Chapter 14 Marcus
MARCUS
“Okay, spill. What’s going on with you?”
Marcus looked away from his reflection at William’s question, furrowing his brow and undoing a button on his shirt so that he showed a little bit of pec. “What do you mean?”
William shot him a look that was part incredulous, part frustrated, and all little-brother.
“You drag some weird alpha back to the hotel, then spend the whole night doing a one-on-one run with him – something not even Steve gets – and I’m not supposed to think that this is another Steve situation?”
“It’s not,” Marcus insisted.
“Max slept with your mate hours before you went on your first date with him. If this isn’t a Steve situation, why isn’t he dead?”
“I can control myself.”
“No, you can't. Not with things like this.” William walked right up to him and poked him in the chest. “You’re unstable. Maybe I should tell this Warren kid that he should stay away from-”
Before Marcus knew what he was doing, he had William by a grip on his throat and slammed up against the wall.
William looked at him, face turning red as the circulation through his vital arteries was cut off, and lifted his brow in an I told you so look.
Marcus released him.
“I’m so-”
“See, not in control, and yet Max waltzes in here, after attacking you and sleeping with your mate, and your only response is to think that he’s cute.”
“I don’t think that he’s cute.”
“You were charmed.” William poked him again. “I bet the two of you frolicked all night and then curled up together and cuddled until sunrise. Did you kiss?”
“We didn’t kiss,” Marcus said, his mind flashing back to Max asking for a kiss before he’d exited the car. There was a second, after he’d leaned over and before Max realized he was joking, that Max had looked very receptive.
“But you frolicked and cuddled?”
“No comment.”
William sighed and walked over to the couch.
He dropped down dramatically and threw his head back.
“I don’t want more brothers-in-law,” he whined at the ceiling.
“August and Ryker are bad enough, and now you’re going to drag home a vampire and his unsocialized puppy of a boyfriend?
Thanksgiving is going to be a nightmare. ”
“The only person I’m bringing to Thanksgiving is Warren.”
William turned and looked at him like he was an idiot.
“Warren is the one person in this who’s the least likely to end up at our Thanksgiving. At least Max and the vampire have our instincts. If you want Warren, you have to actually get him to like you the human way.”
“I can do that,” Marcus said.
“Really?” William shot him a skeptical look. “Waving your cock around and crowing about how hot you are is not enough. Eventually, your personality is going to have to enter the chat, and then where will you be?”
Marcus wasn’t even going to respond to that. He turned on his heel and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
The hotel room doors had a soft-close feature that made the slamming part extremely unsatisfactory.
Why did William have to be such a little shit?
“Nice,” William said, sounding like he thought he’d won the argument. “Very mature. Very charming. I see the strategy.”
Marcus rubbed his eyes. He wasn’t going to deal with any of the nonsense that William had spouted. He had a date to go on in less than half an hour, and he needed to get ready.
He turned and studied his reflection in the mirror and wondered if the suit was a bit much. It was the only look Warren had seen him in, and he didn’t want Warren to think that a businessman was the extent of his personality.
Maybe he should go for something more casual?
Heading to the closet, Marcus rummaged through his available choices and tried to make up his mind.
The problem with being away from home on a business trip – aside from the ever-present urge to claim the territory he was visiting for himself – was that he hadn’t packed for anything but business meetings.
He had some comfortable clothes, sure, like well-worn jeans and sweatpants, but nothing that was nice enough to go on a date in.
He left the room wearing the same suit he’d worn when he’d gone in.
“Have fun,” William said, looking up from his phone and looking him up and down. “You look nice. I’ll clear out and stay with Bruce again.”
“Get your own room,” Marcus instructed, grabbing his coat from the closet and tugging on his dress gloves.
He froze halfway through putting them on, the insides still sticky with blood.
He’d forgotten about that. He’d smelled the blood, but he’d assumed it was from the suit jacket.
Tossing the gloves aside, he went to wash his hands.
Turning to William, he continued. “One night was fine, but Bruce shouldn’t have to share. He’s earned his own room.”
“Oh, please, he’d bunk at the end of my mattress if I let him. He loves it when we do sleepovers.”
Marcus gave him a look. “Has he said that?”
William shrugged. “No, but I can tell from his vibe.”
“Get your own room.”
William sighed. “Fine. I guess it would be nice to jerk off.”
“Too much information,” Marcus said, leaving the bathroom door open as he washed his hands. “I don’t want to think about you doing that.”
“Oh, but I have to think about you hooking up with a vampire, his boyfriend and some twink? How is that fair?”
“You don’t have to think about that, especially since it’s not even happening. The only guy I’m hooking up with is Warren.”
“I’m going to remind you of that six months from now when I walk in on you being gross with each other.”
“Who?” Marcus looked for his second set of gloves, but he couldn’t find them.
“You and the vampire.”
Marcus gave up on wearing gloves and buttoned up his coat. He looked at William and furrowed his brow.
“You’re very hung up on the vampire.”
“Because it’s weird! He’s like our great, great, great – I don’t know how many greats – step-uncle, and now he’s probably going to be my brother-in-law.”
“William?” Marcus said, opening the door.
“Yes?”
“Mention the vampire again and I’ll break your legs.”
William narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t.”
“Do you want to test me?”
William considered it, the little shit, but then he shrugged and went back to scrolling on his phone.
“Whatever. Have fun on your date.”