Marcus was speechless. To hear Ethan speak with such authority on women’s empowerment was a shock. He was just such a guy guy. He’d definitely changed since being with Ally. It wasn’t good or bad, really, just different.
Ethan picked up a barbell and lifted it over his head. “And we still go out. Like, you know, the mall and shit.”
He was getting the girly picture. “You go shopping with her?”
“Shut up.” He lowered the barbell to the floor. “You asked me for advice, I gave you advice.”
“All right, touchy. I’m happy for you, man. Really.”
Ethan heaved the barbell overhead again. “I don’t care what we do—shopping, fishing, whatever. I love her, and her happiness means everything. I would watch every home show, every bridal show, every sappy romantic movie.” He lowered the barbell to the floor and met Marcus’s eyes with a serious expression. “I would hold her purse and watch her try on clothes until the cows come home. I would run out in the night to buy her favorite ice cream or tampons—”
“Whoa! TMI.”
Ethan smiled goofily. The weirdo. “It’s like that.”
Marcus watched Ethan working out for a few minutes, thinking on that. He just couldn’t see it. Tough Ethan in the feminine hygiene section? At the register paying with witnesses and everything? Finally he told Ethan, “Fuck, man, that’s some twisted shit.”
Ethan smirked. “That’s love. When you’re open to that serious-as-fuck level, it’ll happen for you.”
Marcus gestured to let him have a turn with the barbell and they switched places. “That is terrifying.”
Ethan picked up the dumbbells. “It’s not for the faint of heart. Takes a big man to take a fall like that. It humbles you, makes you realize what really matters. She’s my heart.” His voice choked.
Marcus’s throat tightened at the emotion in his formerly stoic friend’s voice. “Cool. I’m glad you got that.”
They finished their workout and headed to the kitchen to rehydrate. Ethan poured a couple of glasses of water and sat with him at the small kitchen table.
Ethan gave him his assessing cop look. “What’s the deal with Lexi?”
Marcus took a long drink of water. “I don’t know. We’re friends, I guess.” And she wanted him to treat her like a guy, which put him in this weird place of wanting more and not knowing how to get it. He couldn’t imagine actually following Ethan’s advice—inviting Lexi to do his favorite thing, working out. Buying her tampons? Shudder.
Ethan slapped the table, and Marcus startled. “Life’s freaking short. If you think you got something, go for it. Ask her to do what you like. Maybe not lifting weights, that’s not so easy for a woman. What else you like?”
“Basketball.”
“You want to play basketball with her?”
“I have season Knicks tickets.”
Ethan tilted his head, considering. “Yeah, I guess that could work. If she wasn’t too bored. See, hiking or fishing, there’s always something to do. That’s what I like about nature.”
“Uh-huh.” Marcus was an indoor cat.
Ethan took a drink, set his glass down, and lifted a palm. “I just remembered something else. Zach says from an anthropological point of view, the dominant male is highly valued for a mate as a protector and provider for the young. Not dominant like pressing the woman down. More like showing you have the strength to fight off enemies, protect the family, and bring home the gift of food. You should talk to Zach. He’s got a real deep understanding of courtship and marriage customs.”
Marcus blinked. Ethan was getting surprisingly academic. Ethan had grown up in the same foster home as Zach, who was now a professor of anthropology. Zach was always spouting some kind of animal-instinct stuff. Not very helpful in modern times.
“So I should bring her some meat or fish?” Marcus asked as a joke.
“That could help,” Ethan said enthusiastically. “And make sure you get in good with her family and friends. It’s biological. Zach explained it. Approval of the mate and all that.” That part actually made sense. And Zach was about to get married in May, so maybe there was something to all this anthropological stuff.
His head was swimming with information, and he wasn’t sure how much was actually relevant to his current situation.
Fuck it. He’d try it all.
