Page 70 of The Butterfly Killer

Marcus was too stunned to speak. He floundered, mouth opened and closing was he blinked. Roman pulled away a few seconds later, eyes dark and lidded.

Marcus somehow found the strength to speak.

“Wha…Did you just…try to kiss me?”

Well, he only managed totryto speak.

Roman’s hand moved to cup Marcus’s cheek. He was still stunned. He couldn’t get himself to move away from the touch. He stared in confusion into Roman’s eyes.

Roman’s gaze roamed over his face, searing his skin as he appreciated Marcus’s features like an artist might appreciate someone else’s work.

“Sealing the deal,” Roman said, his voice lowering at the end.

Marcus’s breath caught in his throat. Roman smiled as he stepped back.

Marcus’s stomach fluttered with butterflies. He didn’t quite know what he’d “agreed” to, but he knew agreeing with Roman over anything wouldn’t end well.

Still, he was alight with anticipation even if it would end in his demise.

20

Burns adjustedthe tie to no avail. He’d been looking at it through the mirror on the drive over and now they were parking, giving him less than a minute to find a solution to the monstrosity.

He looked at his styled curls then his fresh shaven face and then the suit he was wearing. It didn’t suit him at all. The high end brand seemed cheap on him though the tailor had tried his best to hype Burns up.

Naturally, Mercer had no problem spending his money on clothes he would only wear once. Burns knew Mercer would never wear the suit he was wearing again—it was too flashy. The velvet dark navy blue looked good on him and that was the problem. Mercer liked to seep into the background. He much preferred watching the rest of the room than being the center of attention.

Burns was the same except for vastly different reasons than Mercer. He didn’t want to be around people in the fear he might be judged while Mercer wanted to be around people so he could judge.

The idea of having to mingle was already started to cause warts to pop up on his fingers. He took deep breaths as he untied the tie and once again tried to fix it. He needed to look at least decent. They were going to be around wealth. Mercer was part of them, but if they smelled Burns out, their whole plan just might start to unravel.

Mercer reached across the console and grabbed the end of the tie. He yanked it out of Burns’s hand. “I’ll fix that. The more you mess with it the more wrinkles you put into it.”

Burns sighed in frustration through his teeth. “I wouldn’t have trouble with it if you’d let me get the clip on!”

Mercer sent him a look. “The only people that wear clip ons are middle age men who have a ‘man cave’.”

“I’m thirty-seven. Give me a couple years and I might have my own man cave. You’ll be lucky if I let you in.”

Mercer snorted. He ran his thumb over the silk tie as he pulled in front of the large white mansion. There were three other cars in front of them. They were models that cost ten times more than Burns would make in a year. Perhaps even five years.

Mercer had also dipped into his own funds to rent the lavish car they were now driving. While it wasn’t as flashy and pricey as some of the other cars being taken away by the valet, it was enough to keep their front up.

Mercer put the car in park and opened the door. He handed the keys over to the valet who jogged around to meet him. Burns’s tie was wrapped around his fingers as he tipped the valet with a hundred.

Burns had to hide the look on his face. He turned away from the bright lights coming from the large building. Mercer joined him as the valet took off with the car.

Mercer grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side. “Come here.”

Burns let Mercer lead him to a darker spot in front of the building where no one would see them. He forced Burns to stop and turn to face him. He wrapped the tie around Burns’s neck and quickly started tying it. He worked fast and with precision Burns didn’t think he could learn if he tried.

He swallowed as Mercer’s fingers brushed against his throat. He made awkward eye contact with Mercer for a split second. He cleared his throat.

“Are you done?”

Mercer’s hands paused. He stared at Burns’s face. The stare made Burns even more uncomfortable. He fidgeted as he tried to get rid of the feeling but also stay still at the same time. Mercer’s eyes narrowed. He intentionally brushed his fingers against Burns’s face this time.

A shiver went down Burns’s spine.

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