Page 1 of Unwrapping His Naughty Secret

Chapter 1

Cara

“I needyou to come to Christmas Eve at my house,” my lab partner Hannah says in a rush as she throws herself into the chair across from me in the Ridge College library.

“First things first,” I mutter, not taking my eyes off my biology worksheet I’m labelling. “We have ninety minutes until this group project is due, and you were late.”

“Because I’m having a legitimate crisis.”

I sigh and put down my pen. If Hannah is having a crisis, legitimate or not, no homework will get done. “What’s wrong?”

“My uncle is bringing his wife and his husband to Christmas Eve dinner.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “His wifeandhis husband?”

“Yep.” She pops the p, as if that’s enough said.

I shrug. “Lucky him?”

“It’s going to be so awkward, Care Bear. Please come with me.”

“To your family dinner?”

“It’s just me and my dad and my uncle Wyatt and his twolovers. You’ll balance us out. Six is a better number than five. Plus, then we’ll have something to talk about besides all the sex they’re having.”

“Hannah!” My cheeks are flaming hot. I glance around, but nobody in the library heard her. “Please don’t say things like that here.” I lower my voice. “Do they really talk about…”

“It just sort of slips out because they love each other so much. And my uncle is a bit of an idiot. I mean, I’m happy for him, don’t get me wrong. And his spouses are actually great. But it’s a lot, and also, I just like the number six. Even numbers are important to me.”

“So important you need me to listen toyour family accidentally discuss their sex life?”

“Don’t be such a virgin, Cara Michaels.”

I count backwards from five. It’s not enough. I repeat the countdown from ten, and then I smile. “Does your dad know you’re inviting a stray from school?”

“He won’t mind. He’s Mr. Homemaker. We always have way too much food, and our dining room table seats twelve.”

Hannah is rich.

And spoiled.

I’m sure her dad isn’t Mr. Homemaker, and I’m equally sure that he doesn’t want me crashing his Christmas Eve dinner, but right now I’ll say just about anything to get Hannah to focus on our final assignment of the term.

Being lab partners with her has been a trip. A wild, chaotic trip. What I imagine collaborating with a very excitable toddler on their first time baking chocolate chip cookies might be like. And I can’t wait for it to be over in ninety minutes.

“Sure,” I say easily, lyingthrough my teeth. “I’ll come to your house on Christmas Eve. I’d love to meet your dad. And your uncle, and his wife and their husband. That sounds amazing. Now proofread this diagram, okay?”

She rolls her eyes and smiles. “Yes, Mom.”

I shove a page across the table at her and get back to work.

Don’t be such a virgin.

Hannah’s accidental taunt stays with me long after we leave our biology lab together for the last time.

It’s not like I set out to be an almost twenty-year-old virgin. It just…happened. Or rather, it just didn’t happen. And actually, there are a lot of virgins my age, according to the internet. None of the people around me at college seem to share my late bloomer status, though, and it’s getting awkward.

As soon as I’m alone in the safety of my dorm room, I pull up thedating app profile I’ve been working on all term. It’s time to go live, and try to find a date for the holidays. Not even Christmas Eve. I know that’s not likely, but if I haveanythingbooked over the holidays, then I won’t feel like a complete loser for ducking out on the only offer I currently have.

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