Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
My sister reaches out to steady her. “Don’t worry. I got ya.”
Instead of watching them struggle like an asshole, I climb to my feet and close the distance behind Hollis, my body intimately pressing against hers as I reach for the ribbon in her hand.
Her subtle intake of breath can be heard through the room. It charges the air around us, igniting a fire that neither of us acknowledges.
“Here good?” I ask, dipping my mouth next to her ear.
She shivers in response before nodding.
After securing the ribbon in place, I linger for just a little longer, savoring her warmth before reluctantly stepping back.
She murmurs a soft thank you, the words barely audible, yet they echo through every cell of my body.
Jesus, I’m fucking losing it.
“Hey, where’s our star?” Poppy asks, searching through the totes for the tree topper I bought her from Canadian Tire last year.
“In the basement, under the stairs,” I tell her, offering to go retrieve it.
“No. It’s okay, I got it. You guys start on the garland. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She dashes out of the room like her ass is on fire.
Hollis turns to me, amused. “I had no idea there was someone out there who loves Christmas as much as I do.”
I grunt at the understatement. “No one loves Christmas as much as my sister, trust me on that.”
Bending down, I grab one of the three garlands. Hollis grabs the other end of it and guides us over to the fireplace.
“Tell me something, Cross.”
I don’t know what it is about her using my last name all the time, but I like it. Really fucking like it.
“How does your sister believe in the magic of this holiday so much when you…don’t?” she asks, amusement lacing her tone as she carefully arranges the greenery on the mantle.
Instead of giving her some bullshit answer, I opt for the truth. “Because I never got to experience the magic of it growing up.”
Her gaze meets mine at the confession. “Never?”
I shake my head.
Sadness dims her expression. “I’m sorry.”
I shrug off the apology. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault I had a shitty childhood, but it’s why I’m determined to make sure Poppy’s is better. I’ll sled all fucking day with her, watch every shitty Christmas movie, and listen to the cheeriest fucking music if it means she never stops believing, because she deserves all the magic I never had.”
That response brings a smile to her face—the kind of smile that has the power to change the world. “She’s lucky to have you.”
She’s wrong. I’m the lucky one, but I keep that to myself, deciding I’ve been vulnerable enough for one night.
“Thanks for letting me come tonight,” she adds softly, her gaze dropping to the floor. “I’ve had a great time with you guys. It beats sitting home alone.” She attempts to laugh off that last part, but the truth lingers in her voice, unmistakable and raw.
It provokes me to make the move that I do. “What are you doing this weekend?”
Her gaze lifts back to mine, surprise mingling with hope. “Nothing. Why?”
“Because Friday is Passion Falls’ annual Christmas event. I take Poppy to it every year, and I know she would want you to come.”
Using my sister as an excuse isn’t a total dick move since she would, in fact, want Hollis to come. I’m just extending the invite before she does.
Hollis, however, refuses to let me off the hook so easily. “Only Poppy?” she questions, arching a brow.
I decide to give her the truth, knowing she deserves at least that much. “I want you to come too.”
The smile that touches her lips is worth the blow to my pride. “I’d love to go with you and Poppy,” she finally says, “but only if you answer one question for me first.”
The sudden gleam dancing in her eyes has me bracing myself for the unexpected. “What’s that?” I ask, worrying she somehow managed to smuggle in a fucking snowball without me seeing.
“Are you the one who’s been clearing the snow off my car every morning?”
Busted.
I remain silent, unwilling to admit that truth. Despite what I just said.
Not that it matters. She sees right through me.
Her smile turns knowing as she steps closer, bringing all that beauty of hers dangerously close. It wraps around my senses like a velvet caress, its warmth setting fire to every inch of my skin. Her scent, a heady mix of vanilla and something uniquely her own, invades my lungs, igniting something dark and primal within me. “You know what I think, Cross?”
No, but I’m fucking dying to find out.
“I think this grumpy act of yours is just that—an act. I think deep down, you’re one of the good ones.”
I want to prove her wrong, to kiss the ever-living shit out of her and show her just how bad I can be. Just as I consider doing exactly that, my sister comes bursting back into the room, breathless and triumphant.