Dark Masterpiece (Serendipity Series 3) (24 page)

Talis ignored him and continued to
splash.

Evie squeezed her eyes shut as she got most
of it. “Quit it!” she sputtered. “You’re going to drown me!”

Seth attacked from behind, grabbing Traevyn
around the shoulders and pulling him backward to dunk him again.
Evie escaped and Traevyn emerged, shaking his head and sending
water flying everywhere. “Come on, you guys,” he complained. “Three
against one? Tell me how this is fair. Where’s Ash when you need
him?”

“You scared him into the next century,”
Talis grumbled.

They all laughed and continued to play, all
troublesome thoughts momentarily forgotten.

Chapter Eighteen

Evie was taking much longer to get ready
than she rightly should and she felt stupid for it, but she was
technically, kinda sorta, going on a date with Traevyn, and she
wanted to look magnificent. She didn’t know if she could really
consider it a “date,” but she figured it was close enough, and she
was going to indulge herself. She huffed in frustration and yanked
her shirt off. She threw it on Talis’s bed, since she was using his
room to change. Nothing was satisfying her. She wanted to look
alluring and sexy, but everything she tried on made her feel short
and frumpy.

The door opened without warning and she
shrieked. Seth walked in, completely unabashed. “Seth!” Evie
yelled. “What are you doing? Can’t you see I’m in my bra?”

He shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
He flopped down on the bed.

Evie rolled her eyes.

“Why aren’t you ready yet?”
he asked. “Traevyn’s only been waiting for you for about a million
years. He
does
have reservations, you know.”

She scowled and tried on another shirt. “I
can’t decide what to wear. How does this look?” She turned to show
Seth the bright yellow shirt she had donned.

He made a face. “You look like a giant
banana.”

She let out a frustrated growl and yanked the
shirt off again. “It’s hopeless!” she cried.

Seth sighed and laid back to stare up at the
ceiling. “You’re being dumb, Evie. Just put something on.”

She rummaged through her
suitcase until she found a V-neck, rose
colored shirt and a pair of black slacks. She put them on and
turned to face Seth, still
feeling rather
boring. “Look, this is the last outfit I have and it’s just as dull
as all the
others.”

He blinked. “Well, that shirt gives you a
nice cleavage shot.”

She looked down at how much the V-neckline
revealed and she blushed.

“Look, who cares?” Seth asked. “You don’t
want to act like a stupid middle-schooler. Besides, Traevyn’s seen
you in your pajamas and after you’ve cleaned his house. I don’t
think you really have to worry about impressing him.” He stood up
and went around behind her to give her a shove. “Just go.”

“But—”

He placed his hands firmly on her back and
started pushing her toward the door. “Go!”

Evie grumbled something incoherent as she
stumbled out the door and into the living room. Traevyn waited
patiently on the couch. He smiled when she came in.

“Ready?” he questioned.

She gave him a cheesy grin which meant she
was nowhere near ready, but no longer had a choice in the
matter.

Traevyn chuckled. “I made reservations for us
at this nice Italian restaurant. I hope you’re not sick of
Italian.”

“Are you kidding?” she asked. “I could eat
Italian food every night of my life.”

He smiled and they headed out to Talis’s car.
They had spent a nice day wandering around downtown Sedona with
Talis and Ash earlier. It was cute and touristy and Evie had found
several things to take home as souvenirs. They had found many
beautiful art galleries and Talis had taken them to a few nice
scenic areas where Evie had exhausted her poor camera.

She didn’t know if she’d just been reading
too much into everything, but it seemed to her that Traevyn had
been much more attentive to her than usual. It seemed that he’d
been standing closer, and had gone out of his way to be near her.
Her heart beat a little faster at the possibility of his earlier
actions.

They were at the restaurant soon and Evie
was impressed with how gorgeous it was. It was high class and
elegant with beautiful paintings and decorations, but even though
it was apparent that she was in a very upscale place, the fine
décor didn’t compare to the way Traevyn had transformed his living
room for her. That would always be the best as far as she was
concerned.

