Page 1 of An Unholy Affair
1
LONDON - ONE YEAR AGO
Eveline swirled the melting ice cubes at the bottom of her glass.
I know Estelle’s hoping that if I’m in this dress and she’s late, maybe someone might approach me. But I feel really uncomfortable right now, and I don’t know what to do with myself.
At five-thirty on a Friday afternoon, the London bar was packed with braying and confident professionals celebrating the end of the week. Eveline had perched herself on a high stool at the far end of the bar, sitting side-on to see people as they entered. But as the minutes ticked by and her friend hadn’t appeared, she’d swivelled around to face the wall of drinks.I haven’t been somewhere like this for over ten years, and back then I was always off my head…
Estelle was Eveline’s best friend and had persuaded her to take half a day off to accompany her to London for a meeting. Estelle had also bullied Eveline into wearing the kind of clothes she hadn’t worn in over a decade, and to let down her long hair.
Eveline’s tight red dress—borrowed from Estelle—was almost the same colour as her hair and had ridden up a few inches above her knees. She tugged it lower.God, I feel almost naked right now. Do you think I should try that Christian dating site again? Even though it was a disaster?
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a couple leaning on the side of the bar next to her. The man’s hand snaked around the woman’s waist and caressed her bottom. Eveline kept her gaze forward, but could see their passionate kiss reflected in the mirrors on the wall in front of her. A pang of loneliness pierced her heart. No matter how much she filled her life, there was still an empty space in her chest that kept getting bigger.
I thought leaving Bexminster for Foxbrooke was a sign, but it’s been nearly two years and I’m worried I’m running out of time.
Biting the inside of her cheek, she squeezed her eyes shut.Please, God, I know you have a plan for me, but if there was ever a moment for a miracle, this might be it.
‘Hi.’
Eveline’s eyes snapped open, and she jerked her head to the right. The couple had gone, and a man stood in their place. He was so close, his gaze so focused, that she didn’t need to look around to know he was addressing her.
Her breath froze as her body went into meltdown. It wasn’t just that he was heart-stoppingly beautiful. His soul was shining out, brighter than any sun. It wrapped itself around hers with a rush of joy, as if reuniting after millennia apart and determined never to let go ever again.
Time seemed to slow, then stop, as the universe ground to a juddering halt in recognition that this meeting was ordained beyond the stars. A flicker of something passed across the man’s caramel eyes, a tiny shockwave that seemed to crack his confident expression for a millisecond.
‘May I sit down?’
If the man’s soul was currently hugging hers, his voice was removing her clothes. It had the deep, drugging warmth of a wood fire in winter and the skin-scorching heat of an inferno. As his question hung in the air, Eveline’s nervous system whined in her ears like a siren, punctuated by the pounding beat of her heart. Sparks flashed before her as darkness encroached on the edges of her vision, marching inwards until only the bright sight of him at the centre remained.
His expression creased with concern and he reached across the small space between them.
‘Are you okay?’
As his fingers made contact, the shock jump-started her breathing. Gulping air, she nodded. A tiny part of her was conscious that she was acting like a lunatic. However, most of her was lit up by his touch as flames tore up her arm.
Say something!‘I… I…’ she stammered.
He smiled, and pleasure prickled across her skin.
‘I’m Jasper.’
‘Eveline.’
He repeated her name, as if tasting it on his tongue. She stared at his full lips and a delicious shiver ran through her.
‘May I sit?’ he asked.
Inbuilt politeness kicked in before rational thought. ‘Yes, yes of course.’
She shifted slightly to give him space, pulling the hem of her dress lower and swallowing at the sight of his muscled thighs as they filled his black trousers. His knee was so very close to hers. She dragged her gaze up his body, past his crisp white shirt, his tanned throat, to his face.
Breathe! Breathe! Breathe!
There was a tiny flush of red on his cheekbones and his pupils seemed bigger than before.
‘You’re incredibly beautiful, Eveline.’
