Forgiven (Book 3, The Watchers Trilogy; Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (6 page)

“I don’t need a babysitter,” I protested, not wanting to be alone with Malcolm so soon after our last encounter.

“I don’t mind, dearest,” Malcolm said
, a slow
suggestive
smile spreading his lips
.

“I won’t be long,” Brand leaned down and gave me a kiss.  “And I would feel better if you weren’t alone.”

Reluctantly
,
I nodded my head.  “All right
, i
f it w
ill
make you feel better.”

“Keep her safe,” Brand told Malcolm like
the others
life depended on it.

“I will keep her close to me at all times,” Malcolm promised.

Brand phased to points unknown
,
and I turned my back
to
Malcolm
and
head
ed
to the kitchen.

“Would you like something to drink?” I asked him, opening up the refrigerator door to find something for myself.

“Would the sweet nectar of your lips count?”

God, and I thought only Brand could come up with those type of lines.  When they came from Brand they were sweet with sincerity.  Coming from
Malcolm they were drenched in innuendo.

“No, that does not count,” I answered.  “We have water and ginger ale.  Pick your poison.”

I felt more than heard Malcolm come stand behind me.  He leaned his head down over my shoulder making a pretense to look in the refrigerator.

“Well now
,
let
’
s see,” he said, his breath tickling my ear he was so close.  “I guess I’ll take a bottle of water then.”

Not waiting for me to grab one for him, he
reached under
the
arm I was using to prop the fridge door open
and
slid his arm against m
y side
as he
pulled
the bottle
out
for himself.

I closed the door not feeling like drinking anything now.  I walked to the other side of the
large
kitchen island trying to put
as much
of a barrier
between us
as I could
.

“So
,
do you really think this ring will help us stop Lucifer?” I asked, hoping to distract Malcolm away from his mission of seducing me.

“I hope so,” he said, watching my retreat with amused eyes.
  “Why are you running away from me, dearest?”

“You know perfectly well why,” I said, feeling my temper start to flare.

“I’ve never tried to hide my feelings for you,” he said.  “You’ve always known that I want you.  Why does it make you feel uncomfortable now?”

I looked down at the granite counter in front of me unable to meet Malcolm’s
gaze
.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“I think it’s because you’re starting to feel the connection
between us
that I’ve felt all along
.  You’re starting to have feelings beyond friendship for me, aren’t you?”

I shook my head but couldn’t quite make myself say the word ‘no’.

“Do you remember asking me if what I felt for you was love?”

I looked up at him and saw the mask he usually wore fall for the second time that day.

“Yes, I remember,” I said.

“I do love you, Lilly.  I have
since the night we first met
and always will.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”
I whispered.

“Because I think you have a right to know where I stand before you marry Brand.  If you love me in the slightest bit, I have to know.
  I’ll fight for you if I have a chance of winning your heart for myself.”

I didn’t know what to say.  The Malcolm standing in front of me wasn’t the Malcolm I was used to dealing with.  He
almost
always hid behind his sarcasm and wit but now he stood before me filled with raw emotion, letting me see how he truly felt about me.

“Am I interrupting something?”

I turned to see Brand standing in the same spot in the living room he had just phased from
a few minutes
earlier.

“Did you find him?” I asked, choosing to ignore
his question, not knowing how much of the conversation he had heard.

“Isaiah says he’ll help us.  He doesn’t know where Samyaza is exactly but he seem
s
to think he c
an
track him down
with
in a couple of days.”

“Let me know when you hear something,” Malcolm said before phasing without saying
goodbye
.

“What happened while I was gone?” Brand asked coming to stand in front of me.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest.

“Just hold me,” I begged, feeling tears trail down my cheeks but not knowing exactly what I was crying about.

Once I regained some semblance of calm, Brand sat me down on the couch.  He asked me to tell him everything and I did.  Whether it was right or wrong for him to know what transpired that day I didn’t care.  I needed him to help me sort through my feelings because they simply confused me.  If our marriage was going to have any chance at all,
I felt we had to be completely honest with one another about everything.  It was hard to admit how attracted I was to Malcolm but it seemed like a moment of embarrassment was worth gaining Brand’s insight into what might be causing it.

“You’ve always cared about him,
against my better judgment
” Brand
a
d
ded
,
remaining m
uch calmer than I expected
after everything I just told him
.  “He means something to you.”

“But I don’t think it’s love,” I said.  “At least not the type of love I feel for you.”

“There are all different types of love.  You just need to figure out which one you feel for him.”

I leaned in to Brand hugging him around the waist, resting my head
against
his shoulder.

“Why aren’t you mad?” I asked.  “I thought you might go over to his house again like you did the time he saw me naked in the shower.”

