Unfaithful (42 page)

I had it all, everything I could ever have wanted. Why did fate want to take it away from me? What had I done to deserve that? Maybe it was the price I had to pay—my life in exchange for everything I’d been granted. I couldn’t complain. Wasn’t it a fair trade?

“Evan couldn’t have chosen better,” Ginevra said, releasing me from her hug.

“Gwen—” The unfamiliar name popped out of my mouth.

Ginevra’s eyes opened wide, stopping me short. She looked as mystified as I felt. Where had that name come from? And why had Ginevra reacted that way? “Did I say something wrong?” I stammered.

“No, it’s just that—one of my Sisters always used to call me that. No one’s done it since.

“I’m sorry . . .” I said hesitantly.

“No, that’s all right, I’m happy. You can call me that whenever you want. Anyway, what were you going to tell me?”

“I just wanted to say thanks—for everything. This is the first time I finally feel part of something.”

Ginevra smiled mischievously. “For the first time, I’d say you’ve done pretty well. An Angel who’s hopelessly in love with you and a Witch and two Executioners who are prepared to do anything to protect you. Can you think of a better team?”

I smiled, running my hand through my hair distractedly. “Definitely not. But what do you say we continue this conversation later on? I could use a shower.” All of a sudden I was exhausted. I wanted to feel hot water on my skin, on my neck muscles, my back. I wanted to focus only on my thoughts and be alone to reminisce about this incredible afternoon. The unforgettable memories brought a smile to my lips the instant they reappeared in my mind: Evan’s hands on my body, his mouth pressed against mine, his heat against me . . . inside me.

“Oookay!” Ginevra said, interrupting my train of thought. “I think I’ve heard enough.”

I blushed, realizing I’d abandoned myself to more memories than I should have in her presence.

“You deserve five minutes of privacy.” She smiled regretfully.

Privacy? Did she even know what the word meant? I smiled to myself and shook my head. “Five minutes? How about twenty?” I said rebelliously, hoping to convince her.

“You know where the spa is.” She got up and walked toward the door. “I’ve already prepared everything.”

I blinked in surprise. “Um, when, exactly?”

Ginevra smiled and rested her hand on the doorknob. “Now.” She shot me a sly glance and disappeared, leaving the door ajar behind her.

Whenever Ginevra smiled and narrowed her eyes like that, it was incredibly sexy. I wished I had even half her allure. She was gorgeous and you could feel her charisma a mile away—it was so strong it was almost tangible.

I got up from the bed and went down the hall to the spa. The room was built to resemble a cave. The walls were tiled in slabs of sand-colored rock in varying thicknesses while the floor was Rainforest Green, an exquisite green marble from India shot through with brown- and ivory-colored veins that created the impression of being in a forest. At the back of the spa, three steps led into the Jacuzzi built into the rock that sparkled under the recessed lighting. The wall behind the Jacuzzi was also stone, but slanted. Water flowed over the irregular surface like a waterfall. With the exception of the recessed spots above the Jacuzzi, the room was candlelit. Spicy-smelling steam filled the air.

For a moment I considered not sinking into the tub and instead using the glass-stalled shower in the center of the room that was more practical and familiar, but the gentle sound of the flowing water was too inviting for me to ignore. Besides, Ginevra had been so thoughtful to prepare it for me.

I moved into the cloud of steam, dropped my clothes to the floor, and tested the water with one foot. It was scalding hot. Bubbles rose continually to its surface, wafting a delicate floral aroma through the room. I immersed myself completely and found instant relief. The warmth filled me, penetrating my bones.

What a delicious sensation. I lay back and closed my eyes, abandoning myself to my memories. Memories of me and Evan.

The Jacuzzi kept the water at a constant temperature, and the heat felt too good on my skin to get out. I’d lost all track of time. Still, it wasn’t fair to make Drake replace me just so I could soak in their hot tub all night. I was already taking advantage of him enough. I reluctantly climbed out. There was a red bath towel lying beside the tub; Ginevra had thought of everything. I rubbed my hair dry and wrapped it around my body.

