Page 129 of Cougar

He nods. “I got this.”

He heads in her direction, and I go out by the pool. Hopefully some fresh air will help calm my nerves.

An hour later, Bass joins me out on the pool deck. “She’s asleep,” he tells me as he drops down in the lounger beside me and drags his hands down his face. “Teenage drama is exhausting. I’m too old for this shit.” He shakes his head and leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs.

“What did she say?”

“She said a lot of things, but I’ll give you the CliffsNotes. Zach’s ego is bruised. He was hurt, so instead of being man about it, he acted like a dick. Princess basically told him to fuck off. He wasn’t expecting that, so he chased after her and apologized, but the damage was done. She’s fed up. She said she understands why he’s upset, but that what he did was not okay and she can’t be with him if he can’t trust her.” He shrugs.

“She sounds just like Marcus.”

Bass nods, knowing the hell I went through with Marcus. “In all fairness, though, Zach should’ve been warned up front. I don’t agree with him mistreating Princess, but I feel bad for the kid. You remember what it was like seeing pictures of your husband splashed all over those magazines.”

He’s right. I didn’t handle it well. Fortunately for Bass, he wasn’t around yet when Marcus and I had our very first fight.

“Emerson, how many times do I have to tell you to stop reading that shit? You’re with me all. The. Fucking. Time. Where would I find the time to take a piss, much less cheat on you?” He winced at his own words. It was evident he regretted them the moment they left his mouth. But it was too late. They were out there, lingering between us.

Stunned, I jerked my head back as if he’d slapped me. Honestly, I think a slap would’ve hurt less. My mouth dropped open in shock, and I blinked back the tears threatening to spill over.

“I’m sorry.” He sighed and shook his head slightly. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He extended his hand, but I stepped out of his reach.

“Guys, you’re up,” someone called out.

The guys stood and made their way out the door. Except Marcus, who was rooted in place, eyeing me as if I might run. Probably because of the way I was glaring at him with an expression full of hurt and anger. I wanted to punch him in the face.

“Marcus, get your ass on stage,” Chandler barked from the doorway.

I turned my head to look at Chandler, and Marcus used that opportunity to lean over and kiss the corner of my mouth. “Don’t leave,” he whispered before stepping around me and walking out the door.

I took a few minutes to pull myself together before making my way to the side of the stage. Marcus’s performances were always on point, and that night was no different. No one was the wiser that we’d just had our first fight.

Just as Royal Mayhem was wrapping up their last song, I took off for the bathroom. There was a short line, and when I finished, the show had just ended. The overhead lights were on, the floor littered with cups and spilled beer. The road crew was breaking down the stage equipment as I headed toward the room holding the meet and greet. A line had formed down the hallway, but one of the security guys caught sight of me and waved me in. The room smelled like stale cigarettes and cheap perfume. It was crowded with women, men, and even kids waiting for an autograph. I scanned the room to find Marcus sitting on the arm of the sofa, juggling a water bottle in one hand while with the other, he signed posters, T-shirts, stomachs, tits, and any other body part these chicks managed to push his way.

I leaned against the wall just inside the door and waited as the crowd thinned out, leaving just a few women lingering. Groupies.

When Marcus’s eyes found me, his jaw clenched as he stood, tossed his bottled water in the trash and stormed over, jerking his head for me to follow him out into the hall.

He stood just a few inches shy of a foot away from me and shoved his hands in the front pockets of his ripped jeans.

“I thought you left.” He sounded angry, and I wondered if it was from our fight or because he thought I left him.

“I went to the bathroom.”

He nodded and dropped his gaze to the floor. “I’m pissed at you, Emerson.” A sharp pain ripped through my heart and my stomach turned. “I promised you that I would never give you a reason not to trust me. And I haven’t. Every time you read one of those bullshit tabloids, you doubt me.” He pushed a hand through his damp, dark hair. “We can’t have a solid marriage if there’s no trust. But I can see it in your eyes, even now, that you don’t.”

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, I was sure Marcus could hear it. I took a deep breath and asked the question I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer to. “What are you saying, Marcus?”

He dragged his hands down his face, then balled them into fists at his sides. “I’m saying I love you, Emerson, but you’re acting childish. There’s no place in our marriage for jealousy, and I’m tired of defending myself. If you can’t trust me….” He looked away, letting his words hang in the air, an unspoken ultimatum.

My vision blurred as my heart shattered into a million pieces. I closed my eyes briefly as my body absorbed the verbal blow Marcus had just delivered. This man had become my entire world in such a short period of time that I didn’t know how to exist without him. After what Chris had done, how did I let myself be consumed by a man I knew could break me? I was smarter than that.

A long slender arm curled around Marcus from behind. He didn’t even flinch, keeping his eyes on me as a hand with bright red fingernails flattened on his stomach and began to slide lower. Marcus raised a brow as if asking me what I was gonna do. He was challenging me to fight for him.

I don’t think he realized what he’d done.

I saw red. A sound much like an animalistic growl burst from my chest as I reached out and grabbed the offending hand. “Get your fucking hands off my husband,” I yelled.

She screeched, and the rest was a blur of hair pulling, screaming, and the sound of my fist connecting with her face. Someone wrapped around me from behind, but I kept swinging.

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