Winter Wishes (The Play #1.5) Read Online Free PDF

a tree,” I tell her as she quickly pays for it all. I grab the bags from the merchant and we head on our way, cutting up Hanover Street.
    “Don’t worry about that,” she says.
    Once we’re inside, the dogs run over to us, tails wagging, tongues hanging out, just happy to have us home. The flat itself seems to exhale with relief at our presence, or maybe it’s just me.
    “I better take them out,” I tell her, grabbing the leashes.
    “Before you do, do you mind putting on a fire?” she asks. “I want to make things all cozy for when you get back. In fact, take them for a longer than normal walk.”
    I pause. “What’s going on?”
    “Nothing,” she says, though her tone suggests otherwise.
    I observe her for a moment, loving how her lip quirks up just so when she’s plotting something special. And with her, special usually means sexual. I have no complaints about that.
    Though I never used the marble fireplace in the drawing room, since she’s moved in we’ve had the fire going on chilly days. There’s a small stack of wood left which I once kept primarily for ornamental reasons, so I throw in the remainder with some kindling and light a match.
    When I’m satisfied the fire will stay strong, I get the whimpering pups and head back outside, throwing a glance at Kayla over my shoulder. She’s nearly trembling with energy, her cheeks flushed. She’s definitely got something planned.
    I take my time walking the dogs, heading around the park and then down toward the Leith waterway. The stars above peek through fast moving white clouds, aglow from the city lights, and even though everything is merry and loud down on Princes Street, over here it’s so quiet, like the neighborhood is holding its breath. Rows and rows of stone houses sit silently, lit in a range of Christmas lights. Some flats have displays out front in their tiny patch of a yard, maybe a Santa statue or a plastic snowman. Other places just have a wreath, a string of amber lights. As night falls deeper, so does the cold, and what remains of the snow crunches under my boots.
    I’m glad Kayla asked me to go on a long walk. In fact, that’s always been what’s helped when I feel like I’m losing the battle against myself. Long walks. And sex. And I have a feeling she knows exactly what she’s doing tonight.
    And that’s yet another reason why I’m so madly in love with her. It’s not just about a connection—that tightened wire of energy that binds you to someone else. It’s about what happens at either end of that wire. You’re not just connected to that person, you are that person. Kayla knows me, all of me, and embraces every lost, crooked, damaged part.
    I never have to say anything with her. She’s inside me—she knows. And she loves me despite all that. In a world where magic isn’t supposed to exist, I’m sometimes dumbfounded by love, because how can that be anything else but mystical, magical? Love bends reality to our will.
    Emily gives a little bark beside me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I reach down and scoop her up in my arms. She gets colder easier than the other dogs and isn’t afraid to let you know. Though I’ve never been a fan of dressing up dogs, perhaps a tiny Christmas sweater is in order for the grouchy old maid.
    When I’ve been gone for about a half hour or so, I head back to the flat, nearly slipping on the ice outside before heading up the staircase to our level.
    I pause outside the door, listening. I can hear Christmas music, some jazzy version, coming from inside.
    “I’m back,” I call out, stepping inside the foyer. I’m immediately hit with the warm smell of hot chocolate. The door to the dining room is open, but the one to the drawing room is closed. The dogs rush forward to the side table against the wall where a steaming mug of cocoa is resting. I deftly unleash them then pick up a note beside the mug.
    Come by the fireplace and come alone. Bring the hot chocolate.
    “Come alone,” I