Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

Thomas shivered in the darkness. In the dim moonlight his skin was ashen. Ariana could have kicked herself

for focusing on Daniel when Thomas clearly needed her.

"It doesn't matter right now." She anchored her palms against the tree and pushed herself to standing. There

wasn't an inch of her that wasn't soaked. If they didn't get out of there, find someplace warm to sleep, they'd

freeze. "We've got to get you something for your ankle."

"I've got some Vicodin in my desk. Second drawer." He paused, closing his eyes. "But I don't want you

going in there by yourself. We'll get it later. Let's just get out of here."

"No, I'll go."

159

She hoped the terror she felt at the thought of returning to Thomas's room alone didn't show. What if Daniel

was there, waiting for her? But Thomas needed her. She reached into his jacket pocket, fishing out his lighter.

"Ariana," he protested weakly.

"Don't go anywhere," she said dryly.

"Hilarious."

You can do this, Ariana. Do it for Thomas. As she sprinted for the back door, she couldn't push the thought of

Daniel from her mind, couldn't stop wondering if he had been on campus the whole time. Watching her every

move with Thomas. He could have seen everything. He could have watched as she lost her virginity to

another guy.

And, Ariana reminded herself, if there was one thing Daniel Ryan hated, it was losing.

160

EASY

***The biting chill in Thomas's room hit her the second she walked through the door. Snow had drifted in

through the open window, and the hollow sound of the wind rattling the glass made her skin crawl. She

paused in the doorway, taking a slow, deep breath. She could do this. All she had to do was find Thomas's

pills. She'd be out of Ketlar and back with him in less than a minute. Everything was going to be fine. They

were both going to be fine.

She held the lighter in front of her, moving slowly across Thomas's room to his desk. The weak flame cast a

shallow light over the items scattered across the surface.- the pencils, the c

hewed-up ballpoint pen, the empty

Captain Morgan's bottle.