A Breath of Magic (18 page)

“We have tons of time for that. But ask me anything you want.” He tipped his glass, the ice in his drink clinking against the side, swirling around in the amber liquid.

“Okay.” I nodded toward his glass. “You knew I’d want a chardonnay, but I have no idea what your drink of choice is. What are you drinking?”

“Scotch on the rocks. Single malt.” He swallowed a mouthful, then grinned. “But I don’t have a drink of choice.”

Still, I filed this information away for future reference. “How about dancing? Do you like to dance?”

“If I’m with the right woman, I do. Maybe we can hit the dance floor after we’re done with our drinks and I’ll show you that I don’t have two left feet. How does that sound?”

“I’d love that,” I agreed.

We continued talking while we sipped our beverages, but neither of us seemed to be in the frame of mind for more than general chat, partially because the music was so loud, and partially because of all the people surrounding us. Still, it was nice, and for the first time all evening I truly began to relax. So much so that when Ben pulled me to my feet and led me to the dance floor, every part of me vibrated with a heady warmth.

I stepped into his embrace, and he tugged me close. My arms wove around his neck, and I stared up, lost in the blue depths of his eyes. He bent his head, and his lips began at my ear in a soft nibble and then trailed across my skin with one small kiss after another. The heat in my belly branched out, slowly suffusing me, until my entire body blushed. My mind emptied out, and I allowed myself to experience the moment, this dance, with every one of my senses: the clean, pure, wholly freaking male scent of Ben, the feel of his
hands on my back, the stroke of his lips along my skin, his body pressed tightly against mine.

Delicious curls of longing trickled over me, through me, turning the fire up even more. It didn’t seem to matter where we were or how often we were together. My body—my soul—recognized this man, and every nerve, every muscle, every tiny molecule of my being came to life under his touch. When I’d dropped into the drawing of our wedding scene, I’d experienced a love I’d never felt before. It had stunned me, changed everything I wanted, and now, as I danced in Ben’s arms, I recognized that love as becoming a reality inside of me.

I sighed as the music ended, and the next song blasted out in a fast, upbeat tempo, breaking the soft, romantic mood like a sledgehammer. We separated, but Ben kept his arm on my back as we left the dance floor.

I stood on tiptoe so I could whisper in his ear. “That was lovely.”

He tightened his hold on my waist. “You’re lovely, Chloe. Every man here is green with envy because you’re on my arm.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, but thank you for seeing me that way.” I was about to say more, about to tell him how very much I enjoyed being with him, when I felt that odd sensation of someone watching me. It burned into my back, and I shivered. I scanned the room, but there were so many people that there was no way of ascertaining if I was right.

Probably just another of Ben’s relatives sizing me up. I shrugged it off and gave Ben a quick kiss on his cheek. “Let’s get out of here. The music is starting to give me a headache.”

We walked out of the faux nightclub into the overly bright hallway. My eyes watered from the sudden brilliance, and I stumbled as we rounded a corner.

“Are you okay?” Ben asked, holding me upright. “Too much to drink, not enough food or a little of both?”

“None of the above. The change in lighting threw off my balance. I’m fine now. Really.”

He searched my face, nodded, and we continued on until we reached the end of the hallway, merging into an area that resembled a lounge. A few people were milling about, chatting with others, obviously taking a break from the festivities. Ben led me to a sofa and we both sat down. He stroked a finger along the line of my jaw.

“This isn’t the place, but later, I want to talk to you about that book. I’ve read it, and I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.”

“Oh…okay. That’s good.” Everything inside paused and went on alert at his words, which was ridiculous. He’d done as I’d asked, even quicker than I’d assumed he would, and was now willing to delve into an area he found uncomfortable. I should’ve been pleased. This was a discussion we definitely needed to have, both for his sake and for Mari’s. Possibly, even for Sara’s. But an icy band of fear appeared, making me tremble.

Concern etched Ben’s features. “You’re not feeling well, are you?” He cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry, Red. I should’ve been paying more attention. Wait here and I’ll let the powers that be know we’re taking off.”

I felt just fine. Physically, anyway. But I was beyond ready to leave, so I didn’t argue. “Who are the powers that be?”

