Page 42 of Marcus: Sins of the Father

“Nope, and he never sent child support. I never got a birthday card or a Christmas present from him. Never. Not once. By the time I met Billy and TJ in fourth grade, I hated him. I saw what a good father was when I saw their fathers with them. I never had that, except whatever rubbed off from hanging around their houses.”

“I’m so sorry.” She touches my arm, but I shake it off.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s over and done with. I don’t like talking about it.”

***

Brandy—

I’m glad Marcus finally opened up to me, but I hate everything he shared. I don’t want to think about him feeling unloved by his father. It makes me furious on his behalf.

He shoves his hands in his pockets. “So now you know.”

I take a step toward him and cup his cheek. He leans into my touch and presses a kiss to my palm. I bump my forehead to his, then my eyes catch something over his shoulder—something big, hulking in the shadows. I take a step back. “What is that thing?”

He twists to look, then walks to the wall and flips a switch. Overhead lighting flickers on, illuminating it.

“It’s for cage fighting.” He walks toward it, and I follow.

“Do you guys use it?” I hook my fingers in the chain link.

“Yeah. Fight night. Once a month. The place is packed.”

“Have you ever…?”

“Yep. I’m pretty good. I’m usually a house favorite.”

“What do you mean?” I turn, putting my back to it.

“They bet on the fights.”

“Who does?”

“The club, whoever shows up.” He shrugs.

“When’s the next one?”

“New Year’s Eve, I think. That’s a big party night here, so…” he nods toward the cage. “It’s the entertainment.”

“Does the club make you fight, or do you want to do it?”

He shrugs again, his hands in his pockets, then pulls one out and hooks his fingers in the chain link above my head. “Little bit of both, I suppose. Club members ask me to do something, I’m not gonna tell them no.” He presses closer. “You want to watch me fight, pretty girl?”

I drag in a breath, an image of a shirtless Marcus, his chest glistening with sweat, dancing around the cage, taking swings at his opponent, flits before my eyes. From the way he decked that creep at the bar, I’m sure he can fight. “I…I don’t know.”

His white teeth flash, and my eyes move over his strong jawline and the stubble growing along it. They drop to his sexy mouth, and I’m done for. I want him to kiss me more than anything.

He slants his head and licks my bottom lip. It sets me on fire.

He nudges his nose along the side of mine, then finally captures my lips. One hand glides around my waist to the small of my back and drags me flush against him.

I gasp at the sudden feeling of his hard body pressed to mine.

My arms move up his leather cut to twine around his neck, and desire, like warm honey, melts through my body.

His palms slip under my top and up my spine. One of them drops to my ass, and he squeezes one cheek, pulling me even tighter against him. I feel the bulge of his erection and wonder if in another minute he’s going to be tugging my jeans down and unbuckling his belt to take me right here against the chain link of the cage.

The creaking of a door swinging open breaks us apart, and we both turn to see a man in the doorway. It’s the one he introduced me to as Shane.

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