Page 15 of Sorcia's Heart
Sorcia opened her mouth to argue, but she knew she couldn’t.Not after that kiss.Not after the way he had laid her emotions bare.
And that terrified her more than anything else.
Chapter 6
“What’sinthebuildingbehind this one?”Marcus asked, his voice calm, steady, and maddeningly controlled.
Sorcia could still taste his kiss on her lips, the memory of it lingering like a ghost.She could still feel the press of his hands on her skin, the heat of his body close to hers.And, damn it, she was wondering what would happen if she grabbed him and pulled him down for another.
Worse, she couldn’t stop the treacherous thought that flickered through her mind:What would he do if I stripped my clothes off right here, right now?If I stood naked in front of him?
Would he still be this maddeningly composed, so unaffected by the kiss that had left her trembling?The thought infuriated her.It wasn’t just his control—it was theaudacityof it, as if he could kiss her like that and not feel the same storm raging inside.
But she forced herself to pull it together, squaring her shoulders.He thought he could control her?Oh no.That wasn’t going to happen.Not this time.
With a sharp wave of her fingers, the magical silence dissolved, and the sounds of the world rushed back—traffic outside, distant voices in the hallway, and the low hum of the office HVAC system.The return to normalcy grounded her, giving her the edge she needed to step away from him.
She peered through the window at the warehouse behind her building, her tone crisp as she replied, “Nothing is in that building.Probably just a bunch of filth and abandoned machine parts.”She turned to him, arching an eyebrow.“Are you planning to clean it up?”
Marcus didn’t miss a beat.“I think it’ll be an excellent headquarters for my office,” he said casually, as if the decision was already made.And with that, he turned and walked out of her office.
Sorcia watched him as he disappeared down the long hallway, his stride confident, his broad shoulders a reminder of the strength that had once made her feel so safe.The man was…delectable.There was no argument there.
But then his words came rushing back to her.Something about her being scared?
Her jaw clenched, and she turned abruptly away from the window.There was nothing to be scared of.Nothing at all.She had been madly in love with Marcus, so much so that she’d adjusted her whole world to revolve around him.She’d rearranged her life to see him more often, to be closer to him, to be with him every night.And he’d betrayed her.
He had cheated on her with another woman.She hadn’t been enough for him.
No.That wasn’t true, she corrected herself with a sharp intake of breath.She tightened her arms around herself, her fingers digging into her elbows.Marcus hadn’t been enough forher.
She huffed, turning away from the memory of his kiss, the feel of his hands, the heat of his presence.He was a gorgeous, handsome, intriguing man who had a weakness for women.
Men who cheated were insecure, she told herself firmly.They needed validation for their attractiveness, constantly seeking it out by having sex with other women.
Except… Marcus wasn’t insecure.
That was one of the reasons she’d been so drawn to him.Marcus was a confident man, steady in a way that was both infuriating and irresistible.He didn’t need to prove himself to anyone, least of all to her.
Her mind wandered to a specific memory, one she hadn’t thought about in years.It had been a party, the kind that drew every kind of being—witches, vampires, fairies, elves, shifters, and a handful of humans who didn’t know they were mingling with magic.She pictured Marcus’s hand on her back, warm and steady, a subtle but constant reassurance.She’d leaned into him without thinking, savoring the closeness and the comfort it brought.
A tall, handsome shifter had approached, his eyes gleaming with mischief.“Would you like to dance, my dear?”he’d asked smoothly.
Sorcia had smiled politely and declined.“Thank you, but no.”
The shifter hadn’t taken the hint.“Why not enjoy the touch of a real man, my dear?”he’d added, throwing a sly insult at Marcus that she couldn’t quite recall now but had been sharp enough to warrant retaliation.
And yet… Marcus hadn’t even blinked.His hand hadn’t tightened on her back, his body hadn’t stiffened.There had been no anger, no tension—nothing to indicate that the shifter’s words had gotten under his skin.
Instead, Marcus had simply laughed.A low, rich sound, full of genuine amusement.He’d waved a hand dismissively at the shifter, a casual gesture that made it clear the conversation was over.The shifter had slunk away, clearly unsettled by Marcus’s complete lack of reaction.
That confidence had been intoxicating.She’d admired it, envied it even.Marcus never let anyone else dictate how he felt or acted.It was just who he was.
Sorcia sighed, dragging herself back to the present.That had been a long time ago.Back when everything had seemed simpler, when she’d thought she could trust him with her whole heart.
She glanced at her phone, noting the time.Only nine o’clock in the morning, and she could already feel the stirrings of a headache.
Dropping into the plush leather chair behind her desk, she swiveled around to face the window overlooking the warehouse behind her office.Just moments ago, it had been nothing more than a neighborhood eyesore.The cracked pavement, piles of garbage, and peeling paint had blended seamlessly with the rest of the aging industrial district.
