Page 5 of The Bittersweet Bond

Every time things felt good between them, every time they were in sync, he would suddenly pull back, effortlessly slipping into his well-practiced indifference.

And despite the fact that they were both popular, they had absolutely nothing in common outside of this strange, magnetic pull that kept bringing them back together.

She should have learned by now.

Sebastian Montgomery was always playing games. And she was always losing.

He didn’t need to chase girls.

Birthday parties, private school events, tagged stories. He just showed up with his friends and stood there like he didn’t care.

Even girls from schools he’d never stepped foot in knew his name, up and down the coast.

Still, sometimes, when she least expected it, a memory crept in. A time when things between them had felt... different. Simpler. Before all the games.

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Snow crunched beneath her boots as she ran, breathless laughter spillingfrom her lips. The cold air burned her lungs, but she couldn't care less. They had been at it for nearly an hour, throwing snowballs, chasing each other through the fresh powder, their friends long forgotten somewhere behind them.

The school ski trip had felt like a blur of frozen mornings, aching muscles, and warm drinks in crowded lodges. But this? This moment? It was the part she’d never forget.

She heard the pounding footsteps behind her, knew he was catching up.

"Come on, Hayes," Bas taunted, his voice a mixture of amusement and challenge, "you're not seriously running from me."

Evin let out a piercing squeal, darting behind a small wooden shed at the farthest edge of the lodge's property. She pressed her back against the wall, fighting to calm her racing heart, her grin so wide it felt like it would split her face. Snowflakes clung stubbornly to her lashes, and her fingers tingled intensely within her gloves.

A sharp tug at her wrist.

A startled yelp, a forceful pull, and suddenly they were tumbling into the snow together, a chaotic blur of tangled limbs and uncontrollable laughter.

She landed hard on her back, breathless, with Bas on top of her, his forearms forming an unyielding cage around her. Their laughter faded into the hushed silence of the falling snow. The air between them crackled with electricity.

His breath, warm and tantalizing despite the frigid air, fanned against her cheek. His weight pressed down on her, sending a jolt of raw heat surging through her veins.

She should have moved. Should have spoken.

But she couldn't.

And then he kissed her.

The kiss came unexpectedly, yet the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

It was both gentle and searingly hot at the same time.

Nothing could have made that moment more perfect, and nothing could have taken it away from them.

The adrenaline still rushed through their veins, blending with the endorphins their bodies unleashed.

Even though the snow around them was freezing cold, their skin burned with the softness of the touch

By the time their lips parted, her breath was ragged, and so was his.

For one single, impossible moment, everything between them made sense.

“Told you I’d catch you.”Bas let out a breathless laugh. His voice was softer than usual, almost like he didn’t want the moment to end.

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