Hidden Devotion (Trinity Masters #5)(25)

Deciding he was too old to just pound out some shots, Devon poured himself a glass. It was cheap whiskey, so he didn’t feel bad dropping a few ice cubes in.

So many things had happened in the past week that he wasn’t sure what to brood about first. Juliette was the Grand Master. His trinity was gone.

And Juliette now had access to all the Trinity Masters’ records and files. If she hadn’t hated him before, once she went through his file, she certainly would.

It was late—or early, depending on one’s perspective. The unplanned trip to Florida and extra time in Boston had thrown a wrench in several work projects, and he’d been up most of the night trying to get caught up, and making arrangements so he could stay in Boston until after the Winter Gala and possibly longer. He planned to be here as long as necessary.

Necessary to do what, he hadn’t quite figured out. The one thing he was sure of was that he wasn’t going to just walk away. He couldn’t.

His hotel room faced east, and as he worked his way through the bottle of whiskey, he remembered another hotel room, another dawn.

*****

Paris, three years earlier

He hated dawn in Paris.

Devon turned his head, taking pains to move as slowly and quietly as possible. The last thing he wanted was to wake her.

Juliette’s hair glowed gold in the sunlight that was starting to filter through the gauzy drapes. He’d forgotten to close the heavy blackout curtains. That had been the last thing on his mind when they’d entered the hotel room. They’d thrown open the front doors and danced on the tiny balcony. Well, she’d danced and he’d watched her.

Juliette had been drunk on Champagne. Drunk on Champagne was the only way she’d smile at him.

He was losing her. Or maybe he’d already lost her.

The sun rose in truth, a ray of light now arrowing across the bed. Her bare breast was the palest cream, her arms and face tanned gold. She looked older than the last time he’d seen her six months ago. It was the kind of age that came from seeing and knowing too much. He hated her work, noble as it was. Juliette had always assumed she was worldly, but had, in fact, been incredibly sheltered all the way through her first year of college.

But the girl he’d first kissed here in Paris was gone. Little by little she’d learned how the world really worked. She’d seen horrible things, tried and failed to fix the world’s problems. And she’d—rightly—come to see exactly how much damage those at the top of the proverbial food chain could do to those at the bottom.

The last time they’d met in Paris, Juliette had once again delivered an impassioned speech. First she decried the US government policies, ranting about the damage the CIA had done. Then she’d demanded that Devon use his connections as a lobbyist to address a laundry list of issues. He’d promised to do what he could, reminded her that he’d helped secure funding for one of the two NPOs she’d been working with at the time. He’d had to watch as disappointment filled her eyes. He’d turned the conversation to the Trinity Masters, hoping to distract her by asking if she’d be attending the upcoming Summer Gala. That had devolved into a debate about whether or not members should know more—such as who the Grand Master was, and the wisdom of the arranged marriages. The conversation had not gone well, and her disappointment had turned to barely controlled anger.

This time she hadn’t bothered with the speech about the ills of the world, and every time he brought up the Trinity Masters she’d changed the subject. She’d plopped down in the chair beside him and drank like someone trying to forget. And she had forgotten, at least for a little while.

Maybe this dawn would be different. Maybe this time she wouldn’t leave. Maybe he would have the courage to tell her things she needed to hear, things he was too much of a coward to say.

Juliette, I’m not a lobbyist. Juliette, I love you.

But there would be plenty of time for all that once they were called to the altar. Plus it wasn’t fair to Rose—the feelings he had for Juliette were on a completely different level than those he had for the third member of their trinity.

She turned her head, stretching one arm up as she woke. In that second just before the light hit her face he leaned down and kissed her.

Juliette’s eyes fluttered then opened. For a moment, a sweet moment, she looked happy. She smiled at him, reached one hand out to touch his face.

Devon waited, praying, but before her fingers made contact her face went blank, her feelings locked down behind a mask that seemed to appear with the dawn light.

Without a word, Juliette rolled away. She grabbed her dress off the floor as she rose, holding it against her chest.

Devon clenched his teeth against the pain. He just needed to bide his time. Once they were married he would tell her everything. There would be no secrets between them.

But he was tired. His last operation had been a total clusterf*ck, and he’d needed this time with Juliette to recharge and center himself. As she passed his side of the bed on the way to the bathroom, he reached out, caught her hand.

He held his breath, both terrified and hopeful that she would sense his feelings—need, love, fear, desire.

Juliette froze, her torso turned away from him, one hand caught in his. They stayed that way, frozen in the midst of a pivotal moment, as the sun continued its invasion of their room.

Finally Juliette tugged her fingers, disappearing into the bathroom. When she emerged she was dressed.