“My father and my uncle.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Take it easy and we’ll be out of here in no time.”

The mention of his father reminded me that I’d never relayed the message about his brother. I grabbed his arm before he could stand. “Oh! Wait a second. I was supposed to tell you that your brother might stop in. I’m sorry, but I completely forgot until just this minute.”

Ben stiffened. His jaw tightened, and the vein in his neck throbbed. In a tone far more frigid than an arctic freeze, he said, “And there’s another good reason we should leave.”

“You…uh…don’t want to see your brother?”

“Not tonight, I don’t.”

“I take it you two aren’t close?” I pushed, knowing I shouldn’t.

“No, we’re not. But my relationship with Gabe has nothing to do with my relationship with you. And I prefer not to discuss him or our”—his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed—“falling-out right now. Especially not here.” He looked at me intently. “Okay?”

“Yeah. Sure. That’s fine, Ben. I didn’t mean to pry.” I spoke with the full knowledge that this was a story I needed to hear. But he was right that we weren’t in an ideal location. And at least I knew his brother’s name now. That was a start. “We can talk about this later. When you’re ready.”

He gave me a terse nod. “Give me a few minutes, and we’ll make our escape.”

“I’ll just sit here and wait.” He took off and I worked through everything I knew, trying to fill in the blank areas, and the answer I came up with was chilling. Was it possible that Ben’s brother was the man whom Sara had loved, the man who might be Mari’s biological father? Oh, God. If I was right, how much did Ben know? Did Ben know his paternity was in question? What message, exactly, was I supposed to share with Ben, and which one would help Mari?

My confusion increased tenfold when I considered the flickering images of Sara and Ben. Sara hadn’t shown me another man in those images. So maybe I’d misunderstood the phone call, and therefore Sara’s message?

I leaned back, resting my head on the cushion of the sofa, and closed my eyes. I replayed the images in my mind, trying to remember everything I’d seen and heard. The problem was, they didn’t match up. When I thought about the scenes of Ben and Sara, I believed that she
had
loved him, had wanted their relationship to work, but something kept getting in their way. And then, when I considered the phone
call and Mari’s emotional response, along with Sara’s whispered words, I believed Ben’s take: that she was in love with someone else. So where did the truth lie?

I groaned, my head beginning to throb from all the questions, from the mystery that refused to be solved. It was as if someone had hidden the most important clues, and with the information I currently held there was no way to find the answer. The pressure of someone sitting down next to me forced my eyes open. Ben smiled and looked at me inquisitively.

“Hey, sexy,” he said. Leaning close, he nuzzled my cheek with his lips. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

My heart picked up an extra beat in surprise, but also with something else. Something I couldn’t identify. “I’ve been waiting right here. Just as you asked.”

“Oh. Right. I thought you might have decided to come look for me.” He winked and then pushed his hand behind my head, drawing me to him. His mouth took mine in a fast, hard kiss while his other hand landed on my knee. I waited for the thrumming pleasure that being near Ben always brought forth, but instead a cold ball of apprehension flared out from inside of my stomach. Panic grew in my chest, stealing my breath away. Trembles of fear slid over my skin. This was wrong. So wrong.

But why? I tried to relax, tried to melt into the kiss, but it didn’t work. Instead, my panic built to a suffocating pressure and I pressed my hands against his chest, hard, shoving him back. I shifted farther away and stared at him, looked into his eyes and then dropped my gaze to his jaw, to his tux, to his hands. Feeling as if I’d lost my mind, I shook my head and gave him another once-over. This man looked like Ben, and sounded like Ben. But my body told me he
wasn’t
Ben.

I narrowed my eyes, now noticing his hair. Did it look a tiny bit longer? I shook my head again, feeling dazed and unsure, but the panic in my chest increased.

“You…Who are you?” I whispered in a halting voice, knowing I sounded like a crazy person but trusting my instincts. “You’re not—”

“Wasn’t Sara enough for you, Gabriel? This game got old a long time ago.” Ben—the real Ben—interrupted, his voice furious. He approached in fast, ground-eating steps, every part of his body on edge and a blaze of anger in his eyes. I catapulted upright, feeling cold and numb and even a little dirty. I looked from him to Gabriel, and my mind solved the question my body had raised so vehemently. They were brothers. Identical twins.

