as I drove, eyes tracing the raindrops as they ran in hurried trickles down the windshield. She was sat upfront next to me, Josh spread out in a relaxed position in the back.
"My Mum wants to meet you properly for a lunch." I turned to look over at Hollie for a brief second, waiting to see her reaction.
"She does?" She squeaked in surprise, eyebrows nearly touching her hairline. "Even after how I was introduced to your father? I thought that I would be exiled from Watson property for the eternity of time."
"Nope, She wants to meet the girl who nearly gave her husband a heart attack." I was only teasing but Hollie's scowl cut me off.
Josh snorted in amusement, "At least I wasn't introduced naked, I think that would have truly been heart stopping, 'Hey, Nice to meet you Mr Watson. Your son is gay', I don't quite think that would have gone down well." Josh shook his head and I hid my grin.
"My foster Mom would have liked you both. Always told me that love is not a choice, do what makes you happy and don't apologize for your happiness. She was kinda kick-ass." Hollie tried to hide her smile as she spoke, the words obviously being hard hitting to her. She doesn't tend to do the mushy emotion shit, leave that to Josh.
Hollie's use of the past tense 'was' hung heavy in the air and I tried to reassure her that her Mom sounded great, but she seemed understandably distracted and standoffish.
"I just wish that I still had a family to introduce you to." She let out a small sigh, tracing shapes against the window. "Whenever you talk about your family it makes me sad to think of how things could have turned out."
"They are my family Hollie. Do you expect me to just not bring them up at all?" My voice was far more brazen than I had meant it to sound and she subconsciously flinched away from me. I didn't mean the wanted to reach out and apologize but found myself scared to say the wrong thing and simply make it worse. I don't do women and I certainly don't do mushy emotions; I don't know how to make this better.
As the car sped swiftly along the highway, I could see Hollie's visual unease at the prospect of staying in my parents house after how she was last introduced to my father. I could tell that she was distracted with bad family memories and instantly felt guilty. She twisted her hands in her lap meticulously, trying to wring out the nerves. She obviously thought the gesture was discreet enough that I wouldn't notice; as she jerked in surprise when I placed my free hand in her lap, covering both the hands she had been twisting together.
I saw her dart a questioning look over at me from the passenger seat, but my eyes were focused on the road ahead. My hand covered both of hers, which had now stilled beneath my strong grip.
Once the car had temporarily stopped in a traffic build up, I took the opportunity to look over in her direction and mouthed, "Sorry."
Her head was still facing in my direction, and she smiled back at me, a small peace offering. I had been distant and distracted by work for the remainder of time after the show, even needing to head back to the car early so that I could take a pressing work call. Work had been beyond stressful lately, but I hadn't meant to take out my impatience on Hollie, and felt immensely bad that I had accidentally let my guard slip.
"You didn't do anything wrong, you don't ever have to feel guilty for talking about your family." I was relieved to find no hint of the previous tension in her voice or her features, her shoulders now more relaxed into the car seat.
"Work is making me an asshole lately, you know that I didn't mean it." I finished with a gentle squeeze of her hand.
"Now that we have your bickering out of the way," Josh leant forward, resting his elbows against our seats, "How about we make plans for later?"
Hollie raised a curious brow at his change of conversation, "Plans for what?"
Josh didn't answer, just slanted her a long look.
"Ethan, your parents have a hot tub, no?" He asked with a knowing smile.
I tired to keep my eyes straight on the road ahead when replying, "They most certainly do."
"Well then, it's decided. We should make the most of the hot tub." Josh concluded from behind.
"Yes," I agreed, images of the three of us in the warm, bubbly water momentarily preoccupying my mind. My imagination temporarily ran away with scenarios of how I could make up for my previous jibe at Hollie. A thorough explanation with my warm, wet tongue would be a good start, followed by a large glass of bubbles and hot sex. Maybe breakfast in bed to top it off. "I am also down for that."
Josh leaned forward just at that moment, and stuck his chin in the grove of Hollie's shoulder. "Um guys, where the fuck are we?"
And then Hollie's eyes widened as she also realized that we were on the highway leading back to my own apartment and not my parent's. She sprang to attention, staring out the front window with caution, "Ethan where are you taking us?"
Josh chimed in from behind with a teasing smirk upon realizing my mistake. "Yeah, Ethan, why are we heading for your apartment and not your parent's place? Getting a little distracted are we?"
I growled at his teasing tone and Hollie had to cover a grin with her forearm to hide her visual amusement at my mistake. Josh leaned forward to pat my shoulder emphatically but I jabbed his arm away. "You're such a windup, Josh. Such a fucking dick." But I was smiling, however I dropped the grin when I caught Hollie still laughing.
