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

symbolism.
    He nodded. “I think everyone can relate to
the opera ghost in some fashion. Most of us have felt an outcast at
some point in our lives. All of us have suffered the sting of
rejection.”
    Evie nodded, noticing how he stared off into
nothingness as he spoke the last part of his statement. “And
everyone, regardless of what they may claim, just wants to be loved
for who they are.”
    He met and held her eyes for one long second
of silence, then gave a slow nod and took another sip of wine.
    She shrugged. “I would have picked the
Phantom over Raoul any day.”
    He frowned. “You would have gone with the
broken, disfigured man over the dashing hero?”
    “In a second.”
    He fixed her with a quizzical look.
“Why?”
    “Well, because,” she shot him a glance,
“Raoul was just the dashing hero, but the Phantom was
beautiful.”
    Traevyn studied her for a moment. She
continued to surprise him. Evie saw things most people would look
right over. She was proving to have a depth of soul that was rare.
It was like she looked at something and saw straight into the very
core of it without even pausing to glance at the surface. His eyes
narrowed as he saw her wince and start to rub at a spot in her
shoulder. She yawned. He sighed, feeling bad that she had gone
grocery shopping early that morning, had promptly come back and
cleaned for eight hours, then made a delicious dinner and cleaned
up the kitchen alone while her brother had spent the entire day
wasting space on his couch with a video game console. She deserved
a long soak in a Jacuzzi. He sighed again and, though it went
against his nature, traveled around to the back of her chair and
placed one hand over the shoulder she was rubbing.
    Evie’s eyes flew open and she tensed. Her
stomach made an uncomfortable flip as she felt his fingers gently
knead at her sore muscle.
    “I imagine you have a
fondness for Pip in Great
Expectations as well?” he
asked.
    She nodded and tried to keep her focus. Her
heart beat erratically and she felt stupid for it. “Like I said, I
seem to levitate towards the brooding, tormented men. Dangerous or
not, they’re just more interesting.”
    He paused for several seconds. “You should
soak your sore muscles,” he finally suggested. “Otherwise you’ll
barely be able to move in the morning.” He dropped his hand and
came around to stand in front of her. “The tub in the guest
bathroom is horribly small. My tub has jets in it. Miss Austin,
please use my bathroom if you’d like.”
    She stared up at him, stunned. The fact that
he was being nice disturbed her. Maybe it was because he was
drinking wine. Hey, she wasn’t going to complain, and she
definitely wasn’t going to turn down a soak in an enormous tub. She
stood. “Thank you. I think I will take you up on that offer. By the
way, I think it would be safe to call me by my first name. This
Miss Austin stuff is killing me.”
    He nodded. “Very well. I will remain out
here or in the office until you are finished. Have a good night,
Miss Austin.”
    Evie put a hand on her hip and sighed.
“Didn’t we just go over this?”
    He gave a small smile. “Forgive me.”
    She arched an eyebrow. “Come on,” she urged,
“you can say it. Have a good night…”
    “Evie,” he answered.
    For some stupid reason, she shivered again.
Trying to ignore that strange reaction to her name spoken in his
deep, velvety voice, she nodded and turned back toward the door.
“Goodnight, Mr. Whitelaw.”
    He watched her go, then sighed and turned
back to the sea. He closed his eyes and let the sound of it soothe
him, momentarily easing the ache in his soul.
     

Chapter Six
     
    The terrace and the office became Evie’s
favorite spots as the days dragged on. She spent most of her time
either drawing on the terrace or attempting to paint in the studio,
which never really got that far. She tended to avoid the studio
most of the time anyway since Traevyn was in there nine times out
of ten, and