The air grew heavier with pine, and beneath it a hint of cinnamon that couldn’t possibly be there. My heart thumped harder with each step, a magnetic pull guiding me past tree after tree until I stopped abruptly in front of one nestled in the back corner of the lot.
It wasn’t too spectacular, maybe seven feet tall with full, symmetrical branches. Yet something about it made my breath catch. The pull in my chest intensified, like an invisible string drawing me closer.
“This is ridiculous,” I whispered, even as my hand reached out on its own accord.
My fingertips brushed the needles, and the world tilted sideways.
Snow crunched underfoot as Dad’s hearty laugh echoed through the trees. The scent of pine was so sharp it made my nose tingle. Mysmall hand was in his massive one as we trudged through white drifts.
“This one, Snowflake!” Dad’s voice boomed as he pointed to a towering pine. “What do you think?”
I danced around its base, squealing in excitement. “It’s perfect, Daddy! Can we decorate it tonight?”
The tree was impossibly tall in our living room, lights hanging at odd angles where I’d insisted on helping. Mom laughed as Dad lifted me to place the star.
I jerked backward, gasping as if I’d been underwater. My lungs burned, vision blurring as I stumbled.
Strong hands caught me from behind, steadying my swaying body. Pierce’s chest pressed against my back, one arm wrapping around my waist with surprising gentleness.
“Breathe.” His voice vibrated through me, solid and steady against the vertigo threatening to topple me.
I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision. “I don’t… I can’t…”
Pierce turned me slowly until I faced him, his storm-gray eyes searching mine with an intensity that should have been uncomfortable but somehow wasn’t. His thumb brushed under my eye, coming away wet.
I hadn’t even realized I was crying. “What’s happening to me?”
His expression softened in a way I hadn’t thought possible. One hand cupped my cheek, his thumb tracing a path along my cheekbone. “You’re remembering.”
“Remembering what?” I whispered, but deep down, I already knew. The memories felt like mine—were mine—yet somehow felt stolen from someone else’s life. A little girl who loved Christmas. A little girl with a father who wasn’t a scientist, but something more.
“I can’t tell you.” Pierce’s eyes dropped to my lips for the briefest moment. The air between us charged with electricity, making the hairs on my arms stand up.
“What is this?” I barely heard myself speak as my eyes darted to his lips.
He was close enough that I could see flecks of blue hidden in the gray of his irises. “Let me show you.”
His lips met mine with unexpected tenderness. The kiss started slow, a gentle press that rapidly deepened as his hand slid to the back of my neck. My body responded, leaning into him, fingers gripping his shirt to steady myself against a wave of heat.
His control was clear even in this, each movement deliberate yet somehow desperate. When he finally pulled back, my lips tingled with more than the physical sensation.
Another hand brushed my hair back from my face. Vix appeared at my side, his eyes warm and liquid in the Christmas lights overhead.
He didn’t say a word, just looked at me like I was something he’d waited a long time for, and then leaned in, slow enough that I could have stopped him. I didn’t. I met him halfway.
Vix’s kiss coaxed rather than claimed, teasing and retreating until I was chasing his mouth. One hand cupped my cheek while the other traced patterns at the small of my back.
When he broke away, his usual smirk was replaced with something reverent, almost awed.
I stood frozen between them, heart knocking against my ribs like it might break free. The tastes of both men lingered on my lips, different but equally intoxicating. Something had shifted in the universe, rearranging pieces I hadn’t known were out of place.
“The tree.” My voice sounded far away, even to my own ears. “I want that one.”
Pierce’s eyebrow arched in surprise, while Vix’s face split into a smile that transformed his features from merely handsome to breathtaking.
“It’s a perfect tree.” Vix’s fingers found mine, squeezing gently.
Pierce nodded once. “Absolutely perfect.”
