Page 62 of Wicked Flirt
She eased back a step. “Yes.”
He grabbed her by the arms. “You defied me! I said it was him or me!”
She tried to wrench herself from his grip, but he held her tight. “Get off me!”
He dropped his hold and shoved both hands in his hair. “Don’t you know what he’ll do to you? He’ll destroy you just like he destroyed Grace.”
“Nate, listen to me. Marcus feels terrible about what happened. He honestly thought Grace was fine. She said she was seeing another guy at the same time.”
He leaned back against his desk, his shoulders slumping. “That guy was me.”
“What? I thought you were her brother.”
“Stepbrother.” His blue eyes gleamed bright. “I love her.”
Lexi’s mind whirled, putting the pieces together. Grace must’ve had a different last name than Nate, which was why Marcus hadn’t made the connection earlier. Well, this was all kinds of fucked up. She had no idea what to say, so she turned to go.
Nate called out to her, “You can forget about a recommendation to McCann-Thomas. I can’t recommend someone who’s with that monster.”
She bit back what she wanted to say,You’re the monster screwing your stepsister, and went with the far more professional, “Sorry to hear that.” She booked it out of there. Like Nate’s recommendation would be worth much anyway. Clearly the man had issues.
She burst out of the office’s front door into the cool early evening air and headed down the sidewalk at a brisk pace. She mentally reviewed the entire event, especially her interactions with Nate, and had to conclude there were no obvious signs that things were off with him for most of it. Not until the end. She couldn’t be faulted for choosing to work with him, but she certainly wouldn’t again.
By the time she got to her train, only one thing was on her mind—getting through to Marcus. The fact was she loved him. He wasn’t perfect, he fucked up sometimes, but so did she. So did everyone. And the important thing was that he’d tried to correct course, really tried to reach out to her and fix it. The past three days fighting with Marcus had been rough. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man and never thought she’d find—honest, generous, kind, loving, smart, sexy, fun. Her eyes got hot, the lump in her throat painful. She sniffled and looked out the window as the train zipped along toward home, the familiar city scenery a blur.
She was sure Marcus would still be camped out at his mom’s house. She’d text Lia before ringing the doorbell so Lia would know she was there. Surely his mom would let her in, even if Marcus wouldn’t. She’d check in with Lia, ask Marcus to step outside for a private conversation, and then she’d spill her guts, telling him all the things she loved about him that made him the best man she’d ever met. She’d make sure he knew how deeply her feelings went. This was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, and you couldn’t just throw that away. She wiped away the tears that leaked out and took a steadying breath. She just hoped she could get all the words out before breaking down. It was so hard to open up, especially after his earlier rejection, but she had to reach past his hurt to his heart.
His harsh words came back to her:Love isn’t enough.Not your love and definitely not mine.But it was. Their love was worth saving.
Unless he didn’t love her back.
Was that what he’d meant? She crossed her arms, hugging herself, her skin clammy, her stomach rolling. Only one way to find out.
~ ~ ~
Marcus returned to work on Friday night mostly because his mom had kicked him out of her house. She’d said she couldn’t stand him prowling around like a caged animal anymore. No one appreciated him. All he’d wanted was to take care of her, and she’d pushed him away. His love was not enough, never enough.
His staff stayed clear of him, except for Ellie, who found him in his office and reported on the goings-on in his absence. He listened, thanked her, and sent her away.
She lingered by the door. “You okay, boss?”
“No.”
“Is it because I screwed up? If I’m the problem, I’ll resign. You’ve done so much for me over the years, and I can’t sleep at night knowing I hurt you.”
He hung his head. “Stay. It’s not you.”
“Then what?”
He lifted his head. “My mom’s not well, but there’s nothing I can do. Lexi and I are over. Not because of you. Everything’s just shit right now.” His voice choked.
She gave him a sympathetic look. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shook his head and pulled out some paperwork. She took the hint and left. He went through some bills, a mindless activity he could do in his sleep.
His phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket and checked the screen. Lexi. Third time tonight. He declined the call, put the phone on his desk, and glared at it. She’d texted him too and he’d ignored it. They had nothing more to say to each other. He’d fucked up; she’d fucked up. They were a bad fit. Nobody’s fault, really. It had been a forced arrangement from the beginning, two people playing at love. He didn’t believe for one minute that Lexi actually loved him. If she really loved him, she would’ve believed him when he told her nothing was going on with Ellie. She would’ve believed in his innocence where Gracie was concerned. She would’ve trusted him because she adored him and only him. But she didn’t so…fuck it.
His phone vibrated on his desk. He glanced over at the screen, irritated, and then his heart was in his throat, full-on panic slamming him. He grabbed the phone. “Mom, what’s wrong? I can be there in ninety minutes.”
