CHAPTER 13
Sebastian
A SCREAM TORE THROUGH THE AIR.
I jolted awake, my heart thundering as I shook off the dregs of sleep and searched for the source of the scream.
It didn’t take me long to find it.
Maya clung to my side, her eyes huge as she stared at something on her leg. She was trembling, and when I followed her terrified gaze…
Fuck. Me.
My stomach lurched.
A snake slithered around her ankle, its black scales gleaming in the early-morning light. It was at least five feet long, and its forked tongue darted out in quick flicks, tasting the air.
“Maya,” I said, barely moving my mouth. Every instinct screamed at me to act, but sudden movements would only make this worse. “Stay still.”
She didn’t answer, but her nails dug into my arm. Her breaths came out in quick, shallow pants.
The snake’s body tightened just a fraction, its muscles coiling with lazy, dangerous strength. Its beady eyes watched me as I shifted an inch closer, taking great care to keep my movements deliberate and calm.
I kept my eyes on the snake while I slowly grabbed a short stick from the forest floor.
Easy…
I kept a tight grip and reached forward.
Easy…
The snake flicked its tongue again, its head lifting slightly.
I wasn’t an expert on reptiles, so I could only hope this particular one wasn’t venomous.
Easy…
I slid the stick between the snake’s body and Maya’s leg. She made a strangled noise, but she stayed remarkably still when the snake hissed.
If I forcibly pulled it off her, it might trigger a defensive bite. Instead, I used the stick to lift and redirect its coils.
It was forty degrees out, but sweat beaded on my forehead and dampened my shirt.
Come on. Get the fuck off her.
The snake paused, its body quivering as though it were irritated by my intrusion. Just when I thought I’d have to fight it with my bare hands, it loosened its grip. One coil slid free. Then another.
With a sharp hiss, it dropped to the ground and slithered away. Within seconds, it disappeared into the underbrush as though it’d never been there at all.
I checked on Maya, who was still frozen in wide-eyed terror.
“It’s gone.” I placed my hands on her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “Maya, it’s okay. The snake’s gone.”
That seemed to break through her trance. She let out a shuddering gasp and sagged against me. “Oh my God.” Her voice shook. “I thought—I hate—”
“I know,” I said softly, rubbing circles on her back. The gesture was more intimate than I normally allowed myself, but nothing about the past day had been normal.
I also knew how much Maya hated snakes. One time during boarding school, I’d pranked her by placing a rubber snake in her bed. She’d fainted, hit her head, and had to be rushed to the nurse’s office. I’d been riddled with guilt for weeks.
Her trembling finally subsided, and she lifted her head to look at me. “How did you know the snake wasn’t venomous?”
“I didn’t.”
Her eyes widened again, this time with shock. “You mean you literally poked a potentially venomous reptile with a stick?”
“Technically, I didn’t poke it, but for all intents and purposes, yes. It was either that, wait for the snake to leave on its own—if it left on its own—or watch it kill you.”
“It could’ve killed you.”
I shrugged. “It didn’t.”
“You’re…” Maya paused as though she were struggling to find the right words. “Thank you,” she whispered.
My chest twinged.
I could deal with snakes and getting stranded in the woods; I couldn’t deal with her rawness. Not like this.
She rarely let her guard down around me, and without that shield to protect me, I feared I would lose myself in something I’d sworn I’d never revisit.
Maya’s fingers clutched at the front of my sweater. Her breathing was unsteady, but her face softened as the air shifted around us.
I swallowed, my throat dry. The forest fell away, and suddenly, all I could focus on was her.
Her eyes. Her skin. Her lips. How her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat and how badly I wanted to press my mouth to that exact spot so I could feel whether she craved my touch as much as I did hers.
And even though our relationship was fraught most of the time, and I had no business thinking about any of those things, especially in our current circumstances, I couldn’t stop if I tried.
