Page 1 of Muse (Fighting Fate)

Chapter 1

Mia

Heaven.

Every person had a different idea of what theirs would be.

Mine?

Mine was right here, in Aspen, curled up on the sofa in front of a soft, crackling fire with a warm, fluffy blanket and my kindle.

Okay, so the howling wind outside the window was killing the ambiance a little, but considering this had been the first chance I’d had to be alone in the last three days, I wasn’t going to complain. I was just thankful Aiden, my twin brother, had convinced me to come.

I almost hadn’t. This kind of thing was a big deal to me. I didn’t do…people. Well, lots of people. Together. At one time. In one place. It was too overwhelming for me. Let’s just say I had anxiety issues, and the result of me being amongst lots of noisy people was never a good one.

But this trip was important. It was a celebration, and considering my brother was just about to hit the big time, I didn’t want to start it off by letting him down.

Okay, so when I say he was about to hit the big time, I mean his band, ‘Fighting Fate’, was about to hit the big time. He and his three closest friends had somehow just become the latest internet sensation and ‘things’ were happening.

Don’t ask me what things. I have no idea. They’d been uploading their songs to YouTube for ages, but it seemed one of their songs caught fire and went viral. Now they had offers for god knew what, coming in from god knew where. All I knew was they’d just signed on with an agent or something and it was time to celebrate. With people.

Before you ask why I would subject myself to being around a bunch of noisy people, knowing full well it would make me so anxious, I just have to say, in my defense, I’d kind of counted on the others going out skiing every day, and partying every night. What I didn’t count on was everybody having different schedules, coming and going at completely random times, tag teaming and alternating between partying in and partying out.

I managed though. Just. And, surprisingly, found myself starting to genuinely relax. This night was the first time everybody had been out at the same time, and my worn nerves were reveling in the peace.

With a sigh and a stretch of contentment, I smiled and snuggled deeper into my blanket before the sudden force of the front door being thrown open made me jump about three feet off the lounge. No joke. I actually left the lounge.

My gaze darted to the tall, dark-haired figure that abruptly swung in through the opening and slammed the door shut after him.

“Fuck me! It’s blowing a fucking gale out there!”

I waited for my heart to disconnect itself from my throat before I took in the hottest guy I’d ever known. Don’t judge me. It was entirely true. At six foot two, with dark, almost black hair, deeply tanned skin, vibrant blue eyes and a body that looked like it was carved from stone, Jace Wallace was like the freaking Greek Adonis.

I watched him carefully shake the fine white powder from his hair before he started to brush it off his coat. When he finished, his gaze came up to meet mine and for the first time, I was met with those gorgeous, mind altering eyes.

I blinked stupidly. Apparently that’s what happens the first time a Greek Adonis looks at you. My heart kind of flat lined before stuttering back to life again.

I know. It was pathetic, but there you have it. Jace Wallace was like my very own form of kryptonite. He made me weaker than anything else I’d ever come across and all that jazz. Unfortunately for me, he was also one of my brother’s best friends and band mate.

And he barely knew I existed…

You might ask how that was even possible since he’d been at my house practically every weekend for the last four years, but I have one word for you: ANXIETY.

Okay, so it wasn’t really the anxiety that made me hide every time Aiden had friends over, but it was anxiety’s fault I avoided people in the first place, ultimately turning me into some shy girl who had no idea how to confidently communicate with the human population.

Breaking his gaze, Jace frowned and stepped further into the room, throwing his keys onto the table by the door. I took the opportunity to look at him while I could. Out of all the guys in the band, Jace was the one who looked most like a rockstar. It wasn’t just his appearance, even though with all his hard lines, chiseled contours, rippling ab’s, and that perfectly shaped V that disappeared into his jeans, he most certainly did fit the bill. He just had this way about him. A confidence that drew people to him.

He also had this raw determination about him. A need to succeed. It was there in the strong set of his jaw and the resolute way he stood, as though daring anyone to just try to tear him down.

But sometimes, when he didn’t think anyone was watching, I saw a fragility within him. A sensitivity that seemed to cry out for nurturing. It was only fleeting. A look he got deep in his eyes, but it was that tiny little crack in his armor that made me the hopeless, pathetic fangirl I was.

I watched him shake himself off further as he moved closer to the fireplace. Sliding my kindle onto the coffee table, I stretched and forced myself to engage in conversation, which was a lot harder than it sounded.

“Are you not staying out with the others?”

The smile he gave me was one I’d seen on numerous occasions but never once directed at me. “Yeah. We just finished dinner so I thought I should bring Mark’s truck back before we went out. I wasn’t really comfortable leaving it there overnight.”

Mark was Jace’s stepdad, and I knew for a fact he wouldn’t have cared about his truck getting damaged. Just as long as Jace was okay. “You should’ve told me,” I said without pause. “I could’ve driven you all out. I wouldn’t have minded.”

His smile turned sheepish. “I didn’t really think.”

It was the bashful look that did me in. It really shouldn’t have worked on someone so hot, but damn…

It always amazed me how different all the guys acted behind closed doors. They were all really sweet, despite their potty mouths, but get them on a stage and they were the most arrogant pricks you’d ever seen.

Dean wasn’t as bad as the others. Being the lead singer, he had a kind of sexy fragility about him that drove girls crazy. Because of that, his girlfriend, Lila, was the most envied girl at school. Personally, I thought she was a manipulative bitch. It was obvious she wasn’t with Dean because she loved him.

Dean, on the other hand, was head over heels. Sunk. He didn’t even look at other girls. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and I knew when it did, it would either break the band completely, or they’d get some really good songs out of it. I hoped for the latter.

“Do you want me to drive you back?” I asked, thinking about how amazing it would feel being in a confined space with him.

His gaze turned towards the window and he frowned. “The weather’s getting pretty nasty out there. I don’t think it’s a good id

ea for either you or Mark’s truck to be out in that. Thanks for asking though. I’ll just call a taxi.”

I nodded then watched him disappear down the hall towards the bedrooms before quietly slapping my palm against my forehead. Arrrhhh! What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just flirt like every other girl on the planet? I was so pathetic!

Sighing, I threw back the blanket and pushed myself to my feet. The second I stood though, my balance was thrown. What the hell?! I stumbled to the side, reaching my hands out to grab hold of anything that would stop me from falling down.

It was only after I’d latched onto the arm of the sofa that I noticed the haunting sound of rumbling in the distance, and I suddenly realized the reason I’d lost my balance was because the floor had been shaking.

Jace rushed out from the hall. “Are you okay?”

I looked at him, my brain a little dazed. “Yeah. What was that?”

He continued coming closer until he was standing beside me. “I have a feeling it was an avalanche.”

My eyes widened. “Oh, wow. Really?”

He was frowning, his expression thoughtful, but before he could say anything else, his phone started ringing. I watched him answer, totally wrapped up in the sensation of being so close to him. I was sure it was the closest we’d ever been. I leaned forward a fraction and inhaled deeply, trying to take in his scent.

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