“Nope. Plenty of rich folks drive Jeeps.” Magnus grinned. “They’re invogue.”
Arnaud’s house, in my opinion, was a gaudy, sprawling house set back from the street, set amid a lawn tended by a master gardener. Tall shrubs lined the long, curving driveway,and tall oak trees, innocent of their leaves, stood in stately dignity across the property.
“He lives in that place all by himself?” I asked.
“Except for the cook, yeah.”
“Did you live there?”
“For a while,” Magnus answered, driving past without slowing. “I moved out a few years ago. Wanted out from under, you know? But he kept pulling me back in. I guess I wasn’t strong enough to resist him.”
Magnus met my gaze. “Until now.”
He drove on past, rounded a corner and was now out of sight of the house.
“Was he home, do you think?” I asked as he continued to drive on.
“Yeah,” Magnus replied. “There was a light on upstairs. In his study. Where he keeps his records.”
I nibbled my lip. “If we park and watch his house, the neighbors will notice.”
“Yep. That’s why we’re going to go to a nice restaurant, have a nice dinner with nice wine and enjoy one another’s company.”
I eyed him sharply. “Let’s be clear. I’mnotsleeping with you.”
“Ah, love, but you already have.” Magnus grinned, chuckling. “Right beside me, close enough to touch.”
“Get real. You’re not seducing me, buster.”
His grin widened. “Yet.”
***
The restaurant he chose was a quiet, subdued, upscale steakhouse not far from his father’s neighborhood. I absently wondered as we parked the Jeep and walked to the entrance if we’d be turned away. After all, we wore jeans and jackets,sansties and dresses. The host, however, guided us through the diners to a table, left us with menus, and departed.
I shed my jacket to place on the chair’s back, glancing around at our fellow diners. Some wore glitz, many others simple shirts and jeans. “I guess we fit in here.”
“Sure.” Magnus shrugged out of his coat with a wince. “The place is expensive, but the food’s totally worth it. I used to come here quite a bit.”
When the waiter arrived to take our drink orders, Magnus asked for two glasses of an Italian wine I wasn’t familiar with. Apparently, he observed my confusion for he grinned.
“I hope you’ll like it,” he said. “It’s a wine that goes well with anything.”
“I’m not much of a wine connoisseur, so I’m sure I will.”
“Nor am I, but I happen to like this stuff.”
The low lighting, the lit table lamp, gave the restaurant a romantic ambiance, an attribute Magnum surely exploited by choosing this place. We gazed at one another for long, silent moments. Handsome in a hot, sexy way, Magnus gave off vulnerability vibes along with a sense of humor and a quiet intelligence. That combination appealed to me. All the males I’d been attracted to in the past were the dominant, alpha types.
“Do you believe in fated love?” he asked at last.
“I’ve never thought about it before,” I admitted. “It doesn’t make any sense, does it? That two are chosen for each other by incomprehensible forces?”
“You don’t believe in higher powers? That the universe does indeed predestine lives, that events aresupposedto happen?”
“I’m guessing you do.”
Magnus shrugged. “In a way, yeah. How do you explain us? Our abilities to shift into dragons?”
