Unfaithful (47 page)

The snow continued to fall all day long, becoming a blizzard in the afternoon. I ate a late lunch at home with my parents. Ever since my life had been under siege I’d tried to spend time with them too, though work at the diner took up most of their waking hours, especially since Dad had started baking cakes and doughnuts for the neighboring towns. Orders kept pouring in.

At three, Evan pretended to stop by to take me to his place—although actually he’d never left me. Every day he secretly stayed with me to protect me from anyone who might try to get close. This afternoon he would be gone, something he’d already warned me about yesterday morning before leaving calculus. I’d sat there at my desk, a little shaken like I always was when Evan brought up what he did. But then I’d opened my notebook and found a message from him, written in Devanagari.

I recognized the words at once because he’d said them to me after our first time together and the memory warmed my heart.
You’re inside me—in my heart, in my soul
. I stroked the symbols, imagining Evan writing it there. He knew I liked to know in advance when he had to leave me. He’d been so sweet it made me forget everything else. Besides, I didn’t mind spending a little time with Ginevra. The hours I spent with her flew by, a bit like they had when I used to hang out with Peter.

Peter
. Although I saw him at school every morning I sometimes missed his constant presence in my life. We’d been inseparable for too long for me to feel otherwise. I still called him to see how he was doing, but nothing was the same any more, not even his tone of voice. The delicate balance had been upset and the change seemed irreversible.

“Will you be gone long?” I whined, sitting cross-legged on Evan’s bed.

“A couple hours. I’m not going far.”

“I haven’t seen Ginevra yet,” I said.

Evan smiled, no doubt privy to something I didn’t know. “She’s downstairs with Simon.”

From his expression I instantly grasped what he was talking about. “I bet she’s leaving him black and blue.”

“Simon knows how to defend himself,” he said, grinning.

“It would be fun to watch you sometime,” I blurted, hoping he’d agree to my millionth request, but I already knew how he felt about it: the workout room was off limits for me when they were training.

“It’s too dangerous for you,” he said, his tone serious.

“From the looks of him I can’t believe Simon is as dangerous as you say,” I joked.

“Actually, he’s always very careful with Ginevra. One mistake, one second of distraction, and he could kill her. You should have seen him fight Dra—” Evan stopped in mid-name as if he’d just remembered it was no longer part of his vocabulary.

And it was all my fault
. Guilt was devouring me.

Evan’s face had hardened. I knew him well enough to realize how much he was suffering though he would never have admitted it. I tried to get him to look me in the eye but it was no use.

“I let Ginevra know you’d be here before they started. She won’t be much longer,” he said, changing the subject. “Meanwhile, go downstairs if you want. The water in the pool is hot. You’re safe here in the house.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to keep myself occupied. You just try to get back fast,” I threatened, pulling him onto the bed by his shirt.

Evan fell on top of me, his arms outstretched, and kissed me for a moment, then pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. “I have to go. Try not to drown in the pool while I’m gone.”

“I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything.” I smiled.

“Then I’ll come back as soon as I can.” He kissed me again.

“That was all part of my plan,” I whispered onto his lips.

He disappeared and the room was instantly filled with his absence. I sat there a few minutes, contemplating the empty wall, then fell back onto the bed and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Without Evan, the silence was oppressive.

I got up from the bed, uneasy. Maybe going for a swim wasn’t such a bad idea.

I tested the water with my foot before immersing the rest of my body. It was hotter than I remembered it being last time. Not even in the swimming pool, though, could I shake my uneasiness. The room was too large for me to lose myself in my thoughts—the sound of the water slapping against the sides of the pool echoed off the walls.

I swam for a few minutes, watching the snow fall on the other side of the huge picture window that overlooked the garden, but the silence soon made me antsy. I climbed out of the pool and wrapped a towel around my black swimsuit, a monokini that left my back bare.

“Don’t do that. You totally look better without it,” a sensual voice rang out behind me.

I jumped and spun around. “Evan!” I sighed with relief, breathless from the surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“You don’t seem too happy to see me. If you want, I can leave,” he said, raising an eyebrow, but his hands were already on my hips.

“N-no,” I stammered. “I just—I thought it would take you longer than that. I was expecting to have to spend a couple of hours without you.” Evan took a step toward me, looking hesitant. “You’re back sooner than I’d hoped.” A half hour at most had gone by since he’d left me.

“Really? Seems like days to me. I just couldn’t stay away from you,” he whispered onto my neck. “Actually, I can’t stay long. I just thought I’d stop in and see how you were doing. You know, with one thing and the other.”

“Good thinking,” I said, pleased.

“Well? Mind telling me what you’re doing with
that
on?” he asked, nodding at the towel wrapped around my body.

I looked down at it, a bit puzzled. “I took your advice. The water’s great.”

