“It’s nothing. I just don’t wanna be overheard.” Annabel took his coat out of the locker. “You worry too much.”
He walked unsteadily toward her, putting his arms around her waist. “Do I get a kiss first?”
“You still—”
Marcus didn’t allow her to finish what she was going to say. Instead, he crushed his lips against hers. His heart soared as Annabel responded hungrily. He felt her body tremble in his arms. The pain in his ribs increased. It was going to be a long road, but at least Annabel would be at his side.
Reluctantly he pulled away. “Of course I do.”
The words hung in the air as an unspoken understanding was reached between them. Marcus just wished Annabel would have faith in him, but he had done little to restore it. Hiding Emily’s existence would be a cause of some hurt for Annabel because he had lied. Marcus didn’t like feeling confused and so unsure of himself. Annabel was his perfect partner, but there was so much between them, so much he was keeping secret.
“Where do you want to go?”
“The Grand,” Marcus answered softly.
“The Grand! How very suave,” she replied teasingly.
“Hey, it’s the best, and the sea views are to die for. You should come up and look.” Marcus realized what his invitation sounded like.
“Now?”
“Well, only if you want to.” He would leave it up to her. “We can discuss whatever it is you want to talk about and have some food.”
Marcus was intending to take her to his bed. He had thought of nothing else since the day he saw her again. The decision would be hers to make. Did she want him as much as he wanted her? He was determined to find out. He hadn’t felt like this about someone for so long. One-night stands had been all he was interested in, but they left him feeling as empty as when they had begun. He craved something more, but did he deserve to be loved after what he had allowed to happen to Emily?
They left the hospital room in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Annabel kept checking over her shoulder every two minutes, which put his nerves on edge. “So do I get a hint about what is bothering you?”
“Marcus, I really need your help. I know I haven’t done anything.” She choked back her words; it had only just crossed her mind that he would say no. He couldn’t, he just couldn’t—the kids. She had to save the children no matter what the cost would be. “If you can’t or won’t, I understand,” she added sadly.
“You’re not making any sense.” He grasped her hand.
“I know, I’m sorry.” If anyone else could hear your incoherent babble, Annabel, they would want to lock you up.
She called the lift. A heavy aroma of disinfectant hung in the air. “I will tell you everything, I promise.”
He squeezed her hand. “As I recall, you saved my life, so I will help you with whatever you need.”
Relief flooded her; that was more like the old Marcus—always willing to help everyone. She had often called him selfish, but he was in fact far from it. No matter who it was, he was always one to lend a hand. A stark contrast to his playboy tag. Marcus was a very complex character. There was still sadness about him that she couldn’t work out. No matter what he said, the humor and laughter he had been famous for eluded him still.
Jumping in the car, she leaned over the back seat. “I need you to help with this,” she said, handing him the overstuffed envelope. “Can you look? I can’t work it out.”
Marcus took the envelope from her. “Is this what you need help with?” Slowly ripping the seal, he took some of the pages. “Accounts?”
“They’re the hospital’s. I don’t understand it.”
Marcus looked at her, and their gazes locked for a second. “Why don’t you come for lunch at the hotel, and we will work it out together?”
“I’d like that, but…” Annabel replied shyly.
“So where did you get these from?”
“Someone called me, told me to check my emails.” Annabel kept her gaze firmly attached to the road ahead. “When I got back home, there was an email giving me the log-in details for the hospital accounts.”
She slammed her hand on the steering wheel. “I don’t know what I’m looking for. All I know for certain is that Mr. Underwood, the chairman of the board, has no idea what has happened.” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. “Mrs. Higginbottom, although she has been helpful, mentioned a third-party company for buying equipment.”
****
“Hang on, a what?” He almost shouted the words; Annabel had just piqued his interest.
“A third-party company. Apparently, it’s normal practice.”
