Tried for Love (TSATD)

Chapter 6

Leah

  The next day passed pretty quickly, given that I was still sharing a roof with Gabriel Valentine, who of course seemed to be after his own peace and quiet as well as I was. In fact, that was the reason why I visited the lake house, but in comparison of the previous morning, this one was very much the opposite. The rest of the day as well..

  I spent it on the terrace of my room, with my sketchbook over my lap and Berry beside my chair.. The full view of the lake and all the greenness around it was spread before me in a picture that seemed almost impossible to be real. A visit at least once a month became a necessity.

  Even having a book in my hand for half of the day was enough for my mind to be set at ease. The next week would be a fresh start. Papa was coming just the next morning, Nicholas as well, and some of his other business partners..

  There was no need for Valentine to bother with that since he had made sure to be already in the house before everyone else. I understood papa's intentions on wanting to have the house-party away from the city for once, but it was becoming all so unfortunate now that I had already spent two days with Valentine.

  I had lost my interest for it.. In fact, leaving the next morning before papa and the guests would even arrive seemed like the best choice. After all, I didn't feel like putting on another performance of Nicholas' excited-wife-to-be. There were too many reasons that made me feel like exactly the opposite of that.

  By the time I rose my head from the book, the night had already fallen. The mountains were chilly even at spring, so it was not the most pleasant choice to continue my reading session on the terrace.

  As I got Berry inside with me, I heard the sharp footsteps coming from somewhere down the stairs. It wasn't hard to notice that echoing, no.. Not when you shared a roof with Valentine. It seemed that I had already memorized the sound of those confident, sharp strides.

Somehow, Valentine managed to awaken one's curiosity quite effortlessly. It became a necessity to understand his true ways.. What kind of a dark place his mind was and what crossed through it.

  Before I could even get myself to consider it, I was already on my way towards the hallways, shushing Berry and leaving him in my room. The last thing I needed was him to lick-attack Valentine again. I had questions that only he could answer. And somehow, I found myself needing those answers.

  If only I didn't allow curiosity take over me so easily, perhaps things would've been different in my life.. Perhaps it was that night that everything changed. Or maybe it wasn't. How could I know? I just knew that it was almost ten at night, and Valentine was leaving somewhere..

  "Where are you going?" I stopped on top of the stairs.. The mere sight of his wide back and rippled muscles against his shirt could have one run for the hills.

  Throughout the entire day I hadn't heard a word from him nor had I seen him. Now I watched how he turned to look at me from down the stairs, how those cold eyes fixed me and softened with the slight smile that curled his lips..

  "Just another walk around the lake. You can join me if you want." He threw his coat around himself, putting it on.

  Even in the dimmed light peeking, I saw his shadowed cheeks, his strong jaw shaved as he slightly rose his head to fix the collar of his coat. It was impossible to miss, the splendid lines on his nose and down his cupid's bow, the simple symmetry his lips had, full and rosy.

  But he was not pretty.. Not at all. Everything about him was simply too male to be pretty.. The darkness and vigor was clear in his deeply carved features. From the coldness his eyes held, to the movement of his clenched jaw, he was all power and peril.