“M-hmm.” Evan shook his head, amused by my remark. “But I meant what are you
still
doing with it on,” he said, his voice low as he undid the towel and dropped it to the floor. His evocative gaze brimming with desire, he stepped forward and I moved back until my bare shoulder blades were pressed against the ice-cold wall. The chill made me flinch.

“Uh-oh,” Evan whispered, resting both hands against the wall on either side of my head, blocking my way. “Now you’re trapped,” he whispered, his gaze as sensual as his tone.

“I’ll let myself be tortured, if that’s what you’re getting at,” I shot back, raising an eyebrow.

“You read my mind.” His hand rested on my bare waist and he kissed me passionately. The cold returned, giving me goosebumps. No—not the cold. Something else. Evan’s hands began to roam over my body in an unexpected manner as his lips explored my neck and descended to my breast. I looked around, strangely uncomfortable. “Evan,” I murmured, but he was too absorbed to listen to me. “Evan, stop it,” I whispered, not very convincingly.

“I have no intention of stopping,” he said firmly, pulling me against him. I’d never seen him this aroused and unrelenting before.

“Someone might come in,” I insisted. “Simon and Ginevra are in the next room.”

“I don’t care,” he said, his breathing ragged as he continued to kiss me.

Pressing my hands against his chest to make him stop, I looked him straight in the eye, my face serious. “Well, I
do
. What’s gotten into you?” I asked, puzzled.

“You’re so surprised I want you?” he asked, arching his eyebrow.

My eyes wandered, checking the room. I kept feeling a strange sensation on my skin, as if there were a foreign or hostile presence somewhere in the vicinity. But it was impossible—Evan would have detected it.

I happened to glance at his neck. “Where’s your dog tag?” I asked in alarm, pulling his shirt open slightly. Evan’s eyes wavered.

He never took off his dog tag. For a moment I was afraid he’d lost it in who knew what part of the world. All at once an even worse thought crossed my mind, but I banished it instantly; it was unlikely Evan would have taken it off because of his falling-out with Drake.

He felt around on his chest. “I must have left it in my room.”

“But you never take it off,” I said.

“Yeah. Well, don’t worry, I’ll put it on again as soon as I get back,” he whispered, pressing me against the wall. “I can’t stay much longer,” he warned before kissing me passionately again. I kissed him back and he disappeared without warning, his lingering voice echoing through the empty room with a hint of mischief: “See you soon.”

I remained leaning against the wall with a strange sensation on my skin and the memory of his intense gaze that soon began to fade. A sudden cold shiver gave me goosebumps. Without Evan’s heat to warm me, I realized I was still wet. Unsettled, I picked the towel up from the floor and quickly dried myself off.

It had been a weird encounter. Evan hadn’t made me feel the sensations I always felt when he kissed me. I wasn’t used to him being so insistent, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.

I pulled on my clothes, still confused, and knocked on the door to the workout room, from which came sounds so muffled they seemed far away. No one opened. I cautiously gripped the handle and opened the door just a crack to peek inside, but something struck it and slammed it shut. Before I could catch my breath Ginevra was beside me. “Gemma! What were you thinking? What are you doing here? It’s dangerous for you!” she said, worried, almost reproaching me. I was about to reply but she cut me off, peering over my shoulder with an alarmed look on her face. “Someone’s been here,” she said, paying no attention to me.

“It was just Evan,” I said, but she didn’t look reassured.

“I thought he was gone.”

“I thought so too but he surprised me.” Ginevra continued to scan the room uneasily. “He had some spare time,” I said. “Is Simon in there?”

A proud smile formed on her lips. I already knew what she was thinking. “Give him a little while to recover.” She leaned toward me and lowered her voice. “I think I overdid it this time.”

I shook my head and looked more closely at her body. There wasn’t a scratch on it. It must be awesome to be a Witch. The door to the workout room opened behind Ginevra, who shot me a conspiratorial look.

“You’re all in one piece, it seems,” I said, smothering a laugh.

Simon looked at Ginevra, who shrugged. “Not a scratch,” he shot back, throwing his girlfriend a challenging look.

“Good thing you heal fast,” she taunted him. “We can go back in if you feel up to it.”

“Okay, okay!” I said, smiling. “Don’t you two ever get enough? I propose a truce. What do you say we go to the kitchen?”

Ginevra didn’t take her eyes off Simon’s for a second. “Sounds like a good idea.” She smiled slyly. “Angels’ bodies have their limits too. I wouldn’t want you to exceed yours.” Her sensual eyes sparkled at Simon, who tilted his head as he held her gaze. Suddenly he grabbed her wrist, yanked her toward him, and pinned her against the wall.

I’d seen Simon shirtless before but had never noticed how muscular he was. His tanned skin glistened with sweat. “See?” he whispered onto her lips, his strong arms tensed as they barred her way. “To catch you off guard, all I have to do is distract you.”