"Glad my navigational humiliation is amusing you, Murphy,"I said, but I was only playing, she could see it in my eyes. I looked to Josh and back at Hollie, then groaned and signaled the indicator to pull off the highway, planning to loop back into Manhattan. "It's both your fault for distracting me with hot tub scenarios."
Josh threw an arm around my neck in a playful gesture and pulled me close, landing a big wet kiss against my cheek. His sudden close proximity made my stomach lurch. "You know that you love us really."
"I must be fucking crazy,"I muttered and wiped my cheek down using the back of my hand with a grimace, but that was playing, too.
~
The rain was pelting down on us as we ran into the reception area of my parent's apartment; the more civilized members of society were dwelling in the downstairs lobby and looked over in our direction with a look of undisguised disgust, but I couldn't care less. I pulled Hollie's hand in mine, the other tugging Josh out of the rain and into the warm lobby. Our shrieks of laughter were echoing through the marble floored room and Hollie's steps made a clapping noise along the floor as she tried to keep up with our long strides.
"I can't keep up with your slender-man-esque legs!" Her complaints registered, causing a slow smile to spread across my face at her ridiculous outcry. I started to slow my run into a fast paced walk, desperate to get into the apartment and out of the wet clothes.
"I am pretty sure you can see my bra through this shirt, the rain has soaked it through!" Hollie continued to giggle as we clambered into the waiting elevator. "The old man by reception was gawking at my chest like it had just committed a felony."
"Luck buggar, I bet the poor guy hasn't seen so much skin since the 90's." I pulled her closer to me, desperate to be touching such skin. Josh repeatedly pushed the fifth floor button as though it would increase the speed of the elevator shaft.
"That isn't going to get us up any faster y'know." I shot a look at Josh and he stepped away from the buzzer and pushed me against the cool glass mirror on the far wall. Josh doesn't normally display the strength hidden beneath his skin, but right now I could feel every muscle tensing against me. He was holding himself back.
"Okay, Smart arse." His grin was crooked and slightly wicked, causing me to gulp down my retort and simply hold his gaze. Wrong move to aggravate him when he was already turned on.
Not seconds later the hotel door swung shut and then Josh pinned Hollie, his strong arms holding her flat against the wooden door whilst he flicked his warm, skilled tongue up the line of her throat. Hollie let out a vocal and incredibly pleasurable moan. I knew first hand just how skilled Josh could be with his tongue. I watched them go at it like horny teenagers against the door and wandered over to the bar, pulling the stop out of a particularly expensive bottle of bourbon before pouring a generous amount into three tumblers.
I took a large gulp and winced at the familiar yet welcome burn, my eyes never leaving Josh and Hollie from my place against the bar counter.
"Get a fucking room, kids," I said, but the husk in my tone gave away just how turned on I was by their little display.
Josh wrapped an arm around her narrow waist and directed her to stand right between his legs with her back against the door. Hollie's t-shirt was now completely soaked through and see through, displaying the lacy pink bra beneath. The sight was enough to cause me to take another long drink, arousal burning stronger than the liquor.
Josh pulled Hollie tight against his chest, his free hand finding her thigh and helping her hoist a leg around his hips. I couldn't decide what I wanted more right at that moment, to be the person wrapped in Josh's muscular arms or the one holding Hollie up against the door. How can I want both of them and yet be jealous of both of them at the same time? I wasn't entirely sure, but I was fine with it.
"Are you sure that your parents aren't home?" Hollie's eyes met mine from over Josh's shoulder and for a second I lost the ability to form words at the sight of her trapped beneath Josh. "Not even Harry?"
"Nope this place is empty, they won't be home until tomorrow night, but I can always ask them to join in in you want? I could even run the bath for you and then call my father." I was being a bastard after how she had first been introduced to my father, and she knew it. "I know you're into that kind of thing, love."
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass, love." Her eyes were void of amusement, but I could see a small, reluctant smile on her lips as she ground out the sarcastic term of endearment. She slid out of Josh's grip and rose her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, indicating that we should follow her through to the living room.
I stood for a second just watching her, and Josh stood to the side of me to do exactly the same. I didn't even have to turn my head to know he was grinning.
"Are you just going to stand there watching or are you going to come join me, stalkers?" Her face turned back to look at us with a teasing grin.
"Did you just call us stalkers?" I rose an amused eyebrow, "You haven't even seen stalking, I'll show you stalking." I pushed off the doorframe and strolled closer to her before the large glass window facing out across the city. This high up you don't need shutters or blinds. Hollie's grin grew into a wild smile as I got closer and she turned away from the window to face me.
