What Happens at Christmas (7 page)

“Uh, hi,” he replied. “It’s good to see you.” He was a terrible liar. His gaze slid sideways to take in Sean who stood beside Justin like a rock, tall and looming, and comforting in his solidity. “Um… this is Johnny.”

The brown-haired guy beside Andy smiled. “Hi.” He had a sweet face, innocent and open, and Justin suddenly felt sorry for him rather than jealous. He had what Justin had thought he wanted, but now he realised with sudden clarity that he’d had a very lucky escape.

“Hi, Johnny.” He turned to Andy again. “You remember Sean?” Justin reached for Sean’s hand and drew him closer, raising their linked hands so Andy couldn’t miss them. “We finally got our shit together.”

Andy’s brows drew together. “Oh?”

Sean offered Andy his free hand to shake. Andy took it, and from the slight wince he failed to hide, Justin knew Sean had squeezed hard. He bit back the urge to laugh.

“Yeah,” Sean cut in smoothly. “We couldn’t keep hiding how we felt about each other anymore. I think we knew before I went away travelling, but the timing wasn’t right then.”

“And, of course, I was dating you then, and I’m not the type to play around.” Justin let a hint of ice slip into his tone as the words “unlike some people” went unspoken.

Poor Johnny was frowning in confusion as he tried to make sense of the conversation.

“So… you guys used to be together?” He gestured between Andy and Justin.

“Oh yes. Until just a couple of weeks ago,” Justin said.

Johnny turned to Andy. “But we’ve been seeing each other for two months.” His voice rose. “You said we were exclusive!”

Justin winced. He hadn’t realised Andy had been seeing Johnny for so long, or that Johnny had been unaware of Justin’s existence. But his wince was for Johnny rather than himself. Poor guy, what a shitty way to find out the bloke you were dating was a cheating wanker.

Andy glared at Justin, his face turning dark red with embarrassment, fury, or both. “Don’t listen to him, Johnny. He’s just a jealous little shit.”

Justin ignored him and carried on as though he hadn’t spoken, addressing Johnny again. “Apparently that’s what he tells all the boys. I’m sorry, really. I assumed you knew he was with someone else when you met him. I didn’t mean to drop that on you now, but it’s probably better that you know. You weren’t the only guy he was fooling around with while he was with me either.”

Johnny rounded on Andy. “Is this true?”

“Of course not. He’s lying. He was probably the one cheating on me.” Andy flashed a glare at Sean. “Look. Can we talk about this later?” He kept his voice low, trying to defuse the situation. They were already attracting the attention of some nearby partygoers. Justin had a feeling they were waiting for someone to start throwing drinks. He reckoned now was a good time to get away, just in case.

“Well, clearly you two have lots to talk about. We need to go to the bar. Catch you later.” Justin tugged on Sean’s hand to get him moving.

Both Andy and Johnny ignored them, busy arguing in hushed tones with lots of irate hand gestures.

Justin held in his amusement until they were safely away, and then he collapsed against the bar half-laughing, half-horrified. “Oh my God, did you see his face? But poor Johnny. I feel bad for him.”

Sean was chuckling too. “Oh yeah, that was way too much fun. I know what you mean about Johnny, though, but at least he knows what he’s dealing with now. If he’s got any sense, he’ll get out fast.” He glanced back to where they were still arguing, in time to see Johnny turn away with an unmistakable “Fuck off,” and stalk away into the crowds. “I think maybe he just did.”

Back at their table, Justin filled Jess in on the gossip. Kieran listened with interest, but the other people at the table were having their own conversation, not really paying attention to the drama.

“Serves him bloody well right,” Jess said emphatically. “Maybe it’ll teach him a lesson.”

“So, what happened to the other bloke—Johnny? Is he still here, or did he leave?” Kieran asked.

Justin scanned the room until he caught sight of a man standing alone at the bar, his golden brown hair was the right colour, but he had his back to them, head down, phone in hand. “I think that might be him at the bar.” The man in question lifted his head and turned enough so Justin could see his profile. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“He’s cute,” Kieran said.

“He is,” Sean agreed.

Justin felt a rush of jealousy, which reminded him that they were supposed to be boyfriends—if only for the night. Maybe this was how method actors felt.

