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Quill was the last person she wanted to prioritize. Of course, that would only remain true until he sucked her into his web again, or painted her or paintedwithher. He made her weak in so many ways.
So much about Marcus made sense now—so much about his reaction to her from day one. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t picked up the undercurrents between the two men.
Now that Marcus had acclimated to the heat and the sting, he’d closed his eyes, his head resting against the tile. His arms were stretched over the edge of the tub as the steam rose off him. He didn’t look like a man who’d just been beaten in her place. Even if physically it might take a bit longer, emotionally he seemed to mend at a speed bordering on supernatural. It may have been a while, but this didn’t seem to be an unusual event between them. Quill had just needed an in.
“Sir?”
“Hmmm?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did.” After a long beat of silence, he said, “Go ahead.”
“How long did you know what he was planning to do with me?”
He let out a long, resigned sigh as if he’d been waiting for this question. “I didn’t know exactly, but I suspected he was planning something early on. I didn’t know what, but I knew he was far too obsessed with you.” He cracked a grin. “I can’t believe you conned him out of all that money. He was mad about it for the first few hours after you left that night, but then I guess his evil plan started forming, which pacified him for a while.”
“Were you watching me in Venice?”
“That was my assignment, yes.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
He shrugged. “What attachment did I have to you?”
It felt like a lie, or part of a lie. Had Quill promised him a piece of her that early in the game to gain his enthusiastic surveillance? Marcus had selected that white nightgown so quickly. Had he seen her in it already in the villa? She didn’t verbalize any of these questions or thoughts. She didn’t want to know. She still wanted to see him as her protector.
She took the bar of soap and a loofah from the tile and began to bathe. If she dragged things on too long, Quill wouldn’t be happy. And Marcus was right. That wouldn’t end well.
“Why did you let him beat you?” she asked.
Another sigh. This time he opened his eyes and sat up to level a warning look. “This is a lot more than one question.”
“I’m sorry.”
“If I hadn’t, it would have been you. It would have been bad for you, and you didn’t deserve it.”
“So? What attachment do you have to me?”
His hand dipped under the water to squeeze her thigh. “Let’s just say you’re growing on me, and I’ve developed an interest in your welfare.”
She tensed, but then relaxed again as he kneaded the muscles in her leg.
“Is Lachlan even his real name?”
Marcus shook his head. “No, but if I told you his real name, what you just witnessed would be mild compared to what he’d do to me. And remember, the great and powerful Oz sees and hears all.” He pointed to the camera staring down at them over the tub.
She wasn’t sure how, but she’d nearly forgotten the cameras. There was no such thing as a private moment on Quill’s property.
“Turn around and let me get your back,” Marcus said.
Saskia turned and leaned against the edge of the tub as Marcus’s hands moved slowly over her. Her muscles bunched into tight knots as he touched her. She couldn’t relax with him again, not after the price he just finished paying for it.
“He’s watching this,” she whispered.
“Probably,” Marcus said. “He likes to watch.”
“But aren’t you worried...?”