He watched as Annabel screwed her face up in confusion. “No, Annabel, it is not normal practice.” Now he knew where to start, and he had a very good idea what was going on. This wasn’t going to take long at all. He decided not to tell Annabel at least for the time being. Marcus enjoyed being in her company and didn’t want it to be over just yet.
“We still on for lunch?”
“Yes, you owe me taxi fare,” she joked.
“Do I now? And what do you owe me for scaring me for life?” Marcus thought he was pushing his luck.
“Fine. I will drop you off and go home then,” she retorted.
“No, I’m sorry. I will behave.” He flashed a smile in her direction. “At least for now,” he muttered to himself.
“Somehow, I doubt you know how to behave, Marcus Chapman.”
“Very badly,” he said, nodding in agreement.
****
They both laughed, relieving the tension that had descended. Annabel pulled up into an empty space in front of the Grand. Part of her wanted to stay in the car. The other larger part of her wanted to stay with Marcus. The feelings for him she thought had died had just curled up in her heart and slept until she saw him again.
“Look, I will come back in an hour. I’ve got a few things I need to do.”
Annabel didn’t know how he was going to react. Would he be hurt or understand? “Sure, but after…” Marcus hesitated. “After lunch, do you want to spend the rest of the day with me?”
Annabel just stared at him before she replied in an attempt to process what he had just said. “You’ve never asked me to your place before.”
“It’s not that bad, is it? Well, it’s not exactly my place. It’s the hotel.”
“We best not.” Annabel didn’t miss the hurt look on his face as she declined his offer. “What would we do?” A hard edge laced her voice. She didn’t want to admit she was scared of what would happen. They would never be able to take it back if they crossed the line.
“I just want to be with you, my Anna.” He pulled her close to him. “I don’t want to rush you into anything.” Only down the aisle.
“Don’t hate me,” she begged, her head was telling her to run a mile, but her heart was telling her to stay with him.
Marcus lifted her chin so she looked into his eyes. “I don’t hate you. You must never think like that.”
“How about we do something else?” she suggested.
Marcus held his hands up in submission. “Okay, okay.”
****
He usually wasn’t shy with the ladies, especially when he wanted something. Marcus would make his point and very rarely get turned down by anyone of the female persuasion. The one thing he did know was his lifestyle would only end up hurting Annabel. Hiding away from the world as much as he could, not socializing—he lived in a hotel for God’s sake. How was that suitable for Anna?
The strange thing was he didn’t regret what happened, just the way it did and the outcome that he never expected. A misunderstanding had torn them apart, and he so wanted to have her back in his life.
Annabel leaned over and kissed him. “I need to see the riders. They come back today, should be at the pub in half an hour.”
“All right.” His voice was tinged with sadness.
“So, where are you taking me?” Annabel asked, desperation bleeding int
o her voice.
“Anywhere you want to go. The beaches for some food or you tell me.” Marcus was drowning; he had no ideas at what to do. “We could go for a picnic on the beach; the weather seems to be holding.” He watched Annabel pull a face.
“Or if there is something you’d rather do?”
“I guess that would be okay.”
Marcus didn’t miss the look on Annabel’s face. No matter what he said, she still kept that stone wall around her. One minute he thought he had got through the barriers she kept erecting, and then the next, she would pull away from him.
“I will meet you back here in an hour.”
He climbed from the car and walked into the hotel.
They were very much alike, one step forward and two back. Marcus had hoped Annabel had realized by now he wasn’t going to be going anywhere. He was just as scared as she was. The difference was he would never let her know.
He phoned down to reception. “Hello, this is Mr. Chapman in room 601. I need a picnic basket.” Marcus waited for the receptionist to agree. “All the usual picnic food.”
Receiving confirmation that his order would be ready in half an hour, Marcus then jumped in the shower and let the hot water soothe his aches and pains. He’d needed to get out of that hospital and had lied to the doctors when they asked if he was still having as much pain.
