“Thank you for being honest. It’s so damn refreshing.” Marcus smiled down at her. “And I’ve never brought a woman here. I come to Lexington for business regularly, and I like this room. I don’t feel closed in because of the windows and view. I wanted to share it with you.”
“Oh.” Roxy replied, relieved. He liked honesty, so he’d get honest. “I’m glad. So what kind of business or is that rude of me to ask?”
“I’ve fucked you every which way, Roxy. I think you have a right to know a little about me.” Marcus kissed her cheek. “My mother was human, and my father was alpha. After they had us, my mother was not happy being a shifter’s wife, especially the wife of an alpha. We had met her mother, our grandmother, a few times a year. She was such an awesome little woman and loved us. My mother finally left our father, and our father drank himself to death.”
“How sad.” Roxy touched his arm. “I’m so sorry, Marcus.”
“It happens.” He shrugged, but she saw the pain in his eyes before he hid it. “A few years later a lawyer found us. It seemed our grandmother left us an inheritance. I went to college, learned about stocks and investing. Taught my brothers what I knew and we invested in both stocks and real estate. We’ve done pretty well for ourselves.”
“Yes, you have.” Roxy agreed, looking around the beautiful suite. “You don’t flash your money. I’ve never seen that Mustang GT you drove here in before, and I have no idea where you live. So, I was just curious how you could afford this place. I’m sorry if that was nosy of me.”
“Anything you want to know about me, ask me. I have nothing to hide from you, Roxy. And I have two places actually.” Marcus used his fingertip to trace the outline of her lips. “One that I built for my mate. I’ve never stayed there. The other one I live in. It’s small, but does the job for me.”
“Why don’t you live in the one you built?” Roxy asked, confused.
“Because we build in hopes of finding our mate, but we don’t live there, not until our mate walks in the door with us.” Marcus moved from her lips to her nose. “It’s the shifter way.”
“That’s really nice,” Roxy said and meant it. Tradition seemed lost in the world today, but the shifters seemed to keep them.
“I’m hoping that my mate approves of what I’ve built and decides to live with me soon.” Marcus stared at her nose as his finger traced along it.
“Have you asked her or… him?” Roxy laughed loudly when he quickly climbed on top of her, holding her arms to the bed.
“Him?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Have I given you the impression I’m gay?”
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s just Hunter said once that—”
“Hunter’s an idiot and needs his ass kicked,” Marcus grumbled. “But no, I have not asked her yet. Still have a few finishing touches before it’s ready.”
“Well, I’m sure she’ll be very happy with it.” Roxy wiggled underneath him. She’d live in a tent if he’d ask her, that she knew for a fact. She was totally, 100 percent in love with this man.
“She better be.” He growled and swooped in for a kiss, but the loud ringing of his phone stopped him. “Shit! I have to get that. It’s Garrett’s ring.”
Roxy nodded, her eyes going to his ass as he stood naked and answered his phone.
“Yeah.” Marcus’s deep voice had a unique way of soothing her. “Okay. I’ll be there in an hour. Okay. Later.”
“Everything okay?” Roxy sat up, holding the covers to her chest.
Marcus frowned, walking to her side of the bed. “Have to take a raincheck on the rest of the day. I need to get back.”
“That’s fine.” Roxy reached up and pulled him down for a kiss, hiding her disappointment. “Thank you for last night. I’ll never forget it.”
“It’s one of many we will have, Roxy.” Marcus winked at her then whipped the covers away. His eyes roamed her body. “Damn! I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but we need to get dressed and on the road.”
Roxy chuckled when he looked at her once again and moaned as if in pain before walking away. She hurried to dress, which took her all of two seconds. She went into the bathroom, cleaned up, and checked her appearance in the mirror. Frowning, she fluffed her shoulder-length hair and used her fingers to tease it a bit, then sighed. She had always wondered how women in movies and television shows always looked amazing when they woke up. Glam crew, she rolled her eyes. Something she would never have.
