Her face was the last thing he remembered before passing out after being shot, and it was the very thing he fought to protect.
* * *
Lana’s headswam with love and hate.
She was lost in a flesh-eating jealousy. In love with a man whose past was filled with more sexual partners than the client list at a high end brothel. She knew there would be women creeping on the scene at some point, but after the events of the last few days, she wasn’t prepared to lose him all over again.
“Lana?” Marcus ducked down, trying to meet her distant gaze.
She lifted her eyes, accepting the hold he had over her. “Did you have a relationship with her?” she asked, exuding a masked confidence.
He scowled. “We had sex, a long time ago.”
Lana expelled air through her nose, a glut of uncertainty settled in her belly. “Okay then, how many times did you fuck her?”
Marcus sighed. “Do we need to do this?”
“Answer the damn question.” Her misted eyes enlarged and her small voice grew louder.
Marcus shook his head. “This is crazy, Lana.” He paused with a slow sigh. “We fucked a couple of times. But, it’s not what you think. It was a long time ago. I wasn’t into her. She offered it up on a plate every time we were in the same company. She wanted more. I didn’t. End of story.” He shrugged casually, like it was nothing to him. “We probably fucked, no more than two or three times. I was just fooling around, my mistake.”
“So, I’m not the only one who broke your rule? You fucked her a few times, just like me. I bet she’s been in Fermanagh with you too.” Her stomach flipped and her head felt woozy.
His eyes flashed. “I don’t fuck you, Lana. It’s more than that for me. She’s just a woman I know. Nothing more. It was a very long time ago. Other than my family, and Freddy, you’re the only other person who has been in my home. You know that, beautiful. Come on, don’t make this into something.”
She desperately wanted to reach out to him, to pull him close, but her arms just hung redundantly by her sides. She was exhausted.
“I think she wants to be more than just friends, Marcus. How does she know where to find you? Why didn’t you introduce me as your girlfriend?” Questions were burning in her mind, begging for answers. “It’s like being with Rory all over again. Are you embarrassed to be seen with an ordinary girl like me, or are you just hedging your bets with other women?” Her face crumpled as her heart realised it was a sacrificial offering to the devil. “Perhaps this is just a cruel joke, a way to makeherjealous. I mean, look at her compared to me. She’s leggy super model and I’m…I’m just me.”
In one stride, he broke the invisible boundaries keeping them apart. “Don’t ever say that, Lana. This isn’t fake. It’s unbearably real. The most real feeling I’ve ever had in my life.” The hard lines on his face softened and a gentle extended breath tingled her skin.
“I told you, I’m new at this. I knew I’d keep fucking it up. I didn’t call you my girlfriend because I’ve never had one before. This is new territory.
You overwhelm me, consume me, breathe life into me, tease me, strip me of all my defences and turn me on so fucking much. When I’m not with you my heart stops beating in protest. It beats alongside yours, Lana. If I wanted Tash, then I’d have her. But I don’t want her, and I never have. Everything you are, is everything I need. In fact, it’s too much for me to deal with. It’s driving me crazy, Lana.”
He reached out and clamped her shoulders firmly. His palms dragged down her biceps. “I wantyou. The woman who broke every rule back in Belfast. I’m in love with you, beautiful. Your ‘just me’ is my fucking perfect.” His words slipped out like honey.
Whether he meant to reveal his soul to her or not, each thoughtful word lingered between them like gifts from cupid, each one aimed for her heart. The galloping beat of her fragile heart stuttered, regulating to a rhythm that matched his.
Dazed, she gave him a relieved smile. “It will take time to get used to this feeling of jealousy.” She drew in her lower lip.
His chin dipped. “I’ll sell the club. The plan was to join forces with Luke Devereux, in New York. We were going to spread it worldwide but maybe this is the perfect time to get rid of it.”
Her brow scrunched. “Why?”
He sighed lightly. “The whole idea of Verto Veneri revolved around helping couples—protecting them, so to speak. But look what happened. Rory cheated on you and Jaqueline was murdered, and don’t get me started on Carl. If I’m still the owner, then I’m still associated with that world and we’ll keep having these issues.”
Her head wobbled. “I don’t want that. It’s part of who you are, Marcus. People are going to cheat whether they’re in Verto Veneri or not. What happened with Carl was messed up, but it wasn’t because of the club. It was all down to him. Maybe you should rebrand it. Instead of couples being separated, they could be brought together somehow.”
“In what way?”
“I don’t know, like a sex club where they discover bondage, with each other. A place where they can grow respect for each other and learn their limits together. I don’t know. It’s just an idea.”
“And you’d be happy, knowing I was a part of that underworld?”
“If you involve me. Let me be part of it with you.” His green eyes sparkled as she spoke. “Marcus, I’ll go to counselling. I’ll sort my head out. I can’t lose you, not again. I know I shouldn’t have run off just now, but we’ve been through so much. I couldn’t deal with loosing you all over again.” Her hand slid to her stomach, recalling his naked body slumped in a pool of blood.
Marcus pressed his lips to her temple. “I’m not going anywhere. Let me talk to Devereux about the club. Your idea might just take it to a whole new level.”
