Chapter 1 Christmas Eve Nightmare

ROSIE

The Christmas lights hung across the ski lodge's ceiling, blurring into streaks of gold and white as tears filled my eyes. I blinked hard, biting my lower lip as I tried to focus on anything in the room. The sound of the clock ticking, the muffled sounds of people, the snow falling outside the window-but nothing could take me away from this moment.

"Come on, Rosie. Don't be dramatic." Josh's voice held that cruel amusement I'd somehow missed for three whole months. Three months of believing someone like Joshua Carter-star hockey player, campus golden boy-could actually want someone like me.

Idiot.

I clutched the hotel comforter tighter around my naked trembling body, as my gaze fell on my dress crumpled on the ground like a discarded gift wrap.

A joke.

A bet.

"G-get out," I whispered, my voice breaking.

"What was that?" Josh leaned against the doorframe of the hotel room, his jacket hanging open over his bare chest, the chest I'd felt against my palms minutes ago. My stomach coiled in disgust.

Behind him, I could see his friends-Tyler, Mila, and Brad-watching with amusement. And worst of all, standing at the back with her phone held up, was Sophia.

My twin sister.

"I said get out!" I shouted.

Sophia's perfectly glossed lips curved into a smile as she tapped her phone screen. "It's already online, Rosie. Five hundred views. Enjoy the fame."

My breath came in short pants, my hands trembling as my stomach dropped. Video? Which video? I quickly looked to Josh for an explanation as he smirked.

"The bet was whether you'd fall for me. And you did. Hard." Josh's tone was taunting, and there it was-that casual cruelty that had probably always been there, hiding under the charm. "Eight hundred bucks. Though honestly? I earned every penny with that body of yours."

The mocking laughter followed, I'd known I was fat-had lived with the casual cruelty of middle school, the pointed comments from my mother every time I reached for seconds, the constant comparisons to Sophia. "Why can't you be more like your sister?" echoing through every family dinner, every school event, every moment of my childhood.

But Josh had made me believe he saw past all that.

Three months. All a lie.

"You should see your face right now," Tyler said, phone recording. "This is fucking gold."

I scrambled off the bed, grabbed my boots, and ran. I couldn't stay under their mocking faces.

"Rosie, wait-" Sophia's voice followed me.

My own twin sister. The person who'd shared a womb with me had destroyed me.

I pushed past Josh and ran outside.

The cold hit me like a physical blow, stealing what little breath I had left, and I gasped. It was Christmas Eve in Highland Creek, Colorado, the location I'd picked because it had good resort accommodations for couples. If I'd known this would happen, would I have chosen it?

The parking lot was a winter wonderland, all pristine white and twinkling lights, looking like something from an ice fairy tale.

"Come on, Rosie!" Josh's voice came. "Don't be so sensitive. It was just a joke!"

A joke. Three months of my life. My virginity. My dignity.

I stumbled and caught myself against a parked car. That's when the sobs came-huge, gasping things that fogged in the frozen air.

"Jesus, she's actually crying," Mila said. Camera phones clicked.

I sank into the snow and buried my face in my hands. By tomorrow, everyone at Silverwestern would have seen the video. My parents would find out. They'd compare me to Sophia again, find me lacking again.

"That's enough."

A new voice rang through the snow-low, rough, absolutely angry.

I looked up through blurry eyes to see a man I'd never met standing between me and Josh's group. Tall, over six feet, with dark hair covered in snow. Just a black henley and jeans despite the cold.

"Who the hell are you?" Josh scoffed.

"Someone who's giving you ten seconds to walk away."

Tyler stepped forward. "Man, this is none of your-"

The stranger moved and his fist connected with Tyler's jaw with a sickening crack. Tyler went down hard, blood spraying onto the pristine snow.

"Anyone else?" The stranger's gaze swept over them. "Get your friend and get the fuck out of my town."

"You broke my jaw!" Tyler struggled to his feet, held up by Josh.

"Be grateful it wasn't your neck." The stranger turned his back on them and crouched in front of me. "Hey. You okay?"

I stared at him. Up close, he had the most unusual eyes-amber colored, almost glowing in the parking lot.

"Stupid question," he muttered to himself. "Can you stand?"

I managed a nod.

He offered his hand. It was bare despite the cold, and when I took it, his skin was impossibly warm. He pulled me up easily and immediately shrugged out of his jacket, wrapping it around my shoulders.

The jacket smelled like sandalwood and pine and something wild.

"I'm fine," I managed, voice hoarse.

"You're in a parking lot in a comforter in a snowstorm. You're not fine." His voice was gentler now. "Do you have somewhere to go?"

I thought about the lodge room. About going back to campus where everyone would see the video. About calling my parents, who would somehow make this my fault. About how they'd compare me to Sophia, my perfect twin who never embarrassed them.

"No," I whispered.

Something flickered in those amber eyes. "Okay. Come with me."

"I don't know you."

"Name's Jude. Jude Winters." He tilted his head toward the lodge where Sophia stood watching. "And I'm a hell of a lot safer than what you're running from."

He had a point.

"Come on," Jude said. "There's a bar in town. It's warm."

I should have said no. Should have done literally anything other than trust a stranger who'd just knocked someone out in a parking lot.

But when I looked into Jude's eyes, I didn't see pity or disgust. Just genuine concern.

"Okay," I heard myself say.

His entire face transformed with relief. "Good. My bike's over here."

The bike was sleek and black. Jude swung his leg over it and looked back expectantly.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Don't worry. I drive carefully." He patted the seat. "Have you ever ridden before?"

"No."

"Just hold on tight. I've got you."

I climbed on behind him. When I wrapped my arms around his waist, I felt the solid warmth of him even through his shirt.

The engine roared to life.

"Where are we going?" I shouted over the noise.

"Somewhere safe," he called back. "I promise."

And despite everything-despite Josh and Sophia and the video-I believed him.

The bike pulled out of the parking lot, leaving my shattered life behind. Cold wind whipped against my face, but Jude's body was warm and solid.

I pressed my face against his back and let myself cry.