Three Christmas Wishes - Krista Wolf Page 0,10

metal?” Kade asked, catching on.

“Exactly.”

He folded his arms and nodded in admiration. “That’s pretty badass.”

“Shit yeah it is.”

A few minutes later we were lounging around the living area, and I was deep into my third glass of wine. Kade and Brock used one of my stepladders to string all the lights, while Valerio removed the tops from the ornament boxes and slipped hanging hooks through each.

“Plug it in,” Kade nodded downward, toward the end of the cord. “And kill the lights.”

We did, and we were rewarded instantly with a beautiful, colorful array of sparkling lights. They lit up the naked tree from within, sending a warm, muted glow over the now-darkened room.

“Should we really decorate it like this?” I asked. “In the dark?”

“Best way to see what it’ll look like with the lights off,” Brock shrugged.

I smiled and stood up, feeling warm and flush and pleasantly buzzed. The guys were so eager to decorate it was absolutely adorable. It was the polar opposite of my decorating experience with my asshole ex-boyfriend, who approached the task of decorating like it was an unwanted chore.

“We need some music,” said Valerio. “Christmas music.”

I nodded and quickly grabbed my phone. “I’m on it.”

With the punch of a few buttons I called up a playlist I always loved and listened to around the holidays. It consisted of all the old, traditional Christmas songs my parents had played growing up, back when I was a little girl decorating the tree with them. Of course I could never play this list with Drake around.

“Nice,” smiled Brock, as the unmistakable rhythm of the Little Drummer Boy started up from bluetooth speakers set all around us. If there was one thing Drake did take care of, it was our surround sound system. “This is perfect.”

Soon the room was filled with a chorus of beautiful voices, accompanied by a soft, distinctive melody. We rotated around the tree placing ornaments, taking turns using the ladder to get to the highest places. The guys had brought enough decorations to cover the tree top to bottom, which was overly generous of them. I felt honored. Happier than I’d been in… well…

Years?

It was pathetic but it was true. I’d done a lot of reflection over the past week. My relationship with Drake had been a lot worse than I realized, and probably had been for a long time. Sometimes you needed to take a step back to realize stuff like that. To get completely out of a situation, in order to see it for exactly what it was.

Right now, decorating the tree in the dimly lit room… swaying to Christmas music… it was like a fun, happy dream. The guys took turns handing me ornaments, and holding me steady whenever I used the ladder. This required placing their hands on my body, something I didn’t mind in the slightest. In fact, every time we made contact it seemed more and more electric. Each touch, more tender and lingering.

Eventually I was high up on the ladder, with Valerio behind me. He held me fast with both hands as I reached up and placed my grandmother’s star at the very top of the tree, which was dizzyingly higher than it looked.

“Easy now…”

For a split second I faltered, and his fingers flexed instantly. They dug into the flesh of my hips, and a shockwave of unbidden excitement rippled through me. By the time I climbed down to where the others were holding the ladder steady on both sides, I was covered with goosebumps.

We stepped back to admire the tree, just as Mariah Carey’s beautiful voice began crooning the opening words of All I Want For Christmas. The tree looked breathtaking in the dim light. The moment was almost magical.

Then, without warning, I was face to face with Brock.

“Thank you so much for this,” I murmured, as his blue eyes locked on mine. “It’s beautiful, so perfect…”

My heart was thundering in my chest as our bodies drifted inexorably together. I could smell the scent of him now. So musky and delicious. So much like a man.

Sloane…

His arms went around me as my face drifted inward, to meet his. Then our lips crashed together and suddenly we were kissing… really kissing. Our mouths rotating slowly, beautifully, as our tongues slid together and began exploring each other’s mouths…

What the—

Down below, Brock’s hands were making me melt. They were so strong, so possessive. So insistently bold as they roamed past my ribs and up my body, his calloused fingertips leaving tiny