Chapter Six #2
Constance must have drifted in and out of sleep because she started when she felt a wet, warm cloth between her legs.
“You should have told me I was your first,” he said, his deep voice causing her to shiver.
“I did tell you. I said I didn’t have much experience.”
“That implies that you had some experience.”
She was trying to figure out his mood, but it was like he was hiding from her.
“Was it not good?”
His gaze softened. “If you had been any better, I’d be dead. I just don’t know…why me?”
“I…” Constance sighed. “You know I come from a wealthy family. In our world, we are…let’s just say we are sort of like the Kennedys. My parents want me to marry Alistair. The word was put out that I was untouchable.”
He cocked his head. “Untouchable?”
“I was supposed to save myself for that jerk.”
“The one who is in town and bothering you?”
She nodded. If anything, his gaze turned colder. “Is that what this is about?”
She worried her lower lip. “What do you mean?”
Cold seeped into her blood, and she had to fight the shiver working its way down her spine. She felt as if she were being interrogated.
“Is that the only reason you slept with me?”
She felt her eyes widen. “Goddess, no. The moment I met you that first morning, I felt a connection.”
“Is that a fact?”
She nodded. She had been a wreck, trying to shop like a normal human for the first time in the general store in town, which had left her dizzy.
She had been walking to her car, bags in her hands, and ran right into him.
The moment he wrapped his hands around her arms to steady her, something jolted her whole system.
“You’re…well, you’re out of my league, but it was like I’d touched a live wire.”
His eyes darkened. “You felt it too.”
Again, she nodded. “Then…well, you make me feel safe. No other man had made me feel that way. Also, pretty.”
“You are fucking beautiful.”
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
“What?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “No one has ever thought so. They always say Caprice is the pretty one.”
“I haven’t met your sister, but I can’t think of a woman more beautiful than you.”
The truth dripped from every syllable.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
He shook his head as he cupped her face with one hand. He dragged his thumb across her lips. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I could have been gentler.”
“No. I like it just the way it went. It was perfect.”
His mouth twitched. “Is that so?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but she heard a plaintive meow from Sebastian, which wasn’t normal for him. Then, he scratched on her door.
“For once I agree with the mayor. Your cat is a menace.”
She shook her head as she felt a rush of cold dance down her spine. “That’s not normal for him. Normally he would just come in.”
The moment she said it, she realized she had revealed too much, but there was no going back. At the moment, though, she had bigger problems. Even with the protection Caprice put on the house, Constance could hear the wind outside.
She slid off the bed and grabbed her robe, then dropped it before reaching for her yoga pants and t-shirt.
As she turned, she saw Marsh grabbing his jeans.
He had turned away from her, and Constance was momentarily sidetracked by his body.
Goddess above, his back was amazing. As he moved, she watched his muscles contract.
She let her gaze travel down his body to that amazing ass.
How many times did she watch it encased in a pair of jeans? Countless.
Then, her attention was snagged on a tattoo on his left butt cheek. Constance blinked and moved closer.
“I didn’t know you had tattoos,” she said.
Marsh glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t. That’s a birthmark.”
The room started to spin, and her whole world seemed to narrow.
“A birthmark?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
“Yeah. I can’t tell you the number of people who thought I was demonic because I have a birthmark that resembles a pentagram on my ass.”
He had pulled up his pants, zipped and buttoned them, and was reaching for his shirt when he took notice of her.
“Constance? Are you okay?”
Okay? No, she was not okay. “You said you were born and raised here.”
He shook his head. “I was adopted when I was three. My birth parents died in a wreck.”
“Do you know what your name was before?”
“This is important right now?” he asked as the house shuddered once again.
She nodded.
“Higgenbothem.”
By all the power of the goddess, she had just been deflowered by the true head of the Higgenbothem family.
Before she could respond, her sister and Simon appeared.
“What the fuck?” Marsh practically shouted.
“Constance, we have a problem,” her sister said.
“Yeah, well, I have another one too.”
“No. Wait…” her sister looked at Marsh, then to Constance. “Are you telling me he was too rough? Simon, get him.”
Simon moved, but Constance hurried to place her body in front of Marsh.
“Nope,” Marsh said, easily grabbing her and putting her behind him. “You will not be hurt. Now, is anyone going to tell me how you two just appeared?”
“Ohh…” Cappy said.
Constance leaned forward. “He has the birthmark.”
Cappy and Simon shared a look, then turned back to face Marsh and Constance.
“Where? Because Alastair has it on his bicep, right?” Simon asked.
“It’s on my ass. I didn’t think this would be a problem that we needed to talk to your sister and her husband about.”
“You have no idea,” Constance muttered.
“What the hell does that mean? No, never mind. How about you two go away.”
“Believe me, you want us here,” Simon said, stepping closer. Every muscle in Marsh’s back hardened as he clenched his hands. Her brother-in-law held up his hands to show he wasn’t a threat.
“Who are your people?”
“I told you I was raised by the sheriff.”
“He was adopted,” Constance said. “Guess what his original family name is?”
“Well, fuck,” Simon said.
“Yeah. Exactly.”
Another blast seemed to hit the house. Sebastian meowed loudly, so Constance hurried forward and opened the door. Her familiar jumped into her arms, his entire body shuddering.
“Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?”
She looked at the man who had literally rocked her world less than half an hour earlier. Did she get afterglow? Nope. Alaister was here to exact his revenge. He had to know that Constance had been with Marsh.
Instead of softening the blow, she decided to be completely honest with the man she would love until the goddess called her home.
“We don’t have time for that, because I think your cousin is about to rain hellfire on us.”