Page 53 of Marcus

“Mmhmm. Like six hours longer.”

Cella laughed.

“Should really start flying instead of driving,” Marcus told her girl.

As though Tiffany made the choice.

“Should tell my ma that,” the girl returned.

Marcus nodded, running his tongue along his teeth and sucking in air at the same time like he was considering that statement. “You know what, maybe I’ll just buy the tickets and send them over, huh?”

“That won’t be needed,” Cella spoke up.

The damn man—looking entirely too sexy and tempting where he kneeled—glanced up at her with a grin that told her tonight would be very fun for the two of them. Or maybe it was that glint in his eye when his gaze took her in, slowly drifting down her body and lingering in all the right spots before his attention went back to Tiffany.

Yep.

Definitely missed him.

“Well,” Marcus said to Tiffany, “how does some popcorn and a movie sound? I think it’ll help you fall asleep, and then tomorrow you’ll be ready for all the stuff we’re gonna do this weekend, oui?”

“What movie?”

“It’s on the TV, you just have to press play on the remote to get it started. The Princess and the—”

“Yes.” Tiffany didn’t even wait for Marcus to finish before she pushed past him to go inside the house. He laughed as he stood. Cella had a good mind to correct her daughter, but the girl was already shouting, “Thanks for remembering, Marcus!”

Cella’s confused expression wasn’t lost on Marcus because he turned to her with a shrug, explaining, “That first time I talked with her on the phone—”

“At the hotel?”

“Yeah … she told me all her favorite things. The movie was one of those.”

And he remembered.

Just because, apparently.

She decided to go for a change in topic. “I thought you stayed at a place in the city?”

“Most of the time,” he replied, “but this is my private residence that a lot of people don’t know about except family, and I’m trying to lay low for a bit.”

Cella wasn’t sure if she liked the sound of that. “Why?”

“Just let me worry about those details.”

What did that mean?

Marcus flashed her with a confident smile as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of those loose-fitting sweatpants, and stepped to the side a bit as if to let her into his house. “So, you coming in, too, or are you going to keep standing there like you’re not sure if I might bite you?”

Cella gave him a look. “You don’t bite.”

He winked. “Not unless you ask nicely, anyway.”

Hell.

There went her panties. Just like the rest of her was gone, too. All because of this wickedly attractive man, and the draw he seemed to have on her.

“You’re dangerous for my heart,” she told him before stepping past him into the house.