Page 16 of Drawn Together

We entered the apartment, and he closed the door harder than necessary. “You can’t run away from me. Do you not understand how much danger you’re in?”

“You’re here to protect me, aren’t you? Well, then do it! And do it in a way that doesn’t interfere with my life and my exercise routine.”

“No fucking idea…” he said under his breath. He headed to his room, where he’d probably lock himself away for the rest of the night.

I rushed to beat him to his door and stood in the middle of the hallway, blocking his path. “I’m not going to let you talk to me like that.”

Sebastian exhaled through his nose and looked down at me. He was so tall that his chin almost touched his chest in his attempt to return my stare. “I regret to inform you that the wordtoleranceis going to have to begin to form part of your vocabulary, beautiful.”

I blinked. Sebastian Moore had lost his cool! I almost enjoyed seeing him strip off his mask of infinite self-control.

“You work for me,” I reminded him.

As he moved me aside to pass, he cupped my chin and pulled at my lower lip with his thumb. The movement was so fleeting that I might’ve even imagined it.

“I work for your father,” he clarified.

Then he walked around me and disappeared into his room.

CHAPTER 6SEBASTIAN

Shit!

I got in the shower with my head spinning and the image of Marfil hijacking my thoughts. Ever since I’d seen her dancing over the security camera feed, I’d begun to view her differently.

I had been captivated by her movements, gestures, the way her legs and body—squeezed into those tight dance clothes, leaving so little to the imagination—performed impossible motions. I had been surprised by my irrepressible urge to touch her, even if only for a few seconds, to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. Resting my finger on her bottom lip had been a mistake I was sure I’d pay for dearly.

Keep your distance from her. Don’t fall at her feet like everyone else, I told myself. But how could I not give in to the attraction when she looked like she’d been dropped straight down from heaven, endowed with everything necessary to launch a man straight into hell in one swift kick?

Just another reminder as to why I could never let what she did at Central Park happen again. She’d run away from me when I’d stopped to look at the rusted, unbroken chain in the park. Marfil was very clever, and she was right; the kidnapping could’ve only happened if someone had a key to that gate. By the time I realized she was gone, she was already a good distance ahead of me. She was fast as a bullet, but if I hadn’t been distracted by the lock, she would’ve never gotten a head start. That mistake could’ve cost her life. Which is why I was so mad;I had neglected my duties, and now, to top it off, I’d let her see a part of me that I needed to keep hidden.

If I wasn’t careful, Marfil Cortés might find out more than she needed to know, and in a case like this, anyone who wagged their tongue could end up losing it… for good.

CHAPTER 7MARFIL

That night I dressed up a little more than I normally would to go to the movies. It wasn’t Liam I was trying to impress, but someone else… Sebastian’s fleeting caress had meant absolutely nothing, I’m sure, but no one had ever made me feel so much with a simple touch.

I had never talked about it with Liam, because I was embarrassed to admit it, but I’d almost always had to pretend that I liked the way guys touched me. That was also one of the reasons why I went through them so quickly. I wanted to find someone who made me feel what I’d read about in books or seen in movies, that boundless passion that could lift me to the heavens and leave me trembling against the sheets. Only two guys had ever come close to making me feel something like that, my best friend and my ex, whom I wished I could forget entirely.

But just looking at Sebastian made my body tremble, my heart race, and my hormones run wild. If I wasn’t careful, I could make a stupid mistake, and with him more than anyone, I wanted to be smart.

Tami had sent me a message asking what I was doing that night. Tami was my polar opposite. While I loved going out partying, meeting guys, and dancing all night, Tami was more chill. She hated anything to do with parties and loud music; her favorite pastimes were painting, chatting, especially over coffee, and, well… not much else. I adored her. We told eachother everything… Well,almosteverything. I was convinced there was something underneath her unshakable calm that she hid from me and the rest of the world.

Liam couldn’t stand her. I’d introduced them one night, so excited that my two best friends would finally meet. But World War III had almost broken out. Tami was uncomfortable the entire time we were with him, and when Liam lost his patience over the fact that she barely participated in the conversation and answered everything in monosyllables—something that irritated me, too, on that occasion—they started shouting insults at each other.

I hated that conflict between them because I adored them both. But whenever one of them got wind that I could be making plans with the other, they started fighting to get my attention. And there was no better example of that than today. Tami had texted asking if I had plans, suggesting we go out for dinner somewhere nice. I had already promised to go to the movies with Liam, but we hadn’t hung out in weeks, and I wanted to see her, too. In the end, I decided to just do exactly what I wanted, which was to see them both that night. So I invited Tami to the movies, leaving out the fact that Liam would be there.

When Sebastian saw me, all dressed up to go out, he simply said he’d get the car keys. It wasn’t that I was surprised by that indifference, the only reaction I’d received from that man since I met him, but I had taken extra care with my hair and makeup, putting on my favorite black dress and strappy gold sandals just to impress him. Maybe his fingertips brushing my lips had just been my imagination after all…

I got in the front passenger’s seat once again, against his objections. “I get carsick if I ride in the back,” I said, shrugging. I was an expert liar, a skill I’d learned early in childhood.

Sebastian asked me where we were going and I gave him theaddress. As we drove, I started asking him questions again, as if I were talking to a friend.

“Do you like movies?”

Silence.

“I love them. I go almost every Wednesday; one week I choose the movie, and the next week Liam chooses. He mostly likes movies about superheroes or cars that go a hundred and fifty miles an hour. I can’t stand them; I prefer rom-coms. I know, it’s a cliché that women like those dumb scenarios that would never happen in real life, but I love them. Especially when the male lead is tall, strong, and handsome…” I was letting my personality loose, blabbing away like I was talking to someone who actually cared, but nothing. “What kind of movies do you like?” I asked.