Dark Masterpiece (Serendipity Series 3) by Brieanna Robertson Page A

bathroom,” she
grumbled. “My spirit cleaned the rest of the house out of sheer
pride.”
    He gave the faintest of chuckles, but kept
his back to her. He seemed to lapse into thought and continued to
sip his wine in silence.
    Evie opened her sketchpad and started to
draw him. He made a spectacular sight standing there, his long hair
shining down his back, the fog drifting around him. She gave a
little sigh. Even though he was rude and surly, his beauty was
undeniable. And he was always dressed so elegant. She’d never seen
him in jeans or a t-shirt. He was always in slacks and silk,
button-down shirts that hugged his lean frame. He always looked to
Evie like he had stepped directly out of a different time and
somehow got stuck in the twenty-first century.
    “Do you like wine, Miss Austin?” he
asked.
    She looked up at him. “I do.”
    He turned to face her, the movement more
like an elegant ripple of his body than a turn. “Red or white?”
    “White,” she answered. “Red is too dry for
me.”
    His lips quirked. “Then you’ve never tasted a
really good red wine.”
    She was surprised at his
almost playful banter. She was actually wondering why he was even
out there talking to her at all. Was he really that pleased with her cleaning
abilities? If that was the case then she seriously needed to
rethink her career choice. If her skills with a mop and a duster
could soften a man like Traevyn Whitelaw even a little, she could
make serious bank if she marketed on it.
    She set her sketchpad on her lap and folded
her arms. “What constitutes a ‘really good red wine’ then?”
    He held up his glass and swirled the
contents.
    She rolled her eyes. “Oh yes, that tells me
volumes.”
    One corner of his mouth rose in a wry,
lopsided smile and he moved forward, holding the glass out to her.
“Try it.”
    She blinked in bewilderment, but complied. It
went down surprisingly smooth without the harsh, bitter bite she
was used to.
    “Merlot is decent, and I enjoy Cabernet
Sauvignon, but my preference is Shiraz,” he supplied. “Each vintage
is different, of course, but I find it generally enjoyable all the
way around.”
    She handed the glass back to him and nodded.
“It’s good.” She gave a short, nervous laugh and pushed her hair
behind her ears in a self-conscious gesture. “I’m used to the five
dollar bottle of White Zinfandel that you get at the convenience
store.”
    He made a face. “That is vile.”
    She snorted. “Well excuse me for not being a
wine connoisseur. You’re lucky I drink wine at all. When you went
to SOU were you living it up at the frat parties with your glass of
Shiraz?”
    A dry chuckle was torn from his lips and he
shook his head. “No. My roommate was living it up at the frat
parties with his lips suctioned onto the beer tap. I stayed in my
dorm and painted…” He slid his gaze over her with a devilish glint
in his eyes. “With my glass of Shiraz.”
    She giggled and fell silent, enjoying the
conversation, but not knowing how to prolong it.
    “Which is your favorite?” he questioned
suddenly.
    She frowned. “Huh?”
    “Out of all the classics you claim to enjoy.
Which do you like the best?”
    He wandered closer to her
chair, and Evie hastily closed her sketchpad, not wanting him to
see that she had been drawing him. She thought for a moment.
“ Wuthering Heights , I think.”
    He arched an eyebrow. “The tragic romance
type, are you?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I just
like brooding men.” She blushed as she realized what she had just
said.
    Traevyn’s lips turned up at the corners.
“Brooding men are dangerous.”
    She met his eyes and thought that he might be
half-teasing, but she couldn’t be sure. “What is your
favorite?”
    “ The Phantom of the Opera ,” he
replied without hesitation.
    She blinked in surprise.
“Really?” She had figured he would be more The Old Man and the Sea , or The Grapes of
Wrath type . Something depressing and full
of