One Penny: A Marked Heart Novel

by M. Sembera

  Eighteen

  A light tapping on her door escalated into a loud knock as Penny woke up hearing her brother shouting at her from the other side.

  Jumping out of bed, she stomped over to her door, swung it open and barked at him, "What?"

  With a silly sideways grin, he shared, "You got company."

  "What?" she repeated, still half asleep.

  Laughing at her, Braden turned his head toward the hallway shouting, "You sure you wanna hang out with her? She pretty fricken cranky this morning."

  Penny's eyes flew open wide as she lowered her voice questioning, "Seth is here?"

  Braden barely had a chance to nod before she slammed the door in his face.

  Rushing to her bathroom, Penny brushed her teeth, washed her face and quickly brushed out her hair before hurrying to her closet. Snatching a pair of jeans off of the hanger, she changed into them before grabbing a shirt and pulling it on over her head.

  Taking a moment to calm down before she ran into the other room like a damn fool, Penny took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. Although she was so excited she thought she might burst, she didn't want to seem too enthusiastic. Seth always seemed overly cautious. Running up to him and tackling him might scare him away.

  Once she felt she had enough control over herself, Penny left her room and walked into the living room.

  "Hi," she cheered at Seth as he stood there holding a bouquet of wild roses in his hand.

  Smiling down at her, Seth greeted, "Hi, I didn't think you would still be asleep."

  "That's okay, are those for me?"

  Glancing at the flowers in his hand, he took a step closer and held the flowers out to her.

  "Yes."

  Penny took the bouquet, making sure to let her hand linger on his before taking it.

  With an adoring expression, she looked up at him asking, "Would you like to come into the kitchen with me so I can put these in some water?"

  He quietly nodded at her.

  Carrying her flowers into the kitchen, she thought this was another top ten moment.

  Pulling a large glass pitcher out of the cabinet, Penny filled it with water as she asked, "Did Braden leave?"

  "He said he was going to meet Charlotte and Auggie at Kieran's."

  Setting the pitcher on the counter, she placed her flowers in it asking, "How did you know these were my favorite? Lucky guess?"

  As she turned to face him, Seth replied, "I asked Charlotte when I saw her in the parking lot this morning after my run."

  Enamored with the fact that he took the time to ask what she liked, Penny said, "Thank you."

  Leaning closer, Seth brushed a few strand of her hair over her ear before placing a soft kiss against her temple.

  Closing her eyes, she felt him kiss her cheek and then her chin before making it to her lips. Wanting to press herself against him, she resisted the urge. Penny could tell he was holding back. Sliding her hands into the back of his hair, as soon as she did, he pulled away.

  "Would you like to spend the day with me?"

  Thinking 'I would like to do all sorts of things with you' she nodded.

  With a pleasant smile he questioned, "How do you feel about fish?"

  "For lunch?"

  Seth's expression was humored as he clarified, "For looking at. There is an aquarium about forty-five minutes away, if you'd like to go."

  "Sure, I'll go get my shoes," she replied, shaking off the knowledge that he intentionally stopped their kiss as she walked out of the kitchen.

  ~

  Grateful Penny had to leave the room to go get her shoes, Seth needed a minute to collect himself. It was only the two of them in her apartment and the things that were running through his mind the second he kissed her, made his plan of taking things slow with her counterproductive.

  On the way to the Sea Center, Penny shared with him how each of her eleven childhood goldfish met their untimely demise. As she talked, he thought about the makeshift pet cemetery in her parent's backyard and was slightly disturbed by her families inability to keep their pets alive.

  When they finally made it to the aquarium, Seth stopped in front of a glass wall. Smiling at the calming motion of the brightly colored fish swimming on the other side of it, he used to spend hours just standing there watching them. It was something his therapist had recommended as a way to relax. Standing there with Penny, the fish still had the same calming effect on him as they always had but when Penny slid her hand into his they had nothing on the peace that came with her touching him.

  With that thought in mind, he pulled his attention away from the fish and smiled down at her.

  "There's a benefit coming up for my grandfather," he started before she cut him off asking, "Is he sick?"

  "No, he passed away when I was five. It's a hospital fundraiser that I am invited to."

  "Oh, that's right, family of doctors."

  Seth cringed at her words for a moment before asking, "Would you like to go with me?"

  Penny pursed her lips up into a smile before asking, "Like on a date?"

  He wanted to kiss her so badly but, unfortunately, there were kids now running between the rooms.

  "Yes, I'm asking you to be my date."

  "One condition, you have to be my date to Charlotte and Auggie wedding."

  Nodding at her, he replied, "Agreed."

  ~

  Feeling like something needed to be said, Penny let go of his hand. Taking a wide step back, she raised her eyebrows and looked up at him.

  "So, what are we doing here?"

  "At the Sea Center?" he asked with a confused expression on his face.

  With a little laugh, Penny shook her head at him.

  Understanding reflected in his eyes as he proposed, "Well, an argument can be made for being friends."

  "I think we've had that argument."

  Seth smiled wide agreeing, "We have," before offering, "We could be more than friends," as they walked into the next room.

