Page 36 of Beautiful Collide

Side by side, we eat in silence. Things feel normal—or as normal as they can be when you’re sitting on the floor of an abandoned gas station eating Twinkies during a tornado.

But then the building shakes, and Molly flinches, her body tense.

There’s a very good chance the windows will shatter. Hopefully, the glass is tempered, but from here, I can’t tell, and I certainly won’t be getting up to check.

That would require leaving Molly alone.

Speaking of Molly, she stiffens beside me, glancing up at the ceiling.

There’s an ominous feeling in the air as the night sky illuminates with a fresh crack of lightning, and the entire building shudders again.

“Oh my God.”

“Relax. Everything will be fine—”

As if Mother Nature has a sick sense of humor, a deafening crack cuts me off as if to challenge me. Molly jerks so hard, I’m afraid she’s going to hurt herself if she doesn’t calm down.

I set aside the Twinkies and move closer. “Molly.”

“I don’t want to die here,” she blurts out.

“You’re not going to,” I respond firmly.

“No.” She shakes her head. “I don’t mean just the tornado. I mean . . . like this. Trapped in this shitty gas station with you.”

“Ouch.” I press a hand to my chest in mock pain, but I need her feisty attitude right now. That’s how she’ll push away the fear. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so flattered.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Yet here we are.” I lean in. “What are you gonna do about it?”

All of a sudden, she grabs my shirt, yanks me down to her level, and kisses me.

It’s not a gentle kiss. It’s hard. And passionate.

It’s hate and want. Fear and survival.

Raw and unpolished.

Driven by adrenaline and something else.

Defiance.

I can’t help but smirk against her lips. “I thought this was a mistake.”

“Fuck the mistake. Just make me forget.”

I let my thumb trace the delicate line of her neck before leaning down and capturing her lips again.

With my other hand, I cup the back of her neck, pulling us closer until no space exists between us.

She clings to me, her fingers fisted in my shirt like she’s afraid I’ll let her go.

I won’t.

Not now, at least.

After a few more passes of my tongue, I finally pull back, breaking the kiss.

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