Unfaithful (21 page)

“Kiss me,”
he ordered me in his mind, his gaze sensual and commanding.

I widened my legs, allowing Evan to move in closer. He slid his hands around my waist, rested his hips against mine and kissed me. I forgot everything but his lips on mine, even where we were. His kiss made heaven and earth move for me and I was swept up into an infinite sky studded with stars.

“Hold me close,”
he whispered in my mind. I felt an urgent need to look him in the eye. I didn’t want it to end, I didn’t want to go back. “We can’t stay here forever. It’s risky,” he said, trying to convince me.

“If we must.” I resigned myself to the idea of leaving.

The tingle filled me again, and again it felt as if the world were revolving around us, as if Evan and I were at the center of a vortex that would have pulled me in if I’d opened my eyes. In a matter of seconds everything became stable again.

I opened my eyes, squinting cautiously at the walls of Evan’s room as a frightening feeling of anxiety rose in my stomach. Now that heaven was far away again, only the memory of a waking dream, the seriousness of what we’d just done burst on me in all its gravity. After all, who was I to have a secret like that revealed to me?

“Maybe we overdid it this time,” I whispered to Evan, but the sound of the door opening drowned out my words, startling me.

Standing in the doorway, Ginevra and Simon stared at us, puzzled.

“Why are you guys all wet?” Simon asked, frowning.

Evan tried to hide a smile. Ginevra raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get too used to breaking the rules, you guys,” she warned us, making Evan and me exchange a complicit look. He still couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.

“It’s really frustrating to always be the last one to know what’s going on,” Simon grumbled.

My eye distractedly fell on the alarm clock. It read 5:01. How was that possible? “Evan, there’s something wrong with your clock,” I pointed out.

He laughed, looking amused. “It works fine,” he whispered into my ear. “It’s just that where we were, time doesn’t exist. I’ll explain later.” I blinked nervously as I took in what he’d just said.

The impatience in Ginevra’s voice brought me back to the room. “You owe me something and I’ve come to demand it,” she told Evan. “If you win, I’ll give you an R8,” she said persuasively.

“Thanks, but cars are like girls: once you find the right one, having lots of them doesn’t matter.” Evan winked at me with a little laugh.

“Speak for yourself!” Simon said. “I want an R8!”

I smiled, but Evan wasn’t giving in. He spoke in a mock-threatening tone. “If you want victory, you’ll have to earn it.” He sought approval in my eyes.

“You can’t put it off any longer,” I encouraged him, despite myself.

“Okay, okay.” He waved his hand in resignation.

Ginevra’s face lit up with a satisfied look. “Careful you don’t catch fire. I’ve heard that under extreme conditions your little toy tends to overheat,” she warned him in a seductive tone, referring to his Ferrari but poorly concealing a clear double entendre. “Seems to be a pretty sticky problem.”

“I’ve already modified the fastening of the bulkhead that protects the wheel well from the heat of the exhaust manifolds, but thanks for the heads-up.” Evan exchanged looks with Ginevra and then focused his attention on me, his gaze softening. “Coming with me?”

“Or you could come with me,” Ginevra said, raising a superior eyebrow. “Waiting for the others at the finish line is always more fun.”

I shook my head with a smile. “I’d rather wait here if you don’t mind,” I replied, still in a daze.

Evan nodded and turned to Simon. “Drake?”

“I just left him in the workout room. We were going to fight but Ginevra insisted.”

“Only because I want a witness there when I make him eat my dust.” She narrowed her eyes at Evan and then cast a sly glance at me. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring him back to you in no time,” she assured me, her smile captivating.

“Make sure he’s still in one piece when you do!” I admonished her as they all walked out the door.

“Can’t promise you that!” she shouted from the hall.

