A Second Look: A Forbidden Second Chance Romance

by Lexi Aurora

  “What’s this big secret?” I asked him curiously, dying to know what he was talking about.

  “I can’t tell you. Please just trust me. It’s in your own interest to stay in the room. I’ll come get you right after, I promise.”

  “Okay,” I said to him. “I’ll go upstairs. I need a nap, anyway.”

  “You do look tired,” he said, lifting his hand, brushing a curl out of my face.

  “Thanks,” I said dryly. He grinned at me in a way that put frantic butterflies in my stomach.

  “Go upstairs,” he said, turning to follow the others. I left the room and went to the elevator, glancing behind me as they filed into a room, one of the few on the first floor that wasn’t surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass. I stepped behind one of the walls as the servants passed, watching them as they carried wrapped bundles and pushed massive items around covered by snowy white sheets. My curiosity killed me as they disappeared into the room, and I tried to make it through the door to peer in before it shut.

  I didn’t make it in time, and instead tried my luck elsewhere, going into the next room. It was a bedroom but it was empty, and I quietly shut the door behind me and looked around to search the room. I went to the wall and listened to find out if I could hear anything, but no sound came through. I scanned the room and found a vent at the top of the wall, adjacent to the one that was shared with the room next door. I glanced around, pushed the bed over to the corner so that I could stand on it. I listened through the vent, straining my ears. I heard something like mumbling in the room, but couldn’t make it out. It sounded almost like chanting of some sort, a single voice that droned on between short, sharp bangs.

  My heart stopped and I jumped when the door opened, alarmed to see Joseph standing there with his hands crossed over his chest.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I was—I felt a draft,” I said.

  “A draft,” he repeated. “In someone else’s room.”

  “I just—”

  “You should get out of here, Eve,” he said, his voice deadly serious, a sharp look on his face.

  “You are correct about that,” I said, hopping down from the bed. “Sorry.”

  He said nothing, but watched as I left the room. I hurried up the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator, but instead of going to the fourth floor, I stayed on the second where someone had mentioned where the master bedroom was located. The house was Joseph’s, and I assumed it belonged to him. There was something suspicious to me about the look in his eye— it was angry and paranoid. I tried the door and cursed when I found that it was locked, though that wasn’t unexpected. I felt around in my hair for a pin and pulled it out, glancing around me. I knew everyone was downstairs, that this was the only shot I would have. I slipped the pin in the lock and the door clicked open a few seconds later. I smiled in satisfaction and went inside, closing it gently behind me. I knew that it was a terrible idea—I didn’t know what would happen if Joseph caught me again. But I couldn’t help but look into him. I started searching carefully through his things, opening each of his drawers, poring through the clothes in the closet.

  I went to his bookshelf then, scanning it for anything important that might catch my eye. There were dozens of books on antiques and on anthropology, though most of them were slightly dusty, as if they hadn’t been looked at in a while. I noted one with what looked like fingerprints in the fine dust, picking it up to see that it was actually a notebook. I flipped it open to see scribbled notes on the page, mostly about different cultures, notes on ancient Egypt and the Roman empire. There were prices next to the words, prices in the millions—even billions—of dollars. I flipped through the pages to see more and more, an endless list. The notebook flipped open to one of the last pages, and I picked out the photographed that had been pressed inside. It was a photo of Lola Darling, smiling at the camera, flirting with her eyes. I traced my fingers over her photo. I had all but forgotten about Lola in all that had happened between now and the last time I’d seen her. I closed the notebook, knowing I had to get out of the room before whatever was happening ended downstairs. I listened at the door, then opened it carefully, peering out into the hallway to find that it was empty. I hurried out, locking it behind me, heading to the elevator. I jumped when the door opened and I saw Joseph standing there with his brow raised.

  “I just wanted to make sure you made it up to your room. What are you doing here?”

  “I was bored. I decided to explore. I’m not okay with being locked away in a room.”

  “That’s too bad,” Joseph said. “It’s in your best interest to go upstairs for this, Evelyn.”

  “Evelyn,” I said. “How—”

  “I know more about you than you think,” he said.

  “What do you mean?”

  He didn’t answer, but stepped off the elevator and walked right past me.

  “Go upstairs,” he said, his back to me. I got on the elevator and did just that, going up to the room, wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into by coming on this trip.

  Chapter 17: Sebastian

  “This is all so fuckin’ crazy, man,” Jeremy said, a look of shock and confusion on his face that matched my own feelings about the situation.

  “I know,” I said, running my hand through my hair. “It just gets worse and worse.”

  “So you’re here for the long-term,” he said. “For good.”

  “For now,” I said to him. “I’m thinking about getting a PI to look into it.”

  “Someone other than Eve?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Someone other than her.”

  “And you don’t know why she decided to come here?”

  “I have a feeling,” I said. “Just a feeling.”

  “You think she’s really into you?”

  “She is,” I said. I knew without a doubt what Eve wanted, but I also knew that she wasn’t going to take it.

  “Wow,” Jeremy said. “This is wild. Do you have any idea who killed them?”

