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“What the hell are you doing here?”
Mark looped his arm around my hip, holding me to him when I tried to scoot away. I quickly became aware the pink pajama t-shirt had ridden up enough so his hand landed on my bare thigh. For a moment, my mind blanked, electric tingles racing over me as my hormones went crazy. I’d fantasized about this moment, dreamed about it. He was finally in bed with me, and I wanted nothing more than to kick him out of it—no matter what my body wanted.
“Where else would I be?” He reached up to brush my hair out of my face.
Automatically, I ducked forward, letting my hair fall forward to obscure the side with the birthmark. “Stop that. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with that blonde you were kissing last night?”
“Blonde?” He frowned, his dark brows lower as lines formed around his silvery blue eyes. “What blonde? I haven’t kissed anyone.”
“I saw you,” I hissed, my heart hurting. “She was all over you, and you kissed her. Sparkly green dress, big boobs, ring any bells?”
“Caroline.” Mark’s grip on my hip tightened further. “She’s a pain in my ass, but I promise you, I didn’t kiss her.”
“I saw you.”
“Baby bear, there is only one woman I want to kiss, and it’s not that crazy bitch.”
“Stop calling me that.”
He pulled me closer to him by my hip as he rose up onto his elbow. The thick, defined muscles of his chest flexed beneath the mat of dark hair, and I was momentarily distracted by how painfully tight my nipples had become. Mark was just so…virile. Manly. I’d forgotten how big he was compared to me, and I felt like a little baby bear as he sat up all the way and hauled me onto his lap, caging me in his arms.
“Where is Vali?”
“Hannah grabbed him a few minutes ago so he could use the bathroom and probably eat. Their cook spoils the hell out of Honey, makes her meals from scratch every day. Don’t worry, Leo and Hannah will take good care of him.”
I gave a few futile struggles, but he was just so friggin strong.
“Let me go.”
“Never. You’re mine now, Layla. For better or worse, you’re stuck with me.”
I froze in the motion of pushing against his chest, my fingers slightly caressing as I absorbed the feeling of his warmth. “What?”
His pale blue eyes bore into mine as he said, “I tried to stay away, tried to keep you safe, but I realize now that you’re safer with me than alone.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
He briefly closed his eyes, then held me as I tried to wiggle away. “The Cordova Empire is powerful, very powerful, and they have equally powerful enemies. I’m Leo’s righthand man, and I’ve made more than a few adversaries of my own as a result. I didn’t want the violence that I see every day spilling over onto you the way it did with…with Gracie.”
We shifted, and I froze when I felt something long, very thick, and hard pressing up against my ass.
“Ignore that,” Mark growled, sending shivers down my spine.
“I cannot ignore your penis poking at my butt.” I squeaked, “Let me go.”
“Layla.” I stilled at the tone of his voice. “Listen to me. We belong together.”
“Oh, now we belong together?” I seethed. “For three years, I’ve waited for you. For three years, I’ve been patient, given you time, tried to pretend that someday you’d see me as more than a friend. Three years, Mark. I practically begged you to go out with me, but you canceled every single time. Now that my life is completely screwed up, you decide that I’m good enough for you? Well, you’re not good enough for me!”
He made a pained sound, but he nodded. “You’re right. I’m not good enough for you, but I swear to God I’m going to do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Tears burned my nose as I shoved at his furry chest. “Let me go!”
“Never.”
He took that moment to kiss me, and I completely lost all sense of reality.
The firm warmth of his lips, the scruff of his beard, his scent and taste all overwhelmed me. My brain shorted out, went into a full reboot, and my body was left running the show. With a sob stuck in my throat, I wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands soon gripped me with a desperation that was almost painful. He was so much bigger than me, so much stronger, and the fact that he was so commanding was a complete turn on. I loved how he could cocoon me with his body as his lips caressed mine, loved the way he made me feel safe.
I needed him, desperately, and tears dripped down my cheeks, turning our kiss salty.