Traevyn watched Evie quietly as they waited
for their food. She was reading the wine list, but felt his eyes on
her. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt his fingers brush against
hers and she looked up to see him smiling.

“Tell me, Evie,” he said softly. “You have
been my apprentice for two months now. Have you really even learned
anything?” He chuckled.

“Of course I have! I’ve learned how to clean
a Gothic mansion, cook a different meal every night, and entertain
a dark, brooding, beautiful man.”

A faint flush touched his cheeks and he
looked down at the table. “Beautiful, you say?”

She blushed at her own forwardness and
nodded.

He smiled at her flattering
words and he brought her fingers to his lips. “Well, that’s all
well and good,” he said, “but have you learned anything
about
art
?”

“Of course I have,” she said with a smile.
“I’m not intimidated to paint anymore. I’ve learned how to better
choose colors to express my feelings, to use my heart and emotions
to create more than logic and thought.” She met his eyes. “You have
always inspired me, Traevyn. You do more so now that I know
you.”

“Evie, you inspire me every day of my life,”
he murmured.

She swallowed hard and averted her gaze. Her
heart felt like it was going to burst.

“How do you like Arizona so far?” he
questioned.

“It’s beautiful. At least what I’ve seen is.”
She frowned in thought. “Where does your other brother live?”

“Julian? He lives in South Lake Tahoe,
California.”

“But you were all born and raised in
Portland, right?”

He nodded.

“How old are your brothers, and how did you
end up in such different places?”

“What is this, an interview?” he asked with a
chuckle.

Evie blushed. “Sorry, but
there is
no
information about you on the internet. I had to do a report
on you and I’m surprised I even got a grade.”

“Yes, I like to keep my private life private.
How long did this report of yours have to be?”

“Five pages,” she grumbled, “and three
fourths of it was BS. Although it must have been good BS because I
think it’s what got me chosen as your apprentice.”

“So you’d like me to fill in the blanks for
you?” He grinned. “I would think you’d already know way too much
information about me.”

She held his gaze. “I think
I could live my whole life and never know enough.” It came out
before she could stop it, and she wanted to kick herself. Stupid
brain! Couldn’t it
ever
sensor itself?

He caressed his thumb across the back of her
hand and gave a soft sigh. “Well, Julian is twenty-three. He went
to school in Portland, but moved to South Lake Tahoe when he got a
job offer to be a veterinary assistant. Someone he went to school
with hooked him up with the connection. He’s finishing up school at
UNR in Reno, Nevada, which is only an hour drive from where he
lives. Talis is twenty.”

Evie frowned. She was older than Talis? She
never would have guessed that, but the Whitelaw brothers seemed to
have a way of coming off more mature than their age would suggest.
She could bet Julian was the same way.

“Talis has always been a free spirit,” he
continued. “He never went to college. A friend of his he knew in
high school moved to Sedona after graduation and started his tattoo
business. He asked Talis if he wanted to come out with him after he
graduated, so he did. Just because he could. He’s always been a
good artist. He learned the trade and that was that… And he’s
always loved medieval history. It’s no surprise to me that he does
what he does.”

She shook her head. “I wish I could be free
and spontaneous like that.”

He smiled. “Do you think I am like my little
brother?”

Evie thought for a moment. Talis and Traevyn
had the same calm intensity and they were both amazing artists.
Talis’s art was just displayed on human flesh instead of canvas.
She glanced up at Traevyn’s eyes. Talis’s were a different color,
but they held the same gentleness. And, when Traevyn had been
playing with all of them in the pool, the shadows had momentarily
lifted and his eyes had sparkled like his brother’s. She smiled. “A
little,” she replied.

Talis was beautiful like Traevyn, but more
modern. Traevyn seemed more like a lord of old. That was ironic
considering Talis was the one who made a living every summer by
pretending he was in the middle ages.

Their food came and they both lapsed into
the kind of small talk that generally accompanied stuffing your
face. After their meal, Evie was surprised when a crème brulee was
put on their table with a candle in it and the waitress spread rose
petals across their table. “Congratulations,” she said with a
grin.

