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“Hi,” I reply, immediately pulling her into my arms and holding her tightly.
“There was something going on downstairs, but I’m not sure what.”
My throat thickens with emotion. Marley was way too close to stumbling upon that woman in my apartment. On my bed. The thought almost brings me to my knees with fear and anger. I’m so fucking grateful I was the one who found her and not Mar. That could have very well have been detrimental to our new relationship.
I open my mouth to tell her what happened, but I stop myself. There’s a light in her eyes, a happiness that kicks up my heartbeat and steals my breath. The thought of dimming that look, or worse, squashing it altogether, makes me sick to my stomach. All I want to do is protect her, now and forever.
So instead of telling her what happened not too long before she arrived, I find myself answering, “I’m not sure. I’ll probably have the security report on my desk in the morning.”
Marley smiles at me and goes up on her tiptoes. When her lips are within striking distance of my own mouth, she whispers, “Are those roses petals I see?”
I swallow hard. “For you, cherie.”
The smile I’m rewarded with both breaks my heart and melts it. I hate lying to her, but it’s for her own good. I don’t want her anywhere near this Jeanie fiasco. Nowhere near the toxic situation she created. Instead, I want to focus on the good, and that’s Marley.
The rest of it can wait until later.
Now, I need that shower. I need to hold the woman I now know I’ve fallen in love with and show her just what she means to me. I need Marley.
Everything else doesn’t matter.
The ringing phone jolts me from a deep sleep. I glance at the alarm on my nightstand, noticing it’s almost midnight. Marley mumbles but snuggles deeper into my pillow as I slide my arm out from under her and grab my phone. I hit the Accept button, so it stops ringing, and quickly slip out of bed, heading for the living room.
“Hello?” I whisper as soon as I hit the large darkened room, not bothering to see who’s on the other end.
“Why the hell didn’t you file a restraining order?”
My heart skids to a stop in my chest. “Grandpa?”
“Of course it’s me, Eli. What the hell is going on there?”
I rub my forehead, trying to wrap my head around the fact my grandpa is calling at midnight to chap my ass about the incident that happened six hours ago. “How did you hear?”
I hear him sigh through the phone and can instantly picture him sitting at his old desk in his office, a glass of amber liquid in front of him, possibly a cigar between his fingers. “George. They just left a bit ago. He and Marge came over, and when the ladies were discussing redecorating the family room, George mentioned it to me. He’s concerned, as am I.”
“It’s fine. I took care of it,” I insist, staring out at the city below. From here, I can see the wineglass water fountain, the lights illuminating the liquid as it pours from the glass into the fountain.
“Took care of it? By sending her away without getting the police involved? I’m not sure that was the right decision, Eli. I know you don’t want the negative publicity or the issue attached to your name, but I think you should have done more.” He pauses, and before I can say anything, adds, “Unless she means something to you?”
“What? No. She means nothing to me. Absolutely nothing,” I counter, staring into the darkness.
He sighs. “Okay. Good. I was afraid she was a… friend.”
I snort. “No, she’s not a friend.”
“All right,” he says. “George tells me there is someone.”
“How would George know that?” I ask, glancing down and wishing I had on a pair of shorts right now. There’s nothing worse than discussing your love life with your grandpa while naked.
“He’s head of security, Eli. You do know there are cameras everywhere, remember?”
I close my eyes and smile. Of course there are cameras in the elevators. Why the hell didn’t I think of that?
I move across the room to the guest bathroom off the kitchen, flip on the light, and close the door. “I really like her,” I confess, leaning against the vanity.
“Is she there now?” he asks, the smile evident in his voice.
“She is. If I had it my way, she’d be here every night.”
“So it’s like that.”
“It’s like that,” I confirm, smiling.
“Hmmm, I’m happy for you, Eli. I knew you were the right man at the helm of Morrison, and even though I’m proud to have you in the position, I’m prouder of the man you’ve become.”
I try to swallow over the lump in my throat. “Thank you.”
