Dark Masterpiece (Serendipity Series 3) (9 page)

Evie looked at him and smiled. She jumped as
the volleyball suddenly made contact with the side of her head,
sending her glasses flying. Seth’s laughter quickly followed.
“Thanks a lot, Seth,” she grumbled.

Traevyn picked up her glasses with an amused
smirk and handed them to Evie, who had just hurled the ball as hard
as she could, sending Seth running after it. “You have to love him.
He’s your brother,” he stated.

She snorted. “Doesn’t mean I have to like
him.” She shoved the glasses back on her face in annoyance.

He smiled. “I have two younger brothers. They
used to drive me crazy.”

Evie briefly thought of the pictures she had
seen in his office. She wondered if the two men in the photos were
his brothers. They had all resembled one another. “What are they
like?” she questioned.

He gave a whimsical smile. “Julian works at
an animal clinic. He’s an assistant until he finishes school to
become a veterinarian. He has a very gentle soul. Talis is a tattoo
artist, and he travels with renaissance fairs pretending to be a
knight and playing guitar for the belly dancers.”

Evie raised her eyebrows. “That’s an
interesting profession.”

He chuckled a little. “Talis is the sort of
person who wants to sample as much life as he can.”

She smiled. “Are you close to your
brothers?”

“Yes. They are the two stabilizing rocks in
my life. They are the support beams on which I stand. They are all
I have and everything to me.”

Evie thought of the deBoer family. With the
exception of Barrett, that was how they viewed one another. She
envied that. She watched as Seth started to walk back up to where
they were sitting. She wondered if she would ever be able to view
him as a stabilizing rock and support beam. Maybe when he wasn’t
seventeen. “My family’s not really close,” she said. “My parents
have jobs that keep them away a lot of the time. My friend Meg has
this family and circle of friends I’ve always been horribly jealous
of. They’re all so close. That’s something I’ve always wanted to
have one day.” She stared out at the ocean wistfully and sighed as
the last remnants of the sun dipped beneath the horizon line.

“The stars will be out soon,” Traevyn
remarked. “If you ever get a clear night, there is nothing more
magnificent than the night sky away from city lights.”

“I know. It’s breathtaking.”

“At times I paint on my terrace. Usually
when the moon is full. It gives everything a different
perspective.” He glanced at her. “Perhaps at the next full moon you
could join me. See what inspiration the nocturnal world has to
offer you.”

She grinned. “I’d like that.”

He nodded. “When we return, I think we should
get you started on painting. You need to get over your fear of
it.”

Evie looked down and swallowed. She studied
the patterns in the sand. “All right,” she said, her voice sounding
meek and tiny. The truth was, she was horrified to paint in front
of him. Painting on her own in her apartment where no one could
laugh at her was one thing. Even painting for class was safe, but
to paint in front of the greatest artist in the world? What if he
thought she was no good? Traevyn was anything but tactful. He would
call her a talentless amateur right to her face. She didn’t think
she’d be able to handle that.

Seth sat down next to her and put the
volleyball next to him. “I dare you to jump in the ocean,” he
said.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. It’s
freezing.”

“Wuss,” he taunted.

“You go jump in it if you’re so tough.”

“I would.”

She met his eyes in challenge. “Do it
then.”

He shrugged. “I don’t feel like it.”

She shook her head. “Whatever. You’re the
real wuss.”

Traevyn smirked. “You know, it’s not very
manly to go against your word. You’ll never be able to woo a girl
if you claim false things or make empty promises just to make
yourself look better.”

Seth stared at him and snorted. “Are these
words of experience? I don’t see the chicks lined up outside your
door.”

“Seth!” Evie scolded. Her face burned with
embarrassment over what Seth had said. She had finally gotten
Traevyn to associate with them on some sort of amicable level and
now he was being completely out of line.

Traevyn gave an enigmatic smile. “I am not
actively pursuing a lady, but even though I’m not, I still do not
claim false things.”

Seth frowned and folded his arms. “Let’s see
you jump in the ocean, tough guy.”