I lowered my head. Her breath hitched, and she tilted her chin up a fraction of an inch, just enough for me to—
A loud rustling noise shattered the moment.
We whipped our heads around in time for me to feel a stab of horror as something large emerged from the bush.
Maya
I’m going to die.
It wasn’t the first time I’d thought that in the past forty-eight hours, and honestly, it should be illegal for the universe to dole out that many near-death experiences to one person in such a short time frame.
Only this time, I might have had to take out the “near” part.
My heart slammed against my ribcage as a bear of a man entered the clearing. He appeared to be in his late fifties with thick gray hair and a beard. He wore a flannel shirt and a grizzled scowl as he surveyed us.
Oh God. This was it. This was the axe murderer who lived in the woods. I had a vision of our mutilated bodies being broadcast on the nine o’clock news or, worse, being buried where no one would ever find us—until the man spoke. His voice was surprisingly gentle for someone so big.
“You folks all right?” he asked. “We heard a scream earlier and came to check if y’all need help.”
It was only then that I noticed the two teenagers behind him.
A boy and a girl, both clad in hiking gear.
The boy was busy playing on his phone while the girl eyed us curiously.
Neither looked like they’d been kidnapped or hurt.
They looked… Well, they looked like a family on a camping trip, which turned out to be exactly what they were.
Apparently, they lived nearby but liked to camp out in these woods every fall. They knew the place like the backs of their hands, and after Sebastian explained our situation, the man, Burt, cheerfully guided us back to the main road. It took us less than an hour with his help.
“Don’t beat yourself up too much,” he said when Sebastian and I exchanged embarrassed glances. “It’s easy to get lost unless you’re familiar with the area, especially after such a nasty storm. I can stay here with you until help comes.”
“Thanks so much,” I said, feeling a little foolish about my earlier fears. Burt was the exact opposite of an axe murderer. “We really appreciate it.”
His eyes crinkled. “I’m just glad y’all are all right. They found a few bodies here recently, so I’m glad we didn’t have to call in any more.”
I gulped. “Oh.”
That was it. No more nature for me. I was done.
Thankfully, our cell service had been restored once we reached the main road.
Burt’s children had lent us their portable chargers, and Sebastian’s phone got enough juice for him to call a friend of a friend who was big in the auto industry.
Help arrived in twenty minutes. After they freed the SUV from the mud, and we compensated Burt and his family handsomely for their troubles, we headed for our hotel, this time with clear directions.
During the drive, I contacted the venue coordinator and explained what happened.
She managed to squeeze in a walk-through for us that afternoon, so after we checked in, showered, and ate, we headed straight to the venue.
My feet still hurt after getting torn up by my shoes, but I’d plastered on enough Band-Aids to dull the pain.
I had a few missed calls and messages from friends and co-workers, but no one seemed too worried.
I hadn’t been gone that long, and they knew I was in Vermont.
They probably thought I was too busy to message them back.
It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d gone radio silent because of work.
I should probably remedy that in case I went missing again in the future, and they dawdled in searching for me.
I finished replying to the missed messages and put my phone away.
The autumn foliage blurred outside the car windows.
The scent of apples and crisp leaves crept into the car, mixing with the vaguely spicy scent of Sebastian’s aftershave.
He’d changed into a fresh shirt and jeans, and his five o’clock shadow was gone, replaced by the clean, sharp line of his jaw.
He drove with one hand on the wheel and the other resting casually on the gearshift. Confident but relaxed, his posture radiating lazy assurance.
It was hard to reconcile this version of him with the grim-faced man who’d confronted a potentially venomous snake that morning.
He did that for you, an insidious voice whispered inside my head before I shut it down. I stared out the window, my insides strangely warm, until we reached the venue.
The spectacular wooden lodge was located on the edge of town, and I fell in love the instant I saw it.
The floor-to-ceiling glass walls, the double-height ceilings, and the elevated rustic charm were perfection.
It also had a huge chef’s kitchen that rivaled any gourmet restaurant’s and a huge dining area that overlooked the surrounding woods.
