Marcus instantly realized how worried she was! In her feverish state, the concern for her family might be the utmost thing on her mind to realize what she was wearing.
“Cara, you should be in bed. What are you doing here?” He asked gently.
“Please give me your phone, Marcus. I need to call Aunt Maggie and inform her,” said Cara, her wide eyes pleading with him. Marcus walked towards her and in one smooth movement, he picked her up in his arms.
“Shh, Don’t worry. I’ve already called Mrs. Smithfield and informed her. They won’t expect you for the next two days,” he said, his eyes taking in the shocked look on her face.
“Oh, but where did you get her number from?” asked Cara, with relief, as she lay her
Cara slowly turned around to look at him. He took long strides and reached her in a split second. “I thought I told you to stay till you’re better,” he asked impatiently, searching her eyes. Cara looked down at her feet not knowing what to say. She couldn’t tell him that she was escaping because of him! Neither could she tell him that she couldn’t face him today out of sheer embarrassment. Nor could she say that she was afraid of developing deeper feelings for him if he showed more of his caring side to her! So, what could she say? Tongue-tied, she looked at her feet.“Umm, I’m better, Marcus,” she just whispered, avoiding his probing eyes at all cost. Marcus’s heart started beating faster and faster hearing her call him by his name. The way it rolled on her tongue made him come alive and want to kiss her senseless.
Cara’s breath hitched and she stilled instantly at the brush of his soft, warm lips on her skin. “Please Marcus, this isn’t right. You should stay away from me,” she whispered breathlessly. Marcus’s hold tightened around her waist and he whirled her around to face him.“Why should I?” He said, a storm of defiance building up in his eyes as they looked more gray than blue. They seemed to pull her in like a magnet and she was powerless to look away.“I work for you, Marcus. I don’t want to lose this job,” she said in an almost inaudible whisper.“Why should you lose this job? I need you, Cara,” he said, looking surprised that she should think so.“I don’t know what you need me for, Ma
Cara opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was late afternoon and she needed to go home but her body felt weak and the bed too comfortable to leave. She glanced at her side and saw that it was vacant. It meant that Marcus was still at his studio. Did he avoid coming into his own bedroom because of her? She felt a little guilty for occupying his bedroom. Getting up, she quickly freshened up and walked out of the bedroom towards the kitchen when her eyes fell on the open door of his studio. Should she take a peek and see what he was up to?Curiosity took the better of her and she tiptoed towards his studio. Peering through the gap, she found that Marcus was nowhere inside. Where did he go? She saw the mess around his studio and her eyes went wide with horror. There were canvases mounted everywhere and paint splattered across the floor and walls, stationery scattered on the floor. She shook her h
Marcus stared at her upturned face, her closed eyes waiting expectantly for a kiss. Despite her feverish state, she looked so radiant and beautiful in the dress she wore. There was electricity in the air and he was sure that she could feel it as well. It was as if they were drawn together like magnets. Why the f*ck was he so attracted to her? The se*ual tension crackled dangerously between them and he was powerless to fight it any longer. Although he had sworn to force her to initiate their second kiss, he just couldn’t wait any longer. It didn’t seem likely that she would ever initiate it at all. He dipped his head and grazed his lips against her soft ones. His hand went to her neck to draw her closer to his heart.A gasp escaped her mouth and he just smashed his lips to hers, biting and sucking at the same time. Cara clung to his shoulders to support her jelly-like legs as a surge of