by Alessa James
Will took an exit leading north along the coast and continued driving until we had left behind all traces of humanity, which actually didn’t take long at the speed we were traveling. Darcy whined in back, and I realized he hadn’t taken a car trip since my dad and I had driven from California over the summer. I continued to watch the landscape flashing by—because it was better than looking at the guy who was obviously horrified at the thought of being the first to kiss me.
I flinched when the SUV banked abruptly and closed my eyes as we swerved straight for the trees lining the road. By the time I opened my eyes again, I was still alive and we were on a narrow, roughly paved road. Shrouded on either side by towering evergreens, the lane was virtually invisible from the road. There were no structures nearby, only more trees. I wondered briefly if Will was lost, but it seemed unlikely since anyone passing by was almost assured to miss the turnoff we had just taken. Will seemed accustomed to the terrain as he drove—like he had been this way hundreds of times.
We wound through increasingly dense forest before breaking into a clearing. I inhaled when I saw a remarkable house perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. At least I assumed it was a house. The structure was massive, the exterior made up almost entirely of glass, which reflected the silver of the cloudy skies above. As we approached, I studied the architecture in awe. The exterior of the building looked like it had been constructed out of the giant steel containers like the ones found in shipping yards. The rest of the home was composed of floor-to-ceiling windows.
Will parked in front of the building and had opened my door before I’d had time to stop gaping in awe. He offered his hand, and when I got out, I saw he had already released Darcy. My dog, excited to be in new surroundings, bounded toward the house. From where I stood, I could see double staircases beyond the glass. The house looked like it was divided into two separate wings. The rain pelted me as I continued to stare, and when I didn’t move, Will finally took my hand and propelled me forward. Looking down, I saw he held a cooler in his other hand.
Frowning, I was about to ask him what the cooler was for when he placed his hand on a panel and then leaned forward into what looked kind of like a bank ATM. Turning, I watched as the glass noiselessly slid open. As soon as we stepped inside, the glass doors slid closed behind us. We passed a long black entryway table, and I stopped and watched as Will walked over to what looked like a high-tech security system, complete with a dozen closed-circuit TV monitors.
Soft overhead lights came on as water began flowing through a recessed marble aqueduct that bisected the two sides of the house. An imposing fireplace to our right roared to life, and I saw an opulent white sofa beckoning in front of it.
Looking around, I realized that the room we were in, which seemed to make up most of the downstairs, was large enough to park our entire house in Winters. The floors were a glossy concrete, but there was a large rug in front of the fireplace that looked comfortable enough to sleep on. I stopped gawking long enough to look around and find Will, who was watching me. His expression reminded me of the first night in the park—like he was waiting to see what I would do.
“This is unbelievable,” I gasped as I tried to wrap my mind around what I was seeing.
Will smiled.
“I’m glad you approve.”
I searched his face for evidence of mocking, but there wasn’t a trace of sarcasm in his voice. He seemed genuinely pleased by my astonishment.
“Does this house belong to you?” I asked incredulously.
He nodded, his eyes still on me.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” I said, feeling words fail me as I looked around.
There must have been a better description of this house. Daunting. Incredible. Gorgeous. The structure was actually very much like Will himself—indescribable. Right now, Will looked eager, like he wanted to tell me something. Suddenly he flashed a brilliant smile, and I felt dazed as I stared up at him.
“I haven’t shown you the best part,” he said.
He turned and began walking, looking back and gesturing that I should follow him. My head started to clear as I followed him across the expansive downstairs. The temperature of the house was already beginning to warm despite the chilly expanse of glass and concrete floor. Along a far wall, there was an intimidating bookcase lined with an unfathomable collection of books, many of them ancient-looking. It was a peculiar effect in such a modern setting. Past the bookcase, there was another sprawling sofa.
As we approached what I thought must have been the edge of the house, Will paused briefly at another set of glass doors. As they slid open, I stared out at the huge swimming pool, the water’s surface shimmering like glass. The pool’s charcoal-colored bottom seemed infinite. It was beautiful—the opposite of the community pool where I had taken swimming lessons as a little kid.
Looking past the pool to the floor-to-ceiling windows, I saw the Pacific Ocean, its waters gray and roiling as waves crashed onto the cliffs below. The scene was incredible. I walked to the edge of the glass wall and looked out at the water. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that the slate-gray of the surf below was the same color as Will’s eyes on Friday night.
Chapter 12: Truth
I stared out at the ocean as the rain and wind battered the glass, acutely aware that I had entered another world. We had left mine. This was Will’s world. There was so much I didn’t know about him, but I let myself enjoy the moment. When I finally turned to look for him, I noticed he was a few feet away, watching me again. He still looked like he was enjoying my awe.
“Why doesn’t the glass shatter in these winds?” I asked.
He tapped the clear surface.
“It’s half a foot thick and reinforced.”
“A glass fortress.”
“Yes.”
“It’s amazing,” I said, still unable to come up with a better description.
“Would you like to see the rest of the house?”