Evie frowned and Traevyn turned a confused
glance up to the waitress. “I beg your pardon?”

“On your anniversary,” she supplied. “The
dessert is on us.”

Evie’s cheeks turned hot and she looked
down.

Traevyn frowned. “I’m sorry, there must be
some kind of misunderstanding. This is not our anniversary.”

The waitress frowned. “Oh… Well, a young man
just called here and told us that it was. He gave us your
description and told us he was your brother.”

Traevyn’s eyes narrowed. “Mine or hers?”

The waitress shrugged helplessly. “He didn’t
specify.”

“Matchmaking brats,” he muttered. He gave
the waitress a smile. “Thank you.”

She nodded and left.

Evie glanced up at Traevyn. Her face was on
fire, she was sure of it.

He chuckled. “Well, we may as well eat it,”
he said, indicating the rejected crème brulee. “It’s free and
all.”

She gave him a withered smile and picked up
the spoon. She ate her portion quickly and was silent as they drove
to Airport Mesa. She was quite certain that she was going to murder
Seth when they got back to Talis’s. Although it had been very
romantic, it was also very embarrassing considering she and Traevyn
weren’t even dating let alone married.

She sighed as she thought of being Traevyn’s
wife. How amazing would it be to wake up next to such a magnificent
man every morning? She bet he was a really good lover. Everything
about Traevyn was so intense. Her cheeks turned red at the thought
of it. Had his ex-wife been absolutely out of her mind? Who would
cheat on Traevyn? What a stupid, stupid woman.

She stole a sidelong glance at him. His hair
was flowing over one shoulder and she reached out impulsively to
touch a strand of it. He looked over at her and smiled.

Her heart stuttered for a moment. She would
do anything, give up anything, if it meant she could keep him
smiling like that. She looked down and swallowed hard. Oh man, this
was so much worse than Maxim had ever been.

Traevyn noticed that Evie had fallen silent
since the restaurant. As they parked the car and made their way to
the lookout point, he let himself study her. She was walking
slightly in front of him so he could look his fill without her
realizing it. He smiled to himself. She was so different from Amy.
Amy had been tall, sultry, the kind of woman any man would have
gone after. Her makeup had always been perfect, her clothing and
hair perfect, every move looking like she had planned it to her
advantage. She had been every man’s fantasy come to life.

Evie was short with luscious curves. He had
seen her in her pajamas with bed head. Pink, karate chopping monkey
pajamas. Amy would never have been caught dead wearing something
like that. She had always worn silk and satin negligees to bed. At
the time, he had found it incredibly sexy, but there was something
very endearing about Evie’s monkey PJ’s.

He had seen all sides of Evie. He’d seen her
look casual. He’d seen her dressed nice. He’d seen her covered in
paint smudges. He’d seen her in a baggy t-shirt and ripped jeans
with bright yellow gloves on as she scrubbed his bathtub. The only
thing he hadn’t seen was how she looked in formalwear, which he
would be seeing the next day. He had no doubt in his mind that she
would be stunning.

They came to stand at the edge of the
lookout point, gazing down at the city below and the red rocks
towering around it. He lapsed back into thought as Evie took in the
breathtaking scenery.

How was it that he could find himself so
attracted to Evie when she was so different from anything he had
loved about Amy? Evie was not fluid, not graceful. She was loud.
She was opinionated. She summoned him to dinner by crashing a gong.
She threw sandals at him. She called him a caveman directly to his
face and told him just where he could go when he ticked her off.
She was like a chaotic storm threatening anything that dare come in
her path. But…when the storm was calm, it was paradise.

She listened to him. She understood him.
Everything he loved she shared a passion for. She knew what he was
feeling and he didn’t even have to say anything. She saw him. Since
day one she had seen him. She saw past the barriers, past the cold
walls. She saw past all the strange symbolism in his paintings and
could put her finger directly on the message of his soul. She could
touch him when no one else could even get close. She had been the
one person he felt he could confide in, let inside. He had given
her the good part of his soul, trusting implicitly that she would
not destroy it. And she hadn’t. She carried it gently, protected
it. Protected him.