Page 54 of A SEAL's Protection
“I can’t thank you enough for keeping my girl safe.” He pumps Marcus’s hand. “If I’d known what she was researching, I never would have let her go.”
“I don’t think you could have stopped her.”
Dad chuckles. “I see you got to know each other. You’re right. Nothing much stops my Allegra.”
There’s pride in his voice, and I must remind him sometime how frustrating he found my stubbornness when I was a child.
Marcus hasn’t seen me yet, and something makes me hang back. Dad needs this time to thank him, and it’s interesting to see how they are together.
Most people are nervous around my father, reverential even. But Marcus treats him exactly as he would anyone else.
“Thank you for coming. We left in a hurry, and I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly.”
I pause with one hand on the banister as his words sink in.
Dad asked Marcus to come. He’s not here for me.
My heart grows heavy in my chest. Of course. He wouldn’t have made it past the guard at the gate if he wasn’t on the expected visitor list.
I sag against the banister. Did I imagine the connection we had?
My dad pulls an envelope from his blazer pocket. It’s got a sizeable lump in it. He presses it into Marcus’s hands.
“This is a little something extra. A bonus for bringing her home safe. I wasn’t expecting the, ah, difficulty you ran into.”
My chest tightens. That’s all Marcus came for. A payout. I’m a damned fool to think there was anything between us. I was a fool to let him in. I turn away, blinking back tears.
“Keep the bonus.” Marcus raises his voice, and his words travel up to where I am. “It’s not what I came here for.”
I turn around, and he’s staring right at me. Our eyes lock, and his gaze is steady and unflinching.
“I got to know your daughter during our time together.” Marcus speaks to Dad, but he’s looking at me.
“I got to know her determination, her grit, and her damned stubbornness.” He scrapes his beard. “I’m not good at this sort of thing. I’m more of a man of action.”
He takes the stairs two at a time, and in a heartbeat he’s in front of me.
The butler gasps and takes a step forward, but Dad puts up an arm to stop him.
Marcus keeps his gaze on me. He acts as if it’s just the two of us, as if we’re back on the trail with no one but us and the wilderness.
“You left before I could do this.” He cups my cheeks in his hands and presses his lips to mine.
I’ve never kissed a man in front of my father before, and my cheeks heat. But if Marcus can ignore his presence, then I can too. I give in to the kiss and to him, letting my body melt against his. My hands clasp his back and move down his torso.
A delicate cough from my father reminds me where we are. I pull back, and Marcus smiles at me. His thumb strokes my cheek. “I’m not here for the bonus; I came for you.”
Warmth spreads through my chest, and the empty ache dissipates.
“I’m sorry I faded away when we landed. I don’t like the spotlight, and I never will. But I’m here for you Allegra, if you’ll have me.”
He kisses me again, bold and fearless. The opposite of fading away.
My heart surges with relief and joy as my body melts against his.
My father clears his throat louder this time.
We break apart, and Marcus grins at me. He entwines my hand in his, and we walk down the stairs to face my father.
