Page 54 of A Christmas For Holly

“Yeah,” Lucas whispered. “But I think I win this round.”

And as his lips claimed mine, I had to admit—he wasn’t wrong.

We made dinner together, exchanging kisses, hugging, being all kinds of cute and stupid, and now we were cuddled up on the sofa.

The fire was still burning low in the stove, casting a soft glow around the cabin, and the reality of the situation hit me again. There was only one bed, and it was time to go up.

And bed meant… more.

Would he want me to go upstairs with him again? Wasusa thing now? We’d kissed, hugged, and stopped to touch at moments during the day. Hell, we’d kissed every time he dealt a hand like it was a thing we couldn’t help but do. We’d kissed as we made lunch, then again while we made dinner, the warmth between us growing with every touch.

He’d said he was falling in love with me.

I felt so much for him, so much affection and happiness and warmth where my icy heart used to be.

I glanced at him, my mind spinning, but he just looked back at me, calm and steady, as if he was waiting for me to make the call. His presence was comforting, but an unspoken question hung between us. Did he expect something more? Did I?

I swallowed, my throat tight. “So… about the bed,” I mumbled, trying to keep my voice light but failing miserably.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching in a half-smile. “What about it?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling awkward. “Uh… I mean, we’ve been…close today. Really close.”

His smile softened. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for, Holly.”

“But what if I wanted to? What if, for the first time in forever, I actually wanted to do something, and it’s with you, and I started falling for you a long time ago, I mean not when we were eighteen, but way before the wedding and?—”

He kissed me to stop me from rambling. “Let’s go.”

The laughter came first, loud and unrestrained, as Lucas grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the stairs. The tree lights flickered behind us, casting soft colors across the cabin, but I wasn’t thinking about that anymore. I was thinking about him—his hand in mine, his smile, the way his blue eyes sparkled as if they held secrets I wanted to know.

When we hit the stairs, it was a scramble, a mess of limbs, and awkward angles as we tried to navigate upward without letting go of each other. My sweatshirt was the first to go, tossed carelessly over the railing, and then his sweater followed, landing somewhere on the steps. We kept bumping into each other, laughing at how ridiculous we were, but it didn’t matter. Not when his mouth found mine halfway up the stairs, stealing my breath and replacing it with something electric.

“Bed,” Lucas murmured against my lips, his voice low and breathless.

“Right,” I managed, though my hands were already tugging at the hem of his shirt, sliding it over his head as we stumbled into the loft. The air was cool against my skin as it joined the growing pile of clothes, but his warmth was all I could feel.

We tumbled onto the bed in a heap, his weight solid against me, his laughter vibrating through my chest. My hands found their way to his face, cradling it as I kissed him, deep and unhurried, as if I had all the time in the world to savor the moment. And I wanted to remember how he smiled against my lips, and his fingers skimmed my sides, leaving a fire trail in their wake.

“Slow down,” he said, his voice a mix of a laugh and a gasp as he pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes soft but teasing.

I grinned, my breath hitching. “You started this.”

“And I’m finishing it,” he replied, his lips curving into a smile that made my heart stutter.

The world outside the loft, the cabin, the snow—it faded away. All that mattered was him, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself fall entirely into the moment.

Chapter 22

Lucas

“I’m on PrEP,tested, all negative, and I think I’m vers,” Holly whispered, his voice barely audible but steady enough to send my thoughts spinning. I froze mid-motion, my hand resting on his hip, and blinked at him.

PrEP. Tested. Negative. The words sank in, each one carrying weight, but the last part—I think I’m vers—was what lodged itself in my brain. It was a necessary conversation but wasn’t the kind I’d expected to have today. It was the kind of thing adults who cared about each other needed to talk about, but it also felt strangely out of step with the moment.

“Youthinkyou’re vers?” I asked, my voice quieter than intended, though not out of judgment—just surprise. Somehow, that felt like the right question to latch onto, although there were a dozen other things I could’ve said.

Holly laughed, though there was a nervous edge to it, reaching to rub the back of his neck. “Yeah, I mean, I’ve never…with a guy… not had a chance to figure that out. So, uh, I think I am? Versatile, I mean. Just the thought of being inside you is so hot, but then you being inside me, fuck, I don’t know which way is up.” His words tumbled out in a rush, his gaze darting away as if he were suddenly very interested in the wall behind me.

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