"I have a better idea." Her grin didn't fade as she dropped down to her knees before me, her face lined up directly with my hips. Her hand slid up around my lower back and continued to trail lower and lower until the tips of her fingers were tugging at my belt.
"I like the look of this idea." Josh's voice was gruff from behind me.
Hollie's fingers continued to undo my belt until she had revealed the silver button, my breath hitched in prospect. "Sit." Her demand caught me off guard and it took me a second to process what she had told me, it was the last thing I had expected.
"Sit?" I glanced around to find that Josh had pulled up a dining room chair right before the window.
"Yes, Sit."
I followed her command and sat on the dark wood, reaching to pull her down to straddle me. As soon as my hand was within reach of her body, she took a quick, yet decisive step backward. "There will be no touching the dancer."
"But—" I tried to interrupt but Josh simply spoke over me with a knowing look.
"Music?" He asked Hollie and I let out a low groan. I should have known that Josh's voyeuristic, playful needs would come to bite me in the ass.
"No touching for Ethan, but music? Yeah that'd be good."
Only for me? So Josh can touch? So not fair.
I reluctantly dropped my hands and instead watched Josh choose a playlist. After some indecision, he threw his phone to the side and the song from the concert when Hollie had taken a sly video of me, started to play through the sonos speakers.
My smile faded when Hollie's hips started to sway to the music, her body too far to reach for, yet so close that I could almost smell the alluring scent of her sandalwood and jasmine perfume. She ran her hands over the curve of her hips and then bent forward, messy brunette curls brushing the floor in front of her as she moved. Her hair was straight earlier but now that the rain had had its way with her, she was boasting a full head of luscious, bouncy brown curls.
She stood whilst tossing her hair over her back, and ground her hips from side to side until kneeling before me. Her doe eyes looked up from me and then across to where Josh was stood with an innocent 'fuck me?' look that was driving me insane. The juxtaposition of innocence and intimacy was too overwhelming. She then turned to face me, still gyrating her hips slowly, but her hands moved to the fly of my pants.
She unfastened the silver button mind-blowingly slowly and inched the zipper down, continuing to dance seductively. Her hands ran up her sides, revealing a hint of skin as she eased the band shirt upward. The wet material bunched just beneath her breasts and I wanted nothing more than to reach out for her body, tugging it upwards and over her head. She was a professional in the art of seduction and this was a prime example, the woman oozes sex.
"Take it off," The demand came out as more of a growl and surprised even myself. I could hear a deep chuckle of Josh's amusement at my complete lack of self-control.
"You don't get to make demands like that, the dancer decides what stays and what doesn't."
"But I want to see you, all of you."
"A little help then?" Her eyes flickered over to Josh and I could see the realization hit him in only a matter of seconds before he took a step forward until he was directly behind her back, his fingers running down the sides of her hips. The sight was mind numbingly arousing.
She pushed her shirt higher, teasing me with the vision of the under curves of her full breasts beneath the thin fabric of her shirt. Sawyer's grinning face was looking back at me from the front of her shirt and I bit down the urge to rip the shirt from her.
"Take the damn shirt off Holl, I don't want to have to look at Sawyer's fucking face right now." I growled.
She offered a sheepish smile before turning around to face Josh, revealing an expanse of sexy lower back, and peeled the band shirt off and over her head in one easy move. It was like a scene from a movie, too perfect to be real with Josh watching me from over her shoulder with a look that encapsulated every emotion running through me.
Before I could process her movement, she tossed the soaking wet shirt at me. It hit me straight in the chest with a squelch of protest. I met her eyes with a condescending look that elicited a gasp of laughter from her mouth.
"Sorry, was that a little wet?" She gave a crooked smile and I shook my head at her coyness.
Lifting the black shirt, I held it up and wrung it out, watching the water pour from the soaked material and onto the wooden floor. My eyes slid up to meet hers, "You tell me, love."
Josh's hands cupped her naked breasts from behind so that her pink nipples protruded from between his fingers. I wanted nothing more than to replace Josh's fingers with my mouth, place my lips against the soft tips and make them hard like I was hard.
She took another step closer so that she was within only an arms distance. My eyes glanced to Josh and the heat simmering in his gaze was a reflection of my own, pure lust. My hand reached out to tug Hollie closer, but she simply pulled her arm free and the rejection was a punch to the groin.
"No touching, you know the rules Watson."
"I don't know how much more of this I can take Holl, this is torture."
She didn't grace me with a reply but instead slid one hand slowly down her toned belly, and then past the open button of her jeans. I watched, mesmerized as her hand disappeared into the opening of her jeans, her head falling back against Josh's shoulder in ecstasy, eyes shut tight.
