Page 114 of Screwged for Christmas

“The stalker seemed to think so.”

“Stop fucking around, Holly. Did you have plans to spend the holidays with someone?” He demanded.

Could he be jealous?

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I was going to see my mother on Christmas.”

“She doesn’t know who you are, let alone know it’s Christmas.”

That stung.

“You should invest in some lube if you plan on being such a cactus.”

It was true that as an only child, she was the only family I had left, but her dementia had progressed to the point that the last time I visited her, she thought I was one of the staff.

I turned my back to him, furious with myself to find I was wiping away tears.

The fire crackled behind me.

“Jesus, Holly. I’m sorry.” Malcolm was before me, pulling me into his arms. “Forgive me. Can we try this again?”

For fuck’s sake. I sniveled into his rock-hard chest.

“It’s good to see you, Holly.” His voice softened, but I could still feel the vibrations of it through my body.

“Don’t think because you’re a Duke now, you can be all bossy with me.”

“I would never think that.” He rubbed my back.

“Or that you can patronize me.” I hiccupped.

Kill me now.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” His chin rested on the top of my head. “How badly did he hurt you?”

“There’s nothing you could’ve done. He’s just a crazy stalker that will get what’s coming to him.”

My sniffles were punctuated by the fire’s crack and snap. We were silent for a few minutes, just savoring the peace between us.

“I’m sorry how I left,” Malcolm said.

Ahh. There it was.

The room was certainly big enough to fit not only an elephant but a whole damned herd of them.

“You certainly get points for originality. Usually, if a man is uninterested in seeing a woman again after a night together, he just never contacts her. Leaving the country to inherit a castle altogether is very thorough.” I pulled back, knowing I looked puffy-eyed. But really, it was hard to get some emotional distance when I was sobbing into his shirt. “If you’ll just show me to my room, I could use some sleep. And in the morning, I’ll find a hotel.”

Malcolm brushed a lock of my hair from my face. “Your eyes are the color of the moors in springtime.”

When he says shit like that, it’s hard to hate his guts.

“Thanks.” It was all I trusted myself to say.

“You can sleep here tonight.” He gestured to the four-poster bed. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Malcolm, you can’t be serious. This is an honest to god castle. The very definition means it has many rooms. I don’t want yours.”

“I’d like you to stay here. You have been through quite an ordeal. The detective filled me in.” At that his phone chimed in his pocket. “I must take this. Help yourself to something to sleep in from my things. And the bathroom is through there.” He waved towards another ornate wooden door.

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