Page 21

Adrian

T he following day, something was different. I felt it the moment I woke up.

It wasn’t just the warmth in the cabin from the fire or the fact that, for once, we hadn’t spent the night shivering to death. It was something else.

Something I noticed immediately when I glanced over at them.

Troy and Elena.

They were closer.

Not just physically—though, yes, they were practically pressed together beneath the blankets—but in how they looked at each other.

The way Troy smiled at her was easy, teasing—like his old self. The way she ducked her head, her cheeks flaming red when she caught me watching them.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably.

I wasn’t stupid. Something had happened. And I didn’t like that I didn’t need to guess what it was.

“Hey, Troy,” I said abruptly, my voice coming out sharper than I intended as Elena let out a soft laugh at something he said that only she could hear.

Troy turned to me, mid-laugh, his brows pulling together in confusion. “Yeah?”

“I need help outside.”

Troy’s frown deepened. “Help with what?”

I clenched my jaw, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. “I want to assess how much snow fell. Maybe look into trapping something. We’re going to need food. I need you outside now.”

Troy studied me briefly before shrugging and getting to his feet, leaving Elena alone in our makeshift bed. He quickly shoved his feet into his boots and shrugged on his jacket.

“No need to be so bossy about it.”

I ignored his comment, immediately stepping out of the plane, the cold biting into my skin.

Troy followed a few moments later, stretching his arms above his head and glancing around.

“Could’ve been worse,” he said, nodding toward the snow-covered ground. “Only a few inches fell. Considering how bad the sky looked yesterday, I thought it’d be more. It’s cold as shit out here, though.”

I didn’t let him finish. I turned to him, jaw tight, voice low.

“What’s going on with you and Elena?”

Troy froze.

He just stared at me for a long moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly.

Then, finally, he looked away and sighed.

“I kissed her last night.”

My stomach dropped.

Troy dragged a hand through his hair. “It wasn’t just a kiss, either. We, uh... had a little make-out session.”

I stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

“You... what?” I finally managed.

Troy had the decency to look ashamed.

“Adrian, I?—”

“You’re engaged,” I hissed, cutting him off. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Troy’s expression darkened .

“You think that matters out here?” he shot back. “You think I give a shit about Amanda right now?”

I gaped at him, shaking my head. “Are you even listening to yourself? What happens when we get rescued? We have to go back home to our lives, man. Then what? Huh?”

Troy opened his mouth, then shut it again, something like helplessness crossing his face.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, voice tight. “Maybe... maybe I don’t want to be engaged anymore.”

I exhaled sharply, running a hand down my face. “Troy?—”

He cut me off this time, stepping closer, his green eyes serious.

“I’m telling you this because I don’t regret it,” he said. “And I’m telling you that if you were smart, you’d take your chance with her too.”

I blinked, stunned.

I had expected him to defend himself. I had expected him to brush it off as a mistake.

But this?

This, I hadn’t expected.

“What the hell are you saying?” I asked.

Troy sighed. “I know you care about her, Adrian. Don’t deny it. You told me as much last night.”

I looked away, my stomach twisting.

Troy pressed on. “She’s sweet. She’s... perfect. And I don’t know what it is, but I want her in a way I’ve never wanted anyone before.” He took a deep breath. “And I know you feel it too.”

I licked my lips, letting out a bitter laugh. “And what, you’re suddenly okay with sharing?”

Troy hesitated. That was new. He had never shared a girl before.

After a long moment, he whispered, “Yes.”

I stared back at him in confusion, unsure I’d heard him correctly. The Troy I knew had always been overly possessive with his women. They were his once they were on his arm, and he’d go to war for them.

He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “It’s up to Elena. If she wants this, then I want it too.”

I continued to stare at him, my heart hammering.

“She’s our sister , Troy?— ”

“ Step sister, Adrian. Not fucking blood. Not related. She’s fair game.”

“What about Dad?” I asked quietly, shaking my head. “What if this works, and we do get to go home, and he finds out we’ve been fucking her? That we’re in some weird, fucked up thruple situation?”

Troy scoffed. “I’d hope he’d just be grateful we’re alive and happy.”

I swallowed. “And what if she says no to me? That’s a possibility.”

Troy’s expression softened. “I felt the same way, man. And now I have her first kiss.”

I exhaled shakily, overwhelmed by the weight of everything. Troy watched me for a long moment before clapping a hand on my shoulder.

“Just... think about it.”

I didn’t respond.

I couldn’t.

Instead, I changed the subject, and my voice became tighter.

“We should try building a trap.”

Troy took the hint and nodded. He knew me well enough to know how I was. When I didn’t want to deal outwardly with an issue, I rolled it around in my head forever until I figured it out. This was no exception.

For the next hour, we gathered small branches, testing different ways to make something that could work as a snare. As a live trap. As anything which might offer us a fucking miracle. None of the things we came up with were perfect, but it was something.

By the time we returned to the plane, Elena was napping again.

Troy went to her immediately, his expression softening, making my stomach ache.

I watched as he tucked the blanket around her, gently moved her book off her lap, and then, after a pause, pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

Something in me ached. I had never seen him like this before. I’d seen Troy with many women over the years, but never once had I ever seen him display any emotion toward them. Sure, he’d smile, kiss them, and fuck them, but past that, he always made the women come to him.

God help me; I also wanted to be like that with her. Like Troy was. So confident and sure of the situation .

Troy turned to me, his gaze knowing. He got to his feet to go to the bathroom. He clapped my shoulder again as he passed me and whispered, “Go for it.”

I swallowed hard, glancing at Elena again, feeling the yearning twist deep in my gut.

I didn’t fight it this time. I let it rush through me. But I still had no idea how to make it happen.

And for that, I was terrified.