She touched herself, putting more pressure against the apex of her thighs before groaning and pulling her hand from the jeans. She turned to offer her wet fingers to Josh, who was more than willing to oblige. His mouthed closed around the tips of her middle and index fingers, but his eyes never left mine; not even when he knelt down before Hollie and slid the dark material down her thighs. Not even when he hooked the lacy thong beneath his thumbs and pulled them down. Only when he slid his tongue straight down her stiff clit and made her cry out right in front me did his gaze refocus elsewhere.
"You want a taste?" I heard Hollie ask, and my eyes instantly shifted upwards at the prospect of joining Josh on my knees before her. Although I didn't get the chance to stand when she instead turned to Josh, "Let him taste."
Josh turned to my chair and kissed my open mouth with force. I groaned into him, sucking at his tongue and taking all the wetness of Hollie from his lips. Her taste was so overwhelming when mixed with Josh's and I knew I had to thrust into her, into Josh, before I went crazy. Bat shit crazy. Josh then pulled away and they were both watching me with anticipation, like they knew exactly what was coming.
Hopefully all of us.
***\HOLLIE'S P.O.V/***
Ethan picked me up from my sated heap on the floor, carrying me toward the bed with a smug and self assured smile.
"You sure know what you're doing Watson." I compliment him and he releases a rough half laugh, half growl right before he grabs me and flips me over so that he is on top, his elbows planted on either side of my head to hold his weight above me.
He finds the sensitive spot on my neck that never fails to drive me wild, biting softly down against it with a torturous, building pressure. I threw my head back in ecstasy and moaned his name, my fingernails subconsciously digging into his back as they both thrust into me over and over, driving me beyond wild.
"Hollie." Ethan's breath came out in short, fast pants. Josh came a second later, choking out my name as his body released all of its built up tension.
I lowered my legs from around his strong waist, and Josh also gently pulled out, making sure to leave a soft kiss at my temple. I was covered with a combination of their sweat and my own.
Ethan was first to stand, buttoning up the front of his smart shirt but leaving the top four buttons undone so that I could still see the top of his tann chest. However I couldn't seem to move a muscle. I breathed in multiple deep breaths, desperately trying to relieve the aching muscles with much needed oxygen.
When Ethan looked back down at me, his expression changed and a frown formed against his lips, his eyes were strikingly sharp as they studied me. "Holl, are you okay?"
"Yep," I croaked, trying to heave myself up onto my elbows but the weight of Josh's arm draped across my torso stopped me short. "I'm fantastic, fucking fantastic. That was fantastic." How many times could fantastic be used in one sentence? I was about to find out.
"It certainly was fantastic ." Josh spoke up from beside me, his splayed hand drawing slow, steady circles against my lower abdomen. Yet Ethan's brow lowered as he continued to watch me.
I felt intimidated under his penetrating stare and tried to sit up again, but my knees buckled with a 'nope, not happening', and I slumped back down against the mattress in defeat.
Dilapidated limbs 1, Hollie 0.
"Are sure that you're you all right?" Ethan asked again with concern etched into his voice. "Did we hurt you?"
"Psht, no," I reassured him whilst waving a flippant hand. Watching him get so concerned was causing my heart to ache with a protective warmth. "It's just a case of pins and needles, my legs will wake up as soon as the circulation comes back."
His concern didn't fade and I shook off his concern, "surely this isn't the first time you have left someone a little sore after sex? I've caught Josh limping into training before." The comment received a sharp laugh from Josh, who clearly seemed amused by the truth behind my words.
Only minutes later, Josh was helping to haul me up into a sitting position and I found my balance; although the delicious ache between my legs wasn't showing any signs of fading in the near future. However that I could live with. I found myself limping a little as I walked toward the bathroom, not really minding the stiff pain.
Ethan instantly slid an arm around my waist to carry me as I moved toward the bathroom, ignoring my multiple reassurances that I was more than fine, if anything, sated beyond belief. When we reached the threshold of the bathroom, he simply stayed at the doorframe and watched me walk into the room.
"I'm fine, you big stalker." His answering smile caused my heart to race. "Go check up on Josh."
"I would feel better if you could actually say the words without wincing." His eyes cut to me, then drifted down my body with a skeptical glance.
I turned toward the faucet and flicked on the cool water, lightly splashing my face in an attempt to cool my hot flush. I dried off my features before looking up into the mirror and catching Ethan's eye in the mirror, his body still leaning against the doorframe with a dubious look. His arms were crossed against his chest, muscles tight in his shoulders like a heavy burden was resting upon them.
