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Elena

T roy kissed me like I meant something. Like he had always wanted this. Like he had been waiting for the right time to make my toes curl and my heart jump in my chest.

The moment his lips met mine, the world outside the wreckage ceased to exist. The storm, the cold, the fear of being stranded—all of it melted away, leaving just him and how he made me feel.

I hadn’t expected this. Not in my wildest dreams had I imagined Troy Drexler kissing me, his hand gently cradling my face, his body pressing closer.

The weight of the moment overwhelmed me, the heat of it, the absolute fiery intensity. I barely had time to process how his hands moved, gentle but claiming, his lips parting mine, coaxing a response from me that I had never given to anyone before.

The butterflies in my stomach danced wildly, my heart beating fast and hard against my tender ribs.

I had never been kissed before, never touched this way, and now here I was, being practically devoured by one of two people who had spent years ignoring me.

I should have been confused. I should have been thinking about Adrian. About the way he had touched my hair only hours before .

But none of that mattered now.

I pushed everything else away, allowing myself to be in this moment, to feel what it was like to be wanted.

To be desired.

Troy deepened the kiss slowly, his lips moving over mine with a hunger and expertise I didn’t know how to label.

I responded instinctively, my body pressing into his, my fingers twisting in his shit, needing more, despite not even knowing what it was supposed to feel like.

Just when I thought I might drown in the way he kissed me, he finally pulled back, releasing me from the spell he had me under.

He rested his forehead against mine, his breathing ragged and uneven.

One final, sweet kiss—so soft it sent a shiver down my spine—and he backed away fully, studying me, the space between us far too great a distance.

His green eyes were darker now, hazy with something that sent heat rushing through my veins. A fire I wasn’t sure would ever be extinguished. I was so dazed and lost in the moment that I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to put the fire out.

“Was that OK?” he murmured.

My lips were swollen, and my breathing was still shaky.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Then, without thinking, I blurted out, “What about Amanda?”

Troy stiffened at my question, his handsome face twisting into something filled with frustration. I heard they fought a lot, but I didn’t know the ins and outs of his relationship past he had one. I didn’t like kissing him if he was still with her, but I also knew something had to have happened the morning we left because he was moody, and moody wasn’t Troy at all.

I saw how his expression continued to shift, his jaw tightened, and his gaze darkened with something I didn’t understand.

“Amanda doesn’t matter,” he said, his voice flat. He sounded almost…angry.

Then he moved like he was about to turn away from me.

I didn’t even think before I reached for him, my fingers wrapping around his wrist. It was a move that surprised even me.

I kissed him again.

I didn’t know where the bravery came from. I didn’t understand why I was suddenly acting without thinking. But the second my lips met his, Troy responded, falling into the kiss with wild abandon.

His fingers laced into my hair, his grip tighter, more desperate. He pulled me closer, swallowing the small gasp that escaped me as the kiss deepened, turning hotter and more frantic with each breath shared between us.

I felt his tongue slide against mine, and my body shuddered at the foreign sensation, heat pooling in places I had never experienced before.

Troy’s arms wrapped around me, shifting me beneath the blankets, his body pressing against mine, his hand skimming the curve of my waist as he pulled me flush against him.

I let him.

I was helpless in all the feelings and emotions pouring through my body. At that moment, I wanted what he wanted, whatever that may be.

I pressed a shaky hand against his hard chest, feeling the warmth of his skin through his shirt.

His lips traveled down, brushing against my jaw and throat, leaving a trail of scorching heat in their wake.

And then, in the haze of everything swallowing us, he murmured between our breathless kisses, “Have you ever been with anyone before?”

The question snapped me out of my daze, and I stilled.

My fingers trembled against his chest as I slowed the kiss and completely pulled away from him.

I hesitated before whispering, “No.”

Troy frozen. His breathing was still heavy, his lips still so close to mine.

Then, slowly, he pulled back completely, his eyes searching mine as something new flickered in his expression.

He went up on one arm, hovering over me as his fingers tilted my face toward his.

His green eyes burned into mine.

Then, so softly, it made my stomach twist, he whispered, “I don’t know why I fucking like that so much.”

Before I could even process his words, he kissed me again.

This time, it was slower, hotter, and fiercer. It was like he wanted to take his time and prove that he was now the owner of everything regarding me.

And I let him.

I let myself get lost in him all over again, allowing him to pull me under this new, uncharted territory I had no business trying to navigate.

He was my brother.

Step-brother , a soft voice argued in my mind.

Eventually, the kisses slowed until we lay there, facing each other, talking.

The tension in my body faded as Troy asked me question after question, his fingers occasionally tracing soft patterns against my skin.

“Hot chocolate or coffee?” he asked.

I bit my bottom lip and considered the question. “Hot chocolate when I’m cold and want to cuddle. Coffee when I’m on the go and need a pick me up. You?”

He smiled. “Same. How about your favorite holiday?”

“I don’t have one.”

He lifted his brows at that. “What? Not even Christmas?”

