8. Marcus
EIGHT
MARCUS
When I wake up the next morning, Lainey is curled naked into my side, her honey-blonde braid coming undone across the pillow. I stroke a hand down the smooth expanse of her back, recalling how amazing last night was.
I have never had sex that good in all my life.
I still can’t believe it was her first time. The way her tight little body opened up for me... Fuck. I lost count of how many times I made her come undone on my tongue, my fingers, my cock. And when she asked me to be rougher with her, to take what I wanted I nearly lost my fucking mind.
When it comes to Lainey, the things I want to do are downright depraved. She’d probably be shocked if she knew what was going through my head right now, watching her sleep so peacefully in my bed.
But now that she’s mine, I plan to explore every inch of her perfect body. I want to push her limits, make her scream, leave my mark on every inch of her creamy skin.
As if sensing my heated thoughts, Lainey stirs and blinks open those captivating blue eyes.
“Morning,” she murmurs.
I tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers trail down her neck. “Morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?”
“A little sore. But good.” She giggles. “Really good.”
I can’t help the smug grin that tugs at my lips. “Glad to hear it.”
A soft blush colors her cheeks. “Just so you know, this isn’t normal behavior for me.”
“What behavior?”
“Letting a hot mountain man kidnap me and fuck me senseless for twelve hours straight.”
A possessive growl rumbles in my chest as I pull her tighter against me.
“That’s good to hear. Because I’m not going to let anyone else kidnap you. And I’m definitely not letting anyone else fuck you, either. You’re mine now, Lainey. All mine.”
I’m about to pull her in for a deep kiss when a loud banging on the front door makes us both startle.
“Stay here,” I tell Lainey gruffly, swinging my legs out of bed and pulling on a pair of jeans.
Her eyes widen. “What if it’s Axel?”
“It’s not Axel.”
I pad barefoot to the front door.
As expected, I yank it open to find Reign standing there with Lainey’s purse and cell phone in his hand. The ghost of a smile plays on his lips as he takes in my state of undress.
“Morning,” he says. “I brought the items you requested.”
I take the purse and phone from him with a gruff nod of thanks.
“Everything go okay last night after I left?”
Reign chuckles. “You mean after you hauled Lainey off over your shoulder like a damn caveman? Yeah, it was fine. Most people at the club were too preoccupied to notice much. I sent a text to her roommate from her phone, so she won’t be expecting Lainey back anytime soon.”
“And Axel?”
“Wrapped around some blonde all night. Doubt he even realized Lainey was gone.”
“Thanks for handling things.”
“I’ve got your back, brother.” His eyes flit over my shoulder. “Did you find out what the deal was with Lainey and Enzo?”
I nod, glancing back to make sure Lainey’s still in the bedroom.
“Her brother’s got a gambling problem. Owes Enzo a chunk of change. Lainey was there to pay him off.”
“How much we talking?”
“Five grand.”
“Fuck,” Reign hisses. “That’s not chump change. Her brother must be in deep.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Yeah, and I’ve got a feeling it’s not the end of it.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“I’ve got Lainey,” I say firmly. “Can you keep tabs on Enzo? See what he’s up to, who he’s talking to?”
“Consider it done,” Reign agrees without hesitation. “I’ll put out some feelers and see what I can dig up on her brother’s debts, too.”
“Thanks,” I say, clasping his shoulder. “I owe you one.”
Reign smirks. “Add it to the tab, brother.” He turns to leave but then pauses, his dark eyes assessing me. “It’s good to see you looking alive again, Ruins. Been a while since I’ve seen that fire in your eyes.”
I grunt, not sure how to respond. Reign’s always been too damn perceptive for his own good.
“Don’t fuck it up,” he adds with a smirk, before striding off towards his truck.
I watch him drive away, thinking about how right he is.
For over a year, I’ve been going through the motions, letting guilt and rage eat me alive. But having Lainey here, in my space, in my bed – it feels like waking up from a long darkness.
I shut the door and make my way back to the bedroom, Lainey’s belongings in hand. She’s sitting up now, the sheet pooled around her waist, looking rumpled and sexy as hell.
“Everything okay?” she asks, tucking her hair behind her ears.
“Everything’s fine, baby.” I set her purse and phone on the nightstand before crawling back into bed. “Just Reign dropping off your stuff.”
I toss her purse and phone on the bed next to her. “It was Reign. He brought your stuff from the club last night.”
Lainey’s eyes widen as she reaches for her phone. “Oh my gosh, thank you. I didn’t even realize I’d left it behind.” She powers on the screen and scrolls through her notifications.
