Read Online Enticing Eve: Scandalous Secrets, Book 2 by Tracy Goodwin - Free Book Online

she too had felt the powerful pull between them.  
    The moment Eve turned from him, her expression contorted to one of guilt and shame. Following her line of sight, Colin immediately saw Victoria staring at them, her brows furrowed in confusion or perhaps disapproval.  
    “Come join us, Tori,” Eve said immediately, her usually smooth voice now shaky. “I came outside to see Emma. She and Colin were playing.”
    “My apologies for interrupting,” Victoria said, her gaze shifting from Colin to Eve, before returning to Colin where it remained fixed, “your grandmother is looking for you, Eve.”
    Eve nodded and headed towards the main house. She slowed as she passed Victoria, who offered Eve a smile that never met her eyes before returning her attention to Colin. Eve quickened her pace, nearly sprinting towards the terrace steps.
    Colin couldn’t blame her. Even he was unnerved by Victoria’s intense stare. So much so that he cleared his throat before trying to explain. “Victoria, I—”
    “We should return to the main house. Emma and Nicholas are with their nanny now, and the rest of our party is beginning to gather,” she turned on her heel.  
    “Talk to me, Tori,” Colin was surprised that his tone sounded so calm when inside he felt like a naughty schoolboy about to be scolded by his governess.
    “Are you certain that you are prepared for such a conversation?”   Tori rounded on him with a force he hadn’t expected, her stride brusque as she marched towards him. “I have a nagging suspicion that you’ll regret asking me to do so once you hear what I have to say.”
    Colin smiled in spite of himself. Victoria caught it; the small action seemed to anger her further. She shot him a don’t smirk at me glare that made Colin’s amusement increase two-fold.
    Victoria was his half-sister, yet neither knew of it until recently. Even still, she and Colin had fallen into an instant repartee as if they had always shared a connection.  
    “What did I interrupt?” she asked, her tone slicing through all formalities. It was apparent that his newfound sister didn’t pull any punches.  
    Colin contemplated walking in the opposite direction.   What were the odds that he could outrun her? Surely her skirts would slow her down. Though sorely tempted, he responded with, “Absolutely nothing.”  
    “Wrong,” she stepped in front of him, shaking her head with vehemence. “The correct answer would be that I just witnessed an intimacy between you and your betrothed’s brother—”
    Victoria shook her head. “I meant your brother’s betrothed,” she articulated each word with care. “That is difficult to voice.”
    It sure was. So much so that Colin’s first response was indignation. “We did nothing improper.” His cadence sounded defensive   even   to   his   own   ears, causing Colin to wonder whom he was attempting to convince – himself or Victoria.
    “If that were true, you wouldn’t be making such a desperate yet rather futile attempt to avoid my questions.” Victoria’s tone turned rich with understanding. “We both know that the inappropriate intimacy to which I refer did indeed occur.”
    Colin remained silent, waiting for her to continue. His half-sister didn’t keep him waiting long. “You are in love with her. The affection appears to be mutual.”
    “What makes you think—”
    “I saw the way you looked at each other, Colin,” Victoria reached for his arm. “Your mutual affection was obvious, and anyone standing in my position would have taken notice.”
    He opened his mouth, desperate to deny her accusations; however, it was clear to him that Victoria wouldn’t accept anything less than the truth.  
    “You are quite astute, Tori. I do care for Eve,” he admitted in a matter-of-fact tone, to belie the importance of his words. “I have for a long time, well before she and Tristan became betrothed.”
    Finally, he admitted it aloud. The words formed in his brain, and