Chapter 35
M arcus
All morning long, I brainstorm ways to get Emma to stay at my place another night. The deal we made means I can’t keep asking her, so I have to resort to more underhanded methods.
Get Wilson to call in sick so he can’t take her and the cats home?
No, I’d just have to call a taxi, and we’d end up arguing about who gets to pay.
Incentivize the cats to run from Emma by bringing in a few live mice for them to chase?
No, too cruel to the poor mice.
Pounce on Emma as soon as she gets home and keep her in my bed all evening?
Yes, that’s a more promising idea—and if all else fails, I’ll go with her and spend the night on her lumpy bed.
Of course, that’s just a short-term solution. I need something more permanent, and I need it soon.
At lunch, I call the realtor who visited Emma’s landlady and ask her to reach out to her again. “Tell Metz you have a buyer ready,” I instruct, and after I hang up, I call Weston Long.
“It’s Carelli,” I say when the real estate mogul picks up. “I need a favor.”
I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but I see no other option.
The baying beast inside me needs Emma in his cave.
* * *
The rest of my day is insanely busy. After the jobs report comes out, market volatility goes through the roof, and I spend all afternoon with my PMs, deciding which investments to unload and which ones to double down on.
As a result, I don’t leave the office until seven, a full hour later than planned, and when I finally get home, I learn that my plans to pounce on Emma have hit a major obstacle.
She’s asleep.
“She was exhausted when she arrived a half hour ago,” Geoffrey informs me as I’m taking off my coat. “Said she was too tired to eat and was going to take a nap.”
A spike of guilt pierces my chest. I must’ve completely exhausted her last night. “Did she say anything about packing and going home?”
“No, Mr. Carelli. She went straight up to the bedroom and hasn’t come down since.” He pauses, then asks carefully, “Shall I warm up dinner for you? Or would you like to wait for Ms. Walsh?”
“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll let you know.”
I head upstairs, pausing only to pet Cottonball, who’s taken to greeting me every evening by the door.
Of course, a few seconds of head scratching is insufficient for the needy feline, so when he meows loudly, looking up at me with those big green eyes, I bend down and pick him up, taking him with me so I can stroke him as I walk.
Entering the bedroom with a purring Cottonball in my arms, I find Emma tucked under the blanket, with the two other cats curled up next to her on my pillow.
A month ago, I would’ve immediately stripped the sheets and had Geoffrey boil my pillowcase with bleach. But as I take in the scene in front of me, cat germs are the last thing on my mind.
If I hadn’t already realized that I love her, I would’ve known it in this instant.
Lust and tenderness, possessiveness and adoration—all of it commingles in my chest. Emma in repose is a sight that melts my heart and turns my cock rock hard.
She’s lying on her side, one pale arm draped over her pillow and her curls like flame spirals around her softly pretty face.
With her eyes closed, her thick lashes are like auburn half-moons on her freckled cheeks and her rosebud lips are slightly parted, making me want to kneel in front of her and kiss them—then roll her onto her back and fuck her all night long.
Even with my kitten looking like a Botticelli angel, the savage inside me is alive and well.
Heart thudding heavily, I walk over and stop at the edge of the bed, staring down at her. Emma’s breathing is completely even; she’s deep in the throes of sleep. Both cats raise their heads at my approach, then lay them back down, unimpressed.
I don’t know how long I stand there watching her, but eventually, I quietly back away and go back downstairs.
With Cottonball sitting on my lap, I eat the dinner Geoffrey prepared, then go into my home office to do more work.
The cat follows me there, napping on my desk while I go through research reports.
I consider shooing him away, but he’s not bothering me, and having him here is a little bit like having a part of Emma with me.
When I’m done, I do a few dozen laps in my pool, shower, and head into the bedroom to join my kitten, whose evening nap is transitioning into nightly sleep.
Quietly, I approach the bed and turn on the bedside lamp.
Mr. Puffs and Queen Elizabeth are still lying on my pillow, pointedly ignoring me.
Since chasing them away might wake Emma, I grab another pillow from my closet and carefully move the pillow with the cats aside.
Then I flick off the lamp and stretch out beside Emma, pulling her soft, warm body into my embrace.
She stirs at my touch, mumbling, “Marcus?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Sleep, my sweet.” My cock is painfully hard, but I want her to rest and recover.
I’m used to the nonstop pace of my life, with business dinners that run late into the night, followed by early-morning exercise or meetings.
But she’s new to this, and the last thing I want is to undermine her health by exhausting her with my sexual demands on top of everything else.
She snuggles closer, yawning against my shoulder. “I didn’t go home,” she says sleepily. “I was going to, but I didn’t.”
