Enticing Eve: Scandalous Secrets, Book 2 (34 page)

Afterwards, they lay together surrounded by thicket, tall pines and rust colored rolling hills.

“I must admit,” Eve sighed, “I could grow
 
accustomed to this view.”

For the first time, so could Colin. Eve brought out the best in him and helped him see that life was full of possibilities if one is open to them. Eve infused him with hope, an emotion he’d ceased believing in.

The woman lying beside him was his greatest hope. She was also his greatest weakness because she left him sated and careless. Danger lurked, yet here they lay exposed and he allowed it.
 

Colin must be more vigilant.
 

He let his guard down with Eve on this afternoon but to do so was a weakness he couldn’t afford. Not until he knew who was stalking him and why.

* * *

The man lurked within the house itself, peering through a window high in the turret. No one ever came up here, did they? No, he was safe and able to watch and listen to what was said within these walls without any fear of reprisal.

He forced himself to swallow hard, past the lump of disgust lodged in his throat because of the scene previously enacted before him. Even though his note has caused panic within Colin and that barbaric friend of his, there he was picnicking in plain sight on the grounds and kissing his wife with reckless abandon as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
 

This would not do.

No, it was time for the trespasser to step up his game of cat and mouse. The happy couple couldn’t remain blissful for much longer, not when there was so much to reveal to the pretty little bride. She was quite wanton, was she not, brazenly kissing the man for anyone to see?

The intruder pondered his next step, well aware that he now had to focus on Colin’s pet. She would be his route to hurt the man, since the missive this morning seemed to be all but forgotten by Colin.

His intense loathing for Colin MacAlistair reached a crescendo as the trespasser shoved himself from the window. He would let husband and wife have this afternoon together. Soon, there would be nothing left of either of them … just a pile of ash in his wake.
 

Yes, he would set their lives ablaze and enjoy every minute of it.
 

“Consider it my wedding gift,” he muttered in the eerie silence that surrounded him.

He had come to the conclusion that Colin’s bride deserved what was in store for her just as much as her husband did. His revenge and the havoc he would wreak would destroy them both.

He vowed to laugh while he witnessed their destruction.

It was the least they deserved.

Chapter 16

Eve awoke to find the room cloaked in shadows, the fire that had been ablaze when she fell asleep now consisting of dying embers. She and Colin had eaten dinner in bed, choosing to mark their second night in Scotland in naked splendor.

Closing her eyes again, she lay upon her fluffy mattress well aware of Colin’s warm arms encircling her from behind, his palms splayed against her abdomen as she listened to his rhythmic breathing.
 

He was asleep. That must be a good sign. Perhaps his insomnia was abating.

The possibility that he might be healing made her smile against her pillow. She snuggled deeper under the soft covers, closer to her husband’s broad form and he instinctively tightened his grip around her waist.
 

This is married life,
she thought with a contented sigh. Would she ever cease experiencing a thrill every time she brushed against his warm flesh or lay naked in his arms? She was certain that was a sensation that would never subside, the thought making her giddy with delight.

A noise, a clicking so faint at first that Eve thought she had imagined it, interrupted her silent contemplation. Still as a board, Eve listened for it. Then she heard it again … a faint
click
. It was as if someone were behind the door. Could they be holding the knob? Trying to open the door perhaps?

Eve opened her eyes, squinting in the semi-darkness, trying to ascertain who might be behind the door, but there was no other noise.

Straining to listen for it, all she could now ascertain was the loud
thud
of her rapid heartbeat pounding in her ears, making it all but impossible to hear the faint sound again.

A minute passed, perhaps two, while Eve lay in the dark listening as the few remaining embers crackled in the grate. She silently wished for them to cease; however, they continued to drown out whatever it is she heard moments before.

Although not consumed by darkness, the suite was far from lit. Still, Eve reached for Colin’s hand and lifted it with care, allowing herself to slide out from under his weight. As she sat up, the bed creaked beneath her, causing her to still in an instant.

Surely she was being silly! It was nothing more than her imagination. Even still, she slowly pressed her palms against the rumpled bedding until she found the cool familiar silk fabric of her robe then slid her arms into it, tying the sash at the front.
 

Cloaked in silence, Eve stood and crossed the room, her bare feet padding softly atop what she knew to be a Persian rug. Once Eve reached the door, she leaned closer, pressing her ear against the aged wood.

Silence.

If there was someone on the other side, wouldn’t she have heard them by now?

“Don’t tell me you’re bored with me already,” Colin asked, his timbre husky from sleep.

Eve all but jumped. Well aware of how ridiculous she must have looked leaning against the door with her ear pressed against it, even in silhouette, Eve was quick to explain in a low whisper. “I thought I heard someone outside our door.”
 

“Um-hum,” Colin’s amusement was evident in his tone. “And how is that investigation proceeding so far?”

Eve smiled in spite of herself, “Not very well. I failed at stealth work miserably when I woke you up.”

Colin pushed himself up to a sitting position. “It wasn’t your fault,” he said, fluffing his pillow behind him then settling against it. “I rarely sleep through the night. It is one of the lingering effects of war.”

Eve turned the lock with care, ensuring they were now locked safely in their suite before fiddling with the sash of her robe. “I think I know of a way to relax you,” she cooed, walking back towards the bed.
 

