Free All I Want Series Boxset, Books 1-3: All I Want for Christmas, All I Want for Valentine's, All I Want for Spring by Clare Lydon

head. “It crossed my mind that’s what was going to happen at the time — that this was a set-up. And what could I have done at that point? I was naked and weak — I’d just come .”
    Holly shrugged. “You could have thanked the lesbian goddesses and embraced the moment,” she said. “You really have picked them so far, though. Perhaps you need some help with your vetting process.”
    I ran my tongue along my top lip. “Perhaps you’re right.”
    Holly ripped the top off a breakfast yoghurt and licked it clean. “Anyway, I have some news.” She was suddenly bashful. “Spurred on by your actions, I have a date tonight too — she’s five years younger than me and she likes badminton. So if all else fails, I’ve got a new badminton partner.”
    “That’s the spirit,” I replied. “Reach for the stars and you might land in Milton Keynes.”
    Holly waved her yoghurt spoon at me. “Shuddup.”
    “What’s this woman’s name?”
    Holly blushed. “You don’t want to know.”
    “I do,” I said, interest piqued. “What is it?”
    Holly shook her head. “It’s bizarre.”
    I furrowed my brow and shook my head. “What’s she called?”
    Holly took a deep breath. “Her name’s Ivy.”
    I burst out laughing. “You’re joking. Holly and Ivy?”
    Holly started to laugh now, nodding. “It’s ridiculous, I know.”
    “Or fated. You’d make the front page of the papers if you got married. Especially if you did it on Christmas Day.” I clapped my hands with glee.
    Holly finished up her yoghurt and chucked the carton in the bin. “Yes, thank you, but she’s probably going to hate me on sight. Or she’s doing it for a laugh.” She paused. “But anyway, back to you — when are you going out with Spanish Vixen lady?”
    I sipped my coffee. “Tomorrow — I have a night off tonight. And if you’re going to be out with Ivy , I can do what I like, can’t I? I might lounge around here naked, sipping champagne and eating sushi.” As soon as I said it, I had a vision of Nicola Sheen lounging on the sofa beside me, dressed in her full uniform, begging me to strip it off. My cheeks coloured and I crossed my legs as my clit twitched into life.
    Holly fixed me with an intense stare. “Nakedness and champagne? Maybe I should call off my date and stay in,” she said.
    “You can’t stand Ivy up. Ivy of all people,” I said, giving her a wink. 
    Holly shook her head, bent down and kissed me on the cheek. Her head stayed near mine for a couple of seconds longer than I expected, and the look she gave me sent a shiver down my spine.
    The kind of shiver normally reserved for Nicola Sheen.
    The kind of shiver I didn’t normally associate with Holly.
    A question mark hung in my mind and I saw the same one reflected back in Holly’s face. It was all too much to process before I’d even had a coffee.
    “Have a good day,” I said, my voice sketchy.
    She held my gaze. “You too.”
    Her shoes squeaked as she twisted on the kitchen floor, as though about to say something, but then checked herself. Instead, Holly disappeared out the door.
    I had no idea what had just happened, but I was slightly breathless.
    ***
    I didn’t opt for the nakedness in the end — it always sounds more glamorous than the reality. Instead, I watched a soppy Christmas film, heated a pizza and drank the end of a lovely red we had leftover from the weekend, followed by two mince pies with cream. I toasted my dad as I ate them, and hoped that wherever he was, they celebrated Christmas too.
    It was good to have some space, good to have some time to myself. And whenever my mind wandered, it always seemed to stray back to the same topic: Nicola Sheen. Who certainly wasn’t the teenage dreamboat I recalled, but she still had something. She had charisma, she had my memories, she had me. And she had Melanie Taylor.
    I picked up my phone and scrolled through to Nicola’s number, staring at it, willing her to ring. But why would she? She was