I was bending down to pick up my clothes when a gust of cool air made me shiver. My head shot up and I noticed steam billowing by the door. Someone must have opened it.

“Gin, is that you?” I asked warily, putting on my shoes.

The room seemed empty.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you to lock the door?”

I cringed with embarrassment. “Drake!” I wasn’t sure what color my face had turned. He was definitely the last person I’d expected to see there.

“Sorry,” he said, his tone solicitous as he came closer, “I shouldn’t have barged in like that. Sometimes Ginevra leaves the door open. You know what she’s like. I didn’t think anyone was in here, and I couldn’t have imagined it would be you.”

Nervously, I smoothed my hair behind my ear. “No, no,” I stammered, “no need to apologize. This is your house. It’s my fault I didn’t lock the door.”
Had I really forgotten to?

Drake stepped in front of me. I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. Now that I knew about his past, it was as if I were seeing him for the first time. I’d always thought of Drake as the fun one—the carefree, swaggering brother who never took anything seriously. But now, after hearing what had happened to him and knowing what he’d lost, I saw him in a new light. In a way, I felt closer to him than before, as if the feelings that bonded him to Evan were now bonding him to me a little too.

Somewhere inside me I found the courage to look straight at him, and flinched. There was something different in his eyes—a glimmer I’d never seen before—something totally undecipherable. Had he found out that I’d learned about his past?

The heavy wooden door thumped closed.

I tried to say something, but all that came out was an incomprehensible stammer. Regaining control after a few attempts, I said, “I—I . . . I think I’d better go now.” The remark hung in the air as I walked around him with my head lowered.

Suddenly he shot out his arm, grabbed my wrist, and jerked me against him. My heart sent me a desperate warning, but it was too late—his mouth was already on mine, soft and parted against my sealed lips. I shoved him away, bewildered when he let go without protesting.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I shouted. My heart was beating wildly. How could something like this happen? One minute I was lost in the memory of the magical afternoon I’d spent with Evan and the next Drake was kissing me?

His expression turned sly and a flash of cunning appeared in his eyes. “I thought you wanted it too.”

My rage boiled up until it burnt my skin. “What? My God, no!” I put both hands to my forehead and pushed back my hair. “Drake, do you realize what you’ve done? For God’s sake, don’t you care about Evan?” My eyes suddenly fell to his neck. His dog tag was gone. Was it possible he’d misinterpreted my looks of compassion? Was it possible that what he felt for me could be that different from what I felt for him? “Don’t you care about Evan?” I repeated, articulating each word.
Had he even forgotten about his Stella?
I thought, without daring to say it. The strangest thing was the look in Drake’s eye. He didn’t seem the least bit worried. In fact, he seemed more amused than anything else. His expression irritated me, feeding my anger. How could he thrust his affection for his brother aside so heartlessly? Was it possible he didn’t love Evan back? Or even worse, that Evan had never realized it?

“I don’t care about anybody.”

Drake’s cold, merciless voice made my hairs stand on end as his gaze burned into mine. Something behind me near the door caught his attention. I turned around to check but no one was there. Puzzled, I frowned. “Drake, if you think—”

When I turned around again Drake was gone. My words hung in the empty room. He’d disappeared, leaving me alone with my pounding heart. I knew well the nature of what I was feeling and could think of only one word to define it: guilt.

“Gemma, you done?” Ginevra called from the stairs, making me jump. “I heard noises. Everything okay?” I stared into space, petrified, not knowing what to say.

“Gemma?” Ginevra slowly came through the door as I looked blankly at the floor. When I felt her in front of me, I looked up into her eyes.

It took her only a moment to understand everything, to know every detail. We stood there in frozen silence. She continued to stare at me without a word, her eyes bulging. Meanwhile, my heart hadn’t stopped galloping.

