Page 91 of Hostile Secret
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I’m downstairs in the massive room adjacent to the chef’s kitchen when Fabian strolls in, his confident strides casual.
“New girl.” The right side of his mouth hitches to a leisurely grin as he skirts the comfy couches and brushes against a feathery potted fern. “Hope you’re not thinking of running off again? Should I bribe the Vargas staff to tell me when you’re sneaking out?”
Val comes in behind him, clutching a magnum of champagne in one hand and her purse in the other. Before I get the chance to respond, she raises the bottle to the overhead beams. “My beautiful friend is sleeping here tonight. We all are.”
“Interesting.” Fabian’s brows quirk and the smile on his lips turns wolfish. “I doubt we’ll be sleeping much, right?”
He wanders over to the couch where I’m sitting, drops down beside me and throws his arm around my shoulder. That delicious cologne of his invades my senses.
At this angle, where the last dregs of golden daylight from beyond the windows settle on his features, he looks almost deific.
I have to admit, this guy is gorgeous.
“Have you ever heard of personal space?” I grab onto his fingers, lift his arm, and duck out from underneath it.
“I’m the youngest of five siblings. Personal space doesn’t exist in our house.” He chuckles. “You’re not like the rest of the girls in Thornhill.”
“Why do you say that?”
He shrugs. “You’ve no agenda.”
“Agenda?” I ask awkwardly, not knowing what he means by that.
“Yeah.” His brows furrow and his expression turns contemplative. “Most people are after something, whereas you're quite the mystery.”
“I’d hardly say I’m a mystery.” I laugh. “I have a dog and a brother. My days are spent in school and in the evenings I read. Life is really that dull.”
“If that’s true, then why can’t I find anything about you on social media?”
“Oh my God!” I gasp dramatically to throw this conversation off track. “Apparently, even good-looking guys can be stalkers.”
The whites of his eyes sparkle as he smiles at me. “You make it sound so creepy. I was researching the new girl. After all, you left Elysian before we got to know each other better—right before a couple of cartel dudes were blown to shit. For all I know, you could be a kick ass vigilante assassin.”
“Is that what you’ve told yourself?” I smirk. “Ooh, do I wear a villain costume in this fantasy of yours?”
He hums loudly. “I’m thinking of a tight black leather one-piece outfit like Catwoman… and high-heeled boots.”
I nod my head in approval, picturing myself in that very outfit wrestling with Giovanni until he expertly subdues me.
Quickly shaking off my version of Fabian’s fantasy, I think of something nonsexual.
“How would I use the bathroom? Even villains have to pee.”
“Well, obviously it’s tailor made to fit you. There’s a zipper from neck to pelvis for easy access… to everything.”
Ana’s giggle carries in from the kitchen where she’s chatting with Sebastian and pouring a drink. Opposite me, Valeria is sitting next to Zac on the couch, doing her best to hold a one-way conversation with him.
Fabian and Sebastian ooze charm and hemorrhage confidence, both sporting athletic builds and dark hair. Whereas Zac is fair-haired, built like the Hulk and comes across as the quiet one. He might appear standoffish, but that dark gaze of his appears to never miss a thing.
“We didn’t get to talk about prom.” Fabian throws his right ankle to his left knee, making himself comfortable.
“I’m not going,” I announce quickly to put an end to another topic of conversation.
In any other circumstance, I’d have had my fingers crossed for an invitation from this guy and taken plenty of pictures to remember it. However, this isn’t any normal situation, and my life isn’t straightforward. Nothing is simple in the Souza world.
He frowns at me disbelievingly before replying, “You’re actually not going?”
