Five
And so we tried tobe friends, which was easier said than done since Marcus didn’t seem to understand what friends were supposed to be. As a friend, he wasn’t ever supposed to look at me like he wanted to ravish me. As a friend, he wasn’t ever supposed to bristle if he caught me talking to one of the local boys who had come to work at the estate. As a friend, he wasn’t ever supposed to act proprietary every time we headed out of town—-
There were a lot of things that he wasn’t supposed to doas a friend,but then who was I to talk?
As a friend, I wasn’t supposed to keep thinking about him like he was the only person that mattered. As a friend, I wasn’t supposed to ache when he was near, and I definitely shouldn’t feel guilty every time we were with my brothers.
It wasn’t like we had done anything wrong.
Right?
Tonight’s dinner was another semi-awkward affair, mostly because Marcus had managed to take the seat beside me on the table and for the past fifteen minutes, he had been torturing me with these tiny soft touches.
“Have some salad,” Marcus would say, and of course he’d make sure our fingers would come into contact as he gave me the bowl.
“Want some more water?” Marcus would ask, and at my nod he’d pour some into my glass, all the while leaning close – too, too close that his scent would seduce my body into melting.
Little things really, but when they were all added together, they were more than enough to drive me crazy.
This was not how friends were supposed to be—-
“Anneke?”
I glanced at him warily.
“Your napkin’s slipping.”
I stiffened.Crap.That sounded bad.
“Let me fix it for you,” he murmured dulcetly under his breath.
“It’s okay,” I said hastily. “I can—-”
But he had already reached for one corner of the napkin, and after whipping it out to straighten the creases, Marcus gently laid the napkin on my lap.
I reached for my glass of water, trying to act casual.
The fabric settled on my lap, just as his fingers caressed my knee.
I choked.
Seated at the head of the table, Willem paused in his discussion with Nic, asking politely, “Is everything alright?”
I quickly summoned a smile. “Yes.” I quietly shoved Marcus’ fingers off my knee. “I’m sorry for interrupting. Please carry on.”
On my other side, Fleur leaned towards me, saying slyly, “I saw that.”
I froze.
“Promise me you’ll help me sneak out next week,” she whispered, “and I promise to stay blind.”