An Unexpected Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page B

smiled.
    I stepped into the room. 'Don't
let me bother you,' I said, and walked over to the chair by the fireplace to
sit down.
    'You're not bothering me.' He
slipped in his bookmark and tossed his book onto the coffee table in front of
him.
    I leaned back into the plush
cushion of the chair trying to force myself to relax around him. We were silent
for a moment and I could feel my nerves building up and I needed to do
something to stop them; 'Can I ask what you're reading?'
    'A Christmas Carol.' He paused,
and smiled, but didn't take his eyes off me, 'I try and read it every
Christmas, get's me into the spirit of things.'
    He put a little emphasis on the
word 'spirit' and chuckled at his own joke.             My smile broadened at
his awful humour and I shook my head a little, 'I haven't read it. I tend to
just watch the Muppets version, you know, for the songs.'
    He nodded. 'So what sort of
things do you read?'
    'My choice in literature isn't
quite everyone's cup of tea and I have been mocked on a number of occasions for
it.’ I confessed, but I loved that he had just assumed that I did read, like
the thought of anyone who didn't was unheard of.
    He leaned forward, resting his
forearms on his thighs and managing not to disturb the sleeping dogs on his
feet. His eyes were bright and he genuinely looked interested, 'Now I'm intrigued.'
    'Well, romance. I am a sucker for
a romantic novel and I will read any type, contemporary, historical, cowboy.' I
giggled then I bit my bottom lip and waited for his reaction and sent up a
little prayer that he wouldn't tease me about it.
    'Can I ask what it is about them
you like so much?'
    I thought for a moment. 'It's
simple really - they all have happy endings. There are so many terrible and
tragic things that happen in this world but I know that when I pick up a
romance novel that no matter what the characters go through there is always a
happy ending. The guy always gets the girl and that fills me with hope which I
think may be a little lacking in a lot of people's lives.' It was the first
time that anyone had asked why I only really read romance, and I hoped my
answer didn’t sound too ridiculous. I licked my bottom lip to sooth where my
teeth had sunk into it and noticed his eyes flit to my lips then back to my
eyes.
    I watched him look away and into
the fire still burning in the grate. I knew from the internet, and also from
Ella, that his parents split when he was in his early teens but for him
personally I didn't know much about his romantic life, it was something that he
had hid well from the media with only a couple of pictures of him with his last
girlfriend, an actress called Olivia Reed, making their way into magazines but
I guessed that the more popular he became the more people would want to know.
    He looked back at me and smiled;
'Putting it into those words makes me wonder why anyone would read anything
else.'
    He still had a serious air about
him and I itched to bring the conversation back to a more carefree place. 'It
also doesn't hurt that they are smutty and filled with sex,’ I grinned at him
and it seemed to work; he let out a laugh causing the dogs to lift their heads
and look up at him.
    He leaned back into the sofa. 'Do
you have a favourite book?'
    I nodded. 'I do. I always find
myself re-reading Persuasion by Jane Austen every couple of years.'
    'It's not really known for its
smut,' he joked.
    I laughed. 'Not really, but it is
probably one of the most romantic novels ever written and the letter from
Captain Wentworth to Anne is...' I couldn't think of the words, 'have you ever
read something that just makes you tingle all over? It's like that.'
    'What are you two talking about?'
Ella asked as she walked into the room, and I tore my eyes from where he was
grinning at me.
    'Books!' We responded at the same
time and when I looked over at him he wore a matching smile on his face.
    Ella rolled her eyes but let out
a little laugh, 'Well lunch is