All Chapters of Twelve Dares Of A Forbidden Christmas : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Dolly’s POVWhat’s the worst Christmas gift a girl can get?A cheating boyfriend?Or the realization that he never even liked girls at all?Honestly, it’s a tie.It happened some days before Christmas—ironically, the one week I’d actually allowed myself to feel hopeful. I’d worked a double shift, bought him a stupid little gift, and told myself this is it, Dolly, he’s finally ready to move forward.I should’ve known something was off the moment I used my spare key and the door didn’t squeak like it usually did. The whole apartment was… weirdly quiet. No TV. No music. Just a sound I couldn’t place at first…A breathy gasp.A low moan.A definitely-masculine groan.My brain whispered don’t, but my feet were already moving.Curiosity and stupidity are twin demons, apparently.I walked into the bedroom and—boom—Christmas was cancelled.There he was. Gabby my boyfriend of five years. The man who’d sworn he “respected my boundaries.”Yeah. No.He respected d*ck.Specifically, the one curren

Dolly’s POVIf heartbreak had a cure, Lena was convinced it came in three forms:Hot chocolate so sweet it could induce a coma.Christmas movies so stupid they rewrote your brain chemistry.Avoiding all adult responsibilities until January.Which was how I ended up being dragged downstairs the next evening, half-asleep, half-resisting, fully doomed.“Come on, wounded penguin,” Lena said, tugging me by the wrist. “Movie night waits for no emotional wreck.”“I’m not a penguin.”“You waddled out of your room earlier. Case closed.”I groaned but followed. I needed the stupidity. I needed anything that didn’t involve crying in front of fireplaces or…reacting to Lena’s father like a hormonal camp counselor.The lounge was dim and warm, fairy lights dripping along the walls, the giant TV already queued up with a movie Lena insisted was “iconic.” (It had a 2.1 rating. I checked.)And then I saw him.Jace Steadman.Sitting on the large sofa with a book in hand.Glasses on.Sweater sleeves pus

Dolly’s POV**There’s regular tension — the kind you shake off.And then there’s the kind that sticks to your skin.The kind wrapped in warm cologne, quiet authority, and a man who can turn an entire hallway electric just by looking at you.Guess which one I’m dealing with.By morning, the lodge feels… off. Or maybe I’m the one who’s off. I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Jace in the hallway — the wall behind me, his breath on my cheek, the way he’d said don’t sit on another man’s lap like it was a threat or a confession or both.Which means, of course, Bianca clings to me all through brunch like a territorial flamingo. After seeing us in that compromising position, I expected nothing but he'll.She watches me. Like she’s waiting for me to slip up. Like she already knows something and just needs proof, funny enough we handed it to her on a platter of gold.Great. Perfect. Amazing. Exactly the vibe I prayed for today.Meanwhile?Cassian lounges at the oth