Once silence reigned in the room again I lay down on Evan’s bed and realized I was hungry. All that adrenaline had whetted my appetite, leaving me with the urgent need to munch on something. I went down to the kitchen, explored every compartment of the fridge, and pulled out some strawberry ice cream. I spread it on a slice of bread I’d already covered with Nutella. Thick and thin. Hot and cold. The combination had an explosive flavor that Evan thought was as interesting as it was bizarre. I called it
Strawtella
. Ginevra loved it.

Grabbing an apple from the fruit basket on the table, I sank my teeth into its shiny, crunchy surface. For some strange reason I felt like I hadn’t eaten in days. When I was done I opened one of the upper cabinets, still looking for food.

All at once I felt a tingle beneath my skin. A cold shiver. Someone was there with me, I could sense it. I whirled around and my heart skipped a beat when I saw him right in front of me.

“Drake!” I gasped, breathless from fright. Evan’s brother had appeared behind me so unexpectedly. “You almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here?” I asked, still uneasy but happy it was only Drake.

He had a serious look on his face, his expression unusually wary. “You alone?” he asked, no expression in his voice, tilting his head to the side.

“Yeah,” I said, confused. “Evan went out with Simon and Ginevra. I don’t think they’ll be long. In fact, they’re probably already on their way back.” I blinked nervously, unable to figure out why he was staring at me so steadily. He seemed to be studying me. I’d never seen this look in Drake’s eyes before. I felt my cheeks flush and looked away, uncomfortable. “Um . . . Sh-shouldn’t you be at my place? Evan said you owed him a favor.”

My question seemed to confuse him and he hesitated before answering. “My presence wasn’t needed any more,” he said coldly, reminding me that my parents must have gone back to work. He stared straight into my eyes, making me feel even more embarrassed, then looked up at something behind me.

Puzzled, I turned around, but nothing was there. “Drake, what—” I stopped dead and the words hung in the air in the empty room.

Drake had vanished.

I shook my head, bewildered, as the sound of voices came from the front door. “You’re back,” I murmured, trying to overcome my embarrassment. Finding myself alone with Drake had never made me uncomfortable before. It must have been something in the way he’d looked at me. With Simon it was different—he had Ginevra. Drake, on the other hand, was the only one of the three brothers who didn’t have a girlfriend. I was aware of this, of course, but it had never bothered me until I’d seen it in his eyes.

“Were you talking to someone?” Evan asked, curious.

“Wasn’t Drake supposed to take your place?” Ginevra had already read the thoughts crowding my mind.

“I asked him that myself. Seems he had something else to do, I guess.” I glanced shyly at Evan who was leaning his arm against the doorframe, a victorious look on his face. “He came looking for you,” I explained. “He probably needed to tell you something.”

“So why didn’t he wait?” he asked, looking perplexed.

“Maybe it wasn’t so important,” I stammered.

“Mmm, delicious!” Ginevra groaned with pleasure. She’d sunk her teeth into my slice of bread spread with Strawtella. She opened her eyes again as we stared at her. “What?!”

I laughed and took the bread out of her hands, earning an aggrieved look from her. “Well? How’d it go? The race, I mean.”

“How do you think it went?” Ginevra sounded satisfied, but her tone of voice clashed with the triumphant gleam in Evan’s eyes. I shot him a sidelong glance and he winked at me with a sly little smile he didn’t even try to hide.

Ginevra went over to him and whispered in his ear: “What did I tell you?” He stared at her steadily, the grin still painted on his face. “What does dust taste like, little brother?” She shot me a glance, looking pleased. “He’s all yours now,” she said, walking out of the kitchen.

I followed Evan up to his room. “You let her win,” I said in a low voice when he closed the door and I was sure we couldn’t be heard.

“I had to, otherwise she never would have left me alone. She was starting to get on my nerves. She’s good, I’ll admit it, but the road is my domain.” He raised an eyebrow, a proud look on his face.

“Let’s hear it for modesty!” I cheered sardonically.

“There’s a subtle difference between arrogance and self-confidence,” he said with conviction.

