“As far as I’m aware, he only has two children, and neither of them looks like you.” His gaze rakes over me. I’m not sure if the shiver threatening to overtake my body is from lust or repulsion.
“Right, he has two boys with his wife,” I say, looking down. “But my mother wasn’t his wife.”
He grunts, which helps me none. Even as I look back at his face, there’s nothing there to tell me what’s going on in his head.
“Strange, I haven’t seen you before the masquerade,” he finally says.
I’m regretting the choice I made to wear this cute sweater. The neck became stretched out when he manhandled me, leaving me feeling a little more exposed than I want to be. On top of that, it feels like it’s keeping my body heat trapped, which doesn’t help when I’m feeling a spike of warmth suddenly. With angry hands, I shove the sleeves up to my elbows, hoping it will cool me down a bit.
“Well, I haven’t been here.” I throw my arms up and roll my eyes. That’s all I’m giving him. He doesn’t need my life story, and he doesn’t deserve it with the way he’s treating me. I cross my arms over my chest, ready to deny him anything else he might want to know.
His steps are predatory as he stalks closer to me. I have the urge to back up, but the couch is behind me, which means that I’m stuck.
“What is this?” he growls. Like, truly growls. It’s hot and terrifying. I’m frozen as he snatches my arm and yanks it out, forcing me to uncross them. He turns it over until the freaky lines are exposed. He’s looking at them strangely. “How did you get this?”
“Donovan—” There’s a nervous warning in the other man’s tone.
“Fuck off, Torrin,” Donovan barks, cutting him off.
The other guy—Torrin—is comes over. Now he’s studying my arm too, but without touching me. His brows pinch together.
“Why the fuck did you curse me?” Donovan growls.
What? Curse? He can’t be serious?!
“I didn’t curse you,” I snap, but there’s something odd prickling my skin.
Donovan slips his suit jacket off, letting it fall to the floor without a care. His eyes are locked on mine as he unbuttons the cuff of his light gray shirt. It’s only when he starts rolling up his sleeve that I break contact to look down.
There’s a prickle overtaking my body, causing goosebumps to break out all over when I see the same lines running under his skin that happen to match mine.
“Well, shit,” the other guy says, but I can’t take my eyes off of the near-identical tattoos on his skin.
Donovan begins to work the buttons on his shirt. My breath catches, even though it feels so inappropriate. I’m watching his flawless skin become revealed to me inch by inch. I’m too busy looking at the sculpted muscles of his chest to realize the purpose of his undressing is because he’s trying to show me something. It isn’t until he reaches up and hooks a finger in the neck of my sweater and pulls it down that I snap out of it. I wrench back, stumble, and go down onto the couch. But he doesn’t give up. He pulls my sweater down again. But then I become frozen as his shirt shifts and I see that there are more lines over his chest. More specifically, the left side of his chest. Right over his heart.
It looks like a symbol of some kind, but I’m not sure what it means. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like it.
“This is interesting,” Torrin says. I kind of forgot about him for a second there. “I think I need to call Fabien.”
My heart is racing. I don’t know who he’s talking about, but I’m certain I don’t want anyone else involved in whatever this is. But it’s not like I have any choice in the matter. I’m a freaking mouse in a room full of lions.
I flinch when the door clicks closed.
Donovan and I are alone, and I don’t think that’s a good thing.
“Look,” he urges in a way that leaves me feeling like I don’t have a choice. My eyes follow his gaze until I’m looking at my own exposed flesh. I gasp as I see the same symbol bleeding into my skin over my heart. “Now tell me why you fucking cursed me.”
Blood pumps in my ears. The world tilts and spins. I try to take in air, but I can’t seem to get my lungs going.
There’s something strange here, but how can it be? I don’t understand any of it.
“Tell me!” Donovan roars above me.
“I don’t know!” I yell back, and it comes out more powerful than any kind of yelling I’ve ever done. Not that I’m one to yell.
The dizziness clears, and I’m suddenly very aware of the room.
Donovan stumbles back a step and stares at me with cautious eyes.