  “I have absolutely no clue. I’ll have to hire someone from here.”

  “Did your uncle or your brother have any problems with other people?”

  “My uncle was always in the house. He was paralyzed. My brother was—just a goofy kid.”

  “He was,” Jeremy said, downing the rest of his drink. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll miss him.”

  “I miss him already,” I said, a pang in my stomach. Jeremy wrapped me in a tight hug, patting my back.

  “I’ll stay here with you,” he said. “Until you figure shit out.”

  “You don’t have to do that, I—”

  “Listen. You’re not twisting my arm. I’m not doing this just for you. You bet your ass I’ll do anything to stay on this island as long as possible.”

  “It is beautiful,” I said, looking out over the paradise in front of us.

  “It is,” he said. “So what are you going to do about Eve in the meantime?”

  “God, I have no idea.”

  “You love her,” Jeremy said. It wasn’t a question. Jeremy and I had met our first year of college when I was nineteen. He could read me as well as anybody.

  “I do,” I said. “She’s a pain in the ass, though.”

  “I’m not surprised. It’d take a tough girl to stomach you.”

  I laughed. “You’re right.”

  “We’ll figure something out. I’ll call and have my guys look into hiring an investigator for you.”

  “Thanks,” I said to him. He nodded.

  “No problem,” he said. “Is Eve coming to the party tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’m not leaving her to wander around.”

  “Probably a good idea,” Jeremy said. “She’s nosy.”

  “She is nosy. And a brat. But she’s perfect.”

  Jeremy smiled. “Think you can convince her about that?”

  “No,” I said to him, shaking my head. “She thinks I just want to fuck her.”

  “Do you?”


  “No,” I said. “I mean—yes. Of course I do. But I want more from her than that.”

  “Have you told her that?”

  “Yes,” I said, remembering the look of surprise on her face when I told her that I wanted everything from her, and how it had turned into anger by the time we’d seen each other again.

  “She doesn’t believe me.”

  “She has a point,” Jeremy said.

  “I know she does.”

  “That’s all you’ve ever wanted from women.”

  “Not from Eve,” I said to him. “We went to high school together. I was—totally in love with her. She always hated me.”

  “You’ve never mentioned her before,” Jeremy said.

  “I’ve almost brought her up a hundred times,” I said. “But I just wanted to keep her in my head. Hold her there. I never thought I’d see her again.”

  “And now you have, and you’re hopeless.” Jeremy said. “Hopelessly romantic.”

  “I’m a fucking idiot.”

  “Yeah, you are,” he said with a teasing grin.

  “I’d better get back to her before she causes trouble,” I said to him.

  “Yeah. I’ll see you both tonight.”

  “Right,” I said, turning around, going back inside and up the stairs to the fourth floor. I approached the door, pulling off the note that was taped to the wood.

  Stay away from each other or you will regret it.

  I read the note again, filled with confusion. I didn’t recognize the handwriting, though I would have guessed that the writer was a woman given the smooth, curvy handwriting. I opened the door to find Eve sitting on the floor cross-legged, leaning back against the bed. She was reading, and didn’t look up when I came in the room.

  “Did you see this?” I asked her, handing her the note. She shot me an annoyed look but took the paper, her brow furrowing with the same confusion that I was feeling myself.

  “What does it mean?”

  “They want us apart,” I said. “For whatever reason.”

  “This is silly,” she said, handing it back to me. “Someone is playing a prank on us or something. They’re just fucking around.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I think it’s serious. Something is going on here. Whoever stole your purse—”

  “I will forever be mad about that. What would one of these people need my purse for? I bought it for forty bucks.”

  “Maybe they stole it for another reason.”

  “Because they ran out of gum?”

  “I don’t know what the reason would be,” I said. “But I think we need to take this seriously.”

  “Oh, now you want to split up rooms?” she asked.

  “I think we should.”

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  “What does that mean?” I asked her.

  “You don’t get what you want, so you distance yourself. Just walk away.”

  “What do you want me to do, Eve?” I asked her in exasperation.

  “I want you to stop playing this stupid game. Stop pretending to care. Tell me right now that you only want to fuck me.”

  “Fine,” I said, anger flaring up inside of me. “If that’s what you want from me.”

  “Say it,” she said in a trembling voice. There was fear all over her face, fear for herself, the need to protect her heart.

  “I don’t—”

  “Please,” she said.

  “Okay, Eve. So all I want is to fuck you. All I want is to make you cum so hard I break down this massive wall you’ve put up around yourself.”

  “Stop it,” she hissed.

  “There’s a party tonight. We’re going.”

  “No, we’re—”

  “You decided to come on this trip. These are my people. I know what needs to be done.”

  “So you expect me to parade around pretending that I care about you?”

  The words stung like a slap.

  “Yes,” I said in a tight voice.

  “I don’t know if I can do that tonight,” she said coldly.

  “You’d better try,” I said to her. “I’ll meet you downstairs in an hour. There are clothes in the closet. Just pick something to wear.”