"It is a compliment, really." I shrugged, still watching him through the mirror. When he shot me a quizzical look, I decided to elaborate a little, "Leaving a woman quite literally unable to walk after sex. Brownie points." I continued to dry my face with the soft, white towel draped over the marble counter to my right. Ethan's shoulders relaxed, as if he finally believed what I was saying, and let out a small sigh of what seemed to be relief.
"Brownie points to the both of you then," Josh appeared over Ethan's shoulders, giving them both a tight squeeze before adding, "because that sex was fucking fantastic."
"We didn't even get to use the hot tub." I complained before walking closer towards the door, needing to close it for a moment of privacy.
"There will always be time for that." Josh grinned, but faltered when I started to shut the bathroom door. "You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I just need a second of girl time, I'll be out in a minute." I explained, and they both stood aside to let me shut the bathroom door. Once the wooden barrier was shutting me away from them, I let out a shaky breath and wandered toward the sink where my vanity case was sat atop the cabinet.
After rooting through the small case, I pulled out my toothbrush and a small white stick. The pregnancy test that Becky found had been negative, but I wanted confirmation.
As I waited for the result, I heard Ethan call my name through the door and not wanting to make them suspicious of what was taking so long, I went to go see them.
"You finished up now?" Josh asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. I watched as he patted the small space on the mattress between them, "I don't know about you but I fancy round two to really make you feel better, ease all those aches." My mouth lifted into a smile of its own accord and my mind went blank as two sets of hands pulled me closer onto the mattress.
The pregnancy test was still on the counter four hours later when I was fast asleep, completely forgetting I had ever put it there.
***\ETHAN'S P.O.V/***
Hollie's sleeping form squirmed in the bed beside me, her limbs spread out like a starfish looking for water, yet she was on the pursuit of cool air rather than H2O.
Josh however, was the complete opposite, still dead to the world and completely naked on her other side. Not really a surprise.
My attention was once again snagged on Hollie as her legs kicked from beneath the warm duvet and her arms struggled to find cool air. Clearly she was too hot under the covers, especially with both mine and Josh's body heat radiating from either side of her small body. I continued to watch her for another minute, before lifting the covers away from her torso slightly to see if it would help her sleep.
She opened her eyes under my gaze and her brown eyes searched mine with a delirious, sleep hazed smile. I hadn't meant to wake her up, but the look she was giving me right now was worth it.
"Hey stalker." She breathed, her eyes still watching me with cool amusement.
"Hey."
She pulled up her arm from under the cover and rested the side of her face against her palm.
"Hot?" I asked.
"You could say that," her eyes met mine with a reserved smile, "who needs central heating with the two of you?"
I hummed in agreement, yet took that as my cue to stand, pulling on a pair of Calvin's from the beside draws and then moving toward the French-style patio widows that opened up over the balcony. The early morning breeze was cool and the sun had yet to rise over the horizon, casting long shadows over the street below. Manhattan at 5am was still far from a ghost town, early morning wakers already jogging through Central Park and the later rises still stumbling home after a night of cocktails and bourbon.
I could hear movement from the bedroom behind and assumed that it was just Hollie repositioning herself in the bed now that she could actually sleep in peace. I wasn't expecting company at such an early hour, but the telltale creak of metal, as the patio window slid open and then closed again, told me that I wasn't going to be alone on the balcony.
Hollie was stood next to me only seconds later, her figure hidden beneath a thin, white bedsheet that was currently being held up in a loose knot just above the swell of her breasts. Her nipples were just visible beneath the sheet, the early morning breeze causing them to harden into small peaks. Her gaze dropped to the road, and she let out an amused laugh.
"You would think that less people would be crazy enough to wake up at such as ungodly hour." Her elbows rested on the metal railing, taking some of her weight as she peered over it and onto the street below.
We continued to watch two men jogging along the street in silence before a noise behind the glass windows disturbed us. It sounded like a scream but I couldn't quite be sure due to the muffled, soundproof windows.
"What on earth was that!" Ethan's eyes caught mine and then he was sliding open the patio windows, his gaze instantly searching out the room for a sign of intrusion. I held my breath for a short second, right before my world came tumbling down at the rushed words that followed. "Mum I can explain-"
~~~
A.N- So where are you? It's been a little while huh? (Tøp reference😉) Sooo... I needed some time away from the platform for a while so I'm sorry for the radio-silence on my end. I thought it was only right to end the story for you all and maybe even start a fresh new chapter with some new characters in another story??😉 Anyway I'm back and I hope you all enjoy the last few updates of Between Us!!