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He taps his chin, shooting me a secretive smirk. I bet most people in Stone Harbor wouldn’t believe it if I took a picture of him now. They’d say it was Photoshopped because no way can grim faced Markus McCabe look so freaking playful. Light glimmering in his eyes.
“I’d say around fifteen,” he says.
“Fifteen?” I gasp. “Are you kidding me?”
“Oh, yeah,” he says.
“Phew.”
“I meant fifty.”
I reach across the table and playfully slap him on the arm, but I have to withdraw my hand quickly because the feel of his bulging bicep is too much on top of all the family talk. He sits there in a fresh pale blue shirt, the top button undone, the sleeves slightly rolled up to show the tautness of his forearms.
“I think the kitchen is going to be a little crowded in that case,” I laugh.
“Once word gets out about how incredible you are, you’re going to have enough restaurants for a whole army of children. Don’t worry.”
“I need to make you some more dishes before I agree to this,” I giggle. “I can’t have you giving me a whole restaurant based on some chili con carne.”
He raises his hands in mock defeat. “I won’t say no to any more of your cooking.”
Something swells in my chest, shifts around, and I find myself glancing over to the kitchen as though to check on our food. But really I’m just avoiding Markus’ gaze.
“What?” Markus growls, seeing everything like he always does.
“What?” I counter.
“You look … Oh, I see.”
“You see what?” I counter, swinging my gaze back to his.
He smirks, but with a cocky quality now, leans forward and stares directly into my eyes so that my insides do funny things. “You’re thinking about going someplace private after this,” he growls. “And I’m not going to argue with that. Just be sure, Millie. Because once we’re alone and I get that fine body naked, I’m going to be a madman.”
I swallow, skin pricking with goosebumps, everything swirling around inside of me, my heart pounding with all the talk of children and the future. For the first time in forever, I feel as though my life holds something other than fear and paranoia and shattered promises.
And that’s with Finn on our case.
This man is like a wizard with the effect he has on me.
“I want it,” I tell him. “But I’m … what if I can’t?”
“Can’t what?” he asks.
I shoot him an oh-please look. Take your massive cock, isn’t exactly appropriate talk for a restaurant, after all.
“Oh,” he mutters. “Then we’ll work through it. Millie, you really need to stop thinking of this as something you need to prove, to … anything. This isn’t like that. I’m not putting you on trial. I’m the lucky bastard who gets to be with you. I really don’t think you realize how beautiful you are, how intelligent, how funny, how incredible.”
“Well, duh,” I laugh. “You’re the first person who’s ever told me any of that. Except for Jackie.”
He reaches across the table and takes my hands in his, moving his thumbs over my knuckles, causing teasing tickles to dance up my arms.
“I want you,” he snarls. “If there are complications, then we’ll work through them, together. But listen to me. Our bodies want this. As crazy as it sounds, my seed, your womb, they’re starving for this. Once I get you alone, once we let out the animals inside of us, we’re going to find it hard to stop, not start.”
I squeeze tighter onto his hands, letting his words bolster me, my womb singing a song inside of me that tells me he’s right.
It’s time to stop letting my childhood, my fear, my anxiety rule my life.
It’s time to live.
I love you, Markus.
Okay, I really need to get those thoughts in check and make sure they don’t spontaneously become speech, because that could be a problem.
But other than that, life is good, better than good, and it becomes just about perfect when the waiter brings out two of the juiciest burgers I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“Let’s eat,” Markus says. “And then it’s time for dessert.”Chapter NineteenMarkusI park the Chevy outside The Castle on the Rock, a hotel that sits atop a cliffy rock side that overlooks the ocean. As we drove up the winding road, it was veiled in mist, a shimmering over the water that danced and warped. But it was hard to focus on the beauty of nature when I had an earth shattering beauty sitting next to me, filling the car with her all-consuming scent.
Now, I watch as Millie stares up at the hotel, a castle style structure complete with a wooden walkway that leads to the reception area. The place is a magnificent novelty, a one of a kind hotel, and as her evident glee lights up her features I’m glad I made the one hour drive.
