The Complete Secrets Series

by LK Shaw

“You make me feel beautiful, Sir. Never before has anyone done for me what you have. You’ve given me everything I ever needed. More than I ever dreamed. You make me a stronger person. I know you may not want to hear this, but I love you, Marcus.”

  I stared into his green eyes and knew beyond a shadow of doubt that my love was returned. He didn’t respond beyond threading his fingers through my hair, wrapping his other arm around me, and pulling me flush against him. He looked into my eyes for a second longer, and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to say something; instead, he lowered his face to mine and placed the gentlest of kisses on my lips. He kissed my lips again before moving up to my nose and then my eyes as they fluttered shut. He rained soft kisses over my face before returning to my lips where he deepened the kiss.

  He unclasped my bra, and it quickly joined my dress on the floor. He broke the kiss and helped me step out of the puddle of clothing before leading me to and laying me on the bed. He worshipped my body with his touch as he traced his fingertips down my arms to my fingers and back up again. He made his way to my breasts before giving each nipple a slight pinch to increase the pleasure. He followed my breast bone down the middle of my chest, over my belly, and stopped right before he reached the place that ached for him. I closed my eyes as I reveled in his touch.

  “Sir, please,” I begged. I needed him tonight more than ever. I could have been killed the other day, and I didn’t want to waste one second of my life.

  When he didn’t say anything, I peered up at him. His hand shifted to the bruise on my hip as his eyes followed suit. “I’m so sorry you were hurt. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you. I won’t let it happen again.”

  My brows furrowed in confusion at his cryptic words. “Marcus, it wasn’t your fault. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was an accident. Regardless, I don’t want to think about it anymore. Make me forget.” I brought his head down to me and poured all my emotions into the kiss, transferring my love to him.

  When I tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled back a hairsbreadth. “There’s no need to rush, Sweetness. We have all night.” He gentled the kiss, tasting every inch of my mouth, softly, sweetly. We kissed for what seemed like hours as he softly caressed my side, his thumb resting just below my breast. He reached out to grasp my hand and brought my arm up next to my head where he interlaced our fingers. He moved on top of me, and I spread my legs wider to make room for him, never breaking our sensual kiss. This gave him access to my other hand, which he positioned to mimic the other, so both of my arms were bent near my head and our fingers were intertwined together.

  He broke our kiss and stared straight into my eyes, no words spoken between us. With our gazes locked, I felt him shift and his cock slide up and down my slit, becoming wet with my juice, until he reached my pussy. His cock slowly entered me with gentle ease, his eyes never leaving mine. Once he was fully imbedded, I wrapped my legs around his waist as he began to thrust, taking his time, pausing slightly when just the tip was left before pushing back in. With every thrust of his hips I counter thrusted, bringing us as close as two people could get. Every time our pelvises met, the friction increased on my clit.

  We continued our dance, until the pressure that had been building exploded and a kaleidoscope of colors burst across my vision, but I refused to break eye contact. Within seconds of my orgasm rushing over me, I was awash with his seed as Marcus reached his climax right behind mine. On and on tiny tremors continued to rush through our bodies until finally my body relaxed.

  I unlocked my legs from around Marcus, and he rolled to his back, taking me with him. I cuddled up next to him with my arm across his chest and my head rested on his shoulder. His heartbeat thudded against my hand where it rested on his chest, and I matched my breathing to his until our hearts beat in harmony. I savored the moment until exhaustion overtook me and I drifted off.

  “We need to talk.” I heard the tense voice whisper behind me, as I lay basking in the afterglow of the most beautiful lovemaking I’d ever experienced. I turned my head to peek over my shoulder at Marcus.

  “I should have told you this before last night. I meant to. You looked so beautiful sitting there in the candlelight. The desire to touch you was beyond my control. My body overruled my mind and not touching you was no longer an option. Then one thing led to another. Penny, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I have some things going on that I need to take care of for a little while. Things I can’t really talk about right now. I wish it were different. When I get everything taken care of, I’ll call you. In the meantime, I think we need to take some time away from each other. Time away will also give you a chance to re-evaluate your feelings. I think you’ll find that they are as I said before, gratitude.”