Evie sighed and rolled her eyes heavenward.
“Seth, I think you’re missing the point.”

Traevyn stood without a word and calmly
began to unbutton his shirt.

Evie’s eyes widened. “Don’t listen to him!”
she cried. “He’s a bratty teenage boy!” He looked down at her and
she thought she might have detected the faintest glimmer of mirth
in his light eyes.

“A real man also never backs down from a
challenge.” He removed his shirt and handed it to Evie. “Hold this
for me, if you would.”

She stared up at his now shirtless body and
her mouth went dry. His shoulders were broad and his waist and hips
were narrow. His arms were well defined and muscles rippled across
his back as he moved. Every line of his body seemed etched in
elegance. He was just as beautiful as one of his paintings.

Seth frowned and stood as well. Evie tore
her gaze from Traevyn and looked over at her brother. “What are you
doing?”

“Like I’m gonna let him make me look like a
pansy,” he grumbled. He threw his shirt down at her.

“You are both out of your minds!” Evie
cried. She watched as Traevyn started to make his way down to the
shore. “You’re going to ruin your pants!” she exclaimed. “At least
take your pants off!” The minute the words left her mouth, she felt
her face flush with color. She shook her head and mentally kicked
herself. Had she always been such an idiot? Traevyn stopped and
turned to look at her over his shoulder. She waved her hand. “Can
you just forget I said that?”

He stared at her for a moment as she
continued to squirm with embarrassment. The corners of his mouth
quirked and, then, it was like a flower blossoming before her eyes.
A slow smile spread across his lips and split into a grin. He
chuckled.

Evie watched him in awestruck silence,
unable to believe what she was seeing. His entire face lit up with
his smile; the brooding lines softened. Her heart melted at the
sight of it. If her constant idiocy had caused that smile it had
all been worth it. She smiled warmly back at him.

Traevyn turned back to the ocean and waded
out into it. When it was deep enough, he merely dove forward,
directly into an oncoming wave. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t act like
he was reluctant to get wet and cold. He just launched himself with
grace right into the water and began to swim.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Seth shouted. He tramped
through the waves after him, splashing water every which way, and
sort of belly flopped into the water. He jumped out almost
immediately, screaming. “That is friggin’ cold!”

Evie laughed as Seth stumbled out, trying to
escape the freezing water as soon as possible. He had a strand of
seaweed tangled around his leg, and he tried to kick it off. He
only succeeded in tripping himself, and he collapsed right into the
sand. Evie fell backwards, laughing hysterically. She looked up
just in time to see Seth fling the seaweed as far as he could and
curse.

Traevyn had stopped swimming and was
treading water, watching the scene unfold. Seth turned to him and
gave a dramatic salute. “You’re a better man than me!”

He ran back up to where Evie sat, shivering.
“Gimme my shirt!” he demanded.

Evie handed him his shirt, still laughing
until her stomach hurt. He was only in his boxer shorts and the
backs of his legs and butt were completely covered in sand. She
glanced over at Traevyn, who was making his way out of the water,
shaking droplets from his long hair. He walked leisurely back up to
where Seth and Evie were, a small smile still playing about his
lips. Evie held his shirt out to him and he took it with a nod.

Seth still shivered and he looked at
Traevyn, who was buttoning his shirt back up with calm, sure
fingers. “You’re not even cold?” he cried. “Man, I don’t think
you’re human.”

“I swim in the ocean sometimes,” Traevyn
stated. “The cold is invigorating. It wakes your body up. It makes
you feel, reminds you that you are alive.”

He said the words softly and it made Evie
look up at him. It was so different from the bite that his voice
usually had to it. He gave her a gentle smile and offered his hand
to help her up. She took it, and marveled over how the iciness
surrounding him seemed to have melted slightly.

“I don’t feel invigorated,” Seth grumbled.
“All I feel is sand up my butt crack.”

Traevyn gave a soft laugh. He patted Seth on
the back as they started back to the car. “It was a very valiant
attempt.”

Seth glanced up at Traevyn and shook his
head. “I think the real lesson you were trying to teach me is not
to be such a macho big mouth.”

