Three Christmas Wishes - Krista Wolf Page 0,76
broken in to a buttery softness,” I protested.
“True, but with more space come more options, more positions.” Her grin turned a little fiendish. “I guess that’s number two.”
I returned her gaze, scratching thoughtfully at my stubbled chin. “And number three?”
“Number three…” she said, stretching out like a cat, “involves you fulfilling your promise from ten years ago.”
“And that would be?”
“Doing me for a third time,” she laughed into my mouth, as she pulled me down to kiss me.
Five
KAYLA
The vinyl siding was new, and the driveway had been completely redone. Flower beds too. There were some roses growing on a new trellis against the fence, and the mailbox had been repainted a nice off-white with an eggshell finish.
But in every other aspect, the house I grew up in looked exactly the same.
It was harder than I thought, standing at the bottom of the front lawn with my arms at my sides. From this angle I could see the tree I’d tried to climb in the fourth grade, when I broke my arm. The smooth area of the sidewalk I loved to draw on with colored chalk. I could hear my mother’s voice, calling me to dinner. Shouting for me to come in from whatever I was doing, through the one window in the kitchen that was somehow always open.
For a minute or two I let myself stand there, basking in the nostalgia. Wondering if I’d look back on this moment with bittersweet memories, or whether I would’ve been better off not coming at all.
Last night it had been hard, not inviting Warren up to my room. He’d dropped me off after a rousing round three, thus bringing our little decade-long, drive-through saga completely full circle. I’d been tired though, and not just from our lovemaking. Flying in, driving up… all those things had taken their toll. All alone in my giant bed in my fancy new suite, at least I’d gotten a fantastic night’s sleep.
“It looks the same, doesn’t it?”
I whirled, shocked to see a tall blond figure had somehow snuck up behind me. Then I squealed with joy, and threw my arms around him.
“LUKE!”
He felt like he always did — long and lithe and strong. His impossibly long arms enveloped me tightly as he leaned back, pulling me into the air. Before I knew it he’d swung me around in a full circle, my feet dangling high off the ground.
“Holy shit did you get taller?”
His boyish smile broadened, even as his eyes took me in. “Nah,” he said, putting me back down. “Maybe you’ve just been hanging out with short guys?”
“I don’t think so.”
He shrugged. “Or maybe you just haven’t been hanging out with the right guys.”
I laughed and hugged him again. “Now that I agree with.”
We stood for a moment, our arms still wrapped around each other comfortingly. Luke’s crazy blond hair was still the same, and so was his trademark grin. He had the same stormy, blue-grey eyes. The ones I’d found myself lost in, so many, many times.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, letting my smile fade. “About… Elizabeth.”
“So am I,” Luke nodded grimly. “So is everyone.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep the lump from forming in my throat. If I let it get too big, I knew it wouldn’t go away.
“When’s the last time you saw her?” asked Luke.
My eyes dropped as I searched my memory. “Had to be at least five years ago,” I said guiltily. “She came down to California and crashed with me for a couple of days. I was in Santa Rosa back then.”
He nodded. “She told me about that trip. She had fun with you.”
My heart sank. The words might’ve been meant to be comforting, but they only made me feel worse.
“I uh, I sort of dissuaded her from staying,” I admitted. “I think she was running away like me, but I didn’t think she was serious.”
“Elizabeth was never that serious about anything,” Luke said, scratching the back of his neck. “She was always flighty. Always bouncing from place to place, couch to couch.” He paused, contemplatively. “That’s probably what got her in so much trouble.”
The lump was getting bigger. It was hard to breathe.
“So… yeah, there she was,” I continued, “with all her stuff. She wanted to practically move in, and I wasn’t ready to—”
“Hey…”
Luke reached out with his fingers and touched my chin. Gently, he tilted my face upward until my gaze met his.
“This wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.”
“I—I know.”
“This was on her, Kayla. This was on Elizabeth. You know that, right?”
His eyes swirled, shifting in the muted daylight. They were as captivating as I remembered them. Everything else about him was the same too, from his six-foot-five frame to the high cheekbones that framed out his gorgeous face. Luke had the model good looks of a Scandinavian surf God. Anywhere on the coast of California, he’d have fit right in.
“Now…” he said, nodding back to the house. “Do you wanna go in?”
My brows crossed in confusion. “Go in where?”
“Your house.”
“That’s not my house.”
“It was your house,” he smiled. “Shit, as far as I’m concerned it’ll always be your house.”
“Yes, but—”
“I know the woman who owns it now,” he interrupted. “Nice old lady. I pick up meals for her sometimes, when her arthritis gets so bad she can’t cook.”
I blinked, looking back at him with all new respect. “Y—You do?”
“Not just her, but other people too. I help out where I can,” he shrugged.
I should’ve been shocked, but in a way it made perfect sense. Luke had always been generous to a fault, even when we were young. It was one of the things that had… well…
Driven you to him?
“I told her you’d be in town,” Luke went on, “and you might want to see your old digs.” Smiling, he extended a hand. “C’mon.”
I swallowed again, and the lump was no longer there. Reaching out, I slipped my hand into his. It fit as perfectly as it always had.
Ten very strange steps later, I was knocking at my own front door.
THE BOYS WHO LOVED ME
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About the Author
Krista Wolf is a lover of action, fantasy and all good horror movies… as well as a hopeless romantic with an insatiably steamy side.
She writes suspenseful, mystery-infused stories filled with blistering hot twists and turns. Tales in which headstrong, impetuous heroines are the irresistible force thrown against the immovable object of ripped, powerful heroes.
If you like intelligent and witty romance served up with a sizzling edge? You’ve just found your new favorite author.
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