  I rolled over and my brows and forehead crinkled in confusion. “What are you talking about, Marcus? I don’t understand. Does this have something to do with the accident? Or Evan?”

  Not even looking me in the eyes, he only repeated what he’d said. “I’m sorry, Penny, but I think we need to spend some time apart.”

  When he didn’t say anything further, I realized he was serious. I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. I stopped breathing for a minute and sucked in a shuddered breath when I started again. I fought to bring it under control. I would not let this man see me cry. I was in such shock that all I could do was watch him stand up from the bed and dress. All thought processes stopped. I shook my head back to awareness when what was happening finally started to sink in.

  “Wait. Just like that, you’re leaving? After everything, this is the goodbye I get? You give me some bullshit reason about having to take care of things, yet you don’t even have the balls to tell me what you need to take care of? It sounds like a cop out. You know this isn’t gratitude, Marcus. How do you explain last night? You and I both know last night was different.” With each word I spoke, the confusion and sorrow gave way to fury. “You call it what you want. Last night we made love and suddenly, you’re throwing it away for reasons you can’t, or won’t, explain?”

  “Penny, I’m sorry I can’t say any more.” Marcus sighed, as he finished putting his shoes on.

  “Bullshit,” I spat. “You just won’t. Fuck your gratitude, Marcus. I’m not going to beg you to love me or beg you to stay. You want time away? Fine, I’ll give you all the time you want. Now, get out.” I rolled over and turned my back to him. A few seconds of silence passed before I heard the light snick of the door being shut behind me as Marcus walked out without even a goodbye.

  Marcus

  One month. Thirty-one days. Seven hundred and forty four hours. Thousands of minutes. That was how long it had been since I walked out of Penny’s bedroom after the night we’d made love. I had done my damnedest to stay away from her even though it was killing me. I went to work every day, going through the motions. Existing, but not really living. It sounded melodramatic when I thought about it, even if it was true. I made sure that Penny was still being protected. Even though it seem as though he’d moved on, I wouldn’t put it past that bastard Evan to try something. At least I hoped he’d moved on. I had no new reports that he was still following her. If I had gone through all this effort to push Penny out of my life to protect her and something happened anyway, I’d kill that son of a bitch. Donovan told me she still went to Eden every weekend, although she never played with anyone. Not even him. I was spending yet another late night at work, burying myself in paperwork, when my phone rang.

  “Hello,” I answered after the third ring, not bothering to check the caller ID. I had hoped whoever was calling would have given up when I didn’t answer quickly enough.

  “Marcus?” came the familiar voice on the other end of the line, its tone speaking volumes.

  Dread hit me hard. A lump formed in my throat, and I was barely able to respond. “What’s happened, Connor?” I finally choked out.

  “Marcus, you need to come to the safe house. Now.” My stomach dropped when I heard this. Oh God, Hailey, Grace. I kne
w, then, that the world as I previously knew it would be changed forever. “I called the police, but you need to get over here right away.”

  “Is Hailey alright?” I choked out.

  “Marcus, I think it would be best if you —”

  “Answer the fucking question, Connor. Is my daughter dead?” I felt a scream building.

  “Hailey is fine. Marcus, Grace is dead. So is Evan.” Connor reluctantly offered the news.

  “I’m on my way.” I disconnected the call before he responded.

  Not even bothering to shut anything down or turn out the lights, I raced out of the building and sped away in my car, driving like a bat out of hell to get to Hailey. Within forty minutes, I turned down Coach Street, and in front of the safe house where I’d placed Grace and Hailey were police cars and other emergency vehicles. The flashing lights lit up the night sky. I moved in what seemed like slow motion. I’d had to park two houses down and walk up the sidewalk toward the house. I hadn’t even made it to the driveway when I was stopped by a police officer.

