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It bothered her more than she cared to admit when Marcus didn’t return in time for dinner. She hadn’t seen him since he had left the house earlier. Although he had promised he would be back for dinner, he hadn’t. She began to worry that he had been caught up with something relating to his work, but then began to fret about whether anything had happened to him. Her fear began to grow and grow until, by the time the kitchen was scrubbed down and she was able to go to bed, she was frantic with worry.
Ben had stormed off as soon as dinner had been served, but he had issued her with a dire warning about her reputation before he went. It didn’t do much to ease their already troubled relationship.
All in all, it had been a very trying day.
It seemed a little presumptuous to sit up and wait for Marcus to return. He was, after all, a single man; an adult, who could go where he wanted, when he wanted. It wasn’t for her to question him, wait up for him, or have any expectancy of him whatsoever.
With that in mind, she reluctantly made her way up to bed.
The new bedroom wasn’t anything like her old one, unfortunately. It left her unable to settle in the bed. She spent the better part of half an hour tossing and turning while willing her tumbling thoughts to settle. At some point, she must have fallen asleep because she suddenly became aware of strong arms sliding beneath her. Her gasp was swallowed by a now familiar mouth, leaving her to moan in sensual delight when she realised what was happening.
“Marcus?” she murmured when he finally lifted his head.
When he lifted her high into his arms, she clung to his shoulders.
“Where are we going?” she gasped, making no attempt to get him to put her down.
“To bed,” he whispered. “What are you doing in here? This is not where you sleep, Jess.”
“I can’t share your bed.” She stared at him with a mixture of raw need and regret.
“Well, you certainly aren’t sleeping in there,” he retorted flatly.
He had seen the room earlier. It was one step above being uninhabitable. There was no earthly possibility that he would allow Jess to remain in there a second longer than necessary. Not after what they had shared.
Before she could summon a protest, he stalked quietly down the hall with his precious burden. Once inside the room, he paused long enough to lock the door and then deposited her onto the bed before he followed her down.
“Now, where were we?” he whispered as he slid beneath the sheets with a relieved sigh.
She turned to face him and found herself snuggled intimately against his naked heat.
With his stomach full from the delicious repast he had just shared with his colleague in the tavern, and Jess safely tucked up beside him, Marcus was now ready for a few hours’ sleep before his nightly duties began.
“You look a little worried,” he murmured. “Has Lloyd been pestering you again?”
Jess shook her head. Before she could stop herself, the words began to tumble out in a cascade of babble that even she couldn’t understand. By the time she lapsed into silence, tears had already started to roll down her face. All of her doubts, fears, and worries about Ben tumbled forth and spilled onto his chest in sodden misery.
“I am sorry,” she hiccupped when she finally stopped.
“Come here,” he murmured. “I think someone needs to have a word with that brother of yours. This house is far too big for one person to run by herself. You need help. Given you cannot get someone to work out here, Ben must do his share whether he likes it or not. Especially given that he expects to eat and sleep here. He is, after all, supposed to be the man of the house now. As for us, you did right. He is not at liberty to tell you how to run your life.”
“He is my brother; my only family, but I get so angry with him sometimes that I could shake him,” she whispered. “He just seems so wayward lately that I don’t know what I am going to do. I have tried to tell him to stop stealing, but he just doesn’t listen.”
“Is he involved in Smithers’ shenanigans?” Marcus leaned back to look down into her watery eyes.
“No,” Jess gasped. “Oh, God, no. I hope not. Smithers is inevitably going back to jail – just like he always does. I hope Ben doesn’t get caught with him. If he goes to prison-”
She couldn’t bring herself to finish.
Marcus nodded his understanding. He felt a little sorry for her. She was trying so hard but battling such insurmountable odds that it was inevitable everything would end up collapsing around her at some point. He just couldn’t bring himself to tell her. He wished he could reassure her that everything would be alright, but it was far too soon for anything like that. They had too many secretive people and dark shadows surrounding them.
“I am sorry. I shouldn’t be burdening you with my problems. It isn’t right.”
“I don’t mind, Jess,” he whispered. “I want you to confide in me. I will help you; I hope you know that.”
“I know, but you are going to move on at some point,” she replied.
If she was honest with herself, the thought of being without Marcus was part of the reason behind her tears. She hated the thought of losing this closeness. She hated the thought of losing him.