A soft smile curves her lips. “Oh good, Carl just texted me.”
My whole body goes rigid at the casual mention of another man’s name. “Who the fuck is Carl?” I demand, not even trying to keep the edge out of my voice.
Lainey glances up at me, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. “Calm down, caveman,” she teases. “Carl is the diner’s mechanic. He’s like 60 years old and happily married.”
I feel my shoulders relax slightly, but I still want to know why this Carl guy is texting my girl first thing in the damn morning.
“What does he want?” I ask, trying to keep my tone casual as I sit down on the edge of the bed.
Lainey sighs. “It’s the oven at the diner. It’s been on the fritz for weeks now, only working half the time. Carl texted to say he finally tracked down the replacement part we need.”
She bites her lower lip, worry clouding her expression. “But it’s not cheap. The part alone is five grand.”
I see the defeat settling over her and I hate it. I hate that she’s carrying this burden alone.
“Five grand,” I repeat slowly. “The same five grand you just gave to Enzo?”
Lainey nods miserably, twisting her hands in her lap. “Every penny I had saved up. I was hoping to use it for the diner repairs, but now I don’t know what to do.”
I reach over and take her small hands in mine. “Tell you what, let’s eat some breakfast first and worry about the oven afterward, okay? Come on. I’ll make us some breakfast.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Lainey protests as I pull her to her feet and lead her out of the bedroom. “I can just grab something quick on my way back to the diner.”
I shoot her an incredulous look over my shoulder.
“You think I’m going to send you off to work without a proper meal after the night we had? Not a chance.”
She flushes prettily but doesn’t argue further as she follows me into the kitchen, the sheet still wrapped around her delectable body.
I grab a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt from the laundry room. I hand the shirt to Lainey.
“Here, put this on.”
She takes it and slips it over her head. The sight of her in my clothes does something funny to my chest. She looks so right in my space. Like she belongs here.
With me.
I shake off the thought and start pulling ingredients out of the fridge.“Omelets okay?”
Lainey boosts herself up to sit on the counter, her bare legs swinging. “Sounds perfect.”
I have to force myself to focus on the task at hand and not the tantalizing expanse of creamy thigh on display.
“Tell me about your roommate,” I say as I start cracking eggs into a bowl.
Lainey grins. “Her name’s Ruby. We’ve been best friends since second grade. She’s a tattoo artist now.”
“A tattoo artist, huh? Interesting career choice.”
“She’s amazing at it, though. Super talented.” Lainey’s face lights up with affection. “We have this joke that we ‘co-parent’ her bearded dragon, Spike.”
“You co-parent a lizard?”
“Hey, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it, mountain man.” She wags a playful finger at me. “Spike is very high maintenance.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” I pour the egg mixture into a hot skillet, shaking my head in amusement. “How long have you two been friends?”
“Since second grade,” Lainey’s smile softens. “Ruby’s always been there for me. Especially after my mom died.” Her voice catches slightly. “She would bring extra cookies in her backpack for me every day. Just to make me smile.”
My heart clenches at the glimpse of pain in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Losing a parent is something no kid should experience.”
“Thanks. It was a long time ago. But it still hurts sometimes, you know?”
“What happened?” I keep my voice gentle, not wanting to push if she’s not ready to share. “To your mom?”
“Cancer. It happened really fast. By the time they caught it, it was already everywhere.” Her voice catches slightly. “I remember Dad trying so hard to be both parents after. He even tried to learn how to braid my hair for school.”
Something in my chest constricts at the image.
“That couldn’t have been easy for either of you.”
“It wasn’t. But he never gave up trying.” A small smile touches her lips. “Even when my braids looked more like bird’s nests, he’d just kiss my head and say ‘practice makes perfect, sunshine.’”
She looks up at me then, and the morning light catches the tears gathering in her eyes.
“Sorry, I don’t usually get emotional talking about this.”
“Don’t apologize for missing them. I knew your dad pretty well. He was a great guy.”
“He was amazing. The diner was his dream. He wanted to create a place where everyone felt welcome, where no one ever went hungry. Even when business was slow, he’d feed anyone who came in needing a meal.”
The pride in her voice when she talks about him, the way she’s carrying on his legacy despite everything, makes my protective instincts surge.
“He’d be so proud of you, baby. The way you’ve kept the diner going, how hard you work to take care of everyone.”
Lainey ducks her head, a shy smile on her lips.
“I hope so. I just want to honor what he built, you know? Keep his dream alive.”
I take her chin gently and tilt her face up to mine. “You are.”
