“What was that all about?”
“Something that I needed her to know,” Charlotte smiled and kissed my lips softly, as softly as she had handled my mom.
After we left, Charlotte withdrew and became utterly quiet. I imagined there were a lot of things she had to understand and adjust to, so I made an effort to give her the time and space to process everything. When all of a sudden she seemed to be suffocating and started grabbing at her chest, I looked over in horror.
“Stop the car, Marcus,” she panted. “Just stop the car.”
I hit the brake so hard as I halted the car on the shoulder of the road that gravel spit everywhere. Charlotte lounged forward, hanging with stiff fingers onto her seatbelt. I shoved the door open and circled the car to get to her side in a single, delirious heartbeat.
“What’s going on?” I demanded, unfastening her seatbelt and pulling her out of the car and to my chest.
Her body was trembling, and her hands were ice cold as she kept panting for breath. The way she was panicking for no apparent reason and the lost look she gave me brought a heavy lump to my throat.
“Charlotte, please, talk to me,” I begged, clutching her shoulders. Something was wrong, and my heart knew it as it kept pounding an insane rhythm in my chest.
“I love you,” she burst, fisting unsteady fingers in my collar. “I love you so much that I can hardly bear it.”
My sigh of relief was so loud that it drowned out her sobbing as well as the buzzing in my ears. My joy was so tremendous and so terribly soothing that I almost missed the total desperation in Charlotte’s eyes.
Then she started crying in earnest, her hands still fisted around my jacket and her breathing still coming out in jagged bursts. She was on the brink of a precipice, and more than anything in my life, I wished she would just fall.
“But?” I asked, fearing the answer.
“There are no buts,” Charlotte gasped and grabbed my head between her quivering hands. “I was afraid to say the words, but I can’t hold them inside anymore. I love you, Marcus.”
Her eyes were wild and passionate as they studied me. At that moment, I grasped that it hadn’t been a weight that had lifted from her shoulders but a truth she had emboldened herself to accept. The undeniable truth of her heart.
I cupped her face and kissed her forehead, gentling the storm whirling in her blood. She sobbed and clung tighter to my collar, as scared of losing me as I was of losing her.
“Then why are you crying?”
“You don’t understand,” she cried and thrust a hand through her hair, ravaging the beauty of her braid. “You have invaded every fiber of my body, every little thought in my head, every corner in my heart. I don’t know how to put a stop to how I feel. I don’t know how to control my emotions. They are rampant, and they have taken over me altogether. My worst day gets better only because I know at the end of it, I will be back in your arms. You make me feel strong and safe. You make me feel confident and beautiful. And you make me utterly unable to picture my world without you in it. I don’t know how to let go, Marcus. I’m falling so deeply for you that I know without a doubt that I won’t be able to function without you. You have the power to break me, and I’m terrified.”
“Oh, my sweet, sweet Charlotte.”
I pulled her to my chest, hugging her tightly, perhaps tighter than I should have, but Charlotte welcomed the discomfort with arms wide open that clamped around my waist just as fiercely.
After a long time of just standing there on the side of the road, with the car parked askew and countless other vehicles speeding past us, I pushed her back enough so I could lean down and smash my mouth against her quivering lips. They welcomed my invasion with a lust so strong and contagious that the more I kissed them, the more addicted I became.
“I’m going nowhere,” I promised, stroking her cheeks with my thumbs. “All those words you’ve said, I feel them too. You are etched in my heart. You are in my blood. You are permanent, Charlotte.”
“I love you,” she repeated. This time her voice was steady, and her words, although full of affection, didn’t sound as desperate as before but precise and unwavering.
I let myself smile then, with relief and gratitude. I smiled until my cheeks hurt and my eyes watered. I smiled until she smiled back and kissed me so thoroughly that by the time the kiss was over both of us were flushed and breathless.
“I love you too, woman,” I told her in a low growl. “But never scare me like that again.”
