“Marc…” she groaned and tried to get out of his arms, but he held her close.
“Hey. Hey, what? What’s the matter?” he asked as she kept trying to fight her way out if his hold.
“I don’t need lines.”
“It’s not a line,” he reassured her, but he could tell she didn’t believe him.
“It sounds like something from one of your movies,” she clipped.
Her cheeks were red and her eyes wet, and even though her doubt in him bothered him, seeing her upset bothered him more. He let her go, sensing she needed the space. And he needed to get his shit together. She slipped back into the driver’s seat and threw her shirt back on. He clenched his jaw as he zipped up his pants and looked toward his house. It was huge. Too much space, really. And at that moment, it was the last place he wanted to be.
“I need to go,” she told him, but he didn’t move. He knew if he stepped out of the car right now, she was going to peel out of there and there would be hell to pay later. “Marc. I have to—”
“Quiet,” he clipped, grabbing her hand in his. He turned to look at her. She held her body tight. “It wasn’t a line. It’s the truth.” She started to shake her head, but when their eyes met, she stopped. “Nothing about you and me has been anything but fucking real from the moment you opened your damn door. You and I. This thing we feel.” He huffed and shook his head. “It’s bigger than anything I have ever felt, and it’s because it’s real. How else can you explain the connection between us?”
“Sexual frustration?” she suggested like a smartass. His lips twitched.
“Bullshit. If you wanted to get laid, you would have a while ago.”
“Marc…”
“It’s only been a couple of days. I didn’t think shit like this was even possible. But you’re mine. I know it. I know it like I know the sun will rise tomorrow.” She gasped at his candid words, then silence filled the car. He kept looking at her as she looked away, her eyes glassy. He knew taking this leap with him was terrifying for her, but she had to be the one to give in. He couldn’t push her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and his heart stuttered. Only when she leaned back into his space did it start beating correctly again and he felt like he could breathe. “When you say things like that, it feels too good to be true and…”
“You got scared,” he finished her sentence, and she nodded. He kissed her forehead. “I get it. It scares me too. This is new. It’s so damn new and burning white hot.”
“What if we just burn out?”
“I doubt it.”
“How do you know?” she pressed. He ran his hands through his hair.
“I don’t. I don’t know, because I can’t tell the future. No one can. But I know in the pit of my gut, sweetness, you’re mine. In time, I’ll prove it.”
“How?
“You’re scared I’ll leave. That I only want one thing. Well, two things. You’re scared I will hurt you.” He knew he was right when her eyes became even glassier yet she didn’t let a tear escape.
“You’ll know I’m yours when you realize that I would rather have you lie in my arms, arguing with me over dumb shit, than be anywhere else. When you realize that being mine means I’m yours too.”
“Marc—”
“You’ll get it when you realize I’m not going to leave. I’m not going to leave like your dad did; I’m not going to leave like Lexi’s dad did.”
“I’m falling for you really, really fast.”
“That’s good, since I’m falling for you the same damn way,” he retorted, but she put a finger to his lips. He licked it, which earned him a soft smile.
“There are going to be moments I freak out. It’s just me. It’s who I am.”
“Can I talk?”
“Yes,” she whispered, his hand gliding through the back of her hair.
“I’m looking forward to those moments.”
“You are?” she asked in wonder.
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to everything with you. Good and bad. Freak outs and calm.” He kissed her tenderly, stroking her velvety hair. “All of it,” he whispered against her lips.
“Me too.” He smiled at her admission. “I have to go.” She sighed, and he pulled away.
“You sure I can’t talk you into coming inside the house?”
“Would you give me a tour?”
“Yes. But it would end at the master bedroom.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she laughed. “Somehow, I think that is all I would see if I went in there.” He silently chuckled, but he knew what she had decided before she spoke it out loud. “Not tonight. I have to go home.”
“I understand.” He got out and walked over to her door where she was peeking out the open window. “Call me when you get home, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed. He leaned in for one last taste of her lips before he made himself step back and watch her leave.
He stood there for about two minutes when Garrett came up behind him, both looking out to the now closed fence.
“So, did I make five K, or did I invest into your fucking movie?”
“Look, Garrett, about that…”
“You’re a fucking idiot if you’re falling for her,” Garrett’s deep voice rumbled. Marc looked at his older brother, his eyes narrowed.
“You don’t know shit about her.”
“I know women are nothing but a pain in the ass. I know that one has a kid and has something you want. It’s half the reason your balls are twisted as tightly as they are. Why you gave up easy pussy is beyond me. Be smart, Marcus. That sexy little writer is the last thing you need in your life.” He opened his mouth to say something, anything. But like always, Garrett was two steps ahead, entering the house. Leaving him with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Chapter Eighteen
Grace
“No, it sounds great. Yes! Yes. Thank you again for the opportunity. I will keep my eyes open for your email. Thank you. Have a good day!” I calmly remarked, and when the other line disconnected, I threw the phone on the couch and jumped up and down as I squealed like a pre-teen at her first boy band concert
“So?” The deep voice snapped me out of my child like glee, and I flung my body over his, which was lying on my bed. I heard a ‘humph’ but didn’t care. I kissed him and loved every second of it, especially since his deep chuckles mixed in with his kisses felt amazing.
