That evening when the sun was falling and the sky was a canvas of dying fire light and oncoming shadows Gavin knocked on her open room door. Ebony stopped scrolling on her phone and looked up to him in silent question.
Gavin nodded and waved her forward. "Come on. Those two finally went to their side."
Excitedly, Ebony rolled off her bed and followed him down the hall.
Their side was what they called their parent's wing of the house. Years ago, when her mom married Grant and they moved into the mansion, it took only a month for her mom to politely insist on a full remodel. The once endless maze of bedrooms on the top floor was stripped down to just three. On one side of the house were her and Gavin’s rooms—two sprawling suites flanking the hallway. On the opposite side of the grand staircase lay their parents’ wing: a decadent oasis just for them with a massive bedroom, huge walk-in closets, a private living area, a bathroom fit for royalty, and even a small salon.
Ebony grabbed the bag she’d packed earlier from the fridge, slipped on her shoes by the door, and stepped outside. On the other side of the pool near the pool house, Gavin was already pushing the ATV toward the back trail. Ebony looked around, trying to spot golden fur somewhere in the back yard.
Gavin swung his leg over the ATV and sat down, the muscles in his back rippling under his shirt as he grabbed the handle bars. "I guarantee he will show up as soon as I crank this engine," he told her, knowing who she was looking for.
Knowing he was right, she slid onto the bike behind him. As soon as she was seated, the engine rumbled to life beneath her and she tightened her arms around his waist. Past the pool house and down the paved path, they drove until they were past the gates of their yard and into the vast field. Technically, all the land they could see was Rosebank property.
Around them crickets chirped in the tall grass and cicadas sang in the trees. The last rays of sunlight lit up the sky like molten gold shimmering against the pale purples and blues of the approaching night. They passed the white gazebo in the middle of the field, abirthday present her father surprised her with on her tenth birthday. Deep red roses grew up around the structure, clinging to its columns and roof.
A flash of gold bounded down the steps and began racing alongside them.
"I told you," Gavin called out.
Ebony smiled at Duke's lolling tongue and natural smile as he ran. She could see the sheer delight in his eyes to be chasing something other than his usual game, poor little rabbits.
Through the field and through a narrow strip of pine trees they finally broke through to the other side. Sand kicked up behind them as the gentle crash of the ocean sounded around them and the beach stretched out before them. With the backside of a towering, rocky mountain slicing through the terrain, this stretch of beach was cut off from the rest, leaving them with their own secluded coastline for miles.
Slowing down, Gavin pulled the ATV to a stop. Ebony didn't move from her spot.
Turning his head, Gavin looked at her out of the corner of his eye, his brow furrowing.
"You know," she breathed against his back. "I was just thinking of a time years ago when you hated me and would never let me ride your four-wheeler."
She expected him to smile or laugh but didn't do either. Instead, he turned further in his seat forcing her to let go of him as he stared at her directly.
"I never hated you; I wanted to hate you. There’s a difference." Ebony frowned but didn't have time to answer. "Come on," he prompted, slipping off the seat and heading to the burnt-out pile of wood on the beach, the remnants of the last fire they made.
Grabbing the new firewood he had tied on the back of the four-wheeler Gavin refreshed the pile and had a blaze burning in minutes.
Ebony watched him as the flames danced over the planes of his face. He was frighteningly beautiful, so breathtaking that sometimes, merely gazing at him made breathing painful.
Somewhere she had read about a painting depicting the fallen angel Lucifer. It was said that the church deemed the painting immoral with its piercing glare and nude muscular physique. It had caused women to faint and men to turn away in resentful anger. The church had banned the painting, locking it away from the public for years.
Gavin Rosebank was that fallen angel. He had a sensuous mouth that was often twisted into a sharp smirk and eyes that gleamed like a wolf’s in the night, but it was his crown of white golden curls—streaked with natural ribbons of gold—that softened his deviant nature, giving him the appearance of a man sculpted by God.
Turning away from him, she laid out a thick blanket onto the sand near the fire. The sun was falling faster now, draping them in the mountain's shadow. Sitting cross legged on the blanket, she watched as Gavin threw a ball for Duke, pulling the Golden retriever's attention from a pile of seaweed he had been sniffing to give chase to the wondrous creation that was his ball.
Ebony smiled sadly. Normally her best friend Jade and her stepbrother Gideon would be here with them. The bonfire at the beginning of each school year was a tradition for the four of them. But this year, tragedy had shattered their tradition. The sudden loss of Gideon and Jade's father had torn their little family apart. Now, the siblings had left home—Gideon driving a semi truck across America as a full-time trucker while Jade no doubt finished school online in the seat beside him.
"I miss Jade," Ebony admitted with a heavy breath.
"Yeah, well, you can blame Gideon." There was a rough edge in Gavin's voice as he recalled their missing friends. "The stubborn bastard refused to let me or dad help them." He came and sat down next to her and his eyes softened when he met her gaze. "But you know they're fine, right? Gideon wouldn't let anything happen to Jade."
There was an insatiable urge to lay her head against his shoulder. She didn’t know where the sudden need for comfort came from but she pushed it away. "I know, I'm just sad she’s missing out on her senior year. It feels like she was robbed and to be really honest and a little selfish, it feels like I was robbed of getting to spend our senior year together. It's going to be lonely without her."
"I guess that means you'll just need to be friends with Sienna and her crew or maybe even Madison Stultz." An evil spark lit his eyes as he laughed at her expression, the sound washing away any sort of vulnerability she may have had.
Ebony cut him a sharp look. She would rather choke than have to spend any time at all with those girls. Pretty, empty-headed girls who had boat loads of insecurities writhing beneath the surface like worms. They gossiped as if it were a second language and ridiculed anyone and anything in sight; they were just all around unpleasant little witches to be around.
"I guess you'll just have to make the best of your senior year with me then." He grinned, showing her his perfect white teeth.
Ebony inwardly snorted—more like baring his fangs.
