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“I trust you,” I promise. “But please act fast. Her family are good people. They don’t deserve this.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Very few do.”
With my head plastered against his chest, I listen to the steady rhythm of his heart. For all the differences, there are some things that are the same. We both bleed. Our hearts both beat. We both have the ability to feel deeply. I’ll hold on to those. His willingness to help me has my heart swelling and emotion I’m not ready to entertain taking center stage. Julian Bellamy makes it so easy to fall.
Trust your instincts, Marina.
Maggie’s voice calls to me and I shiver knowing she’s here even when she’s not. It tears me apart, but comforts at the same time.
“Marina, I...” His words trail off.
“Don’t say anything. I don’t want to talk any more. I want to not think about any of it. Just for a while.”
We sit in silence for several minutes. It feels so good in Julian’s arms.Safe.
“Come with me.”
Julian’s house is magnificent. Two staircases lead up to a veranda overlooking the foyer.
A giant chandelier hangs above, reflecting light as it hits each crystal. The floors are white marble with pale grey swirls throughout. You’d think the elegance of the place would make it stuffy, but the décor throughout makes it feel like a home.
He leads me around one more corner and through a door to a game room.
“Seriously? You have a man cave?”
His brow furrows. “Man cave?”
“Julian. You may be centuries old, but you can’t tell me you don’t know what a man cave is.”
“My time amongst humans has been very limited due to my place in the family. Unlike Law, I haven’t been privy to all the luxuries that the years have brought. I’ve been sheltered, if you will.”
How sad. It does explain why he seems so much more formal than Lawrence. To think of Julian shut off from the world makes me angry. What were they trying to do? Limit his interaction with humans so his empathy would be stifled?Of course.
“This is a man cave. It’s a room filled with things that men enjoy.”
“Man cave,” he tests out the name. “I like it.”
“So, what do we have in here?” I say, walking around and taking in the various games and collectibles. Air hockey, foosball, table tennis, pool, a television—you name it, it’s here.
“Seriously?” I say, confounded by this room. It’s completely unlike Julian. Maybe I don’t know him at all.
“I guess you can say it’s my way of trying to play at being human,” he shrugs. “It’s weird, I know.”
“It’s not,” I say, understanding more than I can even explain. It’s much like my attempt at drinking games. I had little interest, but for a chance to feel normal—or what’s seemingly normal—I participated.
“Want to play?” Julian asks, pointing toward the table tennis setup.
I have little to no experience playing table tennis. There is a very real possibility that I can’t even hit the ball. I’m about to divert his attention elsewhere when he calls me out.
“Don’t be scared. I’ll teach you.”
I roll my eyes. “Who says I need to be taught?” I ask, feigning skill.
He smirks. “You have no idea how to play. It’s written all over your face.”
“Fine. Teach me,” I acquiesce.
He runs through the rules a couple of times until I feel comfortable enough to start.