Chapter Seven
Lexi wasn’t as immune to Marcus as she’d like to be. She’d told herself it was best if they were just friends, but she found herself thinking about him way too much. First of all, he was smart. That was even sexier than his body, which was plenty sexy already. Second, he had some tender sweetness hiding under all those bulky muscles. Like the way he generously offered her a job and took care of his mom and cuddled little Rose and…oh, just everything. Now that she’d glimpsed the sweetness, she couldn’t unsee it. Smart, sexy, sweet—the S trifecta guaranteed to make any woman a soft, swooning, sighing mess.
How could this be the same man who left women devastated? There had to be some kind of reasonable explanation for the terrible rumors about him. Maybe his ex-wife had screwed him up so badly he’d spiraled out of control for a while but was better now. He seemed stable. Or maybe she was in denial. It wouldn’t be the first time. And hadn’t that bit her in the ass with her cheating ex?
She sighed, opened the refrigerator, and stared in the vain hope that dinner would magically produce itself. Bummer. The kitchen fairies failed her again. She shut the door and grabbed the box of Kix cereal from the cabinet. She popped a few crunchy Kix in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as she poured a bowl. Maybe she was just making excuses for Marcus because of the unexpected S trifecta.
She poured some milk into the bowl, grabbed a spoon, and headed for the sofa. It was Sunday night and she figured she’d flip channels, see what was on. She’d just settled onto the sofa when the doorbell rang. Now that her friends had moved out, nobody ever stopped by unannounced. Oh, shit. Was it Marcus? He was probably back in town by now. She looked down at her ratty old purple sweatshirt and gray sweatpants, had a brief moment of panic, and then said screw it. She didn’t need to look good for him. They were just friends. If it was him. Why was she suddenly hoping it was?
The bell rang again.
“Coming!” She hurried over and peeked through the peephole. Her heart pounded, all of her suddenly flushed with heat. She opened the door to Marcus standing there in a black leather jacket, jeans, and black work boots, looking like her bad-boy wet dream.
“Hey,” she said casually. “Wasn’t expecting you.”
He held up a brown bag that smelled wonderful. “Brought wings. Knicks are away tonight. Mind if I watch the game on your TV, bro?” She had told him to treat her like a guy. This was a nice safe friends thing. And wings instead of Kix sounded pretty darn good.
She gestured widely. “Come on in.”
He smiled, his dark eyes lighting up. “Excellent.” He followed her in. “I haven’t gotten a TV yet for my temporary place. Mostly I watch stuff on my laptop. The game’s better on a big screen.”
“Have a seat,” she said, heading to the kitchen. “I’ll get plates and a roll of paper towels. Wings can get messy.” Her stomach growled in anticipation. “You want something to drink?”
“You got any beer?”
“No. I’ve got milk or water.”
“Water, please.”
By the time she got everything over to the coffee table, Marcus had already made himself at home, man-spreading across her green sofa. His legs splayed wide, his arm stretched along the back of the sofa, his gaze on the game. Bro time. He’d been considerate enough not to start eating. The take-out boxes on the table were untouched.
She opened one. It even had celery with ranch dressing.
“That one’s medium hot,” he said. “The other one’s spicier. I wasn’t sure how much fire you could take.”
Her head whipped toward him. Something about his tone held some subtle innuendo. Two could play at this gam
e. “I can take it all.”
His dark eyes gleamed. “Wild, hot, or blazing?”
“Yes.” Her voice sounded breathy.
He smiled his sexy half-smile. “Good to know. I’ll remember that for next time.” He winked, piled some wings on a plate, and went back to the game.
She sat next to him and pretended like everything was totally normal. Just two bros hanging out watching the game. Except she knew she was playing with fire. She piled some wings on her plate and took a bite. Mmm…so good.
“This is so much better than what I was going to have for dinner,” she told him.
He glanced over at her. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“Kix cereal.” She waited for him to act judgmental. Clearly he was into health and fitness.
“I always keep Life cereal around for when I’m too tired to cook.”