  The room was dark, barely lit by the glow of the tanks, giving it a private atmosphere and romantic feel.

  Slowly turning to face him, Penny questioned, "How much more?"

  A serious expression coated Seth's face as he lowered his voice swearing, "As much as you'll let me."

  Wishing the group of children that had been running around hadn't just rushed into the room, she quietly replied, "More than friends it is."

  Nineteen

  Walking up the stairs to her apartment, Penny rolled her wrist around while opening and closing her hand. The tattoo gun wasn't at all like holding a pencil. It felt awkward in her hand and the cord was uncomfortable as it kept brushing against her. It was nothing like she thought it would be; it was hard.

  The tattoo skins Kieran gave her to practice on made it even more difficult. Somewhere in her mind she had imagined it to be similar to drawing but in actuality, it was nothing like gliding a sketch pencil across paper. He reminded her several times that it was all about technique and at the end of each day, he'd said she didn't do too bad. But he never once said she did good.

  For the last few years, she had been so excited, just imagining the day she would finally get to move beyond set ups and cleaning. Her first week left her with a feeling of frustration and a sore hand. It wasn't like she was going to give up, but she was a bit disheartened. Penny really thought she would be a natural at it.

  Hoping Seth would be off over the weekend she hadn't had a chance to see him really since the aquarium. Apparently JPT had acquired a rather large account that was a complete and total mess, causing him to work late every night.

  Sliding her key into her apartment door, Penny heard footsteps coming up the stairs. With a bright smile, she turned to see Seth standing on the balcony behind her.

  "Busy weekend ahead of you," she commented as she noticed him balancing his briefcase and the stack of files he was carrying.

  With a frustrated expression on his face, Seth replied, "You wouldn't b
elieve how messed up this account is."

  "Would you like some help?" she questioned as he unsuccessfully tried to shift everything in one arm to get to his keys.

  "With the account?"

  Shaking her head, Penny stepped closer as a playful smile spread across her face.

  Seth continued to appear confused until she slid her hand into the front pocket of his slacks to retrieve his keys for him. Gazing down at her, he bit at the corner of his bottom lip as she slowly withdrew the keys from his pocket.

  Thinking if they couldn't spend time together, at least now she would be on his mind, Penny walked to his door unlocked it before opening it for him saying, "Have a great night."

  It took Seth a moment to move in her direction.

  "You too," he replied as he stepped into his apartment.

  Nodding with a smile, she walked back to her door.

  Letting out a sigh, Penny turned her key in the doorknob. The week had started out so promising and now even the weekend seemed to be falling flat. As she opened her door, Seth slid in front of her, pulled the door closed and relocked it. Now it was her turn to be confused. Seth held onto her keys while taking her hand as he led her to his apartment.

  Penny smiled seeing his briefcase on the floor and the tall stack of files falling over on top of it as Seth closed his door behind them. Tossing her keys next to his, he stepped in front of her. He smoothed his hands down the back of her hair before settling them against the small of her back where the length of her hair ended.

  The anticipation was getting hard for Penny to handle as Seth pressed her against him. He definitely had a knack for drawing out a moment.

  "My night won't be a great night unless I'm with you."

  Wrapping her arms around his neck while pushing up on her tip-toes, Penny couldn't wait anymore and kissed him.

  How in the world had she gone all week without him? His arms around her with his hands kneading at her sides as his lips moved perfectly against hers. Seth was the right balance of everything.

  Hoping this time he wouldn't slow down, Penny unwrapped her arms from around his neck before sliding her hands under his suit jacket and over his shoulders. To her pleasant surprise, Seth let go of her long enough for her to push his jacket down his arms. As his jacket fell to the floor, his hands returned to her sides. Pulling at the knot of his tie, Penny worked at loosening it before his hand covered both of hers.

  "I have a lot of work to get finished," Seth shared as he stopped her.

  Determined to keep the things going, she offered, "Just consider this a break before you get started," before leading him to the couch by his tie.

  ~

  At the moment, Seth couldn't have cared less about the account he was working on or anything else that wasn't her. What he did care about was stopping things before they went too far. It wasn't like she was making it easy for him. In fact, everything having to do with this moment was hard but he was determined to keep a level head and wait for the perfect moment.

  The last thing he wanted to do was stop all together but at the same time he was treading a thin line of control over his own body.

  Smiling up at him, Penny tugged at his tie as she encouraged, "Come here."

  Seth could feel his breathing pickup as he suggested, "Let's go out. Eat dinner."

  Penny expression suddenly went from inviting to upset as she let go of his tie and replied, "I'll just go then."

  "Wait, no. Don't go," he stressed starting to feel panicked.

  He watched her glance off to the side before saying, "Really it's okay. I'm not mad or anything. You have a lot of work to do."

  "Penny," he said knowing she was lying to him and urging her to be more honest.

  Giving him a half-hearted smile, she replied, "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow," as she stepped away and picked up her keys.

  When she walked out of his apartment, the realization of what she was offering and how he turned her down, settled in the pit of Seth's stomach.

