TWISTED FATE (Twisted Path Book 1)

Chapter 28

Becca

We round a corner, and suddenly there's a clearing. I stop short, taking in the scene before me: a small fire pit crackles softly in the center of a secluded area, twinkling fairy lights strung around several pine trees casting a warm glow across the snow-covered ground. A rustic bench sits near the fire, inviting and intimate, and the scent of pine hangs thick in the air, mixing with the gentle scent of woodsmoke. A small basket sits nearby, two insulated travel mugs nestled inside, steam curling from the tops. Shane reaches over, grabbing one and handing it to me. His fingers brush mine as he passes it over.

"Hot cocoa," he says quietly, a tender smile lighting his face. "As you can probably tell it's kind of my thing. Just like I know orange-flavored anything is yours."

Smiling, I wrap my hands around the travel mug, grateful for the comfort. The warmth of it in my palms, helping to steady my nerves. Glancing over at Shane, I see the shy smile I remember from our star-gazing date, and it warms my heart. He's usually so self-assured, so confident, yet every time he does something like this—something romantic and just for me—he seems to wait with bated breath, unsure if I'll like it. It's endearing.

I'm just a simple girl from a family of meager means. I've been let down and disappointed by just about every person in my life, so the bar for impressing me isn't set very high. Yet here he is, shifting from foot to foot, watching, waiting—nervous about my reaction.

"What do you think?" he asks, his voice low, almost hesitant. My heart twists at the vulnerability I see in him, and tears prick my eyes.

"This... this is incredible," I breathe, a soft laugh escaping me as my earlier nerves finally slip away. The fire flickers, its light dancing over his features, and for a moment, everything falls away. It's just him and me, surrounded by the beauty of the world he's created for us.

As I look into his eyes, I realize this is it—the moment I fall, endlessly, hopelessly, completely. There's no longer any doubt: I'm in love with Shane Montgomery, and as terrifying as that is, nothing has ever felt more right. I want to tell him—God, do I want to. But the last time I spoke those words to someone, they weren't reciprocated, and saying them shattered whatever enchantment I thought we had.

It's a ridiculous fear, especially since Shane's already told me he loves me, but I can't shake this feeling that once I say it, this will all somehow disappear. That after falling for him, after trusting him and letting go of all my fears about ending up like my mother, something will happen to prove he's not the man I've made him out to be. I'm terrified he'll hurt me, break me. He may not be Charles Kline, but losing him has the potential to render me just as messed up as my mother was after Charles was done with her.

A fate I can't let myself think about.

A fate I cannot bear.

Which is why instead of telling him how I feel, I step in front of him. Rising onto my toes, I lean in and kiss him.

It starts slow and sweet—a tender moment where I pour those three little words I cannot say, into a sensual kiss that curls my toes and makes him moan. Within seconds, he takes over, one hand tangling in my hair while the other slides around my waist, pulling me closer as he deepens the kiss. He devours my mouth like a man starved, as if I'm the only thing keeping him alive. And like it's my fate to give him everything he needs, I yield my body, my heart, my soul—everything I am—over to him. I'm his. Irrevocably so. Like Andromeda, my destiny was sealed the moment he decided he wanted me.

With a groan, he breaks the kiss, eyes closed, both of us breathing hard as he rests his forehead against mine. "Christ, pretty girl," he mutters, pausing just long enough for us to catch our breaths. "You sure know how to bring a guy to his knees."