Opening the door, her gaze landed on Marcus who leaned against the wall waiting for her. “Damn, you look even more beautiful than you did last night.”
“Keep that up, Mr. Foster, and I might keep you around for a while.” Roxy winked, then squealed when he grabbed her up against him.
“Honey, you don’t have a choice.” He nipped her neck. “I’m not going anywhere.”
******
Marcus grinned as he backed out of Roxy’s long driveway. Soon, she would be living with him, and he couldn’t wait. He hated leaving her there alone; it drove him nuts. Hell, a fucking kid could kick in the doors. It was an old house that had seen many years. Once on the main road, he drove the short trip to Jonah’s. Once there, he climbed out of the car and glanced toward all the construction going on, his eyes searching for what he didn’t know, but just hearing that Roxy’s ex owned a construction company made him a little edgy.
Pushing it aside for now, he knocked once then walked in. “What’s up?”
Jonah frowned, his eyes going to Ross who sat glaring at her phone. “Ask her.”
“This.” She held up her phone, showing pictures.
Marcus looked at the phone, flipping through the pictures, his anger growing with each photo. In each, Carl stood behind someone in their town, just close enough that he could be seen on camera. The next picture froze his soul. It was Roxy taking the garbage out the back of the coffee shop. The fucker was leaning against a tree with a sadistic grin on his face, looking straight at the camera.
“Motherfucker.” Marcus gave the phone back to Ross.
“I second that,” Ross said with a frown. “He’s crazy. This is just a warning, proving he can get close to anyone in this town and no one can do anything about it.”
Leda ran in at that moment. “Pepper’s missing,” she said, her face pinched with worry. “Sam’s freaking out. That dog is never two steps away from him.”
“It’s him.” Ross stood and headed for the door.
“Go get Roxy and take her to Garrett’s,” he ordered Jonah, hating the fact he couldn’t do it himself. Though he trusted Jonah and knew he would fight to the death, he only really trusted himself to keep her safe.
“On it.” Jonah was out the door with Marcus hot on his heels.
Marcus took off toward the woods where he saw Ross shift and disappear. In seconds, he shifted, clearing his mind to let his wolf take over. If that bastard hurt Sam’s dog, he was dead. No, the fucker was dead for the threat he’d made by taking a picture of his mate.
Once he was further in the woods, Marcus sensed Hunter, Garrett, and Dell, and headed their way. Something caught his attention, and he stopped. A low whimper to his left had his wolf lifting his head and sniffing the air. Taking off in a leap, he headed that way until the whimper grew louder. He slowed and stalked, totally alert to his surroundings.
Hearing Hunter yelling had him bursting through the brush and leaping off a large rock. Hunter had shifted and was lifting Pepper in the air, a rope tied around the dog’s neck. Shifting, Marcus ran to help. He quickly got the rope from around the dog’s neck and checked him for injuries.
“She’s okay,” Marcus said, his eyes finally looking around. “What a sick fuck.” The bastard had wrapped a rope around Pepper’s neck and put her on a small stack of rocks. How in the hell Pepper didn’t step off the rocks and hang herself was beyond him.
Pepper whimpered again, and Marcus knelt down, double-checking to make sure she was okay.
“He’s gone.” Dell ran up, his e
yes narrowed in anger. “I have a feeling this is just the beginning.”
Unfortunately, Marcus agreed. Sometimes he hated the dangers of the shifter world. It was not an easy life. “You’re okay, girl.” He rubbed Pepper’s head. “Come on. Let’s get you back to Sam.”
As they headed back to Garrett’s, Marcus knew that Leda was right. Sam and Pepper were never apart. Where you could find one, the other was right there. Fear gripped him hard. The bastard could have taken Sam as well. He glanced over at Garrett who turned to look at him and knew he was thinking the same thing.
Because they were naked, they headed through the woods to the back of Garrett’s house. They went in through the basement, grabbing sweats to put on quickly. Pepper was already heading up the steps. Marcus figured she was anxious to get back to Sam.