She chuckled. The little minx chuckled and batted her eyelashes at me like the most innocent of creatures. Looking very proud of herself, she slid back in the car and nodded for me to follow.
WE WERE BACK AT THE forest house when I realized she was once again too quiet and shooting out all kinds of nervous vibes that made me instantly frown and pull her into my lap.
“Is there anything else on your mind?” I asked, tipping my head back so I could fully see her face.
She smoothed the crinkles between my brows and resumed playing with her fingers. Picking at her nails, she considered whether or not she should tell me whatever was bothering her.
“Charlotte,” I urged, raising both eyebrows and pulling at her lower lip in an attempt to make her speak.
“I was thinking that since we are not hiding anymore...” she said softly, trailing off and gazing at me from under her thick, dark lashes.
“That was never really my intention,” I interrupted.
Charlotte immediately cast me a reproachful look then shook her head gently, making the curls framing her face bounce with the motion.
“Because you are reckless and arrogant and fail to consider the consequences,” she said sternly and with a touch of bossiness.
“Because you are too important to me and deserve much more than a man who does not dare to take any risks needed to have you.”
“Not a little boy after all,” she murmured with a coy smile and flushed as I arranged her weight in my lap and made her aware of the evidence a little boy could not provide.
“Agreed,” I grinned while she missed a breath and struggled to find a better sitting position, one that wouldn’t make her body temperature skyrocket.
“So since we are not hiding anymore, are you willing to be my plus-one?” she asked, her brown eyes wide and expectant.
“Always.” My answer was vehement, and so was my possession of her body as she kept struggling in my arms. “No other man will escort you anywhere else as long as I breathe.”
She gasped loudly and shut her eyes so tightly that her lashes caressed the rosy tops of her cheeks. I brushed my lips against the heated skin of her face, breathing in her fire and letting it consume me from the inside out.
“You do realize that the more you struggle, the more you arouse both of us, don’t you?”
Charlotte pulled sluggish eyelids open then watched me lustfully, with a focused gaze baring me of clothes and secrets until I was left raw under her voracious mouth. I caught her between my chest and the smooth cushions of the sofa, groaning as she arched to alleviate the aching in her breasts.
“It’s a black-tie event,” she muttered on a sharp intake of breath.
“Any special occasion?” I breathed as I drew an earlobe in my mouth and nipped on it gently.
It could have been a carnival for all I cared. My unrelenting attention belonged wholly to Charlotte and her exposed body waiting avidly to be brought over the edge.
“You can say that, but since you are so keen on taking risks, let’s make it a surprise.”
She gave me a grin full of mischief, and after an incredulous look of my own and a menacing growl, I grinned as well. If she wanted to provoke me, then I might as well let her feel the full extent of the outcome.
Chapter 37
Charlotte
Spending five interrupted days at Marcus’s forest house was like stepping into our own nirvana. Nothing touched us but the firestorm we provoked, and we did provoke it until we coll
apsed lax and breathless and nearly incoherent with pleasure.
I still felt deliciously sore and much too aware of Marcus’s pull as I placed a small, dark box in his lap. I watched him fervently, a little too fervently, absorbing the shimmering blue of his eyes and the sharp contour of his lips, those lips that worked miracles and drove me insane, kiss after tormenting kiss.
Marcus winked, reading my thoughts and my hunger with a sort of ease that both scared and aroused me further.
He was breathtaking, dressed in a black tuxedo with shawl lapels and matching pants that hugged him tightly, showcasing the virile power under the silk garment. His white shirt had dark pearl buttons that I had fastened myself after indulging in the exquisite feel of his perfectly hard abdomen.
Putting on his rectangular diamond cufflinks, Marcus observed the box in his lap. “A gift?”
He stared suspiciously at the box then placed it on the bed and stood up to knot his bowtie in a diamond point shape.
“Not exactly. It’s part of your attire.”
