Read Online A Wizard for Christmas by Dorothy McFalls - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Dorothy McFalls
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first.
“We should definitely get a tree,” he said. He hooked his arm with hers, and they skated side by side. Holly felt like a quaint character in a Victorian winter painting. “Which do you prefer, tinsel or garland?”
* * * *
The afternoon whirled by. After putting up the most wonderful, gaudy tree imaginable—using both tinsel and garland and flashing lights—in the middle of her apartment, Hadrian insisted they make hot chocolate to take over to Karen. After hearing about the ordeal Karen’s mother put her through, he said it was their duty to make sure Karen was holding her own.
“We are protectors, after all,” he said before playfully kissing Holly on the tip of her nose.
She nearly swooned.
“Do that again,” she said.
“Do what?” His smile turned devilish. He crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly waiting for her to make the next move.
“Newton had it right, you are a pain in the—”
He moved faster than her eyes could see and kissed her. Lip to lip. The heat swirling between them was deep and sparkling. It spread through her body.
“Wow,” she said when he peeled away from her.
“Yeah—wow.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “We better not continue that or else we won’t make it to Karen’s. Hell, we won’t make it out of this apartment until after the new year.”
“No kidding,” Holly agreed.
* * * *
Holly’s body was still humming from spark that had been ignited by that kiss. She’d secretly hoped Hadrian would lead her back to her apartment and to her bedroom after they’d visited with Karen and her mother. Karen’s mother, a kindly older woman with a full head of gray hair tinted pink, was the very definition of grace and civility. Except when she spoke to her daughter. The woman’s features would then wrinkle up, and she’d scowl before uttering the most outrageous complaints. Karen hadn’t been exaggerating. Her mother truly had nothing positive to say to her.
The tense situation left Holly twisting her napkin to pieces. Hadrian, on the other hand, appeared to enjoy the impromptu visit. He leaned back on Karen’s sofa and charmed the stockings off Karen and her mother.
“Dear, now this is the type of man you should be dating,” Karen’s mother had said during a lull in the conversation. It was the nicest thing she’d said to Karen since they’d arrived. “You dress like a slut. Men of this caliber aren’t looking for sluts.”
Karen blazed red. Holly wanted to crawl under the coffee table. But Hadrian only smiled.
“Dear, dear Mrs. Hardgrove,” he said, smoothly. “But I like all sorts of women.” He put his hand on hers and stroked it lightly.
A bit of the tension eased from the room. He told a short, meaningless story about a scruffy dog he owned as a child. Karen’s mother beamed with delight. He then turned to Karen and asked, “Did you have any pets growing up?”
Karen seemed surprised by the question. “Why yes,” she said. “Mom and I used to raise poodles. Remember Sofie, Mom? She earned her champion before she even turned one. Her fur was the perfect shade of silver and she knew how to turn on the charm at the shows. Mom trained her. I showed her.”
“Ah, yes.” Karen’s mom closed her eyes and smiled. “You deserve a lot of the credit for Sofie’s wins. My Karen was one of the best handlers. She was truly a natural. I’ve never seen anyone instinctively recognized a dog’s strengths and make sure the judges saw those strengths with same flare Karen would do that. We should do that again, honey.”
Holly held her breath, waiting for Karen’s mother to tack on a biting criticism about her daughter. Holly was about to turn blue from waiting when Hadrian took her hand.
“I think it’s time to go,” he said.
When they rose from their seats, Karen and her mother were absorbed in their reminiscences of past dog shows. They’d found a common ground and were running on it. Hadrian had worked
“We should definitely get a tree,” he said. He hooked his arm with hers, and they skated side by side. Holly felt like a quaint character in a Victorian winter painting. “Which do you prefer, tinsel or garland?”
* * * *
The afternoon whirled by. After putting up the most wonderful, gaudy tree imaginable—using both tinsel and garland and flashing lights—in the middle of her apartment, Hadrian insisted they make hot chocolate to take over to Karen. After hearing about the ordeal Karen’s mother put her through, he said it was their duty to make sure Karen was holding her own.
“We are protectors, after all,” he said before playfully kissing Holly on the tip of her nose.
She nearly swooned.
“Do that again,” she said.
“Do what?” His smile turned devilish. He crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly waiting for her to make the next move.
“Newton had it right, you are a pain in the—”
He moved faster than her eyes could see and kissed her. Lip to lip. The heat swirling between them was deep and sparkling. It spread through her body.
“Wow,” she said when he peeled away from her.
“Yeah—wow.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “We better not continue that or else we won’t make it to Karen’s. Hell, we won’t make it out of this apartment until after the new year.”
“No kidding,” Holly agreed.
* * * *
Holly’s body was still humming from spark that had been ignited by that kiss. She’d secretly hoped Hadrian would lead her back to her apartment and to her bedroom after they’d visited with Karen and her mother. Karen’s mother, a kindly older woman with a full head of gray hair tinted pink, was the very definition of grace and civility. Except when she spoke to her daughter. The woman’s features would then wrinkle up, and she’d scowl before uttering the most outrageous complaints. Karen hadn’t been exaggerating. Her mother truly had nothing positive to say to her.
The tense situation left Holly twisting her napkin to pieces. Hadrian, on the other hand, appeared to enjoy the impromptu visit. He leaned back on Karen’s sofa and charmed the stockings off Karen and her mother.
“Dear, now this is the type of man you should be dating,” Karen’s mother had said during a lull in the conversation. It was the nicest thing she’d said to Karen since they’d arrived. “You dress like a slut. Men of this caliber aren’t looking for sluts.”
Karen blazed red. Holly wanted to crawl under the coffee table. But Hadrian only smiled.
“Dear, dear Mrs. Hardgrove,” he said, smoothly. “But I like all sorts of women.” He put his hand on hers and stroked it lightly.
A bit of the tension eased from the room. He told a short, meaningless story about a scruffy dog he owned as a child. Karen’s mother beamed with delight. He then turned to Karen and asked, “Did you have any pets growing up?”
Karen seemed surprised by the question. “Why yes,” she said. “Mom and I used to raise poodles. Remember Sofie, Mom? She earned her champion before she even turned one. Her fur was the perfect shade of silver and she knew how to turn on the charm at the shows. Mom trained her. I showed her.”
“Ah, yes.” Karen’s mom closed her eyes and smiled. “You deserve a lot of the credit for Sofie’s wins. My Karen was one of the best handlers. She was truly a natural. I’ve never seen anyone instinctively recognized a dog’s strengths and make sure the judges saw those strengths with same flare Karen would do that. We should do that again, honey.”
Holly held her breath, waiting for Karen’s mother to tack on a biting criticism about her daughter. Holly was about to turn blue from waiting when Hadrian took her hand.
“I think it’s time to go,” he said.
When they rose from their seats, Karen and her mother were absorbed in their reminiscences of past dog shows. They’d found a common ground and were running on it. Hadrian had worked
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