What I didnt know was why he had chosen me. And chosen me he had, years ago. Of that I was certain. Long before his parents had been killed, long before my fathers death, he had chosen me . I recalled the first time that Aiden had brought him home. He had been six at the time, young, quiet, and new to town. I had been five. Even at that young age there had been a strange wisdom in his onyx eyes. A wisdom that had struck me, stunned me, and entranced me. He had been beautiful to me, and perplexing as he studied me in a way that I had never been studied before. There had been confusion in his gaze, disbelief, and a strange yearning that I had not understood at the time. I understood it now. Just as I understood that he would always be a part of me, and that he had been since that first moment.
I may have forgotten about those earlier days after my fathers death, and the subsequent years of being studiously avoided by Cade but I was acutely reminded of that little
boy now, and the strange bond that had ensnared us. My heart lumbered with the memories, and the love surging through me. I could see that little boy perfectly, standing in our doorway, his face slack with surprise and his eyes wide as he watched me.
Then, ever so slowly, he had smiled at me. It had been a beautiful and rare smile. It had warmed the ice that had glimmered in his onyx gaze, and it had caused me to smile brightly in return. He had been Aidens friend, but he was far more than that to me, and we had been together nearly every day for the following two years. He had been my everything then, and though I had been too young to understand relationships, or recognize that I was helplessly in love with him, I knew now that I had been. And that I still was.
But in one awful night it had all changed. For a brief moment I wondered what it would have been like between us if his parents hadnt been killed. What our lives would have been like if we had not been separated by hideous chance. I knew there never would have been a relationship with Bret. As much as I cared for Bret, it would have been Cade and I this entire time, there never would have been anyone else of that I was certain. Fate hadnt worked that way, and though we had been separated then, I knew we would not be separated again. Not willingly, anyway.
He pulled slightly back from me. His hands cradled my face gently, his thumbs rubbed over my cheeks. I knew I had to be filthy, he was filthy, we were all filthy, but he didnt care, and neither did I. His breath was warm against my mouth as his lips brushed lightly over mine. My heart leapt, plummeted, and then soared high again. A soft sigh of pleasure, and wonder, escaped me. I leaned into him, savoring the warmth of his mouth, and the pleasure that flooded my body. My hands dug into his back, for a brief moment I allowed myself to be lost to him.
But only for a moment. I pulled slowly away, blinking his handsome, dirt smeared face into focus. I smiled softly at him, cradling his hands gently against my face. We have to go.
We do, he agreed.
For some reason his simple words caused my smile to widen. I was surprised by the answering spark of merriment I saw in his midnight eyes. It was rare to see any joy in his gaze, but it was there now, and beaming radiantly out at me. He was just as happy as I was to have found me again, that much was obvious. He kissed me swiftly once more before rising gracefully. He held his hand out to me, helping me to my feet. I stood shakily, but my legs somehow managed to keep me up.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to look at Jenna and Abby. Jenna was staring at me with a haughty, superior look on her face that set my teeth on edge as she smirked at me. I knew that she would tell Bret as soon as she saw him. I would have to tell him first. The last thing I wanted was for Bret to be hurt, but there was no way to avoid that anymore. I saw that now, there was no stopping this thing between Cade and I, and I no longer wanted to try to. It had to come from me; I had to tell Bret about it, not her. This was not Brets fault and I needed him to understand that, I also needed him to understand that I did love him. I just didnt love him like this.
Abby had moved away from us; she was studying the area where we had landed. Cade took hold of my hand as Abby turned slowly back to us. She was unable to stop the flicker of relief that filtered over her face at seeing Cade and I no longer embraced. This cant be legal, she said softly.
I frowned as I took in our surroundings for the first time. We were standing in a soppy bowl in the ground. Grass and weeds sprouted up here and there, but the ones outside of the area we stood in were burnt from the harsh August sun. I looked at the pipe we had tumbled out of, surprised to realize that it was broken. Five feet to my right, the rest of the pipe was jutting three feet out of the ground. The broken pieces lay in a jumbled heap around us.