'Tis the Season Read Online Free Page A

the surface and swallow him whole. His life had become a careful tightrope routine: doing what was needed for Harrison Enterprises, fulfilling the family’s heavy expectations, raising three children whose mother visited them once a year, not dating because he didn’t have the time or inclination to be burned again . . .
    Jesus Christ, he was turning into his father.
    When Charles was younger, that had been an admirable goal, maybe even what he thought he wanted. Now, it filled him with icy dread. Charles Harrison II was a cold, stern man who had always put the family legacy and company first. He’d ignored his beautiful young wife, driving her to have affairs before they had one of the ugliest divorces in history. Embittered from that, he’d been alone for over twenty years. The lack of love in his life and his drive to keep the company thriving had sucked any warmth or light out of him. In the past year, he’d all but alienated his grown children. He had all the power and money in the world . . . but very little love, and no joy.
    Charles shuddered. So much in common . . . History repeating itself . . . Was that how he was going to turn out too?
    He stared out at the full moon for a long time. Happy fucking birthday.
    * * *
    A loud crash woke Lisette from her sleep with a start. Her heart pounding, she sat up. What the hell was that noise?
    She realized she was in the den; it was dark—she’d fallen asleep reading. Often, after the kids were asleep, she went there to curl into the oversized, plush loveseat by the window and read for a while. Charles would work late at the end of the long hall, in his study, and she’d read until she started to doze off. They rarely interacted; he was a busy man, no matter what time of day or night it was, so she kept her distance.
    Tonight, after the party, she’d been too wired to go to bed right away and had done her usual routine of reading for hours in the dark, with only the light of her e-reader . . . Now she grasped that she’d dozed off somewhere around midnight. She turned her dormant e-reader back on to check the time; it was past two in the morning. The house was quiet now, but that noise had woken her. It had happened.
    Straining to listen, her breath held, she heard a thump-thump, then another thud, soft but audible, along with a loudly hissed curse. That was Charles’s voice.
    Rising from the loveseat, she tightened her long midnight-blue silk robe around her knee-length nightgown and slid her feet into her slippers before venturing out to the hallway.
    The spectacular mansion had long hallways and spacious rooms. Charles had gutted the older mansion a decade before and remade it into something just for him and his new bride. All the bedrooms were on the second floor. There were the children’s three rooms on one wing, the fourth bedroom that had been converted into a playroom for them, and a bathroom for them to share. Just around the corner, there were two large suites, bedrooms that had sitting rooms. One stayed empty for guests, and Lisette had been given the other. Along the third hall, there were three more guest rooms and another bathroom. The fourth corridor contained only one master suite, and that was Charles’s bedroom.
    With a mix of determination and unease, she made her way through the long main corridor of the ground floor. Until she was sure everything was fine, she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.
    Again a male voice uttered a curse somewhere down the hall, and she gathered it had definitely come from Charles’s study. She went to the door of the study and tiptoed inside. It was dark, but she felt someone’s presence there. “Hello?”
    â€œWho’s there?” Charles’s voice came from the darkness. “Lisette, is that you?”
    â€œYes.” Apprehension hummed through her whole body, making her heart rate take off. “Charles? Are you all