Laughter flew out of Traevyn’s mouth and it
startled both Seth and Evie. Evie wanted to cry at hearing his
laughter. It was beautiful. Deep and resonant, like music. All the
shadows of pain and sorrow on his face seemed to vanish and, for a
brief moment, he resembled that picture in his office. Hearing his
laughter was so much better than hearing him sob. She wished she
could have kept him laughing forever.

She unlocked the car and opened the trunk so
they could load their stuff in it. Seth got in the back seat and,
as she went to close the trunk again, Traevyn came to stand beside
her. “Evie,” he murmured. She looked up at him and he lifted her
chin with his forefinger. He bent to press a light kiss to her
cheek.

Evie froze and her heart made a dull thud in
her chest. As he pulled away, she gazed up into his light green
eyes in confusion.

“There was a time when I most certainly
thought I would never laugh again,” he said. “Truly, I had
forgotten what laughter felt like. Thank you for reminding me
again… Even if it is just for a moment….”

She stared up at him, finding it difficult
to breathe all of a sudden. Who said stuff like that? And who said
it like they were from a different century? She wondered if Traevyn
really had time traveled at some point. She couldn’t think of
anything to say in response so she just gave a lame nod.

He smiled. “We shall paint when we get home,
all right?”

She nodded again. There went that formal,
medieval speech again. She didn’t know why, but she found it
terribly sexy. He brushed past her and went to get in the car. She
headed to the driver’s seat, wondering why her hands were shaking
so much and why her heart felt like it was going to explode at any
given moment. She touched her cheek absently, thinking it was a
little bit strange that she could still feel the soft impression of
his lips there.

Chapter Eight

Evie hated that she was a nervous wreck
while waiting for Traevyn in his studio. She twisted her fingers,
then adjusted the canvas on her easel again just to try and give
herself something to do. The door opened and she jumped as he
strode in with clean, dry clothes on and his hair pulled back in a
damp ponytail. He looked at her and smiled.

“Are you ready to get started?” he asked.

She heaved a sigh. “I guess so.”

He frowned. “You guess so? You are an
artist, correct? Do you plan to make your living off of sketches
alone? I somehow doubt that you would be Professor Roth’s chosen
one if you did.” He pulled a fresh canvas out and set it on his own
easel. “Why does painting intimidate you when drawing does
not?”

She shrugged. “It’s more permanent. If I
mess up, I can’t erase it. Not everything’s in black and white.
Color is important. I’m always afraid I won’t be able to convey
what I’m trying to.”

He shook his head. “Don’t
worry about trying to convey anything. Art shouldn’t be about
thinking. Art is self expression. Colors represent feeling. Close
your eyes and think about how you feel, then choose a color to
represent your emotion. It doesn’t matter what color it is. Some
people may choose blue or gray to represent melancholy, but there
is no standard set for what you have to choose. That’s the beauty
of art. To you, maybe chartreuse is a depressing color. No one has
the right to tell you otherwise. It’s
your
self expression.”

She felt color creep into her cheeks for no
reason at all. Even though her experience with Traevyn had been
anything but what she had expected, the fact that she was still
learning from the greatest artist of their day floored her.
Sometimes she couldn’t believe she was actually there.

“There are no limits in art,” Traevyn
continued. “This—” he held up a paintbrush, “—is just an expression
of this.” He placed his hand over her heart. “You paint what’s
inside here and nothing else. Let this guide you and you will never
make a mistake. The trouble is you have to free yourself. Remove
all of your own limitations and criticism. Just let what’s inside
of you come out.”

She nodded, looking at him with rapt
attention. Her heart beat out an erratic pattern beneath his palm
and she hoped he didn’t notice. She realized that one long strand
of his hair was free of the ponytail and hanging loosely in his
face. She stared at it and had the insane urge to reach out and
tuck it back. His jaw was very defined and his chin had a small
cleft in it; for some reason, she found that very attractive.

“Evie?”

She snapped out of her wandering thoughts and
met his eyes. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

His lips came together in a thin line of
disapproval. “I can see my words make a real impression on
you.”