I nodded enthusiastically, feeling like I was being taken on a private tour of a museum after hours. Will gestured ahead, and I began walking the perimeter of the pool on the way to the main corridor of the house. When I got to the living room and looked back for him, I was alone. My heart took off at a panicky gallop until I heard the clatter of paws on concrete. I turned as Will reappeared from another doorway I hadn’t seen before. Darcy, who had been at Will’s heels, trotted up to me and accepted a pat on the head before making his way across the room to the fireplace.
Will joined me and held out his hand. Something about the gesture made me feel like I had just stepped into a fairy tale. The moment our hands touched, the same strange spark of electricity seemed to course between us. I couldn’t help grinning now that I was being invited down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Into Will’s world. As we started walking up one of the staircases, I reached out to touch the smooth banister.
At the top of the stairs, I could see entry points to multiple rooms in either direction, all of them guarded by towering doors. Will led me down the hall, stopping at the last door, which looked like it weighed more than I did. He swung it open effortlessly and took my hand again as we entered the room. Like the rest of the house, the far wall of the room consisted entirely of glass, giving an unbroken view of the forest beyond. The floor, I noticed, was covered in incredibly plush carpeting that looked like it had never been stepped on.
My eyes scanned the room. Along one side there was a large drafting table and a desk. Against the windows, there was a dark sofa, smaller than the ones downstairs, but still large enough to fall asleep on. Across from it was a massive onyx four-poster bed, the bedding itself an olive green satin. There were also bookshelves, dozens of them with an endless collection of hardbound books. I spun around to face Will.
“This is your room?” I asked, my eyes widening.
Will nodded. Somehow I was surprised he had let me into his inner sanctum, and I swallowed, feeling like I had crossed an invisible line. Then, with
a sudden jolt, I remembered that today was supposed to have a purpose—that Will was supposed to be answering my questions, explaining the unexplainable. I couldn’t bring myself to shatter the moment, though. I had never seen Will quite this uninhibited, almost euphoric, and it was contagious.
“Would you like to take that swim now?” he asked teasingly.
“You know, you could have told me you had a pool,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Of course, the word pool didn’t do justice to the oasis downstairs.
“Then it wouldn’t have been as amusing to see your face when we got here.” His eyes shone, his smile lighthearted. “Feel free to change here. I’ll get your things.”
He left me alone in his room, and I took the opportunity to absorb as much detail as I could. Because eventually I would be cast back into the real world. I walked over and looked down at the sheets of paper on the drafting table. They looked like building plans, not that I was any kind of architecture expert. I jumped when Will touched my shoulder.
“The bathroom is beyond those doors,” he said, handing me my swimsuit. “Feel free to join me downstairs when you’re ready.”
Will was already halfway out the door, leaving it ajar so that I could escape—seeing as I probably couldn’t move it an inch on my own. I made my way into the bathroom, stopping as soft overhead lights clicked on. The shower alone, which had multiple heads jutting from the marble walls, was as big as the entire bathroom I shared at home with my dad. There was a soaking tub in the center of the room and a vanity with two sinks. Every surface was pristine, like nothing had been touched before today. I shed my clothes quickly, folding and setting them on the countertop, before slipping on my swimsuit. I looked in the mirror as I wound up my hair into a bun.
This felt like such a strange dream, and right now I never wanted to wake from it.
Wrapping the towel around my shoulders like a cloak, I tiptoed barefoot into Will’s room. When I reached the hallway, I was relieved to find the glossy concrete didn’t feel as cold as I had expected. Actually, the entire house had warmed with surprising speed. Making my way toward the pool, I couldn’t help thinking—again—of Alice after she tumbled down the rabbit hole. This was a place I was never supposed to see. I could feel it in my bones.
The glass doors to the pool stood open, and I could see Darcy lying on his side on the marble floor. As my eyes traveled to the pool, I saw Will’s form cutting smoothly through the still water, his precise movements barely creating a ripple. He reached the edge and pulled himself effortlessly from the water. As still as a statue, he stood watching me as I studied him.
Goose bumps broke out across my skin as he continued to watch me. If I had thought he was perfect before, my mind couldn’t possibly register the full extent of his beauty now. The contours of his muscles looked as though they had been etched from stone. The surface of his skin was flawless, like the Italian marble stone surrounding the room—only a warm, golden color. In his presence, I felt soft, malleable. And even with the towel wrapped protectively around me, I was acutely aware of my own exposure. Like a deer in the clearing that has just seen the wolf emerge from the shadows of the forest, I couldn’t move.
Something in Will’s demeanor shifted, his posture changing subtly. I couldn’t understand why, but the sudden difference was chilling. I tensed, and without understanding why, I took a tentative step back.
Before I could move any farther, Darcy, who had been lying perfectly still a moment before, burst past me, skidding to a stop and crouching in front of me to snarl and snap in Will’s direction. Like he was noticing Darcy from a great distance, Will shook his head and his stance shifted again. Darcy instantly relaxed and trotted back to where he had been, and as I inhaled, it occurred to me that I hadn’t taken a breath for several seconds. I looked down. My towel lay on the floor, dropped in a moment of terror that I couldn’t understand now.