He remembered fondly the summer he had met her. The big group would go to the beach whenever the weather was nice, playing beach football or frisbee. A few of them attempted to surf but had given it up as a bad job. Marcus hoped any memories of those days would be good ones for Annabel.
He wanted to repeat all the good times they had had and forget the bad. A quick look out his hotel window would tell him if the tide was out and the elusive sand was showing. He noticed the sky looked angry. Broken gray clouds scattered the skyline, yet the sunshine broke through the cloud barrier. That was one of the good things about a seafront hotel and having the best room at the Grand—sea views. He loved to watch the waves crash against the shore. He hoped he could share it with Annabel someday.
****
Annabel had stayed and waited until Marcus had gone into the hotel. It had been a surreal few days. There was still an undercurrent of sexual desire between them as though they’d never been apart. Did she want that? Annabel was confused. A few kisses didn’t make for a relationship.
She grabbed a CD and put it in the stereo. Dance music blared out of the speakers. It always helped her to relax and face the Spanish inquisition from Rachel. She hadn’t heard from her and hoped that her friend was all right. Had the riders known what had happened at the service station? Of course they will, Annabel, what are you thinking—you gave Marcus’s bike to some bikers to take down to Lands End and back.
No one from the ride had been in contact, and her only hope was that Rach would make it back to the finish point in one piece. No trouble, hopefully, just a smooth ride there and back, unlike her own.
Annabel was confused about Marcus. Things seemed to be going well, but she was still unsure of herself and of him. The niggly feeling she still had about him wouldn’t go away. Was he still that playboy she knew? Just using her for a bit of entertainment and self-gratification? Yes, she could ask, but he would only lie to her.
The way her body betrayed her each time they were near one another; the electricity that arced between them filled the air with an atmosphere so strong you could swim through it. Come on, Annabel, you’re over-thinking things, as always. Pulling into the Farmers Pub Lancing car park, she saw it was filling up already, the transit van with all their stuff was already there. Hers and Marcus’s bags would be on it. Maybe she could claim his and take it back with her when she went out with him. She couldn’t tell if his bike was there, not in the sea of almost identical bikes. Annabel would recognize his helmet first and then the bike. She couldn’t be bothered to wander up and down the rows of them. So finding his would be like searching through pea soup.
Nobody hung around in the car park. Maybe they were already in the pub having a well-earned drink. Annabel looked around the pub. It was very old fashioned. Old bottles lined the shelf above the bar, and huge copper cauldrons were strategically placed around the floor. I wouldn’t want to clean those, it would take hours. Cleaning was one job she hated the most. She looked around for her friend, finally spotting her sitting in a comfy chintz armchair next to a roaring open fire.
“Rachel,” she shouted over the din.
“Hey, Anna, where the hell have you been?” Her friend gave her an inquiring look, mixed with disapproval.
“I’ve been trying to get hold of you. We stopped at the first services on the route and, lucky us, got caught in a big accident.” Annabel proceeded to tell her friend what had happened. Rachel frowned and made several knowing noises whenever she mentioned Marcus, which was rather a lot.
“You weren’t hurt, were you?”
Annabel caught the concern that etched her friend’s face. “No, just a scratch. Marcus came out the worst,” she replied.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Rachel patted her hand. “Well, you missed all the fun we had. Riley tried to light a bonfire but set his leathers alight. Good job they are fireproof. Someone even got the marshmallows out and threatened to toast them on him.” Rachel let out a soft giggle. “Then Dr. Solomon decided he would go for a swim in the sea for a bet; he didn’t stay in long. Booked himself into a hotel because he had got so cold. Needed a hot bath he said. Honestly, some men are just chicken.”
Annabel wished she had been there. After all, it had all been her idea, her run. Whatever had happened would have been much more fun than what had happened to her and Marcus. The run would have given her the break she needed from work. At least Marcus’s accident had moved her to take some much-needed time off, and she could spend it with him.