I opened my mouth to tell Ben that I’d known from the moment his brother touched me that something was wrong, but before the words came out he grabbed Gabriel’s arm and yanked him up.

“You’ve gone too far. Get the hell out of my life and leave my women alone!” Rearing back, he punched his brother in the jaw. Gabe crashed backward, once again landing on the sofa.

“Heya, Benji. I figured that was the quickest way to get you to talk to me.” Rubbing his chin, Gabe shrugged, as if he’d expected the punch, as if he knew he’d asked for it. “I need you to understand the truth. It’s time we resolved this, don’t you think?”

Ben reached out to haul his brother up again, but I stepped in between them, totally aware of the growing crowd of on-lookers. “Ben, let’s leave.” I grasped his arm and tugged. “Come on. Please? Let’s just get out of here.”

He focused on me, anger and betrayal and hurt darkening his features. Without saying a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled the valet ticket out and handed it to me. “Go wait in the car, Chloe. I’m not finished with my brother yet. We”—he spoke the words slowly—“have unfinished business.”

I looked from one brother to the other, but neither appeared
ready to budge. This, whatever this was, didn’t really involve me. And while I wanted to stay, wanted to protect Ben, I also knew he needed me to leave.

“Fine. If that’s what you want.” I turned on my heel and faced Gabe. “If you ever try to pretend you’re your brother with me again, I’ll punch you somewhere it will really hurt. Got it?”

His lips twisted into a grin as he nodded. Weird, but I thought I saw a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. Pivoting back to Ben, I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him on his cheek and whispered, “I knew he wasn’t you. But thank you for rescuing me.”

Ben’s eyes softened. “Please go wait in the car. I won’t be long.”

Knowing I couldn’t dissuade him, I left the room with shaky legs and a rapidly beating heart. I kept my gaze straight ahead as I made my way out into the night air, and while I waited for the valet to bring around Ben’s car. It wasn’t until I was safely inside and had pulled the car up so that it was out of the way that I realized something I should have latched on to immediately. Gabriel was Ben’s
identical
twin brother. They looked exactly alike. Which meant, they both looked like the man in my drawing.
Either
could be the man in my drawing.

Everything inside of me bottomed out, and a whole new slew of shivers overtook me. Fear crawled up my throat. I tried to swallow it away. I tried to calm myself. I tried to think about this new dilemma as rationally as I could. Of course, that was impossible. Because now I had to seriously consider if I’d been focusing on the wrong man this entire time. Was there any chance at all that Gabriel was the man in my picture, the man from whom I’d felt such strong love emanate when I’d fallen into our wedding scene?

Bile replaced the fear in my throat. Nausea twisted and churned in my stomach. No. Just…no. He couldn’t be.
Not with the way my body reacted to him as opposed to Ben. Not with the heat that had coursed through me the very first time I’d laid eyes on Ben, not to mention the complete and utter intimacy we’d found with each other. So, no. It couldn’t be Gabriel in that picture. That would be the worst joke ever. Worse than anything else I could imagine. Because I’d lied to myself earlier that evening, during my dance with Ben. I wasn’t
falling
in love with him. I was already there, whether the timing made sense or not, whether other people would say it was too fast or not. I was in love with Ben Malone. Not with Gabriel. Nothing would change that.

But…had I fallen for the wrong man? Or was Gabriel yet another test of fate, to see how I’d react? Honestly, if so, I was getting pretty damn tired of fate screwing with me.

It was that moment I decided I’d had enough of fate. It was time—past time—for me to take control, for me to put into motion the future I wanted. I wanted it with Ben. Even if, for some reason, he wasn’t the man in my drawing, I didn’t even care. He was the man for me. I was as sure of it as I was of the creepy-crawly sensation I’d experienced with Gabriel. That had been pure instinct; it had been my heart and soul not recognizing him as the man I loved.

Feeling better, I closed my eyes and thought about how much I believed in me and Ben. About how I’d been able to see us together almost since the minute we met. Another surge of calmness erupted from deep within, and I smiled.

“Hey, fate?” I whispered. “Go to hell. I’m in charge now.”