She looked up into is face as her vision blurred with tears, then without conscious thought, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Liz felt his arms slip around her and pull her in closer, resting his chin on top of her head as he whispered calming words to her. He was telling her over and over that it was all right, that he was here and she was safe…. and God help her she believed him.
“What are you doing here?” she croaked into his chest.
“I was looking for you,” he explained softly, running his hands against her back. “What in the hell happened? What are you doing here?”
Liz took a deep breath and leaned away from the safety of his embrace. She suddenly felt like a complete ass. Maybe she had just overreacted. She quickly tried to come up with a feasible reason as to why she had been so freaked out. She couldn’t tell him that she was worried that an abusive asshole might have found out that his girlfriend was planning to leave him and planned to ambush her. Damn it!
“Liz?” Marcus urged, waiting for her to explain.
“I…uh, I was headed back to the Inn,” she explained hastily. “But I got a text from a client that needed to meet with me, and well…I didn’t have your number, and they wanted to meet at this restaurant, and the area was kind of unsettling…” she knew that she was rambling, but just couldn’t seem to stop herself. Standing here within the circle of his strong arms was making her feel safe, and question if she had overreacted or not. “And, there was this old woman who…who told me I wasn’t safe and to leave…so I…” she broke off, shaking her head slightly. God! She suddenly felt like an idiot. There she was, jumping at shadows again.
Marcus closed his eyes and tried to fight off the rage coursing through his entire being. He smelled vampire, and the thought that Liz could quite possibly have been a target caused a feeling to overtake him that he hadn’t been expecting. He wanted blood! Just the very thought that she could have fallen into the clutches of this bloodsucker made him want to sweep her up into his arms and carry her away to safety. Damn it to hell!
He had only waited another five minutes after he had spoken to Bri before slamming out of the Inn, planning to find Liz. When he caught her scent and followed it to this neighborhood, his entire body was suddenly gripped with fear. Then, when he caught the scent of vampire mingled with hers, pure blinding panic had set in.
Marcus pulled her a little closer as he remembered the feeling of terror he felt at the thought of her being in danger. Christ! He was a massive pile of mess!
He gave himself a mental shake and banished the thoughts from his mind as he concentrated on getting her out of there and back to the Nightshade. He wasn’t about to take any chances with her safety at the moment.
“Come on,” he murmured, turning and guiding her along the street. “Let’s get back and have that drink. I’m sure you could use a nice glass of wine about now.”
Liz nodded as she let him lead her away. “I…I dropped our dessert,” she murmured, taking a deep, unsteady breath.
Marcus laughed, but to Liz’s ears, it sounded somewhat forced. “No, worries, I’m sure I can dig something up if you’re hungry.”
When they made it back to the Inn, Marcus ushered her inside and led her through the French doors to the garden, his fingers intertwining with hers as she swallowed a rather large sized lump that had formed in her throat. His hand holding hers felt wonderful. She felt protected…safe. Normal.
Liz stopped short as she walked outside, her mouth dropping open in wonder. The garden was alight in the rich glow of a multitude of candles strewn about, giving it an almost ethereal look. Tiny white lights sparkled in the nearby trees and bushes as soft, bluesy music drifted along the expanse of space from some unseen system.
A small table was set up near the fountain, a bottle of wine and two glasses sitting on top.
Liz glanced up at Marcus, her eyes filled with stark amazement. She had never seen anything so beautiful, and it took her breath away.
“Did you do this?” she asked, her voice low and husky and filled with awe.
“I wish I could say that I had,” Marcus chuckled as he took her hand and led her over to the table. “But this has Bri written all over it.”
Marcus pulled out the small white, wrought iron bistro chair for her and she sat, still in shock at the beauty of it all. It was as if she had walked into a wonderland, a magical land that was filled with enchantment. Good Lord! She had never seen anything like it before.
Marcus sat down opposite her and poured them each a glass of wine, his eyes skimming over her face. “You look absolutely stunning, by the way,” he whispered, his voice low and husky. She felt herself trembling once again, but this time for a completely different reason. No, the reason for her body’s response was strictly due to the man sitting across from her, his warm eyes staring into hers. He made her feel like she never had before. Safe…beautiful…happy.
Liz felt the heat rush to her face and she smiled uncomfortably. She wasn’t used to compliments, and from him, it just meant so much more. “Thank you,” she managed to choke out, feeling the pulse in her throat beating erratically. Hells Bells! What this man could do to her!
“That dress is lovely.”
Liz glanced down and smiled, sending a silent thanks to Audrey. “Thank you, again.”
Marcus watched with rapt interest as Liz fidgeted uncomfortably. Now that he had her safely back at the Inn, his anger was dissipating and it only took him a moment to realize how absolutely beautiful this woman was. He felt a strange tightening in his chest as he gazed at her. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he liked this human and felt the overwhelming need to keep her safe. It gnawed at his insides and he was unable to fight it.
Liz sipped her wine and watched as Marcus seemed to study her. She was finally relaxing a bit, but couldn’t help but wonder if the text had been a set up by Angie’s boyfriend. Why else would they want to meet in such a bad area of town? Something was going on, and it wasn’t good.
