Page 15 of Secrets & Desires
Livia giggled. Gorgeousandfunny. “Nox Renaud…how on earth haven’t you been snatched up by some woman already? I mean, apart from that face of yours, you’re the full package, aren’t you? I don’t get why you would ever besingle.”
The smile cracked a little, faded, and Livia cursed herself. “Shit. I’m sorry, did I put my foot in itagain?”
Nox was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He played with her fingers as he tried to decide what to say. “Liv…when I was a teenager, there was someone. Ariel. We were inseparable, and we both knew it was inevitable that we would end up together. One night, I was getting ready to go pick her up for our senior prom. Amber—that’s her twin sister—called the house in hysterics. Ariel was missing.” A cloud passed over his handsome features and Livia took his hand, holding it tightly. He smiled at her gratefully before clearing his throat. “They found her body the next day, laid on one of the tombstones in the cemetery. She’d been st—” his voice broke and he looked away from her. Livia was horrified to see tears in his eyes. “Stabbed to death. And not quickly either. Whoever murdered her tookhistime.”
“Oh, god, no.” Livia felt cold. Poor, poor Ariel. The heartbreak on Nox’s face was still obvious even though two decades hadpassed.
Nox looked at Livia now, his green eyes filled with pain. “I never thought anyone could ever…not replace, I hate that word—and it’s not true when you’re talking about another human—but that I would meet someone who made my heart soar. I waswrong.”
Livia touched his face. “I want to make you happy again, NoxRenaud.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “You already have,Livia.”
She kissed him, her heart pounding with sorrow for him. “What will your friends think about me? I mean, I know you’re still friends with Amber…will she think I’m just a gold-digginginterloper?”
“No. Amber has always told me that she wants me to be happy. I think, for both of us, we had no closure over Ariel’s death because whoever killed her is still out there. I think you and Amber would be good friends. I certainlyhopeso.”
“On my part, I have no qualms…except perhaps the total chasm in our socialsituations.”
Nox shook his head. “You shouldn’t fixate on that.Really.”
“I promise,” she smiled up at him, but then her face turned solemn. “I’m so sorry about Ariel, that’s horrific. The police really had noclues?”
“None. Ariel was the sweetest person. No one could have had a reason toharmher.”
Livia sighed. “Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to kill a woman. Some do it just for thethrill.”
Nox was silent for a while, but Livia felt his arms tighten around her. “When I heard you scream that night,” he said softly, “when I saw itwasyou…”
“That was just some dude trying to mug me, Nox. I dealtwithit.”
“Badass.”
“Youbetcha.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Okay, my little warrior woman. Let’s go back to bed and keep each other up allnight.”
ChapterSeven
Livia’s headwas bent over her piano when she heard the commotion outside the practice room. She looked up as Charvi, followed by a couple of excited students, came into the room. Charvi looked stunned, overwhelmed and shocked all at once. She nodded at Livia and then thepiano.
“You might want to sit down, play that old wreck onelasttime.”
Livia blinked, completely discombobulated. She had been working on her composition,Night,—her ‘piano porn’ as she told Nox—and been so into it that the sudden interruption made her shake herhead. “What?”
Charvi smiled. “Your boyfriend is averygenerous man.” She turned as the wide doors of the music room were opened and a gang of workmen, huffing and puffing, wheeled in a vast trailer. Livia stood as they maneuvered the covered item onto thefloor.
“You can take this one out,” Charvi ordered them, tapping the piano Livia was working from, “save us thetrouble.”
The foreman shrugged. “Sure, noproblem.”
Livia quickly grabbed her stuff from the rather battered, but much-loved piano, even more confused. Charvi and her students grabbed the dust cloth on the new piano and pulled it off with a flourish. Livia couldn’t help but gasp. Underneath the cloth sat the most beautiful instrument she’d ever seen. Charvi looked gleeful. “You know whatthisis?”
Livia nodded her head weakly. “It’s aSteinway, a Model D concert grandSteinway.” Her legs were shaking. Nox had done this? “It’s Judy Carmichael’s piano. Not hers personally, but her piano ofchoice.”
Charvi was watching her. “That’s right. And Nox donated not just one of these, butfour.He’s donated four of these babies to the university, plus countless other new instruments and a hugeendowment.”
Livia was shocked to her core and also conflicted. She and Nox had only been dating for two weeks…and this was beyondgenerous.
