Read Online Unholy Nights: A Twisted Christmas Anthology by Linda Barlow, Andra Brynn, Nicole Blanchard, Alana Albertson, Carly Carson, Kara Ashley Dey, Cherie Chulick - Free Book Online Page B

dare obscure its light on this, the Longest Night. It made me feel a little moonstruck.
    Will-struck.
    I wanted to touch him. As soon as he'd stepped into my circle of awareness, my body had recognized that here was another body that made it feel good. Molecules started exploding in all my cells, fizzing into my blood, and being circulated from heart to lungs to brain to belly and all the way out to the tips of my fingers and toes. Even my hair felt electric. When Will leaned over to pat the cat, who had deigned to come check us out, coolly pushing the two dogs out of her way so she could head-butt Will's legs, unruly chestnut strands of my long hair clung to the warm flesh of his forearm.
    "So what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked, surprising myself again. I wasn't about to be ensnared by chemistry and the moon. I wanted an explanation for why he hadn't contacted me for two months. But I wasn't sure how to ask for one. We probably both had friends who fell into bed with casual lovers. Weekend hookups, no big deal.
    Will looked as if he felt cornered by my question. "I wondered how you'd been doing. How things were going, and all. You know."
    Right. Had there ever been a guy who wanted to talk about the relationship? Particularly when there was no relationship to discuss?
    What had probably happened was that Will, more solitary than usual because his friends had left for the holidays, had been reminded of my existence when I'd jogged past his dorm. But he hadn't cared, not then. Not enough to run after me. Not enough to call, send a text, or make any move at all.
    Tonight, though, here I was, still on campus, dressed up and looking fine in my little black dress and killer heels. I mean, I surely looked a lot better now than I had in my running sweats and old jacket, no make-up, no perfume, my hair bundled up and hidden under a woolen cap.
    What's more, I would be here for intersession while Will's other friends were skiing, and I was demonstrably an easy lay.
    I jumped up from the sofa. It seemed that Pissed Off, Rejected Holly was in the ascendance tonight. Maybe "D'arcania" had sold us the revenge charm, after all. "I really need to find Julie." I pushed past the dogs and headed toward the door. "Enjoy your Longest Night."
    But not with me, asshole.
    And that should have been the end of it. I was going to find Julie and leave. I wasn't a party person, and I figured I'd had about as much of the festivities as I could stand.
    But Will stopped me again. This time he did it with his voice.
    "I fucked up," he said. "Holly. Please don't go."
    I paused. Curiosity is a bitch. I stood there, fists on hips like a challenge in the moonlight. "I'm listening."
    "You're mad at me because I didn't call you?"
    There were many things I could have said to that, but for once it was good that I couldn't squeeze any words out. I just stood there, like an avenging goddess, waiting for the guilty mortal to lay his case before my divine court of justice.
    "I couldn't call. Not until I sorted things out. You see, I shouldn't have done what we did that night." He must have seen me stiffen, because he quickly added, "I wasn't free."
    "Free?" I echoed. "Did I make you do anything that night? Did I, like, use a spell on you or something?" As I said this, dripping sarcasm, I had an uneasy image of the mistletoe tacked up in the library, and the unmistakable look of arousal on Author Guy's face. Not to mention Professor Jeff's.
    "I was still with my girlfriend back then."
    His girlfriend ? I stared at him, feeling something black and dark start to grow in me again. All I could think was, dear god or goddess or whoever, please don't let me turn into Stalker Girl again. "You have a girlfriend?"
    "Had a girlfriend. Willow. But that's over now."
    Her name was Willow? Will and Willow?? How lame was that?
    I felt weirdly calm now. "So, you had this girlfriend, this Willow, and you cheated on her with me?"
    He was no longer sitting on the sofa. He had