He then heard the happy scream of Sam and the excited barking of Pepper. Marcus climbed the steps, his eyes searching for Roxy. He found her smiling as she watched Sam and Pepper reunite. Their eyes met, and she walked his way.
“Are you okay?” She frowned, looking him over.
At that moment, his life was complete. He’d never had anyone worry or care about him when he came home, not that this was his home, but that was beside the point. This beautiful creature cared for him. “I am now.” She went into his arms so easily, and it felt right.
Chapter 13
Roxy and Clare were busy at work, but her mind kept going back to her night away with Marcus. Since then, he’d been really busy, so she had barely seen him. She readily admitted to herself that she missed him like crazy. After Pepper was found the previous day, patrols had been organized, and guards had been assigned to the women. Jonah had been at the coffee shop all day but had disappeared when his phone went off.
Marcus had made her stay in town at Garrett and Janna’s with him. They had stayed in one of the spare bedrooms. He had gotten up early and woke her with a kiss and to tell her goodbye. She could really get used to that. It was almost five, and she was ready to go home, shower, and see Marcus. They had decided to stay open later because of the shift changes with the construction workers. It helped the crew, plus it made money for the coffee shop, so a win-win situation for all of them.
“Stop looking so down in the dumps.” Clare brought in some more dishes. “Isn’t he coming by later?”
“I’m fine.” Roxy rolled her eyes. “I just hate doing dishes.”
“Liar.” Clare snorted before leaving, then stopped. “Oh, and Marcus way overpaid me for that dress. I take it he liked it.”
“Very much.” Roxy chuckled. Hearing the door buzz, she rinsed her hands, grabbed a towel and dried them off before heading out to help Clare. It was construction shift time.
Soon she was too busy to miss Marcus. Okay, that was a lie. She still missed him, but being busy helped. Clare took orders while Roxy filled them. Turning to hand one of the workers their orders, it dropped from her hand, crashing to the floor. Standing in front of her was Bruce.
“Hello, Roxy.” His voice sent fear down her spine. Her mind shut off as her body got ready to flee.
“Look who I found.” Sadie stepped up to the counter, patting Bruce on the arm.
“What are you doing here?” Roxy finally found her voice and ignored Sadie. Her heart beat so hard she seriously thought she was going to have a heart attack. Her legs felt weak, but she stood strong. She had no choice. He would not control her.
“Roxy?” Clare touched her arm. “Are you okay. You’re so pale.”
“What are you doing here?” Roxy’s voice grew stronger. Shock and fear started to turn to anger. “If it’s not to sign the divorce papers, then you can turn around and leave right now.”
“Ah, shit.” Clare frowned, then glared at Bruce. “That’s your ex.”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Finally, her senses started to fire, and her eyes narrowed toward Sadie. “You’re just full of games, aren’t you, bitch.”
The construction workers still in the shop had become very quiet until she said that. At Roxy’s words, an echo of damns and chuckles spread around the room.
Bruce leaned over the counter toward her. “Watch yourself, Roxy,” he sneered quietly. “I came here for honorable reasons, but that can change real quick.”
She forced herself not to step back away from the threat, and he definitely was a threat no matter what he said. She had fallen for his bullshit so many times, but not anymore. “You need to leave.” Thank God her voice stayed strong and clear. When he stood glaring at her, with his threatening stance leaning toward her, she knew nothing had changed. “Leave!” she shouted, pointing toward the door.
Bruce reacted so fast, he was behind the counter and pulling her toward the back. He pushed her in front of him, and she slammed into the table before she knew what was happening.
“I tried to be nice.” He growled the words at her, then looked around then behind him. Grabbing her arm, he headed for her office, shoved her inside and locked the door. “I tried to be fucking nice,” he yelled, his spit spraying her face.
Voices were outside the door, followed by pounding and Clare yelling like a crazy woman. “You don’t know the meaning of nice.” She tried to straighten, but he pushed her and held her down on the desk.
“I hear you’ve been whoring with a goddamn nasty shifter,” Bruce spat. “What the fuck is wrong with you? We’re still married.”
