Free Silent Night: Vampire Holiday Romance (The Night Songs Collection Book 4) by Kristen Strassel Page B

and disappearing into the crowd. She’d have no problem finding a playmate for the night. Someone’s wife would be leaving this party alone. The next time she’d see her husband, if at all, would be to bury him.
     
    How could something so horrific seem so romantic? I rested the book on my chest and reached up to touch the hair gathered at the nape of my neck, considering rewrapping it at the top of my head. Since I’d barely pulled this thing off, I changed my mind.
    Every time I picked up this book, the story mirrored what happened in this house. It was starting to freak me out. Was I imagining it? How could I just happen to be doing the same thing as this fictional character did almost three hundred years ago?
    I jumped out of my skin when Aidan knocked on the door. I’d been so absorbed in the story I’d almost forgotten I had plans.
    He didn’t say anything right away when I opened the door. He didn’t come in, either. He had on black dress pants and a gray button down shirt. Shit, I got it all wrong. By pretty he meant something pink and frilly and I’d picked out this borderline slutty dress.
    “You look gorgeous.” His voice was low and husky when he finally spoke. His eyes seemed different too. I couldn’t keep looking at them, the dark fire that burned behind them would paralyze me. If this hadn’t been a date before, it certainly was now.
    “Thanks.” My heart pounded harder the longer he looked at me like that. “I didn’t know what to get, so I hope it’s all right.”
    “It’s better than all right, it’s perfect.” His eyes softened as his gaze slid down my body. My skin tingled as his eyes fell lower and then came back up to meet mine. He held my hand out to me, and I took it, my fingers practically on fire when they touched his. “I’ll be the envy of the city.”
    “I don’t know about that. So where are we going?” I had to walk very closely to him so we could make it down the hall side by side. The heavy shadows and my high heels didn’t make it easy. The last thing I wanted to do was trip Aidan and send him into one of huge bookcases, making it topple over. I didn’t want anything to ruin what promised to be a magical evening.
    “You never did like surprises.” He frowned.
    “No.” I let go of Aidan’s arm when we reached the living room, and he picked up my pea coat I’d carelessly thrown over the arm of the couch. I was embarrassed I’d forgotten all about it. This still wasn’t my home enough to leave my crap everywhere. He held it open so I could put it on. I don’t think anyone had ever done that for me before.
    “Why not?” He picked up his own suit jacket, which dressed up his outfit as much as mine, and threaded a tie through his collar. He had this all wrong. I was going to be the envy of the city.
    I picked at a loose button at the end of my coat sleeve. “Because they’re never good.”
    He took both my hands this time, and stood almost close enough for the fabric of his pants to brush my shins. “New year, new possibilities.”
    I didn’t want to go anywhere, I just wanted him to touch me. And if he kept doing it, I didn’t think we’d be suitable an audience for very long.
    Instead of making a move, because I was too scared to screw this up, I nodded. “That’s something I can get behind.”
    He pulled me off of the arm of the couch. My butt had taken my coat’s place while he tied his tie. “Let’s go celebrate.”
    We headed into the heart of the city, parking in between the theater district and Downtown Crossing. A block later, Aidan held the door open to a busy restaurant. Everyone inside was either in work attire or jeans and casual clothing. We didn’t need to be so dressed up to eat here. I gave him a puzzled look.
    I couldn’t hear what he said to the hostess over the happy chatter and music, but I followed both of them to our table, and found myself surprised again when it was behind a curtain. The room had only a few small tables,