“I got it,” I told him, even though I was sure he knew by my crazy reaction.
“Proud of you, baby.”
“I know it’s not for a year, but holy crap!”
“It’s exciting. Though, I’m sure we will go before then.”
“What?” I froze in his arms, and he gave me this look I wasn’t quite able to read.
“The seminar you are going to is in Canada, right?”
“Yeah.”
“My next movie is there.”
“And?”
“And?” He narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah, and?”
“And I’ll be there for three months.”
“Okay…” Three months without him would suck.
This last week of him being on set and having to do promotional work across the country had been difficult. But we had managed with texting and late night phone calls. But that was only a week and I was already getting tired of it. Could I do three months only to be reunited and then what? Separated again? And for how long?
“Gracie, you listening to me?” he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“What? Sorry. Sorry!”
“I was saying I thought you and Lexi could come out.” My bedroom filled with silence as I processed what he meant.
He had just flown in from having been gone for three days, and Donnie had dropped him off straight from the airport. I had to leave to get Lexi from school any minute, so we had just made out a little in my bed before a phone call came in for a writing retreat by invitation only in Toronto.
“You mean for a weekend?�
��
“I mean like a week or two.”
“But—”
“Lexi will be on vacation.”
“How do you know that?”
“I asked Lexi when she went on summer vacation and she told me.”
“When?” He chuckled and rolled me onto my back, his body on top of mine.
“Last night when you passed her to me to say good night.”
“Oh.”
“So?”
“So… I think I need to go get Lexi, it’s getting late.” I avoided his question. He frowned then sighed and rolled off of me.
“I’ll go with you.”
“You sure?” I asked over my shoulder as I slipped into a pair of booties that went with the faded jeans and olive green tank I was wearing.
“Positive.”
“Parents have camera phones.”
“Do you?” he asked, his voice smooth like silk, and I looked over my shoulder and nodded.
“Maybe I can get some sexy shots of you later.” He waggled his eyebrows up and down humorously, and I threw a pillow at him.
“Come on, let’s go, you horn dog.” I turned to grab my purse when I felt his powerful body behind mine. His hands were at my hips when I leaned into his touch, my back arching to his front.
“I’m spending the night,” he told me unnecessarily, since I had spotted the duffle bag he’d walked in with.
“I figured. Just a fair warning, my couch is lumpy,” I sassed, and he tickled my sides.
“Okay! Okay! Okay!” I squealed, trying to get out of his hold. He stopped.
“You going to let me sleep with you tonight?” he whispered into my ear. I closed my ears, taking it all in. The scent of his expensive woodsy cologne. It wasn’t overpowering, just enough to remind you he was all man, not that any red-blooded women needed the reminder with the way he looked.
“It’s not me who’s been traveling across the country, Marc.”
“I know, baby,” he whispered. I turned so I could look up into his baby blues.
“I want you here tonight. Maybe for the sake of being a good mom, you could stay on the couch until Lexi goes to bed?”
“And I will be out of your room before she wakes up.”
“Thank you.”
“Anything, Gracie.” He leaned in and kissed my nose before grabbing a black hoodie and his Dodgers hat. We headed out to my car. He took the keys from me and drove without asking.
***
Sitting on a bench, my head on Marcus’ shoulder, we both watched Lexi run around the playground of a local park. It felt great to be out, even if a part of me was worried someone might recognize him.
“Donnie reminded me that I had a Montana trip on my calendar,” he shared.
“Oh?” Another trip?
“Yeah. My brothers are leaving a day earlier, but I am meeting them up with Donnie. I like to get out there as often as possible.”
“That’s good. It must be so beautiful there. Will you take pictures of a sunset for me?” I asked, turning my head up to look at him. He shook his head.
“Nah. But you can,” he countered, and I scrunched my eyebrows.
“What?”
“Let’s go. Bring your sisters and Lex.” The idea of Gloria on a ranch was too funny. I giggled.
“What?”
“Gloria on a ranch?” I asked, shaking my head, still giggling. “Though, thinking about it, imagining my sweet hipster Gabby on a ranch might not be any better.”
“Then just you and Lexi.” I turned to watch Lexi as I settled my head back on his shoulder.
She would love to go to a ranch. He had told me there were horses and animals. But a part of me wanted to go there alone with him. We had only messed around this last week. And as great as getting to third base and phone sex were, I wanted more. I wanted him.
“How about just me?” I dared to ask, and his hand gripped my shoulder.
“Don’t toy with me.” The low tone of his voice made my throat go dry.
“I’m not,” I whispered.
“I’ll talk to Donnie. Add you to the flight plan.” His voice croaked slightly. He cleared his throat. I nodded. I felt him kiss the top of my head and sighed.
“I’ll get Gloria or Gabby to watch Lexi.”