Will walked toward me, his movements just as graceful as they had always been, but his speed was a quarter of what it usually was. There was an exaggerated hesitation to his approach, like someone approaching a wounded or startled animal. He stopped several feet from me, and when he spoke I could barely hear him.
“My overconfidence is putting you at risk.”
I shook my head.
“What the hell just happened?” I asked, my voice shakier than I wanted it to be.
“Perhaps my true nature is exposing itself,” Will said grimly.
“Your true nature? Oh my god! What the hell are you talking about? You don’t make a damn bit of sense, you know that?” I huffed.
“Aven, I will answer your questions, as I promised I would, and then you can decide if you still want to be here. Near me. It’s your choice. It’s always your choice.”
He shook his head like he could already guess my decision.
“Hey, if you’re going to tell me that you’re an ax murderer, then can it wait? Because, first, I’d like to go for a swim in this awesome pool.”
I waited for him to smile. He didn’t. Very slowly, I stepped toward him, cautiously reaching for his hand. He didn’t pull away, and I felt a thrill feeling his skin against mine, aware I had a secret of my own—that I was completely, utterly, and hopelessly in love with him, whether he was completely crazy, utterly mysterious, or hopelessly inconceivable.
The thought startled me: it didn’t matter what Will’s secret was, because I couldn’t stop myself from falling in love with him. It had already happened, and I couldn’t undo it, even if I wanted to.
Will grinned suddenly before picking me up with remarkable speed and leaping toward the water. I had less than a second to fear the inevitable chill, but as we crashed into the water below, I was surprised to discover the temperature was like bathwater. And unlike ordinary pools, my eyes didn’t burn from chlorine. The water was salty, like seawater.
Will still held me in his arms, and as I looked down at the pool floor, I realized I couldn’t possibly touch the bottom where Will stood. He moved with me in his arms until we reached shallower water. When he released me, I looked around at the blue lights shimmering under the water. This entire place was beautiful, surreal.
Taking advantage of my freedom, I floated up on my back, staring through the glass ceiling to the rain, which was still coming down in sheets. Flipping over, I swam away from Will, stretching my arms out in front of me. I hadn’t been in the water since the summer right before our move, and I had missed the weightlessness of swimming. I popped up as Will burst past me like a torpedo tearing through the water. As I continued to swim lazily toward the other end of the pool, he reached the far end before I had covered a quarter of the length of the pool. He turned back, skimming toward me and stopping only inches from me. Before I had time to think, he reached out and drew me toward him slowly, the look in his eyes dissolving any ability I had to think rationally.
Again, I forgot to breathe, but it wasn’t from fear this time.
We were so close, and for once, I was at eye level with him as he held me above the water. His eyes burned with the same intensity as they had the other night, only rather than being drained of color, his irises were a startling sapphire color.
Will’s expression made my stomach clench as he continued to hold me suspended with one arm as his other hand came up between us, his fingers gently brushing my lips. I shivered and closed my eyes as he traced my cheekbone. I opened my eyes finally and watched, mesmerized, as his face moved toward mine. The moment our lips touched, electricity shocked me. I could barely breathe as he pressed his lips gently against mine, his hand moving to the curve of my neck.
My eyes closed again, and my lips parted as a jolt of pleasure coursed through me, even more overwhelming than it had been Friday night. Will’s body tensed, the arm that held me tightening and bringing me closer against his chest. Warning bells began going off in my head a second before his lips broke free of mine, and I gasped for breath as he held me perfectly still in his arms, his breathing ragged, but n
ot as uneven as mine.
“That was supposed to be your first kiss,” Will whispered, his voice strained, but also strangely triumphant.
I stared at him, suddenly incapable of forming a coherent sentence. Carrying me to the pool’s edge, he lifted me until I was sitting on the stone ledge. The effect of Will’s touch had slowed my thoughts, and it seemed like less than a second before Will was standing above me on the smooth tile with his hand outstretched. Pulling me up beside him, he held out the towel I had abandoned earlier. I took it gratefully and looked up at him, still trying to recover the ability to think straight, which wasn’t working. With his blond hair slicked back, he looked even less human and more godlike than before.
“Now do you know what I feel for you, Aven?”
I blushed. His eyes were soft as he looked down at me, but his tone had held a challenge. I shook my head slowly to clear it, not sure if I would ever regain the power of speech. I was afraid of the feelings Will had uncovered. They were so new, so overwhelming. They felt dangerous, like they had the ability to swallow me whole.
Will smiled, his expression euphoric. But I knew that nothing could match what I felt in this moment. My entire body was humming with energy as he grasped my hand and led me around the pool toward the interior of the house. Darcy trotted happily behind us, apparently having forgotten his strange spat with Will. As we passed through the downstairs, my dog broke away and settled in front of the fireplace again, watching us as we moved to the stairs. When we reached his room, Will moved swiftly to the closet where he took out a sweater and soft-looking pair of pants with a drawstring. He handed them to me, and I looked down at them skeptically.