“I’m going to take you out to dinner,” he announced. “You must be getting tired of being on the estate. I know Marco is a great cook, but I think you need to get out for a little while.”
“Yes,” I agreed quickly. I really did want to get out of this house. It was huge and lonely, but on the rare occasions when Marco was in the room with us, it somehow seemed stiflingly small.
Joseph beamed at me, and I found myself grinning back. He was beautiful when he smiled, his sensual features lighting up with joy. I could hardly believe that this gorgeous, kind man was mine.
I closed the distance between us, initiating our kiss. His lips were still curved with pleasure when they met mine. I melted against him, losing myself in his arms for the rest of the afternoon.
“Why is he here?” I whispered in Joseph’s ear once Marco got out of the car. He’d driven us here in his shiny black BMW, and Joseph and I sat in the backseat. I caught his hand, lingering in the privacy of the car for a few seconds.
“He’s here to protect you, just like I am.” Joseph squeezed my hand. “And this will be good. We can all have dinner together, and you’ll get to know him better. He’s not as scary as you think he is. At least, not where you’re concerned.”
Before I could say that I’d wanted to have a romantic date alone with Joseph, Marco opened the car door for me.
He held out a hand to help me out of the car. Since Joseph was getting out on the other side, I didn’t have the option of clinging to him. It would be rude not to take Marco’s gentlemanly assistance.
Even if I didn’t want it. I didn’t like being near him. It was…uncomfortable. Overwhelming.
I sucked in a breath when his thick fingers closed around my hand, engulfing my palm. It was the first time he’d touched me since the night he’d abducted me—when he’d trapped me against the wall and pressed his hand over my mouth to smother my screams.
A shiver raced through me at the memory, but he wasn’t acting aggressive right now. He held my hand as carefully as Joseph always did, as though he might accidentally break my fingers if he squeezed too hard.
He probably could.
I got to my feet, and Marco closed the car door behind me. He didn’t release my hand.
I glanced up at him, and I found his black eyes burning down into me. His nostrils flared, like a predator scenting his prey.
I didn’t try to pull away. I couldn’t. All I could do was stand there, trapped in his dark stare. I felt small and helpless in his shadow, his huge hand on mine a reminder of his massive size in comparison to my much smaller body.
Joseph’s hand touched my lower back, and heat flooded my body at the familiar, intimate contact. The electric attraction that always danced around us surged, making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. My hand tingled in Marco’s, and I became very aware of the heat of their bodies surrounding me, shielding me from the chilly night air.
Despite the warmth, I shivered. The corners of Marco’s mouth curved, and streetlights caught in his dark eyes, flashing across his onyx stare. His thumb brushed my knuckles, and I drew in a sharp, shocked breath at the light caress.
Joseph was standing right beside me, but he must not have noticed. He couldn’t have, or he would say something. He wouldn’t allow Marco to touch me like that.
He’s just holding my hand, a more rational voice in my mind reminded me. There was no reason for Joseph to get territorial over something so trivial.
I tugged my hand free from Marco’s grip, as though he’d scalded me. His expression went carefully blank, and he stepped away. Joseph’s touch on my lower back firmed, steering me toward the restaurant.
It was a small, quaint Italian place set on the main street of a little town near Marco’s estate. I still wasn’t sure exactly where it was located, but it had only taken us ten minutes to drive here. We weren’t as isolated as I’d thought we might be. I hadn’t seen a soul except Joseph and Marco since they’d taken me from school, and I’d assumed we were in the middle of nowhere.
Marco’s family must be even wealthier than I’d imagined if they owned that much land so close to a heavily populated area. The real estate must be worth a fortune.
When we entered the restaurant, a pretty brunette showed us to our table—for three.
It was strange being seated in an intimate corner with both Joseph and Marco. I glanced around, wondering what people must think of us. Surely, the other patrons thought it was odd, too.
But no one in the packed restaurant seemed to be sparing us a second glance.
Well, that wasn’t exactly accurate. A balding, middle-aged man caught my eye as I looked around. After a second of eye contact, his genial expression melted, and he paled. He quickly looked away.
I glanced up to find Marco scowling at the man. His face was harder than I’d ever seen it, the harsh line of his square jaw set and his cold eyes narrowed.
He must have felt my gaze on him, because he blinked once and looked back at me. The fierce expression was gone in an instant. He didn’t smile at me, but he wasn’t scowling, either. I realized that the neutral expression he usually wore must be his default. I’d thought he was trying to be intimidating when his face was carefully blank. But I’d just seen his actual intimidating expression, and the neutral one was practically a silly grin in comparison.
I fiddled with the napkin in my lap to hide my trembling fingers beneath the table. Marco was even scarier than I’d imagined.
The server came by to take our order. Before I could look at the menu, Marco barked out a list of dishes that could probably feed five people.
“That’s a lot of food,” I remarked when the server left.
He shrugged. “I’m hungry. And this way, you can try some of everything.”
“Oh.” He still wasn’t smiling, but that seemed like a nice thing to say. Like he cared about whether or not I enjoyed my dinner. “Okay. Thanks.”
He tipped his head in a slight nod, acknowledging my response.
Joseph’s fingers laced with mine beneath the table, stopping me from picking at my napkin. My anxiety mostly melted away at his reassuring touch.
“Ashlyn was asking about the pool earlier,” Joseph told Marco. “Any progress on that?”
Marco’s granite jaw firmed, and his eyes narrowed on Joseph. I would have scooted away if he’d turned that glare on me, but Joseph didn’t seem affected. I supposed he was used to it.
“Well, keep me updated,” Joseph said when Marco didn’t deign to answer. “It’s really important to Ashlyn.”
Marco’s eyes riveted on me again, and I shifted in my seat. He wasn’t glaring anymore, but his gaze was…intense. I wanted to look away, but that strange sensation of being trapped by his stare alone kept me locked in place.
“Why Number1unicorn!?” he asked.
I blinked. “What?” I said, a bit breathlessly. It was the last thing I’d expected him to say. I’d thought we were about to have an argument about the pool.
“Your password,” he prompted. “Why did you choose Number1unicorn!? I’m assuming the university didn’t assign it to you.”
“Oh. Well.” I shifted nervously. Joseph’s fingers firmed on mine, grounding me. “I guess I just, um, I like unicorns?” The last came out as a question.