Enticing Eve: Scandalous Secrets, Book 2 (7 page)

“The twins are playing outside if you’d like to join them,” Gwen added as she hurried up the stairs and out of view.
 

Eve proceeded to the terrace. Once outside, she squinted in the late afternoon sun, surveying the arrangement. A table sat in the center of the terrace, its white linen tablecloth gently flapping in the warm breeze. Judging by the number of elaborate place settings, the guest list was small.

Of course, Colin would be attending since this gathering was being held in his honor. Eve’s heart beat at a maddening rate from the mere thought of seeing him again, the immediate response sending her temper flaring. Why did he unnerve her? Why did she care when and where, or even if she saw him?
 

She possessed no answers, just a sudden realization that she wanted to see him again. Yes, as sure as the lush green lawns and garden landscape stretching before her, Eve realized it to be true.
 

Squeezing her hands into tight fists, she allowed her fingernails to pierce her flesh. Pain was good. It was a reminder of how hard she fought to earn her independence.

Eve refused to be duped again.

Once certain that she had recovered from such foolishness, Eve massaged her sore palms then crossed the terrace before descending the grand stone staircase leading towards the gardens.
 

Male laughter resonated through the gentle summer breeze causing her to trip over her skirts —

It was Colin’s laughter. She would recognize it anywhere. Instinctively, Eve turned towards the sound as her eyes scanned the gardens in search of him.

“Wowie,” a young girl said from the direction of a large honeysuckle bush to Eve’s right.

The heels of her slippers dug into the soft grass as Eve followed their harmonious voices.

“You would like a flower, would you?” Colin asked, his tone light, “How about this one?”

Eve rounded the honeysuckle bush in time to catch Colin holding his niece’s hand as he escorted her to a rose bush. The sight left her breathless.

Dear God, why did this man affect her so?
 

Her traitorous inner voice answered
that could have been yours.
It was true. Eve imagined seeing Colin with their children more times than she could count. In each scenario, she anticipated that Colin would be the most loving of parents, compensating for his own uncaring father. Witnessing him play with his niece confirmed her belief, sending a pang of remorse pulsating through her body.
 

A surge of shame flooded Eve as she recalled their encounter mere hours before. How much courage must it have taken for Colin to confess his feelings for her, especially after she slapped the man?
 

Colin turned to his niece and offered her the white rose he had plucked though she refused to accept it.

“No,” the little girl said, one hand placed firmly upon her hip. She pointed upwards with her free hand, toward Colin’s head.

Intrigued, Eve crept closer, taking care to remain silent.

“What?” Colin knelt in front of Emma, who pointed again, this time to his ear.
 

He turned and glanced over his shoulder as if searching for something then returned his attention to his niece. Shrugging his shoulders, he insisted in an animated tone, “I don’t see anything.”
 

The little girl reached for a yellow rosebud tucked behind Colin’s ear, pealing with laughter as she grabbed it.

“Hey!” he smiled as he spoke. “I’ll have you know that a very special young lady gave that to me.”

Emma put it back then leaned into him and gave him a sweet hug.

“Oh, thank you,” Colin embraced his niece as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, the pink ribbons in her auburn curls swaying softly in the gentle breeze. He then began to tickle her as Emma’s laughter pealed through the tranquil air.

A twig snapped beneath Eve’s slipper, and for a split second she actually considered running in the opposite direction – until Colin’s gaze locked with hers, the intensity in his indigo eyes all but transfixing her to that very spot. For one brief moment, the corners of his full lips curved into a grin as if he were happy to see her. The reaction was short-lived, though. Quick to recover, Colin exchanged the once familiar expression with one of polite civility.

“I thought we were alone,” he said as he brushed a stray lock of onyx hair away from his eye.

Emma raced towards Eve. “Annie,” she exclaimed.
 

“Hello, sweet girl,” Eve scooped the little one into her arms and kissed her cheek.
 

She studied Colin, who had risen and now stood as if rooted in the lush green grass. The rose remained behind his ear, but it was lopsided from playing with his niece.
 

“My, don’t you look fashionable,” Eve teased, winking at him.

Colin narrowed his eyes as if he were trying to understand her meaning. Eve gave him a hint by motioning to his ear.

“Oh!” Colin plucked the rose, tracing it with his thumb as he responded. “A very special young lady gave this to me.”

His expression grew animated once more as he bridged the gap between them. He touched the tip of Emma’s nose with the petals then offered it to her.
 

“No,” she gently pushed the rose away while squirming to get down. Eve released the little girl who skipped to the honeysuckle bush, plucking the fragrant flowers and arranging them into a bouquet before rambling back to the main house.

“You are wonderful with her,” Eve told him as she studied the little girl. “It is evident that she loves you a great deal.”
 

From the corner of her eye, Eve noticed Colin nod.
 

“She loves you as well,
Annie,
” he stressed his final word as if to reveal that he was aware Emma considered Eve to be her aunt but couldn’t quite articulate it yet.

Eve didn’t know why hearing Colin repeat that innocent little word made her stomach churn. For some inexplicable reason, she felt an urgent need to explain.

“The twins have known me as such for their entire lives,” Eve paused before adding, “long before Tristan and I became betrothed. Grandmamma and Sebastian’s mother were close friends. The duke and his family have always been extended family.”
 

Colin couldn’t help but smile at Eve’s remark. His chest had constricted when Emma attempted to call her
Auntie
. It reminded him that Eve was betrothed to his brother. It also reminded him that Eve would already be the little girl’s aunt if Colin hadn’t postponed his own betrothal to her.
 

