Page 24 of Marked

“Brother.” The word came out faint. “Of course. Because this town isn’t weird enough already. First the mountain man Stone who fixes my car, now the CEO Stone who feeds me illegal-substance pizza. What’s next? A third brother who models for action movie posters?”

Marcus’ lips twitched despite the predatory intensity in his gaze. “Derek prefers tactical gear, actually.”

“There’s a third— You know what? No. This is fine. This is totally normal.” I grabbed my water glass with slightly shaking hands. “Just having lunch with one gorgeous Stone brother after agreeing to dinner with another. While apparently there’s a third one lurking somewhere in tactical gear. Perfectly reasonable. Nothing suspicious about that at all.”

Marcus went very still. The kind of still that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “Dinner?”

“Um, yeah?” I swallowed hard, suddenly aware that the café had gone quiet. Even John had stopped mid-stride, carefully backing away from our table. “Caleb invited me. Tonight. Was that… not okay?”

“Did he.” It wasn’t a question. Marcus’ eyes had gone from ice blue to something darker, almost stormy. His knuckles were white around his coffee cup.

“I can cancel?” I offered, though I wasn’t sure why I was trying to appease him. It wasn’t like he had any claim on my time. “I mean, I probably should cancel. Two Stone brothers in one day is probably over my recommended daily allowance of tall, dark, and mysterious—”

“When did he ask you?” Marcus’ voice was deceptively soft, but there was something underneath it that made my scar burn.

“This morning? When he was fixing my car?” I shrank back in my chair, some instinct telling me I was witnessing something dangerous. “I mean, he fixed my car and I wanted to thank him, and he suggested dinner, and I thought it was just a normalthank-you dinner, but now I’m realizing nothing in this town is normal, especially not when it involves you Stones, and—”

A muscle ticked in Marcus’ jaw. “Did he.”

“You keep saying things that should be questions but aren’t.” I was babbling now, but I couldn’t seem to stop. “Also, you look like you’re planning a murder. Should I be planning an alibi for you? Because I have to tell you, I’m terrible at lying—”

Marcus seemed to catch himself, something shifting in his expression as he visibly reined in whatever dark emotion had gripped him. His shoulders relaxed fractionally, though his eyes still held that dangerous glint. When he spoke again, his voice was deliberately lighter, though no less intense.

“You think we’re gorgeous?” The question held a hint of genuine amusement now, though that predatory edge remained. Something that made me want to bare my throat and run away at the same time.

“I think you know exactly how gorgeous you all are, and I think I need to go before I say anything else incredibly stupid.” I started to stand, but his next words froze me in place.

“Kai.” Just my name, but it held the weight of a command. “Sit.”

I sat.

My body moved before my brain could process the action, and that was… terrifying? Thrilling? Both? The casual display of authority should have sent me running. Instead, it sent heat pooling in my stomach and made my scar pulse with something that felt disturbingly like recognition.

“There’s no rush,” he continued, voice gentling but still holding that core of steel. “Finish your coffee.”

I picked up my cup with hands that definitely weren’t trembling. “Right. Coffee. Because that’s what normal people do when they realize they’re caught in some kind of weird hot-brother situation. They just sit and finish their coffee.”

“Hot-brother situation?” Now he looked amused, though something darker lurked behind the humor.

“Don’t do that thing where you repeat what I say in that tone that makes it sound both ridiculous and somehow intimate. I’m having a crisis here.”

“What kind of crisis?” He was still watching me with that intensity that made me feel like prey, but also like something precious. It was a confusing combination.

“The kind where I’ve apparently developed some kind of Stone-brother-specific attraction disorder.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “Which isn’t a thing. It can’t be a thing. I don’t do attraction. I don’t do…” I waved my hand between us. “…whatever this is.”

“Don’t you?” He caught my gesturing hand in his, and the contact sent electricity shooting up my arm. “Your body suggests otherwise.”

“My body is a traitor.” I tried to pull my hand away, but his grip was gentle yet immovable. Like everything else about him. “And you’re changing the subject. Why are you all here? Why do you all keep appearing exactly when I—”

The pieces started clicking together in my head. The cottage maintenance. The convenient car help. This suspiciously perfect lunch. “Oh God. Are you stalking me? Is this a family hobby? Do all the Stones just pick random newcomers to adopt and feed?”

Marcus’ thumb was drawing circles on my palm, and it was very hard to maintain proper panic with him doing that. “You’re not random, Kai.”

The way he said my name made my scar burn. “What does that mean? And why do you keep looking at me like… like…”

“Like what?” His eyes had darkened to midnight, and I could feel the other diners deliberately not looking our way.

“Like you want to eat me.” The words came out breathy, and his fingers tightened on mine.

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