“If you say so. Anyway, how’d you manage to hide your intentions from her?” I asked, curious.

“You underestimate me. I can influence her thoughts with my powers. All I had to do was convince her of my sincerity.”

“Shrewd.”

“Pushing it, you mean! But she gave me no choice. At least for a while she’ll stop trying to compete with me constantly.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” I glanced at him and his expression turned mysterious.

“I think the winner deserves a prize,” he whispered, approaching me. “Don’t you?”

“Are you sure? Because in that case I’ll have to call Ginevra. Technically
she
won the race,” I teased, stepping back as Evan inched toward me, seeking contact. I took another step back and came into contact with the desk. Helpless, I stood there, trapped, as Evan kept moving toward me until our bodies touched.

“Technically,” he whispered, his gaze locked onto mine. He brushed his nose against my cheek, grabbed me firmly by the hips and thrust me against the desk. “That means I’ll just have to take what I deserve,” he whispered in my ear.

The heat of his words ignited the fire inside me. The flames rose under his dark, seductive gaze until they consumed every inch of me. Evan lingered, his hot breath tickling my skin as he pushed me up against the desk in an attempt to intensify our contact, forcing my legs open wider. His hands pulled me against him, closing the distance between us. The contact was so passionate and intense it shook me, igniting my desire. A shiver swept down my back and fire filled my head. Every part of me was begging for him not to stop.

Evan grabbed the back of my head with primal urgency and raised his mouth from my neck to my lips. His ragged breathing mingled with mine, impatient and tormented.

“So,” I gasped, caught up in his spell, “does this mean my lips are a prize worth fighting for?” I was at the mercy of my emotions.

“Your very breath is reward enough,” he whispered without hesitation, his mouth moving down the curve of my neck.

“You settle for so little,” I said provocatively. He pulled my hips against him again, lifting me impetuously, his hot breath on my mouth. Impulsively, I followed his movements, wrapping my legs around him as he pushed me down onto the bed, his hot body on top of mine as his mouth touched me below my ear, causing electric tingles with every breath.

“Do you think it’ll always be like this?” I whispered as his hands moved over me.

“Like what?” he said without missing a beat.

“Will I always feel like I lose myself when your hands are on me?”

“As long as I live, we’ll lose ourselves together.” He stopped for a moment, seeking my gaze. “Far from everything and everyone. I’ll challenge anyone for you. I’ll take on the whole world.” He rested his forehead against mine and his cold chain brushed my chin. “You’re safe with me,” he murmured, slowly kissing the curve of my neck again. “Here, just you and me against the world,” he whispered against my skin.

A quiver ran through me all the way to the tips of my toes.

Light streamed rudely through the window, waking me from a long, dreamless night. “Ow,” I groaned, lifting my head from the pillow and instinctively touching my temple. My head felt like it was being squeezed in a steel vise while a giant jackhammer tried to pierce my skull. There was no sign of Evan in the room. If this was how my day was starting out, the best course of action would be to climb under the covers and go back to sleep.

The beep of a horn nipped that idea in the bud and made me get up. My head throbbing, I staggered to the window. The roar of an engine reached me before I could look outside, and when I did, I quickly recognized the gray fairing and sleek shape of a motorcycle. It wasn’t Evan’s.

“Need a ride?” With a jerk of her head, Ginevra invited me to join her.

I fought down my disappointment and got ready as fast as I could, wondering where Evan was. Clattering down the stairs, I found Ginevra in the kitchen chatting with my parents, who were crazy about her and her charismatic personality. Like everyone was, for that matter. If she’d asked them to, they would have let me blast off in a rocket to help colonize Mars.

Over tight-fitting jeans tucked into tall, black high-heeled boots she wore a white shirt that hugged her generous curves. A black silk foulard scarf was draped around her neck and tied in a knot on her chest, making it look like a tie.
Or a snake
, I thought instinctively.