I licked my lips, and when the sight of him proved too much, I turned to the mirror to put on my teardrop diamond and amethyst earrings. The jewelry contrasted splendidly with the soft lavender of the mermaid gown I was wearing. I smoothed the lace with my palms and applied a fresh coat of lipstick before turning around and smashing right against Marcus’s chest.
“So it’s not far from a carnival,” he muttered under his breath and hovered his mouth above mine, a brash tease that almost made me whimper. He straightened with a crooked smile that became a full laugh when he caught sight of my glare and heard my groan.
Taking the filigreed silver mask from its silk wrappings and discarding the box on the dresser, he tried it on with economical grace. I sucked in a breath and massaged slowly at my unbridled heart.
“It’s a masquerade ball. You’ll love it,” I said, winking and taking tremendous pride in being able to tease him back.
No matter how much he had insisted during the past days and how artfully he had played with my senses, he hadn’t gained the leverage to force me to tell him who was throwing the party we were supposed to attend or what the event was about.
When we finally arrived at the Exterus, a rooftop restaurant that had been fully rented and decorated for the occasion, and the whole mystery was dispelled, Marcus looked downright incredulous.
I nudged him to don his mask again, and I tied mine as well, which was the feminine counterpart of his own. While the only adornment to his mask was the elegant filigree, mine was a more complex work of art.
It had almond-shaped holes to reveal my eyes and tiny diamonds embossed on the upper lids. Threads of white gold curled on one side, all the way to my forehead like a feather blown by the wind and frozen in place.
“You remember Rachel and Ethan,” I told Marcus, waving to the two of them. “They decided to renew their vows instead of divorcing.”
“And since we’ve done it so many times before, we thought we should have a theme on this occasion,” Ethan muttered as he walked arm in arm with his former, present, and future wife. He cast a dubious look at his own jet-black mask, which proved to whoever had entertained any doubts that the whole idea had been Rachel’s all along. “Maybe it will bring us luck.”
Rachel elbowed him in the ribs and dashed into Marcus’s arms with an enthusiasm that made me chuckle and question her sobriety. She wore a fabulous A-line dress made of cream tulle and lace, with a square neckline that was embroidered with tiny pearls which weaved around her shoulders in delicate, shiny straps. The laurel leaf tiara she wore atop her head shone against coppery strands that had been curled and were hanging loosely around her face.
“Oh, Marcus,” she gushed and hugged him tightly. Noble features had been enhanced by the tiniest bit of makeup, offering her an even lovelier appearance. Marcus caught her awkwardly with a huff and a scowl, but Rachel couldn’t care less. “You worked on all those divorce papers in vain.”
“Does she suffer from multiple personalities?” Marcus mouthed over Rach’s head, looking adorably helpless in her tight embrace.
I imagined Rachel hadn’t been so cheerful or friendly the first time they met. At the time, she had been dead set on divorcing Ethan although she had been secretly entertaining an idyll with him in the interim. She was volatile like the wind, but the love she had for her husband was the only constant in her life. No matter how viciously they quarreled, they didn’t manage to stay away from each other for too long.
Ethan threw his head back and laughed. “She might.”
“Don’t get on my nerves,” she growled.
Marcus caught my eye then rolled his own. He nodded toward Rachel like he wanted to say he was more familiar with the angry, unbalanced side of her than with the joyous woman who had just hugged him.
She and Ethan were superbly entertaining, but definitely an acquired taste, and while Marcus got used to them, he was an enjoyable sight of incredulity. To my complete amusement, he shuddered slightly. Then banding an arm around my waist, he pulled me flush against his side.
“I’ve got a feeling I’ll like your partner, Lottie,” Ethan said and clapped Marcus’s shoulder. “Come, have a drink. Join the party. We have games and a prize after midnight.”
The thought of nuptial parties and mysterious games caused goose bumps to pop on my skin, but after gritting my teeth and stiffening my spine, I forced myself to put Jack Stewart and everything involved with him out of my mind.
Rachel and Ethan led the way to an open bar, tastefully adorned with pastel colored roses and big, white candles that flickered gracefully in the otherwise darkening evening.