  It wasn't her fault his mind was getting ahead of her. She more than likely wanted him to be more comfortable so they could spend the evening like they did the other night and he just made it seem like he would rather go to dinner than kiss her. What was wrong with him?

  Twenty

  Lying in bed only because she refused to get up before seven on a Saturday, Penny tried to think positive. She couldn't understand why Seth was acting this way. Sure it was sweet the first time but now, it was starting to make her feel like he didn't want her. Maybe what they needed were more things in common, shared hobbies and that sort of thing. All of the sudden a burst of inspiration struck her. If he saw her in a more physical light then surely he would want to get more physical with her.

  Springing out of bed, she skipped over to her dresser and pulled the bottom drawer open. After digging around, Penny found a pair of grey yoga pants. Quickly changing into them she grabbed a pair of socks and moved to her closet to find a something that at least resembled running shoes.

  Posted at her front door, staring out of the peephole, Penny felt a tap on her shoulder.

  "Back to stalking are we?"

  Rolling her eyes, she glanced at Charlotte before returning to her watch as she replied, "I'm not stalking. I'm waiting."

  "Un huh."

  "Seth likes to run so I'm going to join him today."

  "Oh-kay..."

  With a heavy sigh, Penny glanced back to see Braden asleep on the couch before she lowered her voice sharing, "I'm trying to motivate him."

  Hoping Charlotte would catch on so she didn't have to say it out loud, Penny raised her eyebrow and nodded.

  Charlotte quickly caught on and glanced back at Braden.

  Keeping her voice low, she advised, "Stand as close as possible without touching him."

  "Why?"

  Curling the side of her mouth into a smile Charlotte replied, "It'll make him want to touch you."

  "Really?"

  "Yea, when a man is attracted to a woman it's his natural reaction."

  Nodding at Charlotte's advice, she turned back to the door. Peering through the peephole, Penny saw Seth pass in front of the door.

  "Wish me luck," she said before swinging the door open and stepping out onto the balcony.

  Noticing Seth had his earbuds in his ears, Penny rushed down the stairs behind him. When he reached the bottom, she quickly made her way around him and waved.

  "'Morning!"

  An instant smile formed as he removed his earbuds and replied, "Good morning to you."

  "Are you going for a run?"

  Nodding he looked her over asking, "Are you?"

  Pursing her lips up into a smile, Penny shrugged a shoulder saying, "I was thinking about it."

  ~

  Seth could feel his chest swell. Knowing that Penny wasn't fond of running but wanted to go with him anyway gave him proud feeling.

  Penny had a natural bounce to her walk as they made their way out of the apartment gate and over to the track.

  "You need to stretch first," he shared as Penny looked down the track.

  "Okay," she replied appearing a bit lost as to what to do next.

  She was so adorable with her hair up in a ponytail he didn't want to take his eyes off of her.

  Somehow Seth survived Penny stretching in front of him. She appeared awkward and jerky but oh so sexy as she warmed up. It took every bit of his control not to scoop her up and take her behind on of the large oak trees that surrounded the walking path. He tried to focus on stretching and reminding himself of appropriate behavior.

  Now, as if things weren't strained enough, she was standing in front of him less than an inch away.

  "What now?"

  Seth let out a shallow breath as he took a step back.

  "Start off slow. I'll keep pace with you."

  Taking a step forward, all it would have taken was a deep breath for her to be touching him as she shared, "We don't have to go slow."

  Looking down into her
sparkling hazel eyes, he replied, "Yes we do."

  There was a slight scowl to Penny's expression but her smile remained intact as she nodded at him.

  As they started down the path, Seth's legs started to ache. Barely being able to classify what they were doing as jogging, it was more like speed walking. Keeping pace with Penny was starting to make him anxious. His body knew exactly what to do the moment he stepped foot on the track and she was hindering it and him from the exhilarating feel that came with the long strides of actual running.

  After trying to speed up a few times and having her fall behind, he was frustrated enough to say something.

  "You can pick up the pace a little now."

  Glancing at him, she questioned, "I thought we had to go slow?"

  Seth found her tone slightly irritating as he replied, "Not so slow it feels like we're running in place."

  He could hear the smile in her voice as she asked, "Because you're used to moving faster?"

  "Yes, actually."

  Her tone was sweet with a hint of underlying sarcasm as she said, "Gosh, that must be really frustrating for you."

  Seth stopped altogether as he watched her continue at her snail's pace down the path.

  Observing her from behind Seth noticed his legs weren't the only part of his body aching now. As an overwhelming feeling set in it occurred to him that Penny might be showing him how he was making her feel. With that thought in mind, Seth took off in a full sprint after her.

  Running past Penny, he turned, jogging backwards so he could face her.

  "I get it," he shared with a little smile.

  Taking the opportunity to check her out from the front, as she glanced off to the side and smiled, Seth admired that view also.

  "We don't have to go slow anymore?"

  With a wide smile he shook his head at her saying, "We can go whatever speed you're comfortable with."

  "Okay," she cheered right before she took off running.

  Seth was surprised and excited, he had to put some effort into catching up with her.