When I woke it was to the sight of two large iron gates swinging open soundlessly. As Demetri proceeded to drive through them, I sat up, giving myself a better view.
One of the first things I noticed was that wherever we had ventured to, there weren’t any houses nearby, just a towering variety of trees.
My nose tingled from the familiar scent of the ocean.
I couldn’t yet see it, but I knew it was nearby, could practically taste its salt on my tongue. It was comforting in the sense that it reminded me of home. Without any warning, the terrain changed, going from flat to elevated.
“Mr. Schuyler’s estate is just at the top of the bluff,” Demetri alerted me.
“So, this is basically his driveway?”
“That’s correct.”
Short and blunt, but also polite. If this drive taught me anything about Demetri it was that he was a man of few words.
After a minute or two the car curved around a bend, and I got my first glimpse of Alaric’s house.
It was gorgeous.
A cape cod—pure white with a balcony that looked as if it wrapped around the entire upper level.
As the driveway flattened out into a large square, Demetri bypassed a three-car garage with a lone, dark green vehicle parked in front of it. The thing looked like the result of a luxury sedan and sports car being combined.
There were two wings on its rear end with a letter B sandwiched between them. Bugatti? Bentley? Whichever one it was I knew by looking at it the thing had cost a pretty penny.
Demetri braked near a pathway that led to the front door, popping the trunk before getting out. Left alone momentarily, I stared up at the house through tunnel vision, close to demanding I be returned to the airport.
This was a fresh reminder that my sister and I had lived in two extremely different worlds. I was still studying the house’s exterior when Demetri pulled open my door.
I made no attempt to leave the vehicle, mind scrambling to find a way out of this situation. The universe decided right then that it was going to fight against me.
The front door swung inward, and I knew I had to either risk embarrassing myself or get out.
Okay, I breathed. I could do this. I wasn’t a child. This was no big deal. Like Mom said, Alaric was merely a family member I hadn’t met yet. I’d come all this way at his expense. The least I could do was meet him.
Swallowing, I slid myself across the seat and exited the car. Demetri was kind enough to not say a word, remaining at by side with my suitcase grasped within his hands. Both of us gave our attention to the man making his way down the stone pathway.
Brows furrowing, I watched him approach more than a little confused. Who was this? A tightening in my chest had me leaning slightly towards Demetri.
“Um, does Alaric have any kids?”
“No…” he replied slowly.
I already knew the answer to my next question. I asked it anyway, just to clarify that I wasn’t freaking out inside for no reason.
“Is that him?”
Demetri finally looked over at me, a small smile coming to his face. “That is Mr. Schuyler, yes.”
I nodded more to myself than him. I was going to kill Chloe when I got home.
CHAPTER THREE
He was completely unexpected and nothing like I’d been imagining.
Gradually, he came closer, a small grin aimed at my person as I took him in. Chloe had said I wasn’t wrong about him being older, which was clearly a lie because there was no way to correctly guess his age. But to have a house as massive as the one behind him, a car like the one in front of the garage, and live in California?
He was obviously old enough to be established. This was the only thing I knew about him so far. Well, and the fact he was my sister’s husband.
None of my assumptions about his physical appearance were panning out. Not even the hair. There wasn’t a speck of gray to be seen, just tampered locks of pretty brown.
The pop-belly I’d been picturing was just that, a figment of my imagination. Dressed in a fitted black button down with the sleeves partially rolled back and a pair of tan slacks, it was easy to see he was nicely toned.
“You made it.” His baritone voice rang out, reaching me a few seconds before he did. I detected the slight hint of an accent. He came to a stop a few feet in front of me. A good six-three to my five-two, I had to tilt my head back to see his face fully.
Now right in front of me I was able to see his skin had a natural golden glow while every inch of his face could have been carved from stone.