“That was disrespectful of him to do.”

“And doing a strip tease in front of me isn’t?” I smiled.

“That
was
more an act of desperation.”

I was surprised to hear the pity in Brand’s voice.  I never thought he would
feel such an emotion for Malcolm.
 
 
 

“I think he wants to make you second guess your decision to marry me and the easiest way he can do that is by making you feel attracted to him.  I suppose I am a little upset with him for playing on your emotions and hormones
,
but I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing if
our
roles were reversed.
”

“Hmm,” I said hugging him tighter.  “Would you have done a strip tease
for
me?”

I would have paid good money to see that.

Brand laughed.  “I’m not sure I could have kept a straight face through it all.  But
,
if I thought that was the only way I could gain your attention, I might.”

“I promised Malcolm the night of the Halloween dance that I would spend one day
alone
with him
before
you and I married.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

I looked up at Brand, completely shocked by this statement.  “Why?”

“Because I think you need to prove to him and possibly yourself that you can’t be anything but friends.  Whether I like it or not, he is a good friend to you and he treats Abby like part of his family now.  We might not like each other much but we will have to put up with one another for a very long time.  The sooner you deal with whatever it is he’s brought to the surface
inside
you the better off we’ll all be.”

“How are you so rational about all this?”

“I love you.  I know we are meant to be together
,
and I don’t think Malcolm has a chance in
h
ell
of ever changing your feelings for me.  But
,
I want you to be as sure about your feelings for me as I am.  I want you to stand at that alt
a
r with me completely certain you’re making the right decision.”

“I love you,” I said, feeling the love I held for the man in my
arms
with all of my heart.

“I know,” he replied, gently bringing my face up to his with a warm hand and pressing his lips against mine with a tenderness only someone who truly loves you can show.

The next day was Sunday.  Early that morning I received a phone call from Utha Mae,
Tara
’s grandmother.

“Lilly honey, I wanted to invite you and
Brand over to my house for supper tonight.”

“Sure, Utha Mae.  What time?”

“Let’s say six, baby.”

“Will it just be us three?”

“No, I invited your
m
om and her new boyfriend too.”

I paused trying to think if my mother had mentioned a new boyfriend.

“Who is he?” I asked.

“His name is Lucas Hunter.  He’s a doctor of some sort.”

“Did you say Lucas Hunter?” I asked sitting up straighter.

“Yes, baby.  Do you know him?”

“Is he good looking with wavy blonde hair?”

“That’s him.  Has your mother already introduced you to him?  I was under the impression she hadn’t yet.”

“I met him in a jewelry store here in
Lakewood
before Halloween.  When did she start dating him?”

“Around that time
,
now that I think of it.  What a small world it is.”

A small world indeed.  I knew then for a fact my first meeting with Lucas Hunter hadn’t been by chance.

“I hate to talk ill about someone,” Utha Mae said
hesitantly
.  “But that man just doesn’t seem right to me.  That was one reason I wanted you and Brand to come meet him.  Maybe I’m just a
n
old woman who imagines things but there’s just something wrong with the man that I can’t quite put my finger on.  Your mom is head over heels in love with him
though
.  I’ve never seen her so happy.”

And here I thought it was the wedding which
was
ma
king
my
mother
happier lately.  I should have known a man was figured into the equation somewhere.

“Mind if we bring
Tara
and Will with us tonight?”

“I’ve already called them, baby.
  They’ll all be here.  I told
Tara
to bring her new man along to
o
.  Malik, right?”

“Yes, ma’am that’s him.  You’ll like him, Utha Mae.  He’s good for
Tara
.”

“Well that’s good to know.” I could hear the relief in Utha Mae’s voice at my reassurance about Malik.  “I’ll see you tonight, baby.  Give Brand my love.”

When I got off the phone
,
I told Brand what I had just learned.

“Good, now we’ll be able to find out who this Lucas Hunter really is.”

“What if he’s dangerous?” I asked
, now filled with worry
.  “How will I get my mom away from him?”

Brand sighed.  “I don’t know
,
Lilly.  Let’s meet him first. 
Then we can decide what needs to be done
.”

“Utha Mae doesn’t like him,” I said.  “She’s usually spot on with her judgment of people.”

“But when you met him you felt good in his presence, right?  You didn’t feel any danger.”

“Yes, I know
,
but I also knew there was something not quite right
about
him
too
.”

“Let’s not worry just yet.  We’ll meet him and go from there.  No need to
stress
over something which might not mean anything in the long run.”

Malik drove us in his Lexus RX hybrid to
Dalton
, my hometown.  Will followed
in his Honda accord.