“Marcus…” I wait for him to open his eyes, then ask in a strained voice, “Why didn’t you give your presentation? The man who came running after you said you just left, walked out of there with no explanation to anyone.”
His gaze darkens. “Why do you think? Kitten, about that PI report…” He pulls his hand away and presses the button to sit more upright. “I didn’t do it out of evil intent, I swear.”
I take a breath and slowly let it out. “Why did you do it then?” I’ve been so worried about him I’ve scarcely given those files any thought, but now that I know he’s going to be all right, the pain of betrayal is returning, though it’s nowhere near as sharp as before.
Having faced the specter of losing him—really losing him—I know that no matter what he tells me, I’m not going to walk away.
“Why?” Marcus repossesses my hand, his fingers curling tightly around mine. “Because I wanted you, Emma. Because when you sent me away after that broken-door evening, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, no matter how hard I tried. I worked, I ate, I slept, I exercised, I went out with friends and business colleagues, but all of that was done on autopilot, because the entire time, all I could think about was you. When you texted me, sent me that ‘Hey,’ it was like my world flipped from shades of gray to HD color. But then you said you didn’t mean to text me, implied you were seeing someone else, and I…” His jaw clenches. “Well, I went kind of batshit.”
“Like you did with Ian?” I ask wryly, and he nods, though there’s no trace of answering amusement on his face.
“Like that,” he says grimly. “Only worse, because you weren’t yet mine—and I knew that if I didn’t do something, I may never have known what it would be like if you were.”
“So you, what… commissioned this report?”
“Yes.” His gaze is unwavering. “There’s a PI I use to keep tabs on important executives at the companies we invest in. I’d never had him investigate anyone I dated before, but after that text, I had to know if you were, in fact, seeing someone—and more importantly, what I could do to win you back.” He draws in a breath, then says bluntly, “I needed to know what makes you tick, kitten, and short of outright stalking you, this was the only way.”
“Wow.” Pulling my hand out of his grasp, I get up and start to pace, my thoughts tumbling like clothes in a dryer. There’s so much to unravel here, so many layers of conflicting emotions to dig through. What Marcus did is horribly wrong, the invasion of my privacy deplorable. It’s also frightening that he could do that—both that he had the means and that he was willing to go that far to get what he wanted.
Which was me.
And that’s what complicates matters… because I can’t say I’m sorry he got his way. If he hadn’t come at me with all those perfectly selected gifts, if he hadn’t been so ruthless and persistent, I might’ve found the strength to stay away from him—and then we wouldn’t be here today.
I would’ve never known the terrifying, exhilarating high of being in love with this man.
He watches me pace with the intensity of a cat tracking a stray lizard, and I know it’s because he decided that this is the best approach, that he needs to give me time to process these revelations. Even now, his devious mind is working on a way to spin this situation, to turn it to his advantage so he can get what he wants.
Which, presumably, is still me.
“What else?” I demand, stopping in front of the bed. “Is there more I should know?” He hesitates for a long moment, and an incredulous laugh escapes my throat. “There is, isn’t it? What is it?”
A muscle flexes in his jaw. “I may have delayed your plane the day you were flying to Florida. Also, I asked a realtor to speak to your landlady about putting the townhouse on the market, and more recently, I arranged for Weston Long to buy it.”
I’m so stunned I sink onto the bed, my knees buckling underneath me. “For God’s sake, why?”
His blue eyes glint fiercely. “The plane, because I was stuck in traffic and couldn’t have caught you in the airport otherwise. And the townhouse, because…” His chest rises and falls on an unsteady breath. “Because I’m crazy, madly, obsessively in love with you, kitten… to the point that I can’t bear the thought of spending a night apart. I want you with me every moment of every day. I want to fall asleep with you in my embrace and wake up to the smell of your hair on my pillow; I want to see your smile over breakfast every morning and talk to you at dinner every night. You’re my addiction, my obsession, my reason for existing—and there’s nothing I won’t do to earn your love. Emma, kitten…” He grips my hand again. “I love you, and I want you to marry me. I want you forever in my life.”