She involuntarily shivered as she tried to push the thought aside. She had to follow her instincts, and at the moment, they were telling her that she had made the right choice. She would call Catherine in the morning and get her opinion of it all. Maybe she was indeed getting burned out, she thought with a weary shake of her head. You couldn’t deal with this kind of crap for as long as she had and not have it effect you. Maybe she was getting punchy.
“Elizabeth,” Marcus said softly, abruptly pulling her from her thoughts. “Are you certain that you’re all right? I know that had to have been quite a scare.” He was still pissed as hell, but was not about to let her know it. He would deal with trying to track the son of a bitch later. Right now, he intended to enjoy this moment with her. Bri had gone out of her way to turn the garden into a fantasyland, and Elizabeth looked exquisite.
Liz tried to shake off the sense of foreboding that had enveloped her and gave him a genuine grin. “I’m sure I was just overreacting. I have a tendency to do that from time to time,” she explained guiltily, suddenly feeling like a complete ass all over again. “And, with my not being familiar with the area, I most likely just panicked.”
“Still, I would prefer that you didn’t wander around the city at night.”
Liz’s body stiffened slightly at his words. Was he actually telling her what to do? Oh, hell no!
Marcus could see the anger flash across her eyes and shook his head, not wanting her to misunderstand him. He reached across the table and took her hand. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” he explained softly. “It’s just that you aren’t familiar with the city, and there are those neighborhoods that are less than safe, and some of the locals are…different. There was no way that you could know that.”
Liz nodded and pulled her hand from his, taking another sip of her wine and letting the liquid warm her belly and calm her frayed nerves. She knew that he had a valid point, yet she had a problem wi
th someone telling her what to do. She had been down that road, and it hadn’t ended well. “I understand,” she murmured. “But unfortunately, if a client needs me to meet them, I really don’t have much of a choice. It is the reason that I’m here to begin with.” How could she tell him how important it was to be available to these women when she couldn’t even tell him what she did?
Marcus seemed to consider this a moment. Finally, he gave her a grin that nearly stole the breath from her lungs; it was warm and genuine and curl your toes sexy. “Well, how about if I accompany you if you need to meet someone after dark?”
Liz’s mouth dropped open. Oh, Hells Bells! How was she going to get around this one? But, even as she tried to come up with an excuse, she couldn’t help but feel that she wouldn’t be hearing from Angeline Baxter any time soon. She had the sinking feeling that tonight had just been a set up. There was something off with the text messages, and the neighborhood. She pushed the thought aside and decided that she would just stop obsessing over it and wait to discuss it with Catherine in the morning. She wanted to enjoy this moment. This one, magical moment.
“I can’t impose on you like that,” she whispered, although there was a tiny part of her that wouldn’t have minded it at all. In fact, the only time that she had felt safe in more years than she could count was when she was with Marcus.
“It’s not an imposition at all,” he laughed. “I would actually enjoy the company.” He was telling the truth. There was nothing more he would like than to spend as much time with her as he possibly could. The realization of that admission caused a tightening in his body that he had never experienced before. It was almost as if he had been punched in the gut.
“Well, let’s play it by ear,” she responded, returning his laughter as best she could. But deep down, there was a knot forming in her stomach at the fact that she was lying to him. For some unexplainable reason, he was the last person that she wanted to have to lie to. “So, what do you do for a living, Marcus?” she asked, hoping to avoid any further talk about her “clients”.
“My brother and I own a company,” he responded, toying with the stem of his wine glass.
“What type of company?” she asked, a part of her wanting to know as much about him as he was willing to divulge. Whether she wanted to admit or not…she enjoyed his company.
Marcus was quiet for a long moment, studying the contents of his glass in silence. “Security,” he finally muttered, not looking up to meet her eyes.
“Oh, that must be fascinating.”
He did finally glance up and held her gaze, his soulful brown eyes seemingly troubled. “It has its moments.” He sighed slightly and forced a smile. “My brother and his ma…wife, are expecting their first child, so I have kind of taken over the reins, so to speak, so that he can concentrate on taking care of her.” Marcus felt like a jackass for lying to her–but what other choice did he have. And…it wasn’t as if it was a complete lie. He, Desmond, and Luke worked exceptionally hard to keep those that they loved secure. He winced slightly and reprimanded himself for trying to justify it with that lame ass excuse.
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” she whispered, feeling warmth spread through her. What was it about this man that caused her to feel so at ease. He was just so damn easy to talk to, and a part of her found herself wanting to tell him everything, to be truthful with him. It was a feeling that she had never before experienced with anyone. She had gotten extremely good at hiding herself from the world around her. In fact, it had become second nature to her, but this man was changing all that very quickly.
“Not really,” he chuckled. “Her pregnancy is…special and I want to make sure that all goes well for her.”
Liz tilted her head to the side and studied him a moment. She could see the genuine affection that he felt for his brother’s wife and it was dumbfounding. She had never had that, and to see it was a rare and beautiful thing. Family. She found herself wondering what it would be like to have a family that loved and supported each other.
