TWISTED FATE (Twisted Path Book 1)

Chapter 39

Shane

I take slow breaths, holding her close, trying to steady myself. Trying to soak her in, memorizing the way she feels against me. Because as of tomorrow morning, I won't get to hold her like this for a while.

And I fucking hate it.

I hate that I have to leave her. Hate that the one place I need to be—by her side—is the one place I can't stay.

A tight, suffocating pressure wraps around my chest.

"There's something I have to tell you," I murmur, my fingers tracing the soft ridges of her back, memorizing every inch of her.

She stiffens slightly in my arms. "What is it?"

I hesitate for just a moment. Then—because there's no way to soften this—I just say it.

"I have to go home tomorrow." The words burn like acid as they leave my mouth. "My mom's coming back into town, and I have to be there. At least for the holidays."

Becca goes completely still.

For a long beat, she doesn't say anything. Doesn't even breathe. Then, so quietly, so brokenly, she exhales a small fractured sound—like something inside her just shattered.

Then she nods.

And steps back.

A slow deliberate retreat, like she's already bracing herself for the distance. Like she's already letting me go.

My stomach lurches.

I refuse to let her do this.

My hands slide down her arms, catching her wrists, holding her still. "Pretty girl—"

"It's okay," she interrupts, forcing a small, brittle smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "I mean, I knew this wasn't forever, right? We both did."

A stabbing pain cuts through my chest.

"Becca." My voice is sharp, an obvious warning.

She shakes her head like she's trying to shake me off, like she's trying to convince herself of something that isn't true. "It's okay. Really. Maybe... maybe a little space will be good for us."

No.

No, it fucking won't.

The panic in her eyes betrays her, slicing through me like a blade. She's bracing for impact. Already putting up walls. Trying to protect herself before I walk away and leave her alone and vulnerable.

But I'm not letting that happen.

"Stop," I growl, grabbing her face gently but firmly. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to twist this into something it's not."

She blinks, lips parting, her breath shallow.

"This changes nothing, Becca." My voice drops—dark, raw, unshakable. "You are mine. And I am yours. Do you understand me?" My fingers tighten slightly against her jaw, anchoring her in place. "No amount of time or distance will ever change that."

Her breath hitches, her body swaying toward me like she can't help it. "Shane..."

I don't let her finish.

I capture her lips, swallowing whatever excuse she was about to make, whatever doubt was about to spill from her pretty mouth. I kiss her like I can brand my truth into her soul. Like I can make her feel it as deeply as I do.

When I pull back, her lips are swollen, her breath uneven, and her eyes...

Fuck, her eyes.

Vulnerable. Exposed. Warring between fear and the undeniable pull between us.