Page 76 of The Road Less Traveled By

I’ve never felt like this before—wholly and truly possessed by another person. This kiss is better than any of the sex I’ve had. Part of that might be because I chose to kiss him the first time, and this time, he chose to initiate it.

We’ve both chosen each other, and that’s all I could ever want.

His teeth nip at my bottom lip as he pulls away and rests his forehead against mine. “Fuck, Bree.”

“What?”

“Now that I know what you taste like, I’m ruined.”

“Oh yeah?” He nods against my head, and I can’t help a laugh from slipping out. “Well, there goes rule number two.”

“What do you say I throw out all the rules and keep kissing you whenever I feel like it?”

“I’d say you should've done that a while ago, but I’ll take it.”

“Be careful what you wish for, angel. A man obsessed may look appealing in those books you read, but it’s my mission to blow those fuckers out of the water. Do you think you can handle it?” he says as he cradles the back of my neck and brings my mouth close to his again.

“I can handle anything youthrow at me, Vince. Bring it on.”

And then his lips lock with mine again, and we spend the rest of our time on top of the mountain losing one another in stolen kisses and touches.

Chapter twenty-four

— MY TEARS RICOCHET BY TAYLOR SWIFT

Forty-five minutes into ourdrive back, I finally get service again. Vince gave me my phone before we left, and it was fully charged and ready to go. For the first time ever, there were no notifications on it, and it made me feel like I could breathe.

Vince is convinced that after this big stunt Ralph pulled, he’ll go underground for a few weeks. Nico traced a few leads but came up empty, so that’s the assumption we’re operating under, but Vince has still added extra security for my house and my sister.

Speaking of Liv, I should give her a call. I was able to chat with her a bit, but for the most part, I was completely disconnected. Vince might be onto something with the mountain air because up here, I feel nothing but peace. It feels like my batteries have been swapped out for fresh ones, and I finally feel like myself again—as much as I can in my current situation.

Neither of us has discussed the kiss from the other day, and neither of us has brought up theotherkisses that have occurred since then.

Or the fact that Vince slept in the same bed as me for the past four nights.

Or that every morning, I woke up clutching his shirt, only to look up and see him smiling at me—like we did this every morning.

Or the fact that we’re blurring the lines of our relationship and neither of us wants to talk about it. Truth be told, it feels liberating. I like having this one piece of my life to myself for now, and even though I don't know what we are, it’s nice knowing Vince chose to steal all those kisses from me.

Hechoseme. The thought is hard to wrap my mind around, and for now, I’ll take all these stolen moments with him until our relationship goes back to what it used to be.

Just a bodyguard and his client.

A bodyguard whose hand is on my thigh as we drive home…

But a bodyguard, nonetheless.

I’m about to open my mouth to say something, but my phone chiming a million different times makes me pause. I feel Vince’s hand tense, and as I pick my phone up in one hand, I place the other one on top of where his rests on my thigh.

“Is everything alright?” he asks me.

“Uh, I don't know. My phone isblowingup, but there's a few things from Liv.” I haven't talked to her since before Vince and I kissed. There’s around twenty voicemails timestamped from this morning. The pit forming in my stomach has me terrified, so I pick up the phone and call her. She picks up almost immediately.

“Thank God. Are you guys headed back?”

“Yeah, we just got back. What’s going on, Liv? Did something happen this morning? Did they catch him?” I’d lie if I wasn't the slightest bit excited that this could be the case, but hearing Liv sigh heavily across the phone tells me that isn't why she left me all those messages.

“It’s our parents.”

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