It was the ideal mix of intimate yet luxurious.
“We can arrange this area however you’d like,” the coordinator said. “We’ve done one long table, two dozen smaller tables, and everything in between.” She checked her phone. “I have to take this, but have a look around and get a feel for the space. I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you.” I waited until she left before I addressed Sebastian. “Well? What do you think?”
He ran a hand over the kitchen’s marble. “It’s… nice,” he said begrudgingly.
“I told you so.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s nicer than the North Carolina chateau.”
“We’ll see about that.”
His mouth quirked into a crooked smile, and a silver streak of heat sang through me.
So far, we’d avoided talking about what happened before Burt showed up. My adrenaline had been running so high that the past few hours passed in a blur, but now that my nerves had calmed and we were alone again…
My blood thrummed. He’d been about to kiss me. I was sure of it.
I was also sure that I’d wanted him to, and out of everything that’d happened on this trip, that freaked me out the most.
Sebastian’s smile faded. The air vibrated with sudden awareness, so thick and potent I could almost taste it.
“I’m sorry about that.” Our coordinator returned, snapping us out of the moment. “Do you have any more questions for me?”
Sebastian pivoted back to examining the kitchen while I pasted on a smile, my heart skittering. “No, I think we’re good. Thanks for squeezing us in so last-minute. We should have a final answer for you in two weeks.”
“I’m happy to help, but I have to warn you, there are several other parties looking to book this venue for the same weekend,” the coordinator said. “It might not be available in two weeks.”
“How much is the deposit to hold it?”
“Fifty percent of the total fee. Non-refundable.”
I winced. I couldn’t approve that expense without talking to the finance department first, but I doubted they’d say yes anyway. Not until I could guarantee this was the actual event venue.
“That’s fine.” Sebastian came up beside me. “We already made up our minds. We want to go ahead with this booking.”
My eyes flew to his face. What?
“Wonderful.” The coordinator beamed. “I’ll gather the paperwork and email you the details later today.”
We gave her the necessary information for the paperwork and walked out to our car. I didn’t speak until we were safely ensconced inside.
“What the hell was that? We still need to tour your place in North Carolina,” I said. “If we put a deposit down and don’t go through with it, finance is going to have our heads.”
“They won’t because we are going through with it,” Sebastian said calmly. “We’re not touring the chateau. You were right. The lodge is perfect, and there’s no point wasting more time when we’re already behind schedule.”
I stared at him. “Who are you, and what have you done to Sebastian Laurent? Tell me now, and no one gets hurt.”
The real Sebastian would never admit I was right about anything, and he’d certainly never surrender like this. The whole thing reeked of fishiness.
“Not everything is a conspiracy, Sal,” he said dryly. “I meant what I said. You picked a great location. That’s it.”
I should just accept the win, but it felt empty. What was victory without a good fight first?
We lapsed into silence again, and I made it ten minutes before I couldn’t take it anymore. We had too many unaddressed issues, and if we didn’t clear the air soon, I might suffocate beneath their weight.
“Um.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “About what happened in the woods… I don’t want it to make things weird between us. Since we still have to work together for the next few months.”
Sebastian’s expression didn’t flicker. “What, exactly, do you think happened in the woods?”
I blinked, startled by his cool tone. Was I going out of my mind? Had I imagined our near kiss, or was I being gaslit? Uncertainty crawled beneath my skin.
“Nothing,” I said. “That’s the point. I wanted to make sure you didn’t think we’d trauma bonded or anything.”
“We didn’t.”
“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“Me too.”
We didn’t talk again after that.
But later that night, when I tried to fall asleep, I couldn’t shake the sense that he’d canceled our North Carolina trip because he didn’t want to travel with me again.
It was for the best. Given our recent luck, we’d end up in a plane crash or something.
Nevertheless, a twinge of disappointment crept through me before I fell into a fitful sleep.