“Okay. Good.” He cleared his throat again. We sat there for another fifteen minutes before he suddenly jerked his body, and I looked at him. “Let’s go for milkshakes,” he randomly suggested. I frowned.
“Milkshakes?”
“Yeah. Come on.”
“What’s the—” Before I could finish my question, he stood up, holding my hand tightly in his.
“Hey, Lex, let’s go!” he called out to her, and I realized he was no longer relaxed. His body was tight, his voice slightly agitated.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered as a tingle of fear rushed up my spine.
“Two photogs behind us,” he mumbled but smiled as Lexi came close. “I don’t know about you, but do you like milkshakes?”
“Umm, I’m a kid and I think it’s a rule to like anything with ice cream,” my lovely daughter retorted, and I watched his body slightly relax as he smiled, small lines crinkling by those eyes that made my heart skip a beat.
“Okay, doll. Let’s go get us a milkshake.” He smiled at her. She held his hand as we walked to my car.
“Hey, Lexi, you think you could do me a favor?”
“What’s up?
“You think you want to watch the new Heroes movie?”
“What?” she asked in disbelief. “You mean the one that doesn’t come out in theatres for forty-two days?” she whispered loudly, and both Marcus and I laughed.
“Yeah, honey. It’s on the iPad next to you with the headset.” She squealed and thanked Marcus then hurriedly threw them on.
“I gotta call Don.”
“Okay. Want me to drive?”
“No, honey. Speaker phone.”
“Oh,” I muttered. The phone rang in the car, and I looked behind me. Lexi smiled at me before her eyes went to the movie.
“Hey, what’s up?
“Donnie, you’re on the car phone. Lexi and Grace are here.”
“Hey, ladies.”
“Lexi’s watching a movie, but still, be careful with the cursing.”
“Sh...cra…poo,” Donnie’s deep voice said. I pressed my lips together to stop from laughing. “What happened?”
“We were at the park after we got Lex from school. I spotted two photogs.”
“They follow you there?”
“If they did, I didn’t spot them.”
“Where you heading now?”
“Millions-a-Milkshakes.” The line went silent. I looked at Marc. “Don—”
“That’s asking for them to get your picture.”
“Luna said her nephew, Teddy, loves that place.”
“And?”
“Lexi hasn’t tried it yet.”
“Fine, let me call them. How far are you out?”
“About twenty.” I heard Donnie groan and take a deep breath. “Might be a little longer. I have to get gas. Make it thirty.”
“Thirty I can work with. Want me to get Baker on you guys?”
“He’s with Lawrence in Spain for some award show.”
“Shit.”
“Check out Pierce & Brand.”
“Pierce & Brand?”
“Yeah.”
“Marc, they protected strippers and esc—”
“Don, man, ladies are present.”
“Marc—”
“They have the man power and experience. I spoke to Ethan Brand while I was gone. Just get one of his guys there.”
“Okay. Umm, good talking to you, Grace.”
“Good talking to you too, Donnie.”
“Oh, and Don, add Grace to the flight plan for Montana.”
“Yeah? Grace, you are going to love it there.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I said softly, worried about Marc’s behavior.
&
nbsp; “Okay, I will get that taken care of. Just give me a call when you get there, okay?”
“Okay.” The call ended, and I looked at Marcus. His body was tense and tightly strung.
“If they got pictures, we’ll be front page news in the morning.”
My hand moved over his. “It will be okay.”
“I hope so,” he mumbled as we pulled into a gas station.
He hopped out of the car, and I winked at Lexi before I stepped out and went to where he stood. One leg over the other, he straightened his body as I moved my legs between his, my body against his as I went right into his arms.
“Gracie—”
“Are you worried about what people will say about us together?” I wondered. His eyes softened as some of the edginess left his body.
“No.” He shook his head, his hold tightening around me, pressing my body even closer to his. “I’m worried about people following you and Lexi around. I’m worried that when that shit happens, you will change your mind about us and—” I pulled my face away from his chest and looked up at him, my hand touching his cheek.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“How do you know?” He frowned and tried to look away. I made him keep his eyes on me. The blue pools were full of worry, and as crazy as it was, only having known one another for about two weeks, I knew I was in love with him. Head over heels.
“I’m yours and you’re mine, right?” His eyes went warm instantly, and within a second, his mouth was on mine, my hands clenching his hoodie.
“Thank you,” he murmured against my lips.
"If they have pictures, they got them. We knew it would happen."
"I know," he sighed, "I just wanted a little more time." I tilted my head.
"Then why Millions-a-Milkshakes?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"That place is packed all the time. We could go somewhere else."
“I know.”
“Marc?”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s go home. Make dinner and dessert together. You can give us a rain check for the shake. I'll tell Gracie I'm tired. She'll more than understand.”
“But I told her I’d take her.”
“You will. Just not today,” I clarified and could see the struggle in his eyes. He wanted to take my daughter to a new place because he knew she would enjoy it, and he would do it at an expense to himself.
LIE (Right Men Book 1) Page 15
