Page 81 of Possessive Ink

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to scare you,” Lemon says, reaching out a hand toward him.

Jumping back, Marcus throws up his hand to cover his face, his eyes wide and terrified.

Curling my arm around Lemon’s waist, I pull her closer to me. “It’s okay,” I tell him softly.

“Yes, of course. I’m fine,” he says too quickly. “I was miles away. You startled me.”

“That’s okay. Could you point us in the direction of the packing boxes?” I ask him, not wanting to question his reaction, but filing the conversation away for later.

“Should I arrange for a moving company to come and pack everything?” he asks, his voice the fast, ultra-professional, impersonal one he used for the first six months that he worked for us.

“No. God, no. Avery would lose her mind if I let movers into the apartment,” Lemon says quickly.

With a brisk nod, Marcus darts across the studio, his body stiff as he reaches behind a cabinet and pulls out several folded cardboard moving boxes. Carrying the boxes back to us, he leans them against the wall, then darts off to another cabinet, pulling out tape and a roll of bubble wrap, before bringing them back to us too.

“These are perfect. Thank you,” I tell him, not mentioning his wild eyes and frantic body language.

Handing Lemon the tape and bubble wrap, I pick up the boxes and carry them out to my car, opening the trunk and placing them inside. “Do you have your house keys?” I ask Lemon.

“They’re in my purse.”

“Okay, you climb in, and I’ll go and fetch them. I’ll be right back.”

Opening her door, I watch as she gets herself situated in the passenger seat before I head back inside and make a beeline for Marcus.

His eyes go wide when he sees me, but I place my hand slowly on his arm and speak before he can. “Are you okay?”

His eyes are glassy when he purses his lips and nods.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

He shakes his head.

“Do you understand that Felix, Lemon, and I are here for you? Not as your boss, but as your friend and your family.”

A single tear slips from his eyes, but he quickly wipes it away. “I know.”

“Okay, so when you’re ready, if you’re ever ready, you can come and find me and tell me, and I’ll make sure that whoever hurt you never hurts you again.”

“You already did that,” Marcus whispers.

Swallowing thickly, I nod, remembering the visit I paid to his asshole ex when he was hassling Marcus before we left to move to Montana. “I wish I’d made my visit to that asshole a lot more violent right about now.”

“Violence he understands, but being intimidated isn’t something he’s used to. He won’t contact me again,” Marcus says quietly.

“I’m glad about that, but if I’d known⁠—”

“You’ve already done more than anyone else did,” Marcus whispers.

Unable to resist, I pull the other man into me and hug him tightly.

“What’s the matter?” Felix asks, suddenly appearing behind us.

“I’m just pleased that Marcus decided to move here with us,” I tell my brother, not wanting to share Marcus’s story without permission.

“Oh. Okay. I’m happy you’re here too, Marcus,” Felix says.

Pulling away, Marcus quickly wipes his eyes and clears his throat. “I’m glad too. Applying for the job as your PA is the best decision I’ve ever made,” he says, then, like this confession is as much as he can take, he rushes away.