“Oi.” He nudged Sean with his knee.

“Not as cute as you, obviously.” Sean put his hand on Justin’s thigh and squeezed, then left it there. It was way too close to Justin’s crotch to be a platonic gesture, and Justin felt a delicious tickle of arousal at the warm weight of it.

“He seemed like a decent bloke,” Justin said to Kieran. “And he could probably use some company right now. He’s having a shitty night.”

Kieran’s eyes lit up. “You reckon?”

“Go for it.”

“Okay.” Kieran stood, squaring his shoulders as if he were heading into battle. “I will.”

“Good luck,” Justin called after him. Then he turned back to Sean and Jess. “I really need to see Andy’s face if Kieran manages to pull Johnny right under his nose.”

“Is Andy still here?” Jess asked. “God, after a scene like that, I’d be out of here.”

“Oh, he’s way too brazen to leave. Plus he has arse-kissing to do. He’s hoping for a promotion after Christmas, so he’s not going to miss a chance to schmooze up to senior management. Look”—Justin pointed—“there he is talking to the head of HR right now. What a surprise. It’s a shame Johnny didn’t pour a drink over him. That would have sent him home.”

Sean patted Justin’s thigh, sending another curl of heat to his groin. “But if he’d gone home, he wouldn’t get to see us snogging on the dance floor later. We don’t want him to miss that. It’s another chance to rub his nose in it.”

There was going to be snogging? Justin didn’t remember agreeing to that. Not that he was opposed to it, but…. Justin’s brain short-circuited for a moment, trapped between the thought of kissing Sean and the sensation of Sean’s hand idly stroking his thigh. He was glad the table was hiding his lap, because he was pretty sure he’d have a noticeable bulge in his trousers by now.

By the time the food was brought out, Justin had calmed down enough that he could walk across the room to the buffet without embarrassing himself. He was also feeling pretty buzzed from the beer on top of the drinks they’d had when they arrived. Some food seemed like a good idea to soak it up.

They loaded their plates and took them back to the table.

“These breaded chicken strips are lush,” Sean said enthusiastically.

“Oh. I didn’t get any of those.”

“Here, have one of mine.” Sean put one on Justin’s plate.

“Thanks. And you should try this quiche—it’s really good.” He was already holding it in his hand, so he offered it to Sean to take a bite.

“Mmmm.” Sean nodded as he chewed. “Yeah, that’s nice too.”

“You’ve got crumbs on your face.” A few bits of pastry had flaked off and attached themselves to Sean’s stubble. “No, the other side.” Justin reached up and brushed them off carefully. Sean’s chin was rough against his fingertips and made Justin imagine how it would feel under his lips. “There.”

“Thanks.” Sean’s smile was soft and weirdly intimate. Justin lost himself in it for a moment, smiling back.

Jess leaned over the table conspiratorially. “God, you two are really good at this. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were totally in love. It’s so sweet it’s almost nauseating. Maybe you should reconsider an alternative career in acting.”

Justin snapped back to reality. “Yeah, well.” A flush warmed his cheeks. “I was pretty good in the drama productions at school, if I say so myself.”

This was the easiest role he’d ever had to play. He hadn’t even been consciously trying. It felt totally natural to touch Sean like that, to look him in the eyes and smile as if nobody else in the room was watching.

He glanced sideways, trying to check Sean’s reaction to what Jess had said, but Sean had his head down, concentrating on his food again. His cheeks looked a little pink too… maybe it was just because it was hot in here.

Once the meal was over, the lights dimmed and the music went up a few notches. People started to drift onto the dance floor.

“Come on,” Jess said to the table at large. “Let’s dance. I need to work off all the chocolate fudge cake I ate. I love this track, but I’m not going up there on my own.”

She managed to rally a bit of support, and as some of the others stood to join her, Sean raised his eyebrows at Justin.

“You wanna?”

Justin raised his eyebrows in return. “Are you sure you’ve drunk enough?”

Sean mock glared. “Ha-ha. I think I’ll manage. It’s nice and crowded, and the lights are low.”

They found a bit of space on the floor and danced as a group, gradually drifting closer to the DJ.

