Page 6 of Cougar

“Absolutely,” Lilly chirps.

Marcus reaches for the largest and heaviest of my three suitcases, while Lilly and I carry the two smaller ones out to where her two-door black Mercedes is parked.

“Nice ride,” Marcus says.

“Thanks,” Lilly preens.

* * *

“You live on the beach?” I ask incredulously as we roll to a stop outside the two-story home made of stone and glass.

“Yes.” He climbs out of the front seat, slides it forward and holds out his hand to me. “Come check it out.”

Lilly shuts off the car and we follow Marcus inside his home. I suck in a breath because the first thing I notice is the view. The entire back wall is glass, overlooking a swimming pool, the blue ocean, and clear sky. The entire bottom floor is an open floor plan with marble floors. The living room is situated in the center with a stone fireplace. To the left looks like a game room with a pool table and a bar. A staircase is on the immediate right and just past the staircase is a dining table. Also on the right is the kitchen with cabinets and appliances lining the entire wall and an island lined with barstools separating the kitchen from the living room.

A woman who looks like she’s in her early thirties with dark hair and tan skin is standing behind the long island in the kitchen. “Grace,” Marcus greets her, then gestures to Lilly and me. “This is Emerson and Lilly.”

Grace eyes us skeptically, giving us a curt nod before leaving the room and heading upstairs.

Marcus chuckles and shakes his head. “Sorry about that. She thinks you’re, uh….” He scratches the dark scruff peppering his jaw.

“She thinks we’re groupies,” Lilly finishes with a laugh.

“Yeah.” Marcus winces.

I make my way over to the wall of glass and take in the view of the endless ocean. Lilly steps out onto the deck like she owns the place. “This view is amazing.”

“It is,” Marcus says as he moves to stand beside me. “This is where I sit when I write.” He gestures to the leather sofa facing the window.

“I can see why. It seems so peaceful here.” I’ll bet the view of the sunset is amazing.

As if he hears my thoughts, Marcus says, “Wait until you see the sunset,” and I suck in a breath. Marcus turns to face me, leaning a shoulder against the glass wall. “Stay,” he whispers.

“Your housekeeper doesn’t like me.” I frown.

“She doesn’t know you.”

“You don’t know me either,” I reply and look over my shoulder.Where the hell did Lilly go?

“Grace has been in my life for a long time, since way back when the guys and I were playing in dive bars. She can be a little overprotective but she’s amazing once you get to know her.”

“Do you bring a lot of women home?” I wince. “Sorry, that’s not my business.”

He smirks. “No, but… we’ve had parties.”

“Oh.”

Marcus curls his arm around my waist and pulls me to his chest. “Please stay.”

I stayed.

Fate is tricky. It’s all about timing: being at the right place at the right time, the wrong place at the wrong time, the right place at the wrong time or even the wrong place at the right time. Things happen for reasons we can never explain.

Fate put Marcus and me together on that plane, and he became the love of my life.

He should’ve been my happily ever after.

But… fate is tricky.

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