Page 31 of One More Gift
“When he told you he’d be the best person to teach you what I like, he had a good point. You already know I love surprises. Whatever the two of you have in mind, I’m sure I can handle it.”
Chapter 19
Casper
When we were stilltogether, our Christmas Day tradition was a long walk through the countryside before coming home to light a fire and hide from the world.
Saskia would curl up with a book or sit at the table with her jigsaw puzzle. I’d open a bottle of wine and make a start on preparing dinner with orchestral carols on the radio.
There might be music and wine, but this year couldn’t be more different.
Henry and I are on the sofa with our feet up, but while he looks relaxed and comfortable, I’m coiled like a fucking spring. I’ve been watching the two of them make puppy-dog eyes at each other all morning, and she’s been flouncing around in her robe knowing fine well I can’t slip my hands inside like I used to.
Normally she’d cover up in cashmere loungewear, so I feel like she’s up to something. I just can’t figure it out while she keeps her distance.
At the dining table, she strings together even more paper chains. As if she hasn’t already decorated enough.
She likes to do things like this when she’s here, to keep her hands busy and her mind off of work. Surely work is the last thing on her mind while the three of us are in a room together. I can think of plenty of other ways to keep her hands busy.
My thoughts are solely focused on the three of us getting naked, but Henry and I haven’t had a moment together today to come up with our payback plan. I can’t exactly ask him to step outside with me while the snow is still coming down.
I shift, leaning over the back of the sofa, impatient for her attention.
“Hey, what are you wearing underneath your robe?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she says, taking a sip of her wine and refusing to look my way.
“Yes, I would. That’s why I asked.”
“I know what she’s wearing,” Henry says from the other end of the sofa, still working on his crossword.
“What the fuck? How does he get to know, and I don’t?”
“Because I bought it for her, and I was there when she put it on.”
She bites back her smile, certain she has the upper hand. She doesn’t, unless Henry has swapped allegiances again, which he’d better fucking not have. For these games with Saskia, I need him on my side.
“I want to see it,” I tell him. “What do you think, Henry? Can I take a look?”
“Be my guest,” he shrugs.
“Henry!” Saskia shrieks as I leap up and make my way over to where she sits. She picks up another strip of paper, refusing to look my way.
“What?” he laughs. “I think I’d rather enjoy letting him look at what he can’t have anymore. Wasn’t that your plan for him yesterday? To show him once and for all that you’re not his.”
Saskia’s eyes flare and her bottom lip disappears behind her teeth. Henry folds his newspaper away and leaves the comfort of the sofa to join us by the table. I move behind her, lifting her hair to pull it back into a ponytail, wrapping it gently around my fist.
“That really was very naughty of you,” Henry says, tracing his fingers down her cheek to her neck, then slipping the robe off one shoulder. “I suspect your husband is keen for a little payback for that filthy game you made him play with us.”
“Ex-husband,” she huffs out, nuzzling her cheek against his palm.
I yank her hair hard, forcing her to look up at me, and the robe slips further.His hand drifts to her throat and she smiles, eyes turning hazy.
“What do you think, Casper? Have we got time to play with our toy?”
“We’re snowed in on Christmas Day, my friend. We’ve got nothing but time.”
Saskia’s chest heaves, and Henry tugs at the belt-tie, pulling it free and letting it fall further.