Chapter 5
“You really didn’t have to get me that.”
Marcus shrugs. He’s sitting in a plush chair right outside the dressing rooms and holding the smoothie he bought me. I’m not sure if it’s coincidence or if he remembers me gushing about the smoothie place I discovered one of the last times Nate and I were in town.
“Don’t mind,” he says. “What do you think?” He nods to the dress I’m wearing.
“I like it.” I do a little twirl, and the skirt flares out. It’s a cute sundress that stops mid-thigh. Perfect for this weather, and it’s the exact blend of elegant yet flirty that I’m looking for.
“It’s a pretty… blue-green?” Marcus says.
“Hmm.” I turn to the mirror and eye the dress. “I’d probably call it dark mint.”
“Dark mint,” he repeats. He gets up and comes to stand right behind me, and our eyes lock in the mirror. “I can see it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Can you, now?”
“Not before you said it, but now I do, yeah. It brings out the warmth in your eyes.”
“I, um… often go for cooler colors for that exact reason.”
My throat tightens. I’m not used to being in such close proximity to Marcus for more than a couple seconds. He’s drinking in my reflection like he’ll never get enough of it.
His fingers brush across my hip, coasting over the material. “Breathable fabric, too. Nice.”
“Yeah,” I manage. “I took one step outside this morning and thought I was gonna die from the heat.”
At the mention of our conversation over breakfast, Marcus’s eyes darken. He works his jaw, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Thank you, by the way,” I say softly. “For trying to get Nate to prioritize me.”
“I’m just sorry it didn’t work.” He places one of his hands on my shoulder and spins me around. “Drink?”
Nodding, I lean forward and take a sip of my smoothie. The sweet, strong citrus flavors explode on my tongue, and I moan with contentment. “It gets better with every sip.”
Marcus smiles. “Good.”
This close, his cologne invades my senses. Between the spicy, musky scent, how close we are, and the way he’s towering over me, what I felt last night in the pool washes over me again.
Desire quickly doused in bitterness.
“You should get the dress,” he says, his eyes dipping to my breasts. “It really does look good on you.”
“I still have a few others to try on.”
“I’ll happily wait—as long as you show me the ones you like.”
With a laugh, I take another sip of my smoothie. “I think I can manage that.”
Out of the three other dresses I picked out, only two of them flatter my body type, and somehow Marcus convinces me to buy both of them plus the first dress. We have to make a stop by the shoe department, where I find a nice pair of sandals. The entire time, Marcus is nothing but patient. In fact, I think he might even be enjoying himself.
As we’re heading for the checkout counter, I stop. “Oh! I’m sorry, I just need to make a quick stop in one more department.”
“No worries. We’ve got plenty of time.” He stops and turns to face me. “Where to?”
“Makeup department. I thought we were gonna be hanging around the house all week, so I only brought the bare essentials. I just need to grab a few things.”
“Lead the way.”
It only takes a minute to find what I need. With it being so hot, I don’t want too much product on my face, and a more natural look will be best with the mint dress. The only thing I get stuck on is lipstick. There are a couple shades that would work well, and I really like them both.
“Which one do you think?” I ask Marcus, holding out the two lipsticks I have in my hands.
He gives me a bewildered look. “You want my input? I called your dark mint dress green five minutes ago.”
“Either of them will work, I just need help deciding. I’m worried I’ll pick the wrong one.” I let out a sigh as Nate’s voice filters through my mind.
You’re overthinking again. Just make a damn decision.
Does it actually matter that much?
No one is going to care what shade your lipstick is, babe.
“How about this one.” Marcus taps on the one I’m holding in my right hand.
I stare at it for a second. It’s a nice, nude pink. “Yeah.” Straightening my shoulders, I push back Nate’s comments. “That’ll work perfectly.”
“And you should get the other one anyway because you like it.”
With a laugh, I roll my eyes. “I don’t really need another shade of lipstick just because it’s pretty. I have plenty at home.”
Marcus frowns as I put it back, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Okay! I’m ready.” I spin around and head for the checkout counter.
Marcus takes an extra second, but then he follows. There isn’t much of a line, so it only takes a few minutes before the cashier is telling me my total. I wince at the price. I can afford it, but it’ll have to come out of the money I put toward savings every month.
“I’ve got it,” Marcus says as I’m pulling my card out. He steps in front of me so I don’t even have access to the card reader.
“Marcus! What—”
“And add this on, please.” He places the lipstick I put back seconds ago on the counter.
“Sure thing.” The cashier rings it up. “Go ahead and swipe.”
I bat Marcus’s hand away just before he does. “What’re you doing?”
“Treating you.” He moves to swipe, but I grab his wrist, even though I know he’s strong enough to break my grip in a split second.
The cashier clears her throat, and when I glance at her, she gives me an unamused look. My cheeks burn as I realize we’re holding up the line.
“I don’t care who pays,” she says blandly, “but you should’ve had that figured out before you got up here.”
“Sorry.” My blush deepens as I release Marcus’s wrist. If he really wants to, I’d prefer to spend his money rather than mine. It doesn’t have to mean anything.
With a triumphant noise, Marcus pays and pockets the receipt. Then, just as I’m reaching for my bags, he takes them and loops his arm through them.
“You think anyone will believe that these bags are full of clothes for me?” he asks, striding toward the door before I can protest.
“Considering you’re always perfectly dressed, I’d say yes.” I look him up and down.
“Coming from you, that’s a high compliment.”
You deserve it.But I don’t say it out loud. It just feels like too much. So we walk to Marcus’s car in silence while I try to pull myself together.
He opens the passenger side door, the perfect gentleman, and my heart melts at the same time it breaks. “Marcus…”
“Get in, Liliana. Air conditioning and the rest of your smoothie wait for you inside.”
But I don’t move. No, I watch him watching me, and my stomach tightens at the tenderness in his eyes. “You don’t have to try to make up for what Nate did.”
“Make up for it?” He shakes his head. “No, little star. I’m just showing you what you deserve. Let me do something nice for you.”
“I don’t really have a choice, considering it’s already done,” I point out.
That earns me a grin that has butterflies coming to life in my stomach. God, this man. Why does he have to be everything his son isn’t?
“C’mon,” he says softly, and I finally relent. He hands me my smoothie before placing my bags in the backseat and getting behind the wheel. “You feel good about your outfit? We don’t need to make another stop?”
“I’m good. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
While he backs out of our spot, I discreetly watch him. His tan is deeper than the last time I saw him. I want to reach out and trace the laughter lines near his eyes, but I grip my smoothie and take a sip of it instead.
Marcus has always been attractive to me, but his kindness makes him ten times more so. It’s what I’ve been craving for so long, and experiencing it after such a long dry spell is… nicer than I ever thought it could be. Of course, it makes sense that he’s more mature. He’s twenty years older than I am. And in another life, maybe that wouldn’t bother me.
That’s not the problem,a voice in the back of my head whispers.
I close my eyes, trying to shut it out. It’s right, of course. The age difference isn’t the issue. No, it’s who he is—or more importantly, who his son is—that’ll keep me from ever indulging in more than the occasional, brief mental fantasy of him.
That’s how it has to be—for better or for worse.