Unfortunately, in his world, and now hers, it wouldn’t be bloody possible.
***
Damn it, Elijah really hated Isaac sometimes.
He’d been the one to find Sabrina first…not Isaac. He’d been the one courting her since she first came to England…not Isaac. And yet, once again, his brother swooped in to win the girl. It enraged him.
He had, of course, known that Isaac contacted Sabrina. Though Isaac might hate him passionately, Elijah didn’t despise Isaac. Well…not most of the time.
Sabrina, as expected, was falling for Isaac. And now he’d gotten stuck coming to her in her dreams, because Isaac would never leave the blasted place unguarded. If only she would let him inside, he could get closer to her. Instead, his brother once more stole his place by her side. Somehow, Isaa
c had discovered of his plan to meet Sabrina during the day at the ridiculous tavern she seemed to love, and appeared in his place. And in one simple step, he snatched away any chances of gaining entry to Sabrina’s life. And house.
He’d tried to go about “wooing” her slowly. Cautiously. But when had that ever worked well for him? After all, his style of seduction—and warfare, for that matter—tended to be more of a “shoot now, take no prisoners alive” type of style. The time had come to start acting like it. He would make her love him, not his brother. He’d make her realize he, not the real-world Isaac, had to be the one she needed. His twin wasn’t right for her, and never had been. Isaac couldn’t love her like he could.
He remained far too strict in his ways. He’d never be able to let go of his so-called “duties” to be able to spend a lifetime with her. Only Elijah could give her life.
His little brother would only sit by to watch her die.
They’d been down this road before, the three of them. She might not remember it, but he and Isaac did. This time, it would end differently, much differently. They were destined to be together, written in the stars.
He needed only to prove it to Sabrina.
***
Sabrina busied herself writing throughout the next day. As the pages piled up, she came to the conclusion that nightmares, and no sleep, were great for creativity. For once, she was ahead of schedule—and liking it.
The ringing of the phone broke the silence, causing her to yelp. Holding a trembling hand to her heart, she answered breathlessly. “Hello?”
“Hello, Sabrina. Did you sleep well last night?” Isaac asked.
Fighting the unease his words stirred, she forced a cheerful tone. “Like a baby. It was a great night.” The hollowness in her voice made her cringe and clear her throat. “How about you?”
“Well, it was a late night. I had a few, well, problems to see to. I’m sure you know how that can be.” He sighed. “But, tired or not, I’m all ready for the rain check you promised me. You’ve been on my mind quite a bit. I had a wonderful time.”
“I did, too, very much.” She relaxed against the chair and rubbed her forehead. “What time would you like to come over?”
“How’s eight sound? I don’t have any other commitments tonight, so we can indulge in some coffee like you mentioned before. It might help me stay awake so I don’t end up snoring next to you halfway through the movie.”
His light chuckle brought forth a resounding giggle from her as she pictured him drooling beside her on the couch.
Did he drool?
“Well, you could always bring your fuzzy bunny slippers, just in case.” She laughed, cringing as she realized it sounded as if she asked him to spend the night.
Desperate much?
“Oh, I wish I could take your words as an invitation to stay the night. But, if I know you as I think I do, you’re biting your tongue right now.”
She winced and asked with no small amount of suspicion, “Hey, where’s your spy camera?”
“A man can’t give away all his secrets on the first date, lass.”
“But, it’s our second date,” she pointed out.
“Ach, well, maybe I’ll show you my secret hiding spots.”
“Isn’t ‘ach’ a Scottish thing? Not British?”