I suppress a smile. “I noticed.”
“And I don’t want to.” She sounds slightly more awake.
My heart skips a beat, then starts thumping. “You don’t have to.” Is she saying what I think she’s saying? Pulling back, I turn on the lamp and meet her gaze. “Kitten, you don’t have to go anywhere. I want you here always. You know that.”
She blinks a few times, the sleep rapidly clearing from her eyes. “Marcus, I…” She sits up, holding the blanket to her chest. “I think I want to try this. That is, if you’re sure.”
I sit up too, my heartbeat accelerating further.
“I am. Very sure.” So sure I just agreed to pay Weston Long three million dollars in exchange for one of his companies purchasing her landlady’s townhouse.
Is that what’s prompting this? Did the woman already speak to Emma about ending her lease early?
But no, it’s way too soon. Long said he’d need a couple of days to make an offer.
“Okay then.” Emma takes a breath, causing the blanket to slip and expose a pale breast tipped with a temptingly pink nipple. “It’s a trial run. Officially.”
“Yes, a trial run,” I say thickly, and unable to resist, I shoo the cats off the bed and pull her to me.
* * *
By the next morning, I still don’t know what prompted my kitten to change her mind, but I don’t question my good fortune. Instead, I move swiftly to consolidate my victory. As we sit down to eat breakfast, I ask Emma for the keys to her studio, so Geoffrey can send the movers there today.
“They’ll only take the cat maze, your clothes, and some books,” I tell her when she looks panicked. “It’ll be easy to bring it all back if this trial run doesn’t work out.”
She hesitates, then nods. “All right. I suppose we can do that.”
It takes everything I have not to let my fierce triumph show. “Good, it’s settled then. I’ll ask Geoffrey to make room in my closet for your things.” Not that she has a lot. Hopefully, once we’re married, she’ll let me buy her more.
And we will be married soon.
Now that Emma is living with me, it’ll be that much easier to make her fall in love with me, turning this “trial run” into forever.
Finishing her poached eggs, Emma pours herself a glass of green juice and downs it in a few gulps.
She seems to really like it, so I make a mental note to have Geoffrey always prepare it for her at breakfast. I’ll also ask him to pack a lunch for her every day; I have no idea what she eats at work, but I’m sure it’s not nearly as good as the gourmet sandwiches my butler makes for me.
“Oh, almost forgot,” Emma says, patting her lips with a napkin. “Janie called me yesterday. She wants us to meet up with her and Landon this week. Do you think you might be too busy?”
I raise my eyebrows at the strangely worded question. “Do you want me to be too busy?” I do have a ton of work and I’m not a fan of the pushy investment banker, but for Emma, I’m willing to tolerate the guy for one night.
Busy or not, I want to get to know her friends.
Emma’s cheeks turn pink. “Well… kind of. I mean, I want to see Janie, but I think her boyfriend just wants to suck up to you.”
That was obvious to everyone last night. “Right. So?”
She looks taken aback. “So that doesn’t bother you?”
“Why would it?” I pick up my fork. “The whole point of having power and wealth is to be in the position where people want to suck up to you. In the business world, it’s called ‘networking,’ and it’s an essential skill for career advancement.”
Emma pushes her plate aside. “But that’s using people. It’s—”
“It’s human nature, kitten. And not just human.
” I know where her views are coming from, so I choose my words carefully.
“Observe any social animals, and you’ll see it.
The weak curry favor from the strong; the unskilled learn from the skilled.
Are they using them? Sure. But is it wrong? I doubt it.”
Emma regards me with a frown. “I don’t understand. Are you saying it’s okay if a woman is with you for your money? Or if someone only wants to be your friend to network with your billionaire boyfriend?”
“Of course not.” I push my own plate aside and cover her hand with mine.
“There’s a world of difference between deceiving and emotionally manipulating someone, and knowing that a person may be of help to you.
I would never be with a woman who only wants me for the luxuries I can provide—not if I’m looking for a genuine emotional connection with her—but I’m more than happy to provide those luxuries for the woman I love and who loves me back…
and it’s totally fine if she enjoys that aspect of our relationship. In fact, I’d want her to.”
Emma’s color heightens, and she looks away, her voice strained as she says, “I see.”
“Kitten, look at me.” I wait until she meets my gaze before continuing.
“If you don’t like your friend’s boyfriend, I can be as busy as you need me to be.
We don’t have to spend time with anyone you dislike.
But I want you to know that if your friends or family do need a favor at some point, I’m here for them, just as I’m here for you.
I know you don’t want my money or my connections, but you’ve got them.
” I pause, then add gently, “Everything I have is now yours.”