  “Are you Mr. Allen?” the officer questioned.

  In a daze, I was slow to answer. “Yes. Where’s my daughter? I need to see her.”

  The officer held his hands out to me palms forward. “Sir, your daughter is being cared for at the moment. We need to ask you a few questions first. Please come this way.” He led me up the walkway and under the crime scene tape across the front door. A quick survey of the living room showed everything in complete disarray. Overturned furniture. Broken glass everywhere. Luckily, there were no signs of any bodies. We walked farther into the house toward the dining room where he directed me to sit at the table. “Have a seat please. I’ll be right back. I trust you won’t go anywhere.” It wasn’t a question.

  I sat where he’d indicated and waited, my leg bouncing in impatience. Within a few minutes, the officer returned, following behind a man in a suit. I stood as the man reached within an arm’s length.

  “Where’s Hailey? And Grace?” I asked again, impatience threading my voice.

  “Mr. Allen, my name is Detective Daniel Webber, please take a seat.”

  Reluctantly, I took the seat I’d vacated. I felt irritation building. “Someone needs to tell me what the fuck is going on. My security company said Grace is dead and no one will tell me where my goddamn daughter is.” I pounded my fist on the table in frustration and anger.

  “I’m sorry about Ms. Hathaway. She was apparently killed by a Mr. Evan Banks earlier tonight. Your daughter was upstairs during the confrontation. After speaking with your security team, it seems as though Mr. Banks forcefully entered the premises and began arguing with Ms. Hathaway. A physical altercation took place during which Mr. Banks pulled out a gun. From the reports, there was a struggle between Ms. Hathaway and Mr. Banks for possession of it. During the struggle, the gun went off and Ms. Hathaway was fatally wounded. Your security team entered the room, and Mr. Banks turned the gun on himself. He was dead before he hit the ground. Please accept my condolences on your loss.”

  Even though I already knew Grace was dead, hearing it confirmed by the police only made it more real. The adrenaline rush I’d experienced since Connor’s call had disappeared, and in its place, numbness had taken over. My whole body began to shake as reality kicked in and a sob I tried to disguise as a cough escaped against my will. I grieved for Grace. More importantly, I grieved for Hailey, who would never get to know her mother beyond this moment. Detective Webber and the other officer excused themselves. I barely heard them leave, my sobs now uncontrollable.

  After speaking with the police, they’d finally allowed me to take Hailey, who had fallen back asleep, from Connor who had her sequestered in her room. Even though it was the middle of night and I was exhausted, I’d left with Hailey and drove the two hours to Grace’s parents’ house. I had asked the police to let me be the one to tell them what had happened. It had taken a lot of convincing before they relented, but I knew it would be best if they heard it from me. Her father knew something was wrong when I showed up at 2:00 a.m. with only Hailey in tow.

  “I’m so sorry,” was all I said before Grace’s mother sobbed into her hands and would have fallen to the ground had her husband not been there to catch her. Stoic and almost too composed, Grace’s father ushered me in as I cradled a sleeping Hailey in my arms. Having been to their home before, I knew which room was Hailey’s. I gave them a few moments to grieve privately as I carried Hailey up to her room. I laid her on the bed, and after tucking her in, I leaned in to kiss her forehead and breathe in her sweet baby scent.

  With a heavy sigh, I closed the door, keeping it cracked slightly before heading back downstairs to talk to Grace’s parents. Her mother sat on the couch with silent tears running down her cheeks, while her father paced the room with a tumbler in his hands, pausing every few steps to take a sip. I took a seat on the upholstered chair next to the couch, leaned my elbows on my knees, and hung my head between them.

  Her father abruptly stopped and turned on me. “What the fuck happened, Marcus? How did Evan find our Grace? I thought your security team protected her and Hailey. Please explain to me how this happened.”