Touching his chest, he could feel the outline of a folded note in his vest pocket, one of many from his sister over the years. Though no longer crisp and scented, the creased paper possessed the same allure as when he first received it. That’s why he kept it with him at all times, why he had long since memorized the words:

We know why you left, and the truth makes no difference to us. You are our brother, Colin, and we love you.

Please come home.

Gwen

How many times had he folded and unfolded his sister’s letters? Each conveyed the same message – one of a sister’s love and acceptance. Her heartfelt missives were quite convincing. So much so that they caused him to hope that he could reclaim his former life though, in spite of his sister’s declarations of love and understanding, Gwen knew only a mere portion of the truth.
 

Much had changed since Lachlan MacAlistair announced to his eldest son that he wasn’t his father by blood. Would his sister accept Colin if she ever discovered the unspeakable deeds her eldest brother had committed since learning the truth that redefined his life so many years ago?

No, he was certain that not even his sister could forgive such a man though even if she did, Colin knew his heart well enough to realize that his sister’s acceptance wasn’t that which he sought.
 

Ever since Colin had learned that Lachlan MacAlistair didn’t sire him and that he was instead the illegitimate son of a man of nobility, his only concern had been for the woman that he loved.

Eve Weston – the Viscount of Haversham’s daughter.

If not for Eve, Colin would have never fled in the first place as he cared little about the opinions of the
haut ton
. In his experience, most were nothing more than hypocritical, judging themselves and others based only upon social standing and wealth. Colin knew very few members of the
haut ton
who were, in fact, honorable.

Eve was one such exception.
 

At the time, he perceived no other choice than to disappear. Lachlan left him no choice, damn the vindictive old man to hell. As long as Colin lived, he would never forget the pure panic he felt when his father threatened to destroy Eve. Like a monster, Colin’s rising anxiety clawed at his chest with talons sharp as knives, germinating and intensifying until it stole his very breath.
 

Because of Eve … the woman he can never have.

“Colin,” Eve brushed her palm against his arm. “Emma refers to me as her aunt because that is how she has known me since birth.”

He met her concerned gaze. Being here, standing upon his illegitimate father’s soil, reminded him of how different his life would have been if he had never learned the truth.

Squeezing his arm, Eve leaned forward. “Colin?”
 

“You had every right to move on with your life.” Colin took great pains to keep his voice free from censure. “You don’t owe me an explanation,”
 

“Yes, I do,” Eve’s gaze held his. “I was too harsh with you this afternoon. I am aware of that now.”

He arched his brow.

“Honestly,” Eve insisted.

A golden curl had fallen out of place, brushing against Eve’s cheek. Colin reached for it, tucking it behind her ear. Her silken locks were softer and emanated a warmer glow that he remembered … as if kissed by the sun itself.

Eve’s lips parted, ever so slightly as if she wanted to say something. She then averted her eyes from him, apparently thinking better of it.

He tipped her chin up, forcing her gaze to meet his once again. “What?”

Eve studied a vibrant rose bush, contemplating whether or not to continue he suspected. She then turned to him, her green eyes more striking than the verdant garden shrubbery that surrounded them, emanating such honesty that Colin was certain he could see into her soul if he tried. “I never expected you would care about me. In truth, I believed that you departed because you never did.”

“Nothing could be further from the truth.” Colin yearned to caress her face, show her how much he adored her; however, he would never betray Tristan by doing so. Instead, he clutched the rose his niece had given him, making certain that a sharp thorn pierced his flesh. The sting kept him from doing something he would regret.

Eve’s heart-shaped pout became more pronounced. “I’m sorry I lost faith in you,” she spoke in a broken whisper that alluded to promises unfulfilled and a yearning for what might have been.

It was the latter that caused Colin to reach for her without thinking before caressing Eve’s soft cheek with his free thumb. He wanted to kiss her. No, it was more than desire. It was a burning need, coursing through his veins.

Inhaling a ragged breath, she leaned towards him, and he wondered if she wanted their kiss as much as he did. Then Eve leaned further towards him, just a fraction of an inch. It was a slight gesture signifying so much.
 

She wanted to kiss him.

Colin was convinced of it as he gazed into the depths of her green eyes, now enhanced by specks of gold as if they possessed tiny fragments of the sun. He knew her too well. Her eyes grew warmer with desire.
 

His past experience with her made him an expert.
 

In spite of everything, Eve still desired him. Such a revelation was enough to cause him to contemplate kissing her, consequences be damned. But his conscience reminded him of his brother and it warred with his heart in a heated inner struggle.
 

As much as Colin wanted Eve, cared about her, he refused to hurt his brother and to go further would certainly wound Tristan.
 

“Bloody hell,” he muttered aloud.
 

Colin jerked his hand away from her cheek, the very motion all but killing him. It was the definition of insanity – having no choice but to retreat from Eve for a second time.

Eve swayed as he released her, as if she too had felt the powerful pull between them.
 

The moment Eve turned from him, her expression contorted to one of guilt and shame. Following her line of sight, Colin immediately saw Victoria staring at them, her brows furrowed in confusion or perhaps disapproval.
 

“Come join us, Tori,” Eve said immediately, her usually smooth voice now shaky. “I came outside to see Emma. She and Colin were playing.”

“My apologies for interrupting,” Victoria said, her gaze shifting from Colin to Eve, before returning to Colin where it remained fixed, “your grandmother is looking for you, Eve.”