Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Tessa’s eyes flashed open and she pushed away from him. Shame and humiliation flooded her, a different heat from Declan’s touch–sickening and clammy. How could she have fooled herself again? After Anchorage, hadn’t he made his opinion of her perfectly clear? He may want her physically, but for whatever reason, he’d long ago decided she was untrustworthy and dishonest.
She turned her back on him and walked away without speaking. Mortified tears burned at the corners of her eyes.
“Tessa, wait-” he called, sounding contrite. She heard the pound of his booted footsteps coming after her.
She swallowed past the tightness in her throat. “Wait for what?
More insults p>
Declan kept pace with her angry march. “I’m sorry, Tessa. Stop for a
second and let me p>
“Just stop talking to me.” She was a sucker for a sincere apology, and she refused to be suckered again. She needed to stay mad forever because she clearly couldn’t trust her own good sense to keep her away from him. “And stop following me. Go away p>
He halted immediately, allowing Tessa to storm past him. Dammit if
his immediate acquiescence didn’t make her a little less mad at him.
Boundary–respecting asshole! she fumed ineffectively. She needed something better than that. He keeps making you think he’s going to kiss you, and every time it ends in insults.
Yeah. That’s the stuff. She ripped her door open and slammed it shut
behind her.
Chapter 31
Saturday night, after dinner, Jess and Elena met Tessa out the back
door of The Spruce with three snowmobiles.
“You know how to operate one of these?” Jess asked.
Tessa scoffed. “Please. My entire childhood, there was always a bare minimum of two snowmobiles in our garage p>
“Snowmobiles?” Elena smirked. “You’re in Alaska now. They’re
called snowmachines p>
“Oh, excuse me, snowmachines,” Tessa said, pretending at
annoyance.
“Oh my god, it’s like she was born here.” Jess grinned as she tossed
Tessa a helmet. “We’re going up into the mountains p>
Despite her bravado, it was one of the toughest rides Tessa had ever
been on. Jess and Elena knew the terrain like the backs of their
hands, and they raced over it at top speed. It was all Tessa could do
to keep them in sight. As soon as they reached the mountains, the
trail turned into a nearly constant incline. Tessa’s forearms and
shoulders ached from the effort of steering, her thighs burned from
clenching the seat. Under her winter gear, her entire body was
sticky with sweat. When she saw Jess and Elena slow to a halt, she
nearly wept in gratitude.
They’d stopped on a broad ridge high above the valley, hundreds of
feet above the tree line. There was nothing to obstruct their view,
except for the surrounding mountain peaks. In the distance,
Longtooth was a faint twinkle of light. Overhead, the sky was a tapestry unlike anything Tessa had ever seen before.
She sat astride her snowmobile, arms folded over the handlebars,
and stared in absolute wonder at the impossible beauty of the Arctic
night. The sky wasn’t black at all–it was studded with an infinite
array of diamond–bright stars, twinkling white, yellow, blue, purple,
pink. They clustered in whorls and blooms, with the Milky Way
Chapter 31
forming a beautiful wake through it all. That bright ribbon of starlight ran down to the horizon, like a celestial road, and in that moment, Tessa truly believed if she just kept going, she could reach
the end and walk upon it. Her hands curled inside her mittens,
wishing she could swipe her fingers through it. What would magic feel like? The wind and the earth were perfectly still, perfectly silent, as if the whole world was holding its breath in awe. She felt
her face mask sticking to her cheeks, hot and damp, and realized she
was crying.
Jess turned towards her, flipping up the visor on her helmet. “Well p>
Tessa swallowed past the tightness in her throat. “Beautiful,” she said inadequately, her voice hoarse.
She didn’t belong anywhere in particular–not in her decaying hometown, not in Milwaukee’s industrial hustle, and not in Chicago’s overwhelming everything. But maybe she could choose to belong here, in this otherworld, where the sky was made of diamond dust and magic. Where the killing cold was somehow melting the ice inside of her. Where people like Margaret, Natasha, Jess, and Elena thought she was wonderful just for the simple act of being herself.
“I wish I could live here,” Tessa said faintly, not intending to be heard. But Jess and Elena both cocked their heads towards her.
“You do live here,” Elena said.
Tessa shook her head, not sure how to articulate the uncertain yearning she felt. “I mean… I don’t really have anything tying me here. All the locals have such deep bonds, and I’m an outsider.
You’re all family, and I’m not p>
Jess regarded her for a quiet moment, thinking. “Family isn’t just born,” she said. “Family can be chosen.” A sneaky smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “But if you want to make it official, I can think of several local boys who’d be more than happy to bring you
Chapter 31
into the fold p>
Tessa grinned beneath the cover of her helmet. “Yeah, well, for
every interested guy, there’s another who can’t get rid of me soon. enough p>
Elena scoffed. “Don’t let Harry get to you. He’s not happy unless he’s got something to complain about p>
“It’s not just Harry p>
“What? Who else p>
“Declan wants me gone p>
Jess and Elena both laughed.
“Are you serious?” Elena asked.
(6)
Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.