  “Fine, Sebastian,” she said, arms crossed over her chest, a defiant look on her face. I exhaled deeply, trying to steady myself as I left the room and went downstairs again. I was filled with anger at myself and at Eve, but I tried to plaster on a smile as I went into the ballroom on the second floor. It was already teeming with people dressed their best, talking and laughing without a care in the world. I did what I had to, standing around, drinking, mingling with people I had known for years now, the closest in my circle. I couldn’t stop thinking about Eve, though, and I kept glancing over my shoulder at the elevators. I heard a noise and looked up, noticing she’d come down the stairs instead. I felt a powerful heat spread through me when I saw what she was wearing. It was a ruby red dress, sparkling and tight against her body, cut in a deep v between her breasts so that the inner curves showed as she made her way down. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she approached the room and came inside, giving me a cool look.

  “Let’s get this over with,” she mumbled.

  “Eve, we can’t fight out here. At least pretend like you don’t hate me.”

  “I’ll try,” she said. I wrapped my arm around her waist and guided her over to where Jeremy was standing with my cousin. Joseph’s face went blank as we approached him.

  “Excuse me,” he said, his eyes on Eve for a second too long for my comfort. I stared at him for a moment before he cleared his throat.

  “We’re going to have a toast in a few minutes,” he said.

  “Okay,” I said to him, tense for a reason I didn’t understand. I was relieved when he walked away to talk to another group.

  “How are you two?” Jeremy asked.

  “Good,” Eve said sarcastically.

  “We’re great,” I said to Jeremy, who raised his eyebrows and looked between us, but said nothing.

  “Attention,” I heard Joseph say, raising his voice. “I think it’s time to make a toast.”

  “What are we toasting to?” Jeremy asked.

  “To Eve and Sebastian,” I heard Marie say behind us, a dry tone in her voice. I looked over my shoulder to see her smoldering at me, and remembered what had happened the last time we’d been together. She had spent the night at my place, clawing at my back, helping me forget about everything for a few hours. Then she had left, and I hadn’t seen her since, but from the look on her face, that encounter hadn’t traveled far from her mind. I could feel Eve’s eyes on my face and found myself smiling at Marie, waving to her over my shoulder. Eve tensed beside me and I heard a noise of irritation escape her lips. I almost laughed, but instead turned around to look at Joseph.

  “To Eve and Sebastian, then,” Joseph said, raising his glass.

  “How about a kiss?” Marie said, a malicious smile on her face. “To celebrate.”

  I looked over at Eve, who gave me a begrudging look. She was stiff as I lowered my lips to hers, kissing her softly, and had no give to her body. I pulled back and stared at her face, but didn’t say anything as the glasses clinked together around us. Somewhere behind me, music started to play, but all I could pay attention to was Eve’s face, the way she had pulled away from me.

  “Come dance with me,” I said to her.

  “I don’t dance,” she said stiffly.

  “I’ll dance with you, Sebastian,” Marie said. I kept my eyes on Eve, whose eyes dared me to walk away.

  “Sure, Marie,” I said, pulling my gaze away from Eve to look at the other woman, giving her a charming smile. She shot a look at Eve over my shoulder, a smirk on her lips as I took her arm and led her over to where people were already dancing. She slipped against me easily and I put my hand to her waist, looking into her big brown eyes, seductive and heavy-lidded.

  “So what’s going on with that girl?” she asked. “You don’t seem to be very
into her.”

  “I am,” I said to her. “I love her.”

  “Aw, that’s so cute,” Marie said. “Too bad, she definitely doesn’t feel the same way.”

  “You think so?” I asked her, glancing over my shoulder at where Eve sat at a table, her eyes locked on us. I gave her a wave, relishing the look of anger on her face, getting angry all over again as I thought about our fight before the party. I pulled Marie closer to me, not caring how it would make Eve feel. Marie’s words rang true in my gut even though I didn’t want them to—Eve had come here for her own curiosity, not for me.

  “I’ve been thinking about that night we spent together,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I think about it all the time. It was so—”

  “Good,” I said when she paused.

  “Great,” she said. “So if you and Eve—”

  “Eve and I are fine.”

  “So why are you over here dancing with me?”

  “Can’t I pay attention to two people at once?” I asked her. She pouted, poking her bottom lip out like a child.

  “But I want all the attention,” she said, and then her lips curved into another smile. “Listen. I’m on the second floor, three doors down from the elevator. Come by tonight.”

  “I can’t, I—”

  She put her fingers to my lips to shut me up.

  “I’ll see you later,” she said, then kissed me softly before moving away. I looked over to see that Eve was gone. I took a deep breath and hurried out, heading upstairs to our room. There was a knot in my throat and all I could think about was how I’d fucked up by taking Marie to the dance floor. I hadn’t expected the kiss—but I shouldn’t have done it in the first place. I hurried up the stairs, freezing when I saw Eve standing in front of our door with her back pressed to it, a look of shock and terror on her face. I rushed to her.

  “Eve,” I said. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

  “The—the room,” she said. “There’s—”

  “There’s something in the room. Someone?”

  “Birds,” she said. “There’s no blood. But there are birds.”