Ethan whispered something in her ear, and Rachel laughed, tipping her head back to kiss her husband’s lips. The chaste kiss, however, was coupled with an agile hand that slid from Ethan’s waist to his butt. Naughty fingers pinched his derriere, which earned her a growl of protest. Rachel glanced back and winked at me from beneath a cream, lace mask, looking very pleased with herself.
“Lottie?” Marcus inquired, distracting me from Rachel’s antics.
My grin died down, replaced by what I supposed were annoyingly deep red stains on my cheeks. “That’s the disadvantage of keeping friends from childhood.”
“Why the blush?” He touched my cheek with the back of his index finger and ended the sweet caress with a lingering thumb against my lips.
“It just sounds girly.”
“Oh, Charlotte. You are all woman to me.”
His eyes smoldered, and so did my insides. There were a thousand things he wanted to do to me and a thousand more I would have gladly let him, but in the end, he settled for a searing, knee-buckling kiss.
Someone from very close by cleared his throat, and Marcus reluctantly let go of me, but not before he whispered against my lips, “I’m not nearly done, sugar.”
“Get a room,” Logan, Christina, and my mother cried in unison.
That the first two were making an overt remark concerning the electrifying passion between Marcus and me was no surprise, but that Mom joined them left me gaping and staring dumbfounded.
“Mom,” I groaned while Marcus grinned and shook Logan’s hand.
“Oh, don’t get shy now. You weren’t shy at all earlier.”
“I need something to drink,” I said and waved to the barman, who was bare-chested except for a waistcoat, certainly another one of Rachel’s great ideas.
“Mojitos?” Mom asked excitedly.
“Are you sure? No brandy tonight?” I teased.
She made such a funny face, entirely inappropriate for her age and social status that I burst out laughing and was quickly followed by Christina, who was so fond of Lauren that she rarely sided with me against her.
The bartender took our orders, and he prepared our drinks while complimenting my mom’s pink gown and throwing covert glances at Christina, which proved to be more forthright than he intended. A menacing sound rumbled in Logan’s chest just as Ethan took the st
age at the center of the restaurant and caught our collective attention.
He thanked the guests for attending, again, then professed his love for Rachel, again, then he warned he might screw things up, again, and eventually he announced the start of the games he had told us about earlier.
It turned out they had hidden clues all around the restaurant, and whoever pieced the puzzle together first was going to win the grand prize after midnight. Knowing them, I would bet the prize was some sexual toy or embarrassing moment that I could really do without.
“Do we want to play?” Marcus asked cautiously, looking at the excited crowd that had actually started searching for clues.
“No,” everyone in our corner shouted, then we resumed a pleasant conversation that flowed smoothly and was full of laughter and harmless teasing.
“Take it easy,” Marcus murmured against my temple when the bartender placed a second glass of mojito on my napkin. “We’re going to have a very long night.”
The heat that coursed through my veins like molten lava had nothing to do with the rum in my drink. I bit my lip and inhaled deeply. His dazzlingly masculine scent hinted at the primal beast beneath the luxurious clothes, and something inside me started throbbing with desire.
“Let’s dance,” he drawled, his voice low and raspy and dripping with red-hot promise.
Mom was stolen by the bride’s parents at their table, and Christina and Logan mingled, probably playing Rachel and Ethan’s game, contrary to their earlier refusal.
I watched Marcus with bated breath as I slid my hand into his and let him draw me to his savagely powerful chest. His arms went around my waist, and my hands locked around his neck as we swayed on the gentle rhythms of Lara Fabian’s Adagio.
He was normally stunning, but with the added mystery of the silver mask that hid half of his face, he was downright devastating. His lips seemed redder and his eyes a deeper blue, like the ocean on a sunny day. Flawless skin, except for the few scratches he had gotten himself at the last race, pulled tightly against a sharp, freshly shaven jaw that rolled with hardly restrained force.
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