Face-Off at the Altar
Page 47
Yet she could still feel his lips.
The thickness of them consuming her own as she held him, needing to drink from his amazing mouth.
God, she was in trouble. So much trouble.
Meeeeoooo
“Fucking hell!” she complained, standing up and wobbling a bit on her way to get her bathrobe. Throwing it on, she glared at Mr. Right. “You are spoiled.”
He just looked at her as though that wasn’t an untrue statement while she rolled her eyes, staggering out of the room to the kitchen to get her spoiled cat some food. But what she found wasn’t food, it was better. Markus at the stove, cooking bacon.
Shirtless.
“Oh, hey,” he said, wiping his hand on a towel, but that wasn’t what she was looking at. No, she was looking at the thick, rippling muscles of his chest and abs and the way his shorts hung low on his hips, showing the V of his groin. She had to make herself look away as he asked, “Am I in your way?”
“No.” She went around him and grabbed a can of cat food out of the cabinet. “You should put a shirt on before you burn your skin with bacon grease.”
He scoffed. “I feel if I am going to eat it, I should be brave when I cook it since it’s so bad for me and all. I’m basically a warrior. Drogo, if you will.”
She snorted as she opened the can. “Drogo? You aim high, my friend,” she said, speaking of the famous and very hot Khal Drogo of the Dothraki on Game of Thrones, a show they had regularly watched together. It had always been one of her favorite nights. They binged with Jace and Avery, eating crappy food and vegging out on the couch. It was a blast. “You’re more of a Jaime Lannister.”
“Whoa, I don’t sleep with my sister,” he yelled and she laughed.
“True, then a Robb Stark. Promised to one, but sleeps with another,” she said, and as soon as she did, she wished she hadn’t. It was rude and uncalled for, especially when he was being nice to her. If anything, it just reiterated that she couldn’t even be with him. He would always be labeled a cheater in her eyes. The guy who broke her heart. Clearing her throat, she lowered the plate to Mr. Right and then cleaned her hands in the sink as the awkward silence filled the room. Though, Mr. Right didn’t care. He ate very happily as Mekena tried to figure out how she was going to get out of there.
Deciding there was no way out, she just turned to walk away as he asked, “Are we still good for tonight after the rehearsal?”
She wasn’t sure why he wanted to speak to her. She was being a bitch, but there was so much hope in his eyes. He needed this…and maybe she did too. “Um, yeah, I guess.”
He nodded slowly, his eyes meeting hers. She had hurt him with that comment, she could see it in his eyes, and that pained her. “I think we need to clear the air.”
Her brows came together. “It’s pretty cut-and-dried, don’t you think?”
“No, it’s not. Not even a little.”
She could only blink as his eyes burned into hers. “Oh.”
“Yeah, and I’d like a chance to explain myself, something I should have done two years ago.”
“Oh,” she said once more as her mind went crazy with what in the world he was going to say. She decided she had no choice; she had to speak to him. “Okay, I’ll meet you here afterward.”
“Cool, thanks,” he said softly, and her heart just ached. She was still being a bitch, yet he thanked her for agreeing to talk to him? Shaking her head, she went to walk away once more, but his voice stopped her. “Like I said last night, you won’t regret it.”
Looking at the back of his head, she sucked in a deep breath. “What’s your endgame, Markus?”
He didn’t turn as he flipped his bacon. “What do you mean?”
Walking to the counter, she leaned her hip to it, looking up at the side of his face. “We haven’t talked to or seen each other in over a year. I wouldn’t even speak to you unless I was screaming, and now we’re going to talk. Okay, so we talk. What do you want after that?”
He looked at her, his eyes narrowing. “What do you want?”
“Closure,” she said simply.
“That’s it?”
She hesitated because she honestly didn’t know what she wanted. She should only want the closure, but a part of her…wanted more. Fuck, no! She wanted closure! “Yes.”