Justin watched Sean as he moved. Sean was way better at this than he thought he was. He had rhythm, and when he stopped being self-conscious and let the music lead him, he looked loose and natural as he swayed to the beat. The music was upbeat and fast, a mix of modern tracks with plenty of seventies disco thrown in. Nobody was dancing as a couple yet, so Justin had no physical contact with him, but he found it hard to look away. He kept catching Sean watching him too, and they’d smile at each other, or laugh at each other’s deliberately cheesy disco moves.

They danced for ages, the group growing and shrinking around them as people came and went. Other colleagues joined them for a while before drifting off to the bar, or for a breather. Justin was getting high on it. He loved dancing, loved moving his body and losing himself in the pure physical pleasure of it. It was like sex—you had to turn off your thinking head and let yourself be carried along on the rush of endorphins as your body took over.

The music changed suddenly as the lights dimmed further. Sliding into a slower, more sensual beat with deep bass tones that vibrated through Justin with the thud of his heart. Without thinking too much about what he was doing, he reached for Sean, who moved towards him willingly. Their bodies slotted together as though they were made for this. Hands found waists and slid around necks, pulling each other close until they were like one, moving to the dirty, sexy rhythm that grabbed Justin like a fist around his cock.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sean felt as though he was drowning. Swept away on a rising tide of desire, reality and imagination merged, and he struggled to remember this wasn’t real. Justin wasn’t really his… but Justin’s hot breath skimmed Sean’s neck, and Sean slipped further into the fantasy. Justin smelled so good, his scent breaking through the overlay of cologne and hair product. Warm and delicious, Sean couldn’t get enough of him. Having Justin in his arms was intoxicating, devastating. Everything Sean had wanted for years was finally right there for the taking.

It’s only pretend
.

Sean pulled away, trying to find air to breathe that wasn’t full of Justin. Maybe then he could clear his senses and convince his libido to stand down. But Justin curled his hand into the hair at the nape of Sean’s neck and kept him there.

“Stay,” Justin said into Sean’s ear, making him shiver. “Andy’s watching us.”

The reminder of why they were doing this should have been a bucket of cold water for Sean, but logic and reason were long gone. Instead he found himself saying, “Well then, let’s really give him something to see.”

He drew back enough that he could see Justin’s face as he brought a hand up to cup his cheek. Justin’s lips parted and his eyes glittered in the flashing lights.

“Can I?” Sean asked, hoping Justin could read the meaning even if he couldn’t hear the words.

He got a nod in reply, and Justin licked his lips, making them shine, wet and inviting.

So Sean kissed him.

They were both tentative at first. Gentle and almost chaste, soft lips and closed mouths. But then they bumped noses and that made them both smile. Feeling bolder, Sean kissed Justin harder, and when their tongues touched, it was electric. Sean’s senses lit up like a Christmas tree when the fairy lights go on, and everything was bright and beautiful. His heart swelled, pounding in his ears and stealing his breath. They were still moving together, but whether it was to the pulsing rhythm of the music or that of their own bodies in response to the heat surging between them, Sean couldn’t tell.

He knew they should stop. This kiss was too dirty for an office party, even in the semidarkness of the dance floor, and if he didn’t pull away soon, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to. If he’d wanted Justin before he’d kissed him, it had been a pale shadow of desire to the burning need he felt now he had Justin in his arms, mouth open and wet, cock grinding hard against Sean’s hip.

He broke the kiss, but Justin chased his mouth, hand still in Sean’s hair, pulling almost painfully as he tried to keep Sean where he wanted him.

Sean moved his mouth to Justin’s ear, where he’d be sure Justin would hear him. “Gibbon.” He added an apologetic kiss to Justin’s cheek.

Justin burst out laughing and released his grip on Sean’s hair, letting his hand slide down to his shoulder as he drew back and put some space between them. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“It was that or risk coming in my new trousers.” His arousal must have been obvious, so there seemed little point in being coy. Justin was hard too.

There was a flare of heat in Justin’s eyes, and then a long pause before he asked, “Do you want to get out of here?”

Did that mean what Sean hoped it meant? “Yeah,” he said with a nod, and Justin’s smile widened.

“Come on, let’s go home.” Justin took Sean’s hand and led him off the dance floor.

“Look.” Sean nudged Justin, attracting his attention to where Kieran and Johnny were dancing, bodies close and hands wandering.