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“Coffee would be good.”
Anneke simply nodded.
He watched her use the intercom to relay his request, and a moment later a maid came in bearing a tray with two cups of coffee. He thanked the younger girl for the service, and when the maid nodded also without meeting his gaze, another realization came to him.
Accidenti.
Everyone here knew about the article, and Marcus felt like a goddamn idiot for not realizing it sooner. No wonder she was acting so stiff about him. Everyone here was probably wondering why she had even let him step one foot in her house—-
But even knowing that, she still had.
He said abruptly, “I’m sorry.”
The apology had Anneke’s fingers trembling so hard she was forced to put the cup down lest she ended spilling up the coffee on herself. She could feel Marcus’ sincerity in those words, but was that really enough?
“Is there anything you want to ask?” Marcus asked tautly. When Anneke responded with a clumsy shrug of her shoulders, one that could mean anything, he tried again, saying, “I sued the hell out of her, in case you’re wondering.”
“I wasn’t.” Anneke’s tone was jerky. “But since you did – doesn’t it only mean you’re guilty?”
“I sued her because we had a non-disclosure,” Marcus said flatly, “and she had violated it by giving an interview about me. As for being guilty...” It was his turn to shrug. “Of what? Of being aDom?”
It was the article’s biggest revelation about him, and in a way Marcus had to be thankful for that. If the woman had made the smallest hint about what went down between them in his wedding night, he didn’t know what he’d have done. But whatever it was, he was certain the other woman would wish she was dead instead.
“You’ve always known that part about me,” he told Anneke quietly. “And in the interest of full disclosure – I’ve never seen it as something to be guilty of.”
Silence.
And he found himself holding his breath –
Until he saw her make a small nod, and relief filled him. He knew then that whatever their problems were, at least it wouldn’t be compounded by Anneke’s inability to accept that part of him.
Painfully tense silence started to hum between them again, and Anneke struggled to keep herself still. Marcus’ intense dark gaze hadn’t wavered from her, not even once, and she just didn’t know what to do with it.
She only had the briefest glimpse of him, and already she felt like she was in the brink of falling off an abyss –
And if she ever did, she just knew there would be no getting over it, there was just no way to glue the pieces back together again.
Anneke dug her nails into her palms. That article was a wake-up call, and it was time for her to stop deluding herself into thinking that things had changed – or that things could ever change between them.
She prepared herself to get it over with, telling herself it was now or never, but before another word could come out Marcus had already spoken.
“I want to talk about that night.”
Her head turned to him sharply before she could stop herself—-
Oh.
A shudder ran over her body at the sight of Marcus, and her eyes started to prick. He was beautiful, so beautiful. And she loved him so much, but could he ever be hers?
“Will anything change, Marcus,” she heard herself ask tremulously, “even if we talk about it?”
“Yes.”
“But you still d-did it with her—-”
Marcus shook his head. “No.” He took the USB out of his pocket and as he slowly laid it on the table, it felt as if he was carving out his own soul. “Everything’s in here.” He swallowed hard. “And everythingwillchange after this.”
And once she did know everything, would she still be able to look at him the same way again?