“No. It’s impossible,” she hissed, shocked. She wasn’t the only one in the room in that state.

I stared at her, anguished, confirming everything. No matter how insane, inconceivable, or unexpected it was, no matter how hard it was for me to believe, it had actually happened. Drake had kissed me.

“It’s—it’s not so serious,” I said, hoping to downplay it. I didn’t want a relationship to be ruined because of me.

“Evan’s not going to see it that way.” Ginevra said it so assuredly it sent me into a panic. My alarmed gaze shot to hers. “You have to tell him,” she stated, her tone cold.

The words poured from my mouth at lightning speed. “No! I can’t tell him. Neither can you. He would be crushed!”

“But you
have to
tell him.” Ginevra articulated each word as if realizing my brain couldn’t handle them all at once right now.

“I don’t want to ruin what they feel for each other.” In my voice, regret, indecision, and frustration battled to prevail.

“You’re not the one who ruined it. Drake did, a moment ago.”

“Don’t you see?” I whispered, feeling devastated. How could I tell Evan without destroying their relationship? I remembered the look in Drake’s eye when he’d told me he didn’t care about anybody, and shock burned my stomach. For some time now I’d noticed a change in Drake, in the way he stole glances at us. Evan’s meeting me must have reopened past wounds and brought back painful memories for him. I couldn’t find any better explanation. Everybody makes mistakes. Drake’s kiss meant nothing to me and I was sure he’d just acted on impulse, that he already regretted it.

“That doesn’t change the seriousness of what he did, and Evan needs to know. If you don’t tell him, I will,” Ginevra warned without a trace of hesitation in her voice.

“No—all right, but let me be the one to tell him,” I said hesitantly, still not sure it was the best thing to do. I just hoped Evan would be able to understand and forgive his brother for doing something so foolish. There was no other way to describe it.

I thought of tonight’s plans and a shiver ran through me. At this point, staying there at their house was impossible. I couldn’t get Drake to take my place any more, so I had no choice but to go home where I would be in danger.

“Don’t worry,” Ginevra was quick to say, replying to my thoughts. “Do you think I’d ever leave you all alone?”

“Where is he now?” I asked, thinking of Drake.

“I don’t know. I can’t sense him or even detect his thoughts. Actually, he’s been avoiding me for a while now. It’s like he’s a ghost,” she said, thinking aloud.

“Why didn’t you sense him before? When he was here in the spa with me. Before it happened, I mean. Why didn’t you stop him?”

“I was downstairs with Simon. We were busy in the workout room. It’s soundproofed, remember? Unfortunately it also has an effect on my mind. Somehow it blocks the sound of people’s thoughts and”—she smiled to herself—“we were making a lot of noise, if you know what I mean. When I heard something strange I came straight up here to you. In any case, you can relax. He’s not here any more.”

“Will you stay with me tonight?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

But Ginevra surprised me. “I can’t,” she said regretfully.

“What? Why not?” I asked, desperately hoping to make her change her mind.

“If something happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to heal you. Trust me, it will be better for Simon to be there instead. If I sense a problem I’ll be there in a flash. I can hear his thoughts even from here if I concentrate, whereas he wouldn’t be able to hear mine.”

“But I’ll feel horribly uneasy!” I whimpered just as Simon called to us from the stairs.

Ginevra put her mouth to my ear. “Don’t worry. You won’t even notice he’s there. He won’t make you uncomfortable. He’ll only be there to protect you.”

Standing in the doorway, Simon stared at us with a bewildered look on his face.

Ginevra instantly noticed his reaction to our expressions. “I’ll explain later. There’s been a change of plans for tonight,” she said.

“You mean you don’t want a rematch any more?” he said, grinning.

“You’re obsessed!” I said to her, amazed.

Ginevra shot me a glance and spoke under her breath, as if that would be enough for Simon not to hear her. “He’s lying. He knows perfectly well I outdid him.”