Page 42 of Forbidden Desire

“I don’t know who he is. I’ve told you that,” I say sharply.

“So you say, but you’ve never been the kind of girl who sleeps around like that…”

“Have you thought that maybe I am, but don’t like sharing with mybrother?”

“Okay, you two,” says Monica, putting her hands up.

“Sorry,” mutters Troy.

“Sorry,” I say sheepishly, looking at Josie who is giving me a big grin.

I hate keeping this big secret, especially from my brother. We’ve always been close, but I can’t trust him not to go apeshit on the man who unknowingly got me pregnant and left me that morning. He’s protective to a fault sometimes. I can’t risk it. The only people who know are Sadie and Beth, and I plan on keeping it that way, even if it means lying to most everyone else.

On Monday morning, Marco and I are working in his office when there’s a knock at the door. He looks up in surprise and a warm smile spreads across his lips. I haven’t seen him smile like that ever, except maybe once for me the night we met. I look behindme and see a short woman with tan skin and graying hair cut into a sophisticated bob. I can tell by the eyes that it has to be his mother.

“Mama,” he says, standing from his desk and walking over to embrace her.

“Marco,” she says, hugging him tightly before putting her hands on his shoulders and looking at him proudly.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

“I wanted to see you and the new office. It looks beautiful. Doesn’t it look beautiful?” she asks, turning to me.

“Yes, ma’am,” I say.

“Mama, this is Erica. She’s been helping me with the acquisition,” says Marco. “Erica, this is my mother, Alejandra.”

I hold my hand out and she shakes it gently, her skin cold against mine, but her eyes are warm.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Vallejos.”

“Please call me Alejandra. And my goodness, aren’t you a pretty thing.”

“Thank you,” I say, my cheeks flushing with color.

I grab my papers from Marco’s desk. “I’ll leave you two be,” I say, giving Marco a little nod before leaving his office.

As I leave, I see him pull his mother in for another hug. I can see how much he loves her and how much she loves him, just in the few minutes of being in their presence together. He keeps surprising me with how different he is from his reputation as The Shark. He is a smart businessman and maybe he’s made some calculated choices that have left some unhappy, but underneath it all, he seems to be a good person. You can tell a lot about a man by how he treats his mother, and just right now was more than telling.

After an hour, I see him walk his mother through the office, his hand in hers. My heart feels like it’s melting into a pool. But when he walks back to his office without her, his expression is grim. I watch as he runs his hand through his hair, his tell-tale sign that he’s stressed, as whatever he is thinking about churns inside him. Against my better judgment, I stand up from my desk and walk next door to his office. He’s at his desk with his head in his hands. I knock softly. He looks up and I wonder if he’s on the verge of tears.

“What’s wrong, Marco?” I ask softly, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

He takes a deep breath and looks off into the distance. “My mother…her health is not the best,” he says.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I say, taking the seat across from him. “She seems like such a wonderful, vibrant woman.”

“She’s good at putting on a front when she’s around me. She doesn’t want me to worry. Doesn’t want to distract me.” He shakes his head forlornly.

“She must love you very much…”

“And I her.” He shakes his head, as if it will shake the sadness away. It’s a sadness that is putting a crack through my heart right here in his office. I realize now that maybe there are more feelings here than I would like to admit because I want to make everything okay for the man sitting in front of me.

“She’s the reason I left…” says Marco, his eyes finding mine.

“What?”

“The reason I left that morning. I had every intention of staying with you. Waking up next to you was a dream. But then I got a call from the hospital. My mother had a heart attack and I had to leave immediately.”

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