“Then that’s what we’ll get.”
She eyed him. “But is that what you want?”
Meeting her gaze, he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I want. I hurt you. I want to make it right, and I want us to move on. I want us to be happy, because from what I can tell, you haven’t been happy. And I know I haven’t either.”
She didn’t know what to say. How did he know she wasn’t happy? He didn’t know anything about her. The only way he would was if Avery had told him, but Mekena knew Avery wouldn’t do that to her. So how? Was she that transparent? That pathetic? She wasn’t sure, but she was pretty sure she didn’t even know herself any longer because, within seconds, her mouth was moving without her consent. “I’m sorry I kissed you last night. I’m sure that was a little confusing.”
He smiled, his eyes darkening as he took the bacon out of the skillet and put it onto a paper towel by the stove. “Don’t ever apologize for kissing me, sweetheart, especially when we both enjoyed it.”
Her eyes darkened then as her mouth quirked at the side. She didn’t know what he was up to, but it blew her mind how easy it was between them. When she let it be easy… She didn’t allow it that much for obvious and good reasons because it was too painful. She turned, heading toward her room. “I’ll see you tonight, then,” she said when she paused in the doorway.
Turning and leaning against the counter, he took a bite of his bacon and nodded. “Tonight. Have a good day.”
“You too,” she answered before entering her room and shutting the door by leaning against it.
She begged her head to stop swirling, but there was no sign of that happening anytime in the future.
Not when Markus Reeves was playing at her heartstrings.
And to think, she had to go deal with her parents next.
Awesome.
“He wants to talk.”
Avery giggled into the phone, and Mekena rolled her eyes as she drove to her parents’ house. It was early and she was tired, but she had promised, so she was going. Plus, she’d get to see Libby and drive her back to the estate for the test shoot. It was all for the best, but she wasn’t sure if her sister would be at the house. She couldn’t face her sister, not now. Not when she’d agreed to talk to Markus. It was just a nasty reminder, one she didn’t want at that moment. “I need support here.”
The thickness of them consuming her own as she held him, needing to drink from his amazing mouth.
God, she was in trouble. So much trouble.
Meeeeoooo
“Fucking hell!” she complained, standing up and wobbling a bit on her way to get her bathrobe. Throwing it on, she glared at Mr. Right. “You are spoiled.”
He just looked at her as though that wasn’t an untrue statement while she rolled her eyes, staggering out of the room to the kitchen to get her spoiled cat some food. But what she found wasn’t food, it was better. Markus at the stove, cooking bacon.
Shirtless.
“Oh, hey,” he said, wiping his hand on a towel, but that wasn’t what she was looking at. No, she was looking at the thick, rippling muscles of his chest and abs and the way his shorts hung low on his hips, showing the V of his groin. She had to make herself look away as he asked, “Am I in your way?”
“No.” She went around him and grabbed a can of cat food out of the cabinet. “You should put a shirt on before you burn your skin with bacon grease.”
He scoffed. “I feel if I am going to eat it, I should be brave when I cook it since it’s so bad for me and all. I’m basically a warrior. Drogo, if you will.”
She snorted as she opened the can. “Drogo? You aim high, my friend,” she said, speaking of the famous and very hot Khal Drogo of the Dothraki on Game of Thrones, a show they had regularly watched together. It had always been one of her favorite nights. They binged with Jace and Avery, eating crappy food and vegging out on the couch. It was a blast. “You’re more of a Jaime Lannister.”
“Whoa, I don’t sleep with my sister,” he yelled and she laughed.
“True, then a Robb Stark. Promised to one, but sleeps with another,” she said, and as soon as she did, she wished she hadn’t. It was rude and uncalled for, especially when he was being nice to her. If anything, it just reiterated that she couldn’t even be with him. He would always be labeled a cheater in her eyes. The guy who broke her heart. Clearing her throat, she lowered the plate to Mr. Right and then cleaned her hands in the sink as the awkward silence filled the room. Though, Mr. Right didn’t care. He ate very happily as Mekena tried to figure out how she was going to get out of there.
