Page 108 of Drawn Together

Sebastian ran a hand over his face, frustrated. “Apart from the fact that we were so young?” he asked but did not wait for a response. “I don’t know, Marfil, I did things… I made decisions that affected us both, and everything just went to hell…”

I thought for a few seconds about his response.

“Why does she think you’re dangerous?”

Sebastian fixed his eyes on me. “I already told you I was raised in foster care, and Samara was, too, so we’ve both been through things…” He paused for a second, then went on, “You could say there was a time when we moved in environments that weren’t suitable for kids… That leaves its marks… It can affect your character and judgment,” he continued, distractedly caressing my leg. “The way you see me now, I had to do a lot of work on myself to gain this level of self-control…”

“It’s hard to imagine you any different,” I said as he fell silent. “The Sebastian I know is obsessed with self-control…”

“The military helped me tame that part of myself, although I’d be lying if I said I never lose control and go back to…”

I recalled the scene he’d made in the car and understood what he was talking about. “Being scary?”

Our eyes met.

“Do I scare you?” he asked worriedly.

I shook my head, even though deep down I knew I was lying; he had scared me that time in the car.

“Although… knowing you could kill someone with only one hand is kind of terrifying,” I said jokingly.

He smiled.

“You could teach me,” I added immediately.

The smile faded from his face. “I still question whether teaching you self-defense was a good idea.”

“What if someone tries something like this again?” I said, lifting my hand with a frown.

Sebastian clenched his jaw. “Go for their eyes,” he said simply, before adding, “Jab your thumbs into their eye sockets until you perforate their brain.”

I shuddered.

“Too much for you?”

“Man…” I began, and he smiled again.

“You should go to bed, it’s late.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be a party pooper,” I replied. “Should we watch a movie?”

Sebastian looked as if he was wondering how we’d gotten here. Something as simple as sitting on the couch to watch TV meant an enormous shift in our relationship.

“And then you’ll go straight to bed?”

I thought about it. “Only if you let me pick the movie.”

I climbed off his lap reluctantly and reached for his laptop, which was lying on the table.

His hand flew out and picked it up before I got the chance.“Give me a second.” He closed the tabs so quickly that I wasn’t able to see anything, except for one name: Lucas Miranda. “What do you want to watch?”

I took his laptop, smiling, and searched for the movie.

“You’re going to love it…”

We settled onto the couch. I set the laptop on the coffee table, making sure we could both see, then wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest. He didn’t seem perturbed by the way I curled up next to him, invading his personal space.

The music began, and I instantly got goose bumps.