“Oh.” She smiled a little. “I thought you only had protein shakes and lots of red meat.”
“Usually I eat pretty healthy, but Life’s not too bad for you. Pretty low sugar.”
She relaxed and ate some wings. “So who’s winning?”
“Knicks. But it’s just the first quarter.” He drank some water. “Want me to explain the game?”
“I know it. I’m just not a big fan of it.”
He set his glass down. “And I just barge in asking to use your TV. Go ahead and put on what you like.”
“It’s okay. I have an older brother. Sports was on all the time at home growing up.” She picked up a wing. “Anyway, you brought me a hot meal.”
They ate in silence except for the sound of the TV and Marcus’s occasional whoop when the Knicks scored. It was kinda nice to have company again. Now that her friends weren’t just down the hall, she spent a lot more time at home alone. Probably didn’t help that she was working from home. So far she’d set up shop using Hailey’s suggested lawyer, made business cards, and networked as much as possible both online and in real life, but she should probably get up to speed on the financial side of owning her own business so she’d be prepared. She glanced at Marcus. He might be able to help with that with his economics degree and the fact that he owned his own business.
She waited until they were both done eating and for the commercial to ask him. She knew better than to try to talk to a male sports fan in the middle of the game.
“Sure, I could walk you through the financial side,” he said.
“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” She gathered up their trash and dumped it inside the take-out bag. “Figured I should be prepared right from the start. It’s kind of nerve-racking being your own boss. I mean, everything is on me.”
“Being your own boss is awesome. Sure, there’s a learning curve, but you’ll get it.”
“Thanks.” She took the trash to the kitchen, a little more optimistic about her future career.
She returned to the living room, and he flashed a smile that made her heart kick up a rapid beat. He looked happy to see her, happy to be with her, and damn if she wasn’t just as happy about the situation. This was not good. Boundaries.
She flopped on the sofa and propped her feet on the coffee table. He did the same, his arms spreading along the back of the sofa, one of them right over her head. She straightened and shoved at his arm. “You can’t man-spread across my entire sofa. Respect the personal space.”
“Sorry. Didn’t realize I was man-spreading.” He put his arms at his sides. “I was just relaxing.”
She stared at the game, irritation building in her. She didn’t want to want him, but here he was looking all bad-boy sexy, bringing her a delicious dinner, being all accommodating. His musky sexy scent mixed with hot sauce was driving her insane with lust. That was it. She had to know the truth about him, so she did what no woman in her right mind would do to the sexy bad boy in her apartment, call him on his shit.
She grabbed the remote and hit pause on the game. “I heard you don’t believe in monogamy.” That was her polite reference to his cheating. “So why did you get married, then?”
He stared at her, his expression somewhere between surprised and annoyed. Probably because she’d interrupted the game.
“Well?” she asked.
His expression closed, his voice tight. “I believed in monogamy all the way up until my marriage fell apart.”
“So then you cheated?”
He frowned. “I never cheated. She cheated on me with multiple men.”
Her stomach rolled, realization sinking in. He’d been hurt just like her. She could only imagine how hurt he must’ve been by someone he’d loved enough to marry. That must be why he didn’t believe in monogamy. “I’m sorry. That sucks.”
“Yeah, it did, and I’m over it. That was four years ago. Can you put the game back on?”
She wasn’t quite done. “That’s why you became a cheater, dating three women at the same time. It was because of your ex-wife.”
He snatched the remote from her hand, but he didn’t press play immediately. Instead he glared at her. “I said I’m not a cheater. After my divorce, I was in a tailspin. I wasn’t ready to be exclusive with anyone, and I told that to every woman I dated. Everything was aboveboard. They could see whoever they wanted while I did the same. And that was also a while ago. I haven’t been with anyone in months.”