“I stopped being your wife the first time you hit me.” Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought them off. She’d be damned if she cried in front of this bastard. He wasn’t worth her tears. The pounding on the door grew, and she prayed someone would break through.
Bruce glanced behind him at the door, then at the window behind her desk before looking back at her. “Listen and listen good.” He grabbed her by the throat, twisting her head to face him. “You’re my fucking wife, and you’ll always be my fucking wife. I’m going to leave here, but you will return to California. I expect you there in a week. Do you understand me, bitch?”
God, she hated when he asked her that like he expected her to answer truthfully. No, she didn’t understand why he did or said anything when he was in this state of mind. And he expected her to just hop on a plane for California, in a week. He was out of his damn mind, and she almost said just that, but felt it safer to remain silent. When she didn’t answer and stared blankly at him, he slapped her across the face. Still, she remained silent.
“You’ll go to your parents and wait for me. If I show up and you’re not there, they will pay. I will ruin their lives, and you know I can fucking do it, know I will do it.” Bruce let go of her throat and pushed away from her. “Do you even know how much money I’ve lost because of you. I lost my business, everything. I lost it all because of you. How dare you leave me!”
How dare she leave him? What in the hell was wrong with him? Like she owed him. Yeah, well fuck that. “How dare I leave you?” Roxy sneered, pushing herself up. “How dare you fucking beat me, control me and blame me for your failures!” she screamed, but it came out rough and raw. “I refuse to let you—”
“You refuse me nothing!” Rage consumed his voice, making his eyes bulge and face a deep shade of red. Fear trickled through her; she had never seen him so angry. “I’ve spent every dime I have searching for you, my fucking whore of a wife who’s spreading her legs for a shifter. You’re sick! And even with all that money I spent on private investigator after private investigator, it took some chick who hates you to tell me where you were and what you were up to.”
Roxy continued to pray for the door to break down. For someone to rush in. She prayed for Marcus. “No, I’m not. You’re the sick one, you bastard,” she responded, bracing herself for the hit that she knew would follow. His fist slammed into her, knocking her off the desk and onto the floor.
“You think I’m playing a game here?” Bruce stood over her. “I have nothing to lose. You’re mine and will spend the rest of your life making it up to me. You can count on that.”
Bruce looked at the window again, then grabbed a chair to put under the doorknob when it looked like the door was going to burst open from all the pounding.
“And if he doesn’t, I will.” Roxy started to stand, fire burning through her veins. She had been through too much to go back, fought too hard, been too terrified. No more. It had to stop. “If I came back to you, I’d kill you.” Hardness coated her words. “I’m not the same scared woman you knew.” With a tensing of her jaw, and the need to protect herself driving her actions, she grabbed the scissors on her desk and stabbed him in the shoulder.
Bruce’s howl of pain hurt her ears, but she twisted the scissors. He backhanded her across the face, sending her into the wall. Her ears rang, and black spots flashed across her eyes. All she could do was throw her hands up to defend the hell that was about to rain down on her.
******
Marcus was working with the new shifters and missed the hell out of Roxy. He hadn’t seen her since early that morning. “Okay, guys let’s call it a day. Later tonight, shift and work in teams to run the perimeter of town. One team hide, the other team finds them. Do it over and over again. This is part of keeping our town safe and in our control from other shifters.”
They headed back to town, Ross looking at her phone with a frown. He’d been impressed with her so far. She would be good for their pack. She was strong, smart, and damn fast.
“Anything from your stepbrother?” Marcus asked, his eyes scanning the area.
“Nope and that worries me.” Ross put her phone in her pocket. “A silent Carl is a dangerous Carl.”
They had just exited the woods and walked into town. His eyes automatically went to the coffee shop. “What the fuck?” He watched five construction workers running inside. He took off, busting through the door, but no one was in front. That was when he heard the pounding and yelling. Jumping the counter, he pushed his way through the crowd of men.
Forbidden Desire (Lee County Wolves) Book #3 Page 10