  I lifted my head to peer up at him and shrugged in despair. “From my understanding, sir, there was a breach. Evan had someone working on the inside of the security firm. I don’t know how the man made it past our background check, but he did. I will forever live with the regret that Grace is dead. I can offer nothing but my deepest sympathies to you and Martha.”

  Thomas finally moved to sit on the couch next to Martha and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her, and I think, himself a little. We all sat in silent grief. Eventually, I swallowed hard and broached the topic I’d been dreading since I wasn’t sure how they’d take it.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I was hoping you’d be able to keep Hailey for a little while. I’ll take care of all the arrangements for Grace so you won’t have to worry about it.” Soon after that, with the assurances that all arrangements would be taken care of, I drove the long hours back home. The minute I walked in the door, I collapsed on my bed without even taking off my clothes and slept for a full twenty four hours.

  That had been two weeks ago. Since then, I hadn’t slowed down even after the funeral. I dove full force back into work. I was still slightly numb with grief, but trying to stay strong for Hailey, who I’d seen only a handful of times since that night. I’d known Grace for close to twenty years, we’d had a child together, and now she was gone. I mostly grieved for Hailey, but a small part of me felt a little empty. At one time, I’d loved Grace and wanted to marry her. While that ship had sailed, I still felt heartache at the loss of my friend. Even in my grief, Penny was always on my mind. I needed to get my shit together and get back the woman I loved. I also needed to have another talk with Grace’s parents. I didn’t want to have the conversation over the phone. They deserved better.

  I headed to their house and knocked on the door. Martha, with bags under her eyes, answered the door. She directed me to the living room where I took a seat in the chair. She settled on the couch after I declined her offer of something to drink.

  “There’s something I need to speak with you and Thomas about. Is he home?” No sooner had I asked the question than Thomas entered the living room. He had aged several years since the night Grace was killed.

  “Hello, Marcus,” he greeted as he sat next to Martha, cuddling her close.

  “Sir,” I nodded in response. I took a deep breath as I braced myself for their reaction to my next statement. “I know this might not be the most appropriate time to bring this up, but I wanted to let you know that I plan on getting married. That is, if she’ll have me. I cared about Grace, even if I didn’t love her, and she was the mother of my child. I understand you both might need time to adjust. I at least wanted you to know what my plans for the future were.”

  Martha finally regarded me. “It’s going to take some time to get used to the idea. I know, though, Gra
ce would have wanted you to be happy. We know you cared about her. We don’t want Hailey to ever forget who her mother was.”

  I reached out for her hand, gripping it tightly in mine. “God, Martha, I would never let Hailey forget Grace. She will always be Hailey’s mother, and if you knew Penny, you’d know she’d feel the same. She has the same loving heart Grace had. We’ll make sure Hailey knows everything about her mother. I promise you that.”

  I stayed for a while after our conversation and went upstairs to play with my daughter. She cried when it was time for me to leave, but I promised her I’d see her very soon.

  Penny

  It had been almost two months since Marcus and I had broken things off. Well, since he had broken things off. I was still reeling from the pain. I didn’t understand his reasoning, but what else was I going to do? I’d gotten over the anger. In its place, remained confusion. I swore I wouldn’t be that woman, but I called him a few times still not understanding why he left. His phone went straight to voicemail when I called. When he didn’t return my call after the first two messages I’d left, I stopped leaving them. I’d even spent every weekend at Eden to no avail. He was avoiding me. Even Bridget said she hadn’t seen or heard from him.

  I kept waiting for him to deal with whatever he needed to deal with, but I was beginning to lose hope. Maybe he just needed an excuse to break up with me. Immediately, I ruled that out. Marcus was anything but a liar. If he had needed to figure things out alone, then that’s what I had to believe. I kept holding out hope that he’d be back soon though. I never thought I’d fall in love this quickly and this deeply. Marcus fulfilled every fantasy I had and even ones I never knew existed. He met all of my needs and made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with that man. I didn’t know if that would ever happen now.