Deciding there was no way out, she just turned to walk away as he asked, “Are we still good for tonight after the rehearsal?”
She wasn’t sure why he wanted to speak to her. She was being a bitch, but there was so much hope in his eyes. He needed this…and maybe she did too. “Um, yeah, I guess.”
He nodded slowly, his eyes meeting hers. She had hurt him with that comment, she could see it in his eyes, and that pained her. “I think we need to clear the air.”
Her brows came together. “It’s pretty cut-and-dried, don’t you think?”
“No, it’s not. Not even a little.”
She could only blink as his eyes burned into hers. “Oh.”
“Yeah, and I’d like a chance to explain myself, something I should have done two years ago.”
“Oh,” she said once more as her mind went crazy with what in the world he was going to say. She decided she had no choice; she had to speak to him. “Okay, I’ll meet you here afterward.”
“Cool, thanks,” he said softly, and her heart just ached. She was still being a bitch, yet he thanked her for agreeing to talk to him? Shaking her head, she went to walk away once more, but his voice stopped her. “Like I said last night, you won’t regret it.”
Looking at the back of his head, she sucked in a deep breath. “What’s your endgame, Markus?”
He didn’t turn as he flipped his bacon. “What do you mean?”
Walking to the counter, she leaned her hip to it, looking up at the side of his face. “We haven’t talked to or seen each other in over a year. I wouldn’t even speak to you unless I was screaming, and now we’re going to talk. Okay, so we talk. What do you want after that?”
He looked at her, his eyes narrowing. “What do you want?”
“Closure,” she said simply.
“That’s it?”
She hesitated because she honestly didn’t know what she wanted. She should only want the closure, but a part of her…wanted more. Fuck, no! She wanted closure! “Yes.”
“Then that’s what we’ll get.”
She eyed him. “But is that what you want?”
Meeting her gaze, he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I want. I hurt you. I want to make it right, and I want us to move on. I want us to be happy, because from what I can tell, you haven’t been happy. And I know I haven’t either.”
She didn’t know what to say. How did he know she wasn’t happy? He didn’t know anything about her. The only way he would was if Avery had told him, but Mekena knew Avery wouldn’t do that to her. So how? Was she that transparent? That pathetic? She wasn’t sure, but she was pretty sure she didn’t even know herself any longer because, within seconds, her mouth was moving without her consent. “I’m sorry I kissed you last night. I’m sure that was a little confusing.”
He smiled, his eyes darkening as he took the bacon out of the skillet and put it onto a paper towel by the stove. “Don’t ever apologize for kissing me, sweetheart, especially when we both enjoyed it.”
Her eyes darkened then as her mouth quirked at the side. She didn’t know what he was up to, but it blew her mind how easy it was between them. When she let it be easy… She didn’t allow it that much for obvious and good reasons because it was too painful. She turned, heading toward her room. “I’ll see you tonight, then,” she said when she paused in the doorway.
Turning and leaning against the counter, he took a bite of his bacon and nodded. “Tonight. Have a good day.”
“You too,” she answered before entering her room and shutting the door by leaning against it.
She begged her head to stop swirling, but there was no sign of that happening anytime in the future.
Not when Markus Reeves was playing at her heartstrings.
And to think, she had to go deal with her parents next.
Awesome.
“He wants to talk.”
Avery giggled into the phone, and Mekena rolled her eyes as she drove to her parents’ house. It was early and she was tired, but she had promised, so she was going. Plus, she’d get to see Libby and drive her back to the estate for the test shoot. It was all for the best, but she wasn’t sure if her sister would be at the house. She couldn’t face her sister, not now. Not when she’d agreed to talk to Markus. It was just a nasty reminder, one she didn’t want at that moment. “I need support here.”