She beams up at me, her blue eyes shining with emotion.
Fuck, she’s breathtaking when she smiles like that. I want to be the reason for that smile every damn day.
The smell of eggs starting to burn reaches my nose, and I curse under my breath, reluctantly pulling away to save our breakfast. Fortunately, the omelets are only slightly crispy around the edges.
“Come and eat, baby,” I tell Lainey, plating up the food.
She hops down from the counter and follows me to the small kitchen table. I pull out a chair for her, but when she goes to sit, I tug her into my lap instead. Lainey lets out a surprised little squeak but settles against me, fitting perfectly in the circle of my arms.
I cut into the omelet with my fork and bring a bite to her lips.
Her brows lift in surprise.“You’re not seriously going to feed me?”
“Try and stop me.” I brush the bite against her lower lip and her eyes darken. “Open.”
Lainey parts her lips, letting me place the bite of fluffy egg on her tongue. I watch her chew and swallow, oddly satisfied by the simple act of providing for her.
“Good?” I ask as I spear another forkful.
She hums in agreement, shifting in my lap in a way that makes my grip on her hip tighten. “The food’s not bad either.”
I love this playful side of her and how easily she’s adapted to my need to take care of her.
“I wish every morning could start like this,” she sighs contentedly, resting her head on my shoulder.
I feed her another bite, my other hand stroking idly up and down her side.
“It will.”
Lainey tilts her head to look at me, confusion in her blue eyes. “How?”
“Because you’re going to be living here with me.”
“What?” Her eyes widen and she nearly chokes on the mouthful of omelet. “Marcus, I can’t just move in with you.”
“Why not?”
“Because we barely know each other!”
“We went over this last night,” I growl. “You’re mine, now. And I take care of what’s mine.”
Lainey scrambles off my lap to pace the kitchen.
“This is crazy. I have the diner to run. I can’t just abandon it to shack up with you!”
A low growl rumbles in my chest at her wording, and I stand, crowding her against the counter.
“You’re not ‘shacking up’ with me. You’re going to be living with me because this is where you belong. With me.”
I wrap one hand around the nape of her neck, my thumb stroking over her racing pulse.
“I know it’s fast, baby. I know it’s a lot. But tell me this doesn’t feel right.”
“It does feel right,” she whispers. “It scares me how right it feels.”
“Then trust it. Trust me.” I lean in, brushing my nose against hers. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you or the diner. I protect what’s mine, remember?”
She exhales shakily, and her small hands come up to rest on my chest.
“I do trust you, Marcus. More than I probably should. But I can’t just abandon my life for you.”
I press my forehead to hers, struggling to rein in my need to just throw her over my shoulder again and end this discussion.
“I’m not asking you to abandon anything. The diner will be fine. We’ll make this work.” I tip her chin up, holding her gaze. “Say you’ll stay with me, Lainey. Say you’re mine.”
Her lips part on a soft gasp, pupils blown wide. I can practically feel her wrestling with herself, wanting to give in but scared to let go.
She pauses, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.
“Can I at least have a few days? To figure out how to make this work?”
My jaw clenches at the thought of being away from her for even a day, let alone multiple. But I force myself to take a breath, knowing I need to handle this carefully.
“How long?” I ask gruffly.
“Until Friday? That will give me time to talk to Ruby and get organized at the diner.”
Five days. Fuck. It feels like an eternity.
I want to refuse, to tell her that’s not an option. That she’s mine now, and I’m not letting her out of my sight. But the rational part of my brain knows that will only push her away.
I exhale harshly through my nose, my grip on her hip flexing. “Fine. You can have until Friday.”
Lainey nods quickly, relief washing over her delicate features. “Thank you for understanding.”
I lean down and capture her lips in a hard, possessive kiss.
“Don’t thank me yet, baby. Because come Friday, I’m not letting you leave this cabin. Understand?”
Her breath hitches, arousal darkening her blue eyes.
“Yes. I understand.”
“Good.” I nip at her lower lip before reluctantly pulling back. “Now, come sit back down so I can finish feeding you before I take you to the diner.”
Lainey lets me lead her back to my lap, no longer arguing when I continue feeding her bites of omelet. I relish every brush of my fingers against her soft lips, the warm weight of her in my arms. I want to memorize everything about her in this moment.
When the plate is empty, I press a kiss to her temple and breathe in the sweet scent of her hair.
“Alright, baby. Let’s get you dressed so I can take you back.”
She nods and climbs off my lap, padding to the bedroom I watch her go, already counting down the hours until I can have her back in my bed.