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He need not have stepped in at all. This had nothing to do with him, but Marcus had stepped up and helped me stand up to Brandon.
He sighed heavily.
“Look… Celine, I’m really sorry for what I did at the club, and I wish I could go back in time and undo it. But I can’t. All I can do is offer any help you need to fight that piece of shit. I can be your pretend boyfriend if it helps to get Brandon off your back. I acted like a jealous boyfriend at the club anyway, and I’m sure word of that will get around at some point. Trust me, it will work in your favor. I’m not exaggerating when I say that Brandon will hesitate before he messes with you because of the weight my name carries. And I wasn’t lying about being on a first-name basis with the DA. I can make sure he gets no support from his department if he tries to intimidate you.”
I hated to admit it, but what he said did make sense. No matter how much I hated it, I couldn’t fight Brandon on my own if he decided to sue for full custody. Although, God knows what he’d do with it even if he got it. He had no interest in raising his daughter. He was just trying to bully me into giving up Tia’s whereabouts. Still, I didn’t know if I could put up with Marcus’s high-handedness.
“Alright, but what about my work? Can you deal with the fact that I’m still going to be working? You’re going to have to call Bo and reverse whatever agreement you have with him because I better get my share of lap dances from tomorrow,” I warned.
“I still don’t know why you can’t just dance for me,” he grumbled. “My money is as good as anyone’s.”
I didn’t know how to explain to him that when I danced for him, it couldn’t be for money. There was a huge difference between what I did for a living and what had transpired between us at the hotel. That wasn’t business. That was personal. It was pure lust.
“Talk to Bo and make it right, Marcus,” I said, shaking my head.
Rose needed changing. I turned to smile at Marcus before I went into my bedroom. He smiled back at me, and for a moment, all was right with the world. When I came out of the bedroom, dinner was on the table, and Marcus’s bags were nowhere to be seen. He was pouring out two glasses of wine.
I fed Rose before I bolted down the grilled chicken and spaghetti he’d whipped up, and carried her off to bed. When I came out again, he’d cleaned up the kitchen and turned down the lights. The bottle of wine and our glasses were on the coffee table by the couch.
I threw myself on the couch with a groan.
“You’re spoiling me. How am I going to manage on my own when you’re gone?”
Marcus smiled and poured me some more wine.
As I lay back on the couch and sipped slowly, he raised my foot and placed it in his lap.
“What are you doing?” I yelped.
“Shh. Just relax,” he murmured as he began to knead the arch of my foot. He massaged all the soreness out of one foot before he reached for the other. I tried to hide the shudders of pleasure that wracked me at the touch of his skilled hands.
I had a choice to make here. Either I could thank him nicely for the foot massage, and go back to my room to toss and turn for the rest of the night. Or I could do something about this maddening need I felt for this man.
Marcus held my gaze as his fingers stilled on my foot. There was no choice, really. There was only one thing I could do.
CHAPTER 11
MARCUS
Celine held my eyes as she set her wine glass carefully on the table.
Then she crawled across the expanse of the couch and came to straddle me. I spread my legs to give her a comfortable perch.
She dug her hands into the thickness of my hair and I sighed. This felt right. There were a million reasons for us to stay away from each other, and only one reason to actually do this. But that one reason counted the most. We wanted each other.
I craved Celine more than I craved the breath that kept me alive. I didn’t know what it was about her that had me so completely head over heels in lust. All I knew was that I wanted her like I’d never wanted any woman before. My brain pointed out that she was very wrong for me, and the rest of my body politely requested my brain to shut the fuck up.
She searched my eyes as if she were looking down into my very soul.
“If we do this, it won’t give you any right to boss me around or interfere with my work, Marcus,” she murmured against my lips.
I nibbled at her lips softly.
“I’ll deal with it,” I replied between nibbles. “I’m okay with what you do at the club as long as you come home to me every night and I’m the only man you fuck.”
She nipped at my lower lip hard and then sucked on it to make it better.
“Don’t use such words in front of Rose,” she said, winding her arms around my neck.
