Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 58211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Then I’ll kiss her perfect lips, down her neck, take her peaks in my mouth as I massage her haven.
A scream shatters my fantasy—Holly.
I leap to my feet and rush down the hallway. Her door is locked.
“Holly?” I yell.
“I’m okay.” She doesn’t sound it. “I just had a bad dream.”
“Fuck. You scared the hell out of me. Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need anything?”
“It’s fine,” she mutters, but it sounds like a lie.
“I’m here if you change your mind, just a text away. If you want a drink, talk, or anything, okay?”
“Thanks, Asher. I mean it.”
I linger by the door momentarily, but I don’t want to push her.
As usual, my resolve doesn’t extend to texting.
Me: Do you want to talk about your nightmare?
Holly: Text about it, you mean?
Me: Okay, Miss Pedantic.
Holly: I can’t decide if that’s better or worse than Miss Goody Two-shoes. Do you mind if I ask how long you knew it was me?
Me: Only if you don’t mind me pointing out that you’re changing the subject.
Holly: Okay, sue me. I still want to know.
Me: It was the story about your dad, I reply. Then, I was in a bind because I wanted to keep texting you. Since this Secret Santa thing, I’ve texted more than I have all year. I felt like an ass, though, because I was lying to you or misleading you, at the very least. You didn’t know it was me.
Holly: I had my suspicions, she replies. There were a few phrases you used and a few hints that gave the game away. I didn’t know if I should be scared or excited. I was worried it would be somebody else. I wanted it to be you.
Me: Why?
Holly: I didn’t want to flirt with anybody who wasn’t you.
Me: I have to admit, Snowflake. I was worried about that, too. I hated the idea of you bantering with anybody else. I knew you had every right to, but it still bothered me.
Holly: Imagine how I felt when I thought it was Derek!
Me: That must’ve been awful. Dan asked me to swipe Derek’s phone if he comes back to the office. He could go to Dan or even contact him and explain that I’m the real Secret Santa. It would involve sneaking into a superior’s office and taking their phone, but I wouldn’t put it past him.
She doesn’t reply for a long time.
Me: I’m sorry, Snowflake. I don’t mean to worry you.
Holly: It’s not that, she replies.
Me: Do you want to talk in person? In the living room? Or I could come to you …
Holly: No, Asher. We both know what will happen if we move this past texting. We might say we can be strong, but we haven’t proven that so far.
There’s another long pause. I resist the urge to pester her.
Holly: You’re right about Derek. He contacted me on the Secret Santa phone. That’s what my nightmare was about. Him. What he’s going to do. If I tell you, you have to promise to stay calm. You have to promise you won’t freak. Believe me, you’ll want to.
Me: I won’t freak, Snowflake.
Holly: You have to PROMISE.
She’s serious. Whatever it is, it’s bad. After misleading her about the Secret Santa thing, I don’t want to lie to her again.
Me: I can’t make that promise. With you, I can’t control how I feel. You’ve melted my cold heart.
Holly: You’re so romantic.
Me: You’re the first person who’s ever told me that.
Holly: That makes it more special. I shouldn’t tell you this.
Me: But you’re going to, I reply. If you’re having nightmares about it, you need to speak with someone. I’m here for you.
Holly: As a friend, she texts. As my brother’s buddy, right?
I grind my teeth. Surely, she knows I’ll never be just her brother’s buddy again, but I need to exercise some discipline.
Me: I’ll do my best to keep it that way. That’s the best I can offer.
Holly: For Dan’s sake, she texts.
Holly: Derek texted me and demanded that I meet him tomorrow, well, technically today. He’s blackmailing me for a naked photo of me. I told him I’d only let him look at a Polaroid because I didn’t trust him with a digital copy. I bought myself some time, but I’m unsure what to do. I need to get my hands on his phone.
I’m on my feet instantly, standing at the window, staring across the city and wishing Derek was here. Or maybe that’d be a bad thing. I don’t want to catch a homicide charge.
Who the fuck does he think he is?
I leave the bedroom and knock on her door.
“Asher …”
“Open up,” I growl.
“We can’t—”
“Open the door, Snowflake, or I’m kicking it down.”
She opens it a moment later, her hair a wild mess, her eyes red from crying, looking beautiful and heartbroken at the same time. I wrap my arms around her as gently as I can. Even now—always—the instinct to go further grips me. She’s wearing PJ bottoms with holes, showing tempting glimpses of her thighs.