She worked hard to hide her surprise. A virile sexy man like Marcus hadn’t been with anyone in months? She suddenly wanted to hug him. She was so relieved to hear there were completely reasonable explanations for his behavior. Still, she’d feel better if she just put it all out there, really get to the bottom of his bad reputation and find out he was the good guy she wanted him to be all along. “Why haven’t you been with anyone?”
He spoke through his teeth. “Because.”
Not much of an answer. “Why would you ever need to see three women at the same time?”
He clenched his jaw. “Because it was fun.”
“And then it stopped being fun?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Yes.”
She puzzled over his obvious irritation. Was she not supposed to ask completely relevant questions? “What about Ellie?”
“What about her?”
“You gave her the key to your apartment.”
“Not where I live. My rental. Now can we watch the game?”
She wanted to soothe him, but she didn’t know how. All she knew was that he had a tender side that must’ve been deeply hurt for him to act the way he did. And if he really was over his ex now, maybe that meant he was going back to his normal way of being. Problem was, she didn’t know him well enough to know what was really him and what was Marcus in a tailspin.
She scooted closer, nudging his arm with her shoulder in a soothing gesture. “I was just curious because…you’re here and you smell good and you brought me food.”
He set the remote down and gazed at her steadily. “I believe in monogamy again. I want that. I’ve seen all my friends find their partners, women they adore, and…I’m tired of feeling empty. Tired of playing games. Just so damn tired of the whole scene.”
Her adrenaline spiked, heart-racing, pulse-pounding excitement rushing through her at this new side of Marcus. “You want a woman to adore?”
He leaned close and smoothed her hair back behind her ear. “Actually, I already have a woman I adore.” He gazed into her eyes, warm and tender and sweet. And she melted. Just melted.
“Me?” she asked just to be sure.
He smiled. “Yes, you.” He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. Not what she’d been expecting. She rested her cheek on his chest, his heart pounding under her ear. Was he scared like she was?
She looked up at him. “My ex cheated on me too. I found them in our bed. It was his place, so after we broke up, I lost my home too and our shared dog.” Her voice choked. She loved that dog. They’d gotten Tig, a boxer, together, but she was the one who trained him and took care of him.
“Lex, that sucks. So sorry that happened to you.”
<
br /> She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I haven’t been with anyone since then, many, many months. I haven’t even been tempted.”
He gazed into her eyes, and she thought he might say something flirty about temptation, but he surprised her. “We’ll get your dog back.”
She sat up, her heart squeezing tight. “Thanks, really, that means…” Her voice cracked, and she coughed to cover it. “That means a lot, but my ex, he, uh, took a restraining order out against me. I could be arrested.”
“Back it up. Tell me the whole story.”
She told him the Tig story. After she’d caught Noah cheating on her, he’d kicked her out of his townhouse and kept Tig. Not one to give up on the love of her life, she’d tried to steal Tig back early the next morning. Noah had caught her struggling to get the big dog into the backseat of her Subaru. Tig hadn’t been cooperating, probably thinking he was going to the vet. Next thing you knew, Noah had the dog and she had a restraining order against her.
“And that was my short-lived life of crime,” she finished.
Marcus pressed his lips together, clearly taking her loss seriously. “If you give me the address, I’ll steal him back for you. He doesn’t have a restraining order against me.”
Her lips parted, breathless, her heart swelling with pure affection. “You’d do that for me? Breaking and entering, stealing?”
“Hell yeah. I get that love for your pet.”
Her lower lip wobbled and she bit it, her eyes stinging. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever offered to do for me.” She wiped at the wetness leaking out of her eyes. “But the truth is, I don’t have a yard for Tig, and Noah moved back to his parents’ house. He lost his job. They have a huge fenced-in yard and a girl dog, a little Yorkie, that’s like his bestie. He seems pretty happy.”
He stared at her. “And you know all this because?”
“Well, I had to check on Tig.”
“So you stalked your ex?”
“No! I emailed him and he wrote back and sent me a picture of Tig with Sugar.”
Wicked Flirt Page 7
