Finding Forever by Melody Anne

Or a reincarnation of Glinda? Yeah, sure.
    “I’m relieved to hear you say that. The order of the world might change if superbusinessman Liam Felton believed in something so silly as magic.”
    Though she was joking with him, her words stung just a bit. No, he didn’t believe in things that weren’t there. No. He couldn’t do that. So he decided to carry on with his story.
    “Here’s the family tragedy. My great-great-grandfather’s oldest son came out here the night before his eighteenth birthday. He was to be made a partner in the company the next day. But he was never seen again.”
    “How do you know he didn’t just run away?”
    “About half a mile inside the cave, blood was found, along with his jacket and the satchel he carried his art supplies in. He loved painting more than anything else, or so I’ve been told.”
    “Maybe that was all a setup. Maybe he just didn’t know how to tell his father what he really wanted out of life, and he went on to be an artist.”
    “No. That’s ridiculous. It couldn’t have happened that way,” he told her, though his mind was reeling.
    “I think the story is far more romantic that way.”
    “This is the way we know the story. He was taken into another world but his spirit still resides here, to protect future generations of children from dying as tragically as he did.”
    “That makes quite a touching ending to the story too, but I like my version better,” she told him as she stepped inside the cave. “He felt trapped, and he went off to pursue what he loved.”
    Liam felt mesmerized by this woman and her odd perspective on things. What if she were right and his great-uncle had decided to run away and start over? If only there were any way to find out, but there wasn’t. Suddenly his words poured out.
    “Vince and I never wanted this kind of life. We never wanted to work seven days a week and turn into the man our father used to be. We would come to this cave and plan on running away, living on the land, maybe even becoming cowboys. Anything seemed better than this.”
    “I’m so sorry, Liam, for all the responsibility heaped on your shoulders.”
    “I don’t need sympathy, Whitney. That was just a foolish thought from when we were younger.”
    “It obviously matters to you if you’re telling me this now.”
    “Just learning of my brother’s death is probably playing with the way I see things. I’m sure I’ll be back to my normal self in no time,” he told her.
    “I rather like this guy who’s not so normal.”
    She shivered.
    “I’m sorry for keeping you out here for so long in this weather.”
    “I’m okay, really,” she said. “I want to enjoy this peace and quiet for a few more moments.”
    He looked down at her red nose and open expression, and he couldn’t help himself. He had to taste her lips again.
    So he wrapped his arms around her waist and watched as awareness flashed through her eyes. He bent forward and finally their lips connected. He’d meant it to be short and sweet, just a simple touch, just something to ease the ache. But as soon as his mouth met hers, he lost control.
    Her tongue was soft and wet against his lips. She darted it out, more like a question than a demand. He answered her in the only way he knew how, and oh how he enjoyed the contours of her mouth. He wished these thick layers of clothing weren’t between them, because he wanted to feel her skin, all of it, with no barriers. She clung to his shoulders as he cupped her backside and drew her against him.
    He deepened the kiss, sliding farther inside the warm recesses of her mouth and moving his fingers desperately through the silky strands of her hair. He’d only wanted one simple kiss, to prove he was in control. He was being proven wrong.
    She seemed to pull herself together much more quickly than he could have, and she started resisting. He didn’t get the message at first — their mouths remained locked together. But Whitney finally pulled