Page 59 of A Christmas For Holly

Holly blinked at me, waking up more, and then gave me a sleepy, soft, sweet smile. “You’re kind of a dork,” he teased, his voice still groggy.

I chuckled, feeling the tension in my chest ease. “Yeah, maybe. But someone’s gotta think about these things.”

He smiled wider, and I couldn’t help but feel the tug of something deep inside me—something terrifying but also… right.

“Can you come here for a moment?” Holly’s tone was all seriousness, and he patted the bed beside him.

I hesitated, unsure of his thinking, but then I did as he asked. I sat next to him, and he hugged me before I could say anything. His body was warm and solid, and I couldn’t help but melt into it for a moment.

But then, without any warning, he shifted, tumbling me onto the bed and rolling on top of me in one smooth motion. Surprised, I blinked up at him, but the playful glint in his eyes made me laugh.

“You talking health and safety has made me hot,” he teased, leaning down to kiss me.

I laughed against his mouth, but then, for some reason, my brain decided to keep going with the joke. “You mean the importance of proper lighting for night parades? And ensuring all electrical cords are properly covered to avoid tripping hazards?”

Holly groaned, pressing his forehead against mine, and murmured, “So hot,” between kisses.

I chuckled, kissing him back, unable to stop myself. It was a fun, playful, easy connection that made everything feel lighter. Whenever I said something ridiculous about health and safety—“Gotta make sure the fire exits are marked”—Holly would groan, roll his eyes, but still laugh, kissing me even deeper.

It was fun and sweet, the kind of lighthearted teasing we’d fallen into so easily. But then something shifted. The kisses became slower, and I felt Holly’s weight pressing down on me, his body fitting against mine. His touch roamed over my sides, sending sparks of heat through me, and all the jokes and teasing disappeared from my mind.

I couldn’t think about anything but him—his lips, hands, and how he tasted. The way his skin felt against mine. My heart was pounding, my body responding to every touch, and I was too turned on to focus on anything else. Holly was everywhere, and all I wanted was more of him.

I let out a shaky breath, my hands sliding up his back, pulling him closer. “Forget health and safety,” I muttered, my voice rough with need.

Holly smiled against my lips, and at that moment, nothing else mattered but him.

The plow reached us later in the afternoon, its loud engine breaking the peaceful bubble we’d lived in for the past few days.

“So, we’re not trapped anymore?” Holly asked, resting his forehead against the window. He watched as the plow pushed through the snowbank, its massive blade piling more snow on top of what was already blocking us. The noise and clutter jarred as the world began to intrude again.

“Still trapped for a bit,” I murmured. “The first stage is to clear enough for emergency vehicles to use it, and it’s too late today for them to allow anyone up here tonight.”

“And you won’t drive down?”

“Now?” I huffed a laugh. “If I want to get my car out, we’d have to dig the rest of it ourselves,” I said. “I’ll head outside in abit, though, see what signal I can get, and tell the family to come get us tomorrow or when they open the road.”

“You,” he corrected. “To get you.” The stubborn tilt to his chin gave me a warning, and I hesitated.

“You’re not coming down with me?”

“I’m not ready.”

Okay, lighten this now.“I did mention my two-man shower, right?”

“Yeah, you did, and no, I’m staying here for a while.”

I rolled with it, teasing him, not thinking he was being entirely serious. “Okay. Well, I’ll have to come back and pick my truck up, and I’d have an excuse to come and visit you.”

I was teasing, hoping for him to say something sweet about how he wanted me to stay or how he wanted to come with me down into Wishing Tree. Instead, he was quiet and nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. Disappointment gripped me. I wasn’t sure how to handle his silence, and my heart hurt. Is this what falling for someone was like? The constant need for reassurance?

I laced my fingers with his. “If you change your mind, I’d love to show you my home, and we could shower together, and make love in my extra-large supersized queen bed.” If he wasn’t going to say anything about carrying this on—whatever this was—it was up to me. Right?

“Hmmm,” he said, but he didn’t let go of my hand.

The sound of the plow faded as it moved farther up the mountain, leaving us with this half-cleared road and the weight of the silence settling in.

“Luckily, we weren’t too far up the mountain,” I tried to keep it casual and matter-of-fact. “Could’ve been a lot worse, but no walking down that road again. Yeah?”

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