Lost & Found (Possessed 3)

Realizing it had gone quiet, he looked back to where Ace was currently devouring Pepper. He held her curvy body against him, practically inhaling her face. A grin bigger than he could ever remember smiling crept across his face.

“Damn does that look right,” he whispered to himself.

Interrupting their moment, he sidled up behind their girl and brushed her hair to the side, kissing the length of her neck. When she began to squirm and moan between them, he murmured, “Ready to go into town?”

Ace growled his frustration as she pulled away to answer Nick. “Oh, umm.” Looking back and forth between them, she blushed a bright red as she realized her current position.

“Yeah, baby,” Ace whispered in front of her. “You look good just like this.” A predatory gleam in his eyes matched the smirk on his mouth as a gasp left her.

Clearing her throat, she side-stepped out of their grasp. “Town? Right, yes, we should go.” Glancing around, she added, “Now.”

Chuckling at her predicament, they followed her back to the vehicle. Leaving the cabin again, Nick hoped the storm would stay away long enough for her to enjoy Golden and its residents.

The twenty-minute drive into town was quiet as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Him included. With the impending storm, he knew he was going to be pulled away from Pepper and Ace as soon as the snow started falling.

Some days, he hated his job.

There was a predicted foot or more of precipitation in store for them in the next forty-eight hours. So far, they were hitting record highs for snowfall. Luckily, they hadn’t had any deaths or missing person reports. Nonetheless, he knew it would only be a matter of time.

“Wow.” Pepper spoke softly from the backseat as she took in the picturesque town. Experiencing it through fresh eyes, he could admit to the beauty of a sight he was treated to every single day. “It should be on a postcard,” she said wistfully

.

He couldn’t agree more.

“It’s similar to a sight from some old, small-town movie or author’s story setting. It’s just so perfect.” He loved her innocent comments about the town he loved so dearly.

“Wait ‘til summer when the wildflowers are in full swing,” Ace responded.

Her smile faded slightly, and for a moment, he didn’t understand why. Then it hit him. She didn’t think she’d be here come summertime.

“You could always come back,” Nick told her. It would kill him if she left, but he’d understand. Knowing she had a brother, she obviously thought she had a whole other life somewhere that she had to get back to.

Ace was quiet after that, his eyes watching the scenery as they drove down Main Street to the local coffee shop. Nestled between the hardware store and the department store, it was the prime hangout in town for both the older and younger crowds.

“Are you hungry?” he asked her as he parked in front of the building.

“Not really, no.” There was a sad quality to her voice as she answered him, and he couldn’t help hoping that meant she didn’t want to leave them.

“Let’s shop then!” He tried to be enthusiastic. He wanted her happy.

Watching as Ace turned in his seat, he was extremely glad his cousin wasn’t so shy. “We won’t make you leave, you know. You can stay as long as you want.” She seemed to perk up at his words. “So long as it’s what you truly want and not just because it’s what we want.”

So close, he thought. Except it was true. He wanted her to stay because she wanted to, not because she felt obligated to.

“Something to think about, yeah?” he said to her as they left the warm vehicle for the cooler temperature and blistering breeze.

The thought of leaving Nick and Ace felt like someone had stabbed Pepper in the heart with a dull blade and just kept pushing. It was hard to make the decision she was so tempted to without knowing what, if anything, was waiting at home for her. If she had a home.

Their town was so pretty, almost picture perfect. She could see herself settling into the small community. Raising a family in a cozy cabin in the mountains. She could so clearly see her entire life play out before her eyes if only she could remember.

The biting cold forced her hand when she suggested, “Coffee?” before they went shopping. There was no way she could handle the in and out of stores without something to warm her up.

“Good idea,” Ace called through the loud wind. Holding the door to the coffee shop open for her, peppermint immediately assaulted her senses as she took in the quaint interior. Christmas decorations still littered half the place.

“When was Christmas?” she asked suddenly. Having never thought about a date before, she was completely baffled now.

They shared a look that spoke volumes about something she probably should have clued into sooner. “A couple weeks ago,” Nick finally answered.