Page 78 of Drawn Together

“Wow… ‘get yourself all dolled up for me,’?” my sister read aloud. “This Marcus guy is a real player, huh?”

“Shut up,” I said, yanking the card from her and putting it in my pocket. “You’d better hurry up if you want to spend all day at the creek. I need to be back here by five to start getting ready.”

An hour later, we were galloping on our horses with Sebastian and Wilson behind us as we laughed and raced as we often used to do when we were back at home. Lupe had packed us a picnic basket with sandwiches, apples, cheese, and grapes. Sebastian and Wilson didn’t want to join us for lunch, having brought their own food, so I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to Sebastian until we got back to the stables around four thirty in the afternoon. I took my time brushing Philippe before going in, so when Sebastian entered the horse stall, I knew we were alone.

I tried to behave as if he wasn’t there, but it was impossible to ignore him, especially when he walked up to my horse and petted him with infinite tenderness.

I set down the brush and made my way to leave, but he stopped me before I was able to take my first step.

“Be careful tonight,” he said, causing me to look back and meet his gaze.

“It’s just a date, Sebastian. I’ve had thousands of them,” I responded.

Sebastian tilted my chin up with a single finger, forcing me to look him in the eye. “Marcus Kozel is nothing like any of the guys you’ve gone out with before. He’s dangerous. Be careful,” he said again.

I took a step back. “He’s the son of my father’s friend. If my father thought I was in any danger, he wouldn’t let me go. And from what I can tell, he’s very happy that I’m going out with Marcus.”

Sebastian huffed, then followed it with a smirk.

“Is there anything else you want to tell me without risking looking insanely jealous?”

Sebastian took a step toward me and bored his brown eyes into mine, completely unfazed by my comment. “Yes, there is something else: Don’t let him kiss you.”

I looked at him incredulously. “Why not?”

“Because one kiss from you will leave him dying for more.”

With that, he turned his back on me and left.

What just happened?

I had to admit that it made me extremely happy to know Sebastian was jealous over my date with Marcus, even if Sebastian had seemed like he was genuinely trying to warn me about him. But I wasn’t going to waste my time thinking about that tonight, especially when I felt a mix of nerves and excitement over my date with Marcus. I had chosen a tight, elegant dark green dress that hit at the knee, paired with black heels that made my legs look amazing. I left my hair loose down my back to cover my tattoo and played up my eyes with makeup so that they looked bright green and catlike. I chose to leave my lips nude, except for a touch of pink gloss.

“You look amazing,” my sister said admiringly.

I thanked her, kissed the top of her head, and headeddownstairs. I had no idea how the date would go, but I didn’t want to stress too much about it. I had gone on tons of dates in the last two years; they didn’t intimidate me. The only man who’d ever managed to make me feel truly nervous was Sebastian, but I hoped Marcus would help me put an end to that. With Sebastian, everything was too complicated and too intense. I wanted something easier for a change.

Regardless, this was just dinner. A romantic dinner, sure, but more than likely, I’d either be totally bored or have a good time without anything worth mentioning happening, which was how dates usually went for me.

I stepped into the foyer where both Wilson and Sebastian were waiting, dressed in suits and ties, blank expressions on their faces.

“You aren’t both thinking of coming, are you?” I asked, horrified.

“You’re taking them both, yes,” my father said, appearing in the door to the kitchen. He looked me up and down and gave me an approving nod. “You look lovely, dear. I’m glad to see you’re starting a relationship with Marcus. He’s a great catch for you. Unbeatable.”

“First of all, I’m not starting a relationship with him. I hardly know the guy—we’re just going to dinner. And second, why do both of them need to come? Marcus made reservations for two. I can’t bring along an entire entourage,” I ranted at my father, who smiled in amusement, something uncharacteristic for him.

“Don’t worry. Marcus is used to having plenty of security around.”

I recalled Marcus’s comment about having five men to guard me if I were his, and I suddenly felt less eager to see him again.

It was pointless to argue with my father on that point. I couldn’t back out now, so I tried not to let it bother me thatSebastian and Wilson would be observing every movement I made that night on my date. How the hell was I going to act natural or even attempt to flirt with Sebastian staring at us?

Finally, Marcus arrived. He was dressed a bit more casual than me in dark jeans and a white shirt, but not so much that we clashed. He seemed truly sincere when, upon seeing me, he said I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. I smiled, not letting the compliment affect me.

Even though he would be driving us in his car—a matte black Ferrari, it had to be said—he’d brought his full security detail. Parked in the driveway were two black Mercedes. I eyed them, trying to see who was inside, but he took my hand and pulled me toward his car.

“Don’t worry about them. Act like they’re not here.”