“We missed all your excitement then, Annabel. We didn’t stop for a few hours. Everyone just kept driving.” Rachel paused. “So, anything else you need to tell me?”
“You know that guy I was paired up with?”
“Yes?”
“Well, we have a history, sort of.”
“Go on. I’m intrigued now.”
“It was before my last year at uni. He used to hang around the pier with a group of other lads.” God, he looked so hot in his leathers just like he does now.
“Earth to Annabel…”
Embarrassed, she answered, “Oh, I’m sorry…um, where was I? Oh, yes. Anyway, he always had a string of girlfriends, and I made a complete fool of myself. But he never noticed me,” Annabel said sadly. “Not until the night before I went off to finish my medical degree. We spent a lovely night on the beach and then went back to my flat.”
Rachel had her head on her hand listening intently, Annabel wanted to laugh. Rach was always one for hot juicy gossip. “Anyway, he spent most of the night and left before I had woken up.”
“That is just so wrong.”
She sighed. “It was all a misunderstanding. He did leave me his number on a pizza box.”
Annabel saw Rachel’s eyes widen. “A pizza box? He left his number on a—”
“Yep, stupid, I know. We lost all those years because of it. And now I don’t know if I can trust him. Would he be faithful to me, or would he cheat on me?”
“You have to give him a chance to prove himself, don’t you?” encouraged Rachel.
“Yes, that’s what I am doing. We’re going to spend the day together.”
“Doing what exactly?” Her friend raised her eyebrows.
“No, not that. Just enjoying each other’s company. Besides, with the state Marcus is in, he isn’t fit to do much except talk.” At least Annabel hoped that is all he was capable of. Yet, each time she was near him, she didn’t want to just talk. She wanted to feel his warm naked flesh against her own. The mere thought sent heat surging between her thighs.
“Why don’t you go then? I will grab Marcus’s bag and yours and give them to you tomorrow
.”
“Thanks, Rach. Oh, there is one more thing. Marcus’s bike is somewhere around. Could you ask someone to take it to the Grand? If they leave the key at reception, he will get it.”
“Yeah, I will. Now, go, don’t keep lover boy waiting. It’s been so long since you have had a date.”
“Don’t rub it in, Rach.”
Annabel hugged her friend and headed back, relieved everyone was safe. Her stomach fluttered as she thought of her plans for the rest of the day. Marcus would be waiting for her at the hotel. She had said that she didn’t want to go to his room, but that is precisely what she wanted to do.
Annabel slowly drove back, trying to calm herself. A whole day with Marcus, or what was left of it. Did he know what he wanted to do, or would he be just as unsure as she was? By the time she had arrived, Marcus was waiting outside. His tight-fitting jeans accentuated his thighs. His black leather coat and white t-shirt brought the memories of that summer flooding back. It was what he had always worn. It had driven her to distraction just like it was doing now.
Annabel wasn’t concentrating as she pulled into the car park and hit a lamp post as she pulled into a space. “Damn it,” she mumbled. Jumping out, she checked for damage. Luckily, she had only dented the bumper.
“Hey, Anna, are you sure you’re fit to drive?” Marcus was laughing hard. “That hurts,” he said, clutching his ribs.
“Oh, you’re so funny. Just wait, Marcus. I will get you back for that remark.” Annabel joined in the laughter. What a klutz she was. Anyway, it was your fault. Why do you have to look so damn hot?
“Have you decided where you want to go?” Annabel spotted the bag in his hand.
Marcus shrugged. “I thought we could go on the beach and have a picnic like the old days.”
Annabel winced. Did she want to recreate the old days? Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. What could possibly go wrong? She could lose her heart, or lose her friend, but she had already lost the former. “Why don’t we drive down to Madera drive, go to that part of the beach? If it gets too hard for you, there’s that little café. They do great homemade cakes and lattes.”
Second Chance with the Playboy Page 7