I cast my gaze away from him. “No. Maybe when I was a kid. I haven’t enjoyed it since I was around eleven.” I looked back at him and offered him a sad smile. “What’s your favorite holiday?”

“Christmas,” he answered softly, not bothering to tell me why he loved it so much. Instead, he plowed on. “You were eleven when we met. When you moved in. Did you hate every Christmas you spent with us?”

I sighed. “It’s not that I hated it. I didn’t belong. After Mom died, it was even worse. I felt like an outsider intruding on you and Adrian’s life. Opening presents didn’t feel right.”

“Fuck, Elena,” he murmured. “I’m sorry you felt that way. I really am. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to not be such a fucking idiot.”

“It’s fine. Really.”

“It’s not fine.” He brushed my hair away from my cheek and tucked it behind my ear. “The next Christmas we spend together will be epic. I promise.”

I smiled at that and changed the subject, not wanting him to make promises to me he couldn’t keep for whatever reason. “Why do you like Christmas so much?”

“Presents. The way the air has all that happy energy.” He gave me a sweet smile. “I just love everything about it.”

It sounded like a Troy answer. Where Adrian was a dreary day, Troy was the sun peeking out from behind the storm clouds.

“If you could be any animal you wanted, which would you be?” he pressed.

“A bird so I could fly away, especially now.”

“Same,” he answered grimly. “But like a big bird. Nothing lame like a finch.”

I laughed softly at that. “Don’t hate on finches. Anything with wings works for me.”

“Like bugs?” He raised his brows.

I laughed again. “Even bugs.”

“OK, so which kind of bug would you want to be if you could be any bug?”

I rolled my eyes at his goofiness. “Uh, a butterfly so that I could be pretty.”

“Oh, little dancer,” he murmured, his mood shifting. “You’re fucking gorgeous. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

My cheeks heated at his words, and he leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine.

“What are we doing, Troy?” I finally whispered as he pulled away.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying kissing you.”

“But why?” I searched his face, hoping for an answer that didn’t confuse or hurt me.

He was quiet for a moment, contemplating his answer.

“I guess I want to get to know you. I want… so many things.”

“Why now?”

He sighed and looked away momentarily before drawing his attention back to me.

“Because I’m scared I’ll never get another chance. I don’t want to die, and you never know that I gave a shit and cared about you. In the same vein, I also don’t want to get rescued, and you walk away, and we go back to the way things were. I don’t want that, not now that I’ve tasted you. Experienced you.”

His words made my heart flutter.

“Is that a good enough answer?” he asked.

I nodded wordlessly. He smiled and carried on asking me questions. I could tell he was trying to make up for lost time now. Trying to fill the gap of all the years he had spent ignoring me. We went on for the better part of an hour learning about one another.

At some point, the conversation turned deeper.

We talked about my mom. About Steve. About the past.

“I miss my mom,” I admitted.

“I miss her too,” he replied softly. “She was a good mom. Better than my own. She was always happy, and my dad loved her so much. I wish she were still with us.”

My eyes stung at his words. He wasted no time brushing my tears away.

“Don’t cry, pretty girl. I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“It’s not you,” I said, sniffling. “It’s just, I always thought you hated her like me.”

“Oh fuck, baby,” he whispered, pressing a fierce kiss to my forehead. “No. Never. I swear to you never.”

He held me for a long time before pulling away. So quietly it almost hurt, I whispered to him the last thing I felt and needed to get off my chest.

“I’m sorry I ruined your lives by coming into it.”

Troy’s expression darkened.

I swallowed, my throat tight. “If I could go back and change it, I would. I just… I want you and Adrian to be happy. I’d give anything for that.”

Troy ran his knuckles along my jaw, his touch featherlight, but it sent a shiver through me.

“You didn’t ruin anything,” he murmured. “We did.”

I gave him a sad smile, my voice shaky. “It might not matter soon anyway. We might not?— ”

Troy pressed a finger to my lips before I could finish.

“You’re not allowed to say ugly things like that,” he whispered fiercely. “You’re too pretty and kind to let such awful words come from your mouth, little dancer.”

I exhaled shakily, my chest tight with emotion.

Troy cupped my face, his thumbs brushing gently against my skin.

“I promise you,” he said, his voice steady, “I will figure this shit out. We’re going to be fine.”

I believed him.

I didn’t know if it was because I needed to believe in something or if it was because something in his eyes made it impossible not to.

I didn’t want to think about it any further. I didn’t want to ruin the moment we had.

Troy must have sensed it because he leaned in and kissed me gently once more like it was perfectly natural. Oddly, it did feel natural. I thought it might be awkward, but it just felt… right.

After a long silence, he whispered, “Sleep for me, little dancer. I want you to rest.”

I let him pull me close, nestling against his warm body, listening to his heart's steady, even beat.

So many thoughts swirled in my head. So many fears. So many questions. But for now, for now , I focused on only one thing.

The here and now. It was all any of us had.