Marcus stood and held out his hand, and she gazed up at him in confusion. “You still owe me a dance,” he said at her obvious confusion, and bit back the smile when he saw the look of panic cross her features. It was cute as hell.
“I can’t…I mean, really, I don’t know how,” she stammered, her cheeks turning crimson. “I wasn’t lying to you when I told you that I didn’t know how to dance, Marcus.”
“Nonsense,” he replied, taking her hand and gently pulling her from her seat. In the next instant, she was in his arms. His hand held hers as the other slipped around her waist, pulling her flush against his impressive frame. Oh, dear God, she silently cried–this was torture!
Liz gulped down the lump that had formed in her throat as she tried desperately to concentrate on not stepping all over his feet as she attempted to calm her racing heart.
“Just relax,” he murmured in her ear, his warm breath tickling her ear as he spoke, and she almost burst out laughing. Relax? Yeah, easier said than done! The way that her body was reacting to the feel of being held in his strong, firm embrace was making damn sure that that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Not to mention what happened when he had whispered in her ear. Good, Lord.
She nodded her head and breathed in the absolute wonder of his scent. Woodsy, spicy, masculine–the man smelled amazing!
They swayed to the music, his arms holding her tight, and Liz was certain that she had actually died and gone to Heaven. She could feel her insides trembling as she tried desperately to concentrate on the music and not the man holding her so snugly up against his strong chest.
Marcus inhaled her amazing scent greedily as he spun her gracefully around the garden. She smelled like fresh morning rain and jasmine, and it was intoxicating. A moment later, he felt as if he would surely combust when she giggled happily, the sound reverberating through his body right down to his very bones. Christ, this mortal was getting under his skin in a way that was completely unexpected. He found himself wanting to hold her like this forever, to run his hands over her warm, silken flesh.
Damn it! This was not what he needed or wanted right now! He glanced down to find her staring up at him, her sapphire eyes sparkling with amazement, and the thought flew from his head in an instant.
“I can’t believe that I’m actually doing it,” she breathed, and Marcus felt a shiver run across his spine at the low, husky tone of her voice that was filled with absolute wonder. “I’m dancing!”
“I told you that you could,” he replied with a laugh, although his body was damn near on fire.
“I’m sure it’s all you,” she snickered. “You have got to be one of the most graceful men that I have ever seen.” She cleared her throat in embarrassment and glanced down at her feet, not wanting him to see her blushing like a fool–but, she was doing it! She was dancing!
Marcus placed her hand on his shoulder, and gently cupped her chin, lifting her face back up, his eyes locking with and holding hers. “Elizabeth,” he whispered. “You are incredibly graceful.”
“Oh, yes,” she laughed, “about as graceful as an elephant on roller skates!”
Marcus smiled, chuckling softly as pulled her a little closer, the lengths of their body’s touching. He heard her sharp intake of breath as he did, and couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers, softly at first, but with a growing hunger. He knew that he shouldn’t, but it seemed as if all common sense had left him when he was near her. When her lips parted in silent invitation a millisecond later, he knew that he was lost. In fact, he could feel his resolve snap like a dried up, brittle twig. He had wanted to taste her lips from the first moment that he saw her standing there in the damn kitchen that night and he had been tormented with the desire ever since. And damned if he wasn’t going to enjoy it!
He tilted his head slightly as his tongue swept in and chased hers with a mind-blowing need that was completely foreign to him. It was as if he had never kissed anyone befo
re. He moaned deep in his chest as her hands slid up and into his hair, holding him in place as she returned his kiss with an abandon that startled, yet thrilled him. The passion in her response just urged him on, and he found himself wanting to stand here with her like this forever.
Their teeth clacked together as their tongues dueled in what was swiftly becoming a desperate embrace. Marcus’s hands slid to the curve of her backside as he pressed himself against her. He felt her shiver at the contact, and groaned once again. This was beyond anything he had ever experienced before. It was raw, and primal…and so freaking good.
Much, much too soon, she broke away from his desperate mouth and took a deep, unsteady breath, trying to gulp air into her lungs. She took a shaky step back and tried to smile–but he could see the panic in her expression. He could also see the desire there. There was no denying it, and no matter what she was trying to tell herself…she felt the same electrical charge when they touched that he did.
“I…um, thank you. For the dance…and the wine and for helping me…earlier, but it’s getting late and I really think I should get to bed.” With that, she turned and all but ran inside, leaving Marcus to stand there, feeling completely empty. Shit! There she was…running again.
Liz closed the door to her room and walked over to the bed, plopping down with a tormented groan. What in the hell was she thinking? She crossed her arms over her eyes, trying to erase the feel of Marcus’s mouth on hers–his strong, massive arms holding her as if he would never let her go. This was not good. She was feeling things that she had no business whatsoever feeling and she needed to put a stop to it immediately. It didn’t matter that Marcus was the only man in a very long time–if ever–whose touch didn’t send her straight into a panic attack. Or that her body actually craved being in his arms. He was a man, plain and simple, and men were definitely a no-no in her book.
Marcus' Mortal Embrace (Book 3) (The Supernatural Desire Series) Page 9