“What do you have in mind, Wife?” Colin folded the covers back, patting her side of the bed.

After tugging at the sash, Eve pushed the front of her robe open then slid it from her shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor, the fabric pooling at her feet.

Even in the semi-darkness of the dwindling firelight, Eve could feel the heat emanating from Colin’s hooded gaze as he murmured, “I am amiable to your suggestion.”

He then reached for her hand, tugging her onto the soft mattress and pinning her underneath his weight. Eve laughed out loud.

“I wouldn’t mind waking up like this every evening,” he added, kissing her neck.

Oh, yes, they must make this a nightly ritual, she thought, as Colin made love to her for a second time that evening, sending her beyond the stars yet again.

* * *

Eve awoke to a subtle creaking sound, as if from the floor boards. Her eyes snapped open, scanning the darkness.
 

Squeak
.
 

A floor board was shifting under someone’s weight. Even though the sound was subtle, it rang through her ears.

We’re not alone.

Eve clutched the sheet to her chest.

If only there were a fire!

The room illuminated for a split second or two, the moon escaping the clouds that had inhibited it beyond the bank of windows flanking one of the walls. Though minimal, it was enough time to reveal the shadowy figure of a man, tall and slender, watching them from the foot of their bed.
 

Eve screamed, and in immediate response, the cloud cover again hid the moon, the room returning to a sea of darkness as she could discern the muffled sound of bare feet retreating.

Colin bolted upright. “What?”

“There was someone in here!” Eve bellowed, breathless. “He was standing at the foot of the bed.”

Faster than a shot, Colin was out of bed and out the door. Eve fumbled at the bedside table, feeling for the silver match holder. She then ignited a match, willing her hands to stop shaking long enough for her to light the gas lamp sitting atop the nightstand.

“There’s no one in the hall,” Colin ran back in the room, closing the door behind him.
 

Eve had been unaware that Colin had run out into the hallway unclothed. He picked up his breeches from the floor, buttoning them.
 

“Are you certain that you saw someone?” he asked.

Eve nodded, “Positive.”

A knock on the door made her jump again. “Bloody hell!”
 

Colin opened it to find Logan with a lamp. “I heard a scream.”

“Eve saw someone in the room,” Colin said as if not the least bit surprised that his friend was in the house, close enough to their suite to hear her.

Clutching the sheet tighter to her chest, Eve watched Logan’s features contort in the dim light of the gas lamp.

“Grab a lamp,” he said. “We’ll search the house.”

With that he was off, leaving Colin to cross the room, ignite the lamp above the fireplace mantel, and exit their bedchamber.

“Lock the door behind me,” he ordered, standing in the doorway. “I’m not leaving until I hear it lock.”

Eve nodded, noting that Colin’s strong, chiseled features were now contorted into a mask of concern. Crossing to the door in a matter of three steps, she shut the door and turned the lock.

As she placed her palm against the smooth wood, Eve noted with a pang of panic that the door was locked earlier, and yet someone still entered their suite. Turning to the bed, Eve grabbed her robe, thrusting her arms through the sleeves and knotting it tightly around her waist.

Who would have done such a thing?

Her first thought was Logan, but he didn’t fit the description of the intruder, who though tall wasn’t as broad shouldered or masculine as Logan.

If not Logan, who?
 

Who else was lurking in their wing of the house?

Minutes passed. Eve knew not how many. Her pulse beat at a frantic pace. What was taking Colin so long?

What if something happened to him?

She paced back and forth in front of the now dim fireplace grate. A shudder of fear wracked through her body causing Eve to lean against the fireplace mantel for support.

That’s when she saw it. A piece of paper, folded in half, resting on the mantel.

Hands trembling, Eve reached for it. Scrawled in black ink, in large almost-illegible print, were the words that stopped her heart:

Your husband is not the man he claims to be.

Eve stared at the words while her lungs struggled for breath.

Who did this and why?

A knock at the door startled Eve. For what seemed like the hundredth time that evening, she jumped.

“It’s me,” Colin’s usually comforting baritone sliced through the cold air but for the first time, it didn’t calm Eve’s nerves. Instead, her pulse quickened. She unlocked the door, opening it for him.

“We searched but couldn’t find anyone,” he said, rounding on her. “Are you all right?”

Eve nodded, unable to trust her voice.

Colin reached for her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Are you certain you saw someone? Perhaps it was a nightmare?”

“Nightmares don’t leave evidence,” Eve handed him the note.

He grabbed the folded paper, reading it once then twice.

Damn it to hell.

“What does it mean?” she demanded.

Remaining silent, Colin stared at the handwriting.

“I locked the door, Colin. Earlier tonight,” her voice quivered. “It wasn’t locked when you answered Logan’s knock.”

 
His gaze locked with hers and what Colin saw hit him hard like an anvil. Reflected in those cherished emerald eyes was feral, uncensored fear.

“Where did you find this?” he asked as dread coiled in his abdomen like a snake preparing to strike.

Eve stared at him. “On the mantel.”

He stared at the paper again.
 

Your husband is not the man he claims to be.

The handwriting wasn’t familiar, but then again, print is more difficult to trace to one person as it doesn’t contain very distinctive characteristics. Could it be from the same person that left Colin his own note?

“What does it mean, Colin?” Eve asked, taking a step towards him.

It means that someone is taunting me. Someone is threatening to expose me.