6. Chapter SixMarcus
Chapter Six
Marcus
I closed the door to my room and sat on my bed. If I stayed around her a minute longer, she would see just how hard I’d gotten, and I didn’t want to scare her. I knew she was trying to seduce me, and it was not comfortable for her. She didn’t strike me as the type of woman to use her sexuality as a weapon, so seeing her try was cute. But it was also sexy as fuck. I was sure I overstepped by licking her, but I had no regrets. I wanted more.
The taste of her skin on my tongue and the ice cream nearly sent me over the edge. I cursed again that I would have to give this woman up if I didn’t find a way to help my brother. I looked down at my semi-hard dick in frustration. “Maybe she is seducing us.”
If I didn’t get it together, I could see myself falling for her. I had to do something to keep my head on straight. I lay back, resting my head against my pillow, and closed my eyes. Instantly, her face came into view. Those innocent, warm brown eyes and pouty lips I was tempted to taste. Her curls, even disheveled, begged me to thread my fingers through them and press her to me. When she pushed her chest together, her cleavage on full display, and her nipples hardened against the thin fabric of her bra and T-shirt, I could have dropped my towel and jerked off right then. Of course, that was the last thing I wanted to do and frighten her. Not that she should feel safe around me. I was delivering her to evil. But I hated being cruel to her. It made me sick. Still, if I hadn’t threatened her, she would hurt herself trying to escape.
If I was going to stay the course, I needed to get this desire for her out of my system. I opened my towel and quickly gripped my dick at the base above my knot before slowly stroking upward. I thought of her in the kitchen again, looking at me with those wanton eyes. Except in my mind, there was more after my teasing lick. I envisioned pushing her back against the counter and sliding her panties off her thick thighs. I gripped my dick tighter, pre-cum dripping from my tip. I used the lubrication to increase the speed of my strokes, my own thighs tensing.
If she let me, I would lick my way up her inner thighs, tasting the sweet slick that would have dripped from her pussy, signaling she was ready for me. I would then bury my tongue in her folds, gathering whatever liquid I could from her. I’d make her scream, make her grab my hair, and call my name. My balls tightened, and I swore at how fast I would soon be coming. Despite that, I lifted my hips off the bed to meet my fist as I continued to jerk myself toward climax. My hands were sticky with my pre-cum. I envisioned myself dropping my pants and burying myself deep into her center. I would play with her clit as I fucked her, pounding into her so fast we’d push off anything near us on the counter. And then I came. My hips thrust up, and every part of my body seized as I let the wave of pleasure pass through me. It must have been a while because seemingly endless ropes of my cum splashed over my hand, my stomach, and my thighs. And I was glad I still had the towel under me.
I let out a breathless groan and untensed my thighs as I settled back down on the bed. I was satiated for the moment. Was this what I would have to do every day I was around her? There was no choice. I was not the type of trash to force himself on a woman, and even though I could sense her arousal, it seemed wrong given the situation. I would push her for nothing beyond her comfort. She’d had enough taken from her, and I knew she had more on her mind than any fleeting attraction to me.
***
I woke up the following day to my TV on, and the volume turned up, blasting the morning news. At the foot of my bed were what appeared to be several items of clothing floating in the air. They flew in my direction, landing on my chest. Soon after, the lights flickered above me, and my bedroom door slammed open and shut. If I hadn’t known better, I would be sure this was a haunting. Well, it was actually haunting, and I had an idea of who was behind it.
I sat up and flung my feet to the side of the bed. “Friend of Daria, please stop. You are wasting your time if you are trying to scare me.”
A shoe flew against the wall, leaving a black scuff mark. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. “If you think being a bratty ghost is going to get anything to change, it won’t. Daria is not leaving here until I say she is. Now, I’m about to fling my sheet off me, and I am naked under here. You are welcome to see if being a perv is your thing.”
I had no idea if the ghost left or not. I wasn’t particularly modest about my body, so it didn’t matter. I soon rose and grabbed some clothing for the day before heading out of my room to the bathroom. I noticed that Daria’s door was open, and I could hear movement downstairs.
I finished getting ready and grabbed the bag of hidden utensils, pots and pans. I went down the steps to find Daria brewing a cup of coffee in the kitchen. She was humming and looked so comfortable standing there. She’d showered and changed, wearing black leggings and a cartoon hoodie I packed for her, her feet covered in patterned socks.
It was as if she had forgotten about the situation. Or, instead, this was just her nature. It was becoming very obvious that she was a good human, naturally cheerful. So far, there was nothing remotely unredeeming about her, which made this even worse for me.
“I don’t appreciate that you went through my things,” she stated in a haughty tone, her back to me.
I took out some utensils and a skillet and placed them on the counter next to her. Her sweet scent floated toward me, and my stomach clenched. “Would you rather I not have packed you anything and had you wear the same undergarments for possible weeks?”
She looked down at the items and then up at me with that heart-fluttering gaze. “Of course not. There are many things I’d rather not, like being stuck here with you.” She harrumphed and grabbed the utensils before moving away.
I watched her open the refrigerator and take out eggs, butter, bacon, toast, and cheese. She took out just enough ingredients for herself this time, knowing I wouldn’t accept. I didn’t trust her not to taint somehow the food she was making to get me sick. Even if I watched her like a hawk, she had magic, and there was no telling what she could do.
“Is that why you had me get attacked by a pile of clothes earlier?”
She rolled her eyes. “Really?” she said, seemingly to the air.
“Yes, really.”
“Wasn’t talking to you.” She paused and then spoke again. “We should have talked about this first. There are better ways to scare him.” More silence. “Well, I do appreciate the effort. Why are you getting smart with me? I’m a suffering victim.”
An amused smile spread on my face before I could stop it. “So, I was right that you have a ghost friend with you.”
She glared at me. “Apparently you kidnapped us both. But based on that ward, you knew that. How?”
“I do my research before I take any action. It’s why I was so good at my job in the past. When I broke into your apartment, I saw you had a den with a day bed that I assumed was a guest room or an office. Except it’s all decorated in pinks and several pictures of a particular friend.”
“That was her favorite color.”
“More importantly, you often talk to yourself. You don’t even try to hide it. I assumed you didn’t have a mental illness so, with you being a necromancer, I assumed you see dead people.”
She looked away, pressing her lips together.
I knew that I was right. “Angelica lives with you. And you gave her that room. I found several pictures of both of you on your social media. You’re still linked to her accounts, which are still up.”
“No one could bear to take them down.”
“It’s nice that you gave her a separate space.”
Daria shrugged. “She’s like a freeloading roommate, but I love her. Now I’m kidnapped. Who’s going to pay the rent? Where will she live when I’m gone?”
I wanted to reach out to touch her, but for what purpose? I couldn’t comfort her. It was not going to be alright. I had little to offer her.
She looked over at me, tears in her eyes, and, like the coward I was becoming, I looked away. Her pain was too great for me, and without a plan, I could do nothing for her. “Let me go,” she begged.
I slowly shook my head. “You know that it could be worse if in the unlikely event you were to escape. The gang has their sights set on you. You wouldn’t be protected, even by the police. The cops would need to see a real threat.”
Daria turned to glare at me. “So far, the only threat is you. So there, now they have one.
I was doing just fine until you came along. I don’t even know if what you say is true.”
I leaned my back against the island, stuffing my hands in my pockets. “This is true. I’m sure I can make a call to prove it to you, but also, I have a lot to lose by doing this. I have my own successful tattooing business. Perhaps you’ve heard of it, Red River Tats.”
Her eyes widened. “You own that place? I always wanted a tattoo and thought about getting it there.” Her eyes then narrowed in suspicion. “How do I know you own it? I’d look it up, but you took away my phone and any internet access.”
I smiled and reached into my pocket for my phone. “Of course I did.” I then searched for the link to my business website and the About page with my profile picture. I then showed it to her.
She looked at it and then back at me. “You’re right. You do have a lot to lose.”
“That lets you know how serious this is for me. I would never do this if it wasn’t for my brother.”
She pursed her lips and turned away from me as she continued to prepare her breakfast. “I’d hope you wouldn’t do this. You’re an alpha. You’re supposed to protect omegas, not hurt them, Marcus.”
I stilled. I hadn’t given her my name. How did she?I could have punched me? I showed her my website. It had my full fucking name on it, and she caught it that quickly. Not that it ultimately mattered. I was screwed if she ever got out. There were only so many orcs in Baltimore and even less that looked like me. And I did this to myself by telling her my business. It was becoming increasingly evident that I had backed myself into a corner. Not to mention, she was right. What I was doing was not protective. I should be cherishing this woman, not snatching her away to possible death.
“I realize that I’m failing you. This is the opposite of anything I would ever want to do. It’s not what I would want for you.”
She turned on the stove and began placing the bacon in the frying pan, and I willed my stomach not to rumble at the rich scent that would soon be filling the space. “What kind of life did your brother lead that would have him wind up with this gang?”
“He stayed away from that life until recently. My family isn’t the most squeaky clean. We have some underworld dealings.”
She glanced over at me, her expression one of worry. I was sure this was not the news she needed to hear. “You come from a crime family? So, you’re a member of a gang, too? You are a professional thug?”
I winced at that, but I suppose she wasn’t wrong. At this rate, I might as well tell her it all. She knew enough as it was that if she escaped, I’d be caught anyway. “I’m an ex-professional thug.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I used to engage in violent acts to protect my family, but then I got out of the business to live a crime-free life.”
She continued to cook the bacon, and I couldn’t help but wish that we were instead on vacation, preparing to have a nice breakfast together. My mind was messing me up. “Since I’m probably not going to make it out of this alive, might as well tell me all about it,” she stated.
I sighed and rubbed at my face with frustration. She would rightfully guilt me until the end of my days. And so, I told her about my family. I told her about my role in our affairs. I wasn’t a good person. I doubted she thought so anyway, but if she began to sympathize because of my younger brother, I would stop her. None of us deserved her understanding.
She’d finished cooking and plated her food by the time I was done. “What made you give it all up?”
“I lost too much from it. Friends, a personal life, my mental health. Orcs live long lives, and this was not something I wanted to do forever. It would kill me early. Probably still will because of any enemies I’ve gained.”
She moved to the dining table, and I turned to follow her. I was still perplexed at her overall calmness with her situation. I had mastered my own emotions once I became an adult. If I was going to be effective in what I did, being cold was my best tool. It made me admire her in a way. It wasn’t lost on me that she could be simply trying to get my guard down, which also made her smart, another attractive feature.
“How old are you?” she asked, sitting down.
“38.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “So, you’re a retired hitman. I’m assuming you’re single?”
I cocked a brow. Why was she asking? “Yes, are you interested?”
She gave a silent snarl of distaste that sunk my heart. “No. I assumed that if you were a husband or father, you’d have more decency than to kidnap a law-abiding citizen. But then again, males can be creepers regardless if they're married or a parent.”
I shook my head. “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome. After all, you did kidnap me. You could have called the police. They’ve dealt with this kind of thing before. They even have insiders and undercover cops who could help.”
Her tone was rising in intensity, and I could now see her losing her cool. “You put too much faith in the cops. The force is filled with corrupt ones, especially in the paranormal unit. A pay off by a gang would be appealing. My family has several in their pockets. As soon as I called them, Death Mask would know, and my brother would be dead.”
She shook her head and looked down at her plate. “I told you I have friends on the force. I can call them, and they can help.”
“Daria, I’m sorry, but it’s too much of a risk. My family has its issues, but I still love my brother. I don’t want him dead.”
“No, you just want the happy-go-lucky baker dead. You didn’t even try to find another way out of this. You have connections. You said so yourself. You know, this gang isn’t going to let you go, either. You were a successful hitman. They’re going to snatch me, kill your brother, and then kill you. Or use you as their hitman. None of us are walking away from this.”
I’d thought of that. I knew going into the gang territory would get me killed, so we had to do the exchange on neutral ground. However, that wouldn’t protect her. My best bet was to stay by her side and get her out once I got my brother. It required backup, which I had already arranged. Selfishly, it was not because of Daria. It was because I knew that the gang would not play fair, even for me.
Perhaps it was cruel of me not to tell her I had a plan. Her stress was optional for my plan to be successful. “I won’t let you get hurt, Daria. I’ll get my brother and ensure nothing happens to you.”
She gave me a look of justified disbelief. “Why would I believe you? How do I know you aren’t saying that so I won’t be a problem for you while I’m here?”
She had a point, and I wasn’t surprised she didn’t believe me. I’d given her no reason to. “I know I won’t be able to earn your trust in a situation like this, but I’m still going to try. You can try to run away. I can’t stop you, even if I know it’s futile. And that won’t stop me from being true to my word. It’ll annoy me.”
She huffed and looked back down at her food before pushing the plate away, getting up and walking away.
It would take time to get her to understand that this was the best situation if I was to save my brother and her. But if I couldn’t pull it off, she had a right to be worried.