"We have to get going if you want to make your meeting," Marcus tells Lilly.
There is a moment of silence, and I wait for Lilly to shut him down, curiosity and suspicion probably gnawing at her.
"Give me fifteen." She pauses, and I don't have to turn to know that she is throwing another glance in my direction. "Can you let Rhys know that we're leaving? Laurin will be here in thirty."
Laurin is Audrey's nanny whenever Lilly and Rhys both have to be in the office. It isn't often, but they pay the girl well enough for her to drop everything when she's needed. She is one of the board member's kids, which helped vet her background down to her panty size.
Audrey protests. She must still be going to town on the eggs when Lilly picks her up. "I'll see you tonight, D.," Lilly calls out as her retreating steps inform me that she is heading upstairs.
"See you later, babe," I reply, wanting to sag against the counter.
I'm finally getting to work on my caffeine fix, but before I can pour the grounds into the filter, someone steps up behind me. Heat radiates off his body, and my stomach flips. I turn my head sideways so he gets my profile.
"Can I help you, Marcus?" I lace my question with acid. We're back to our game—level two.
He steps closer, his entire front fitting to my back, and I fight the need to push my ass against his groin. My breath instantly speeds up as my body remembers how it felt when he dominated me yesterday.
His warm breath fans over my cheek. "How about a thank-you,Keller?"
I tilt my head far enough to meet his eyes. "Sure, I will catch Ethan later and thank him for picking up the car." I smile at Marcus as he hollows his cheeks in frustration.
I take a step back, forcing him to retreat. Pivoting on my heels, I face him, placing my palm over his chest. The thudding underneath tells me he's anything but unaffected, but he also doesn't dislodge my hand.
I raise myself to my tiptoes until our noses almost touch. His eyes narrow. I slant my head, letting my gaze move back and forth between his eyes before pressing my lips to the corner of his mouth. Marcus goes rigid, and his hand shoots out, gripping the same hip he bruised the day before. I don't flinch at the sudden attack. Instead, I pull back, and he peers down at me.
"Thank you," I breathe before sidestepping him and walking away—without my espresso.
I kissed Marcus Baxter.Well, not kissedkissed, but close enough. My lips were on his mouth. The corner of it. What the actual fuck was I thinking? I couldn't stop myself. Being in his vicinity makes me feel…different. No! Not different. He brings the Denielle I used to be to the surface. The girl I was in high school. The one who didn't take shit from anyone. Even with his dislike for me and what I represent to him, I can't help the surge in power his presence gives me.
I'm halfway to La Déesse when the car announces an incoming call through its speakers. Oli's name flashes over the display in the console, and the corners of my mouth automatically pull up. I haven't talked to my brother in a few weeks, and it's time to catch up. I press the button on the steering wheel, accepting the call.
"Brother dearest!"
His deep laugh echoes through the surround sound of the G-Wagon. "You're in a good mood, Nelle!" My brother is the only one who calls me that. He couldn't pronounce Denielle as a toddler, and my parents didn't approve of shortening my name. It used to be D'nelle, and eventually, Nelle stuck. We are Denielle and Oliver to our parents, not Den, not D., not Oli. The tic in my father's jaw is ever present when we address each other with our nicknames.
"I am."I surprised Marcus Baxter."I'm on my way to work. What's up?" The lightness in my chest expands hearing his voice.
"How's that going? Do you like it there?" He always wants to know what's happening in my life. We might not have been as close as Lilly was growing up with her "brother," but he's always been one of my best friends. Maybe because he's also the only one who knows the full truth. He was there for me when my father tried to hide me from the outside world.
"It's good. Denis is great. Nothing like Phyllis." Collin's mother's name leaves a sour taste on my tongue. Did she know as well?
"That's awesome. You deserve it. I never saw you fitting in with Liberman. You're too…"
I can picture him grasping for the right word and cackle, "I'm what?"
"Free spirited," he supplies.
I roll my eyes. "How long did it take you to come up with thatendearment?"
"It was Elena. I was gonna say bitchy." The grin is audible, and I shake my head.
"You're a dick," I chuckle. "Where's Elena? Let me talk to her."
My brother and his girlfriend have been together since college, when I was still in high school, and everyone is waiting for them to take the next step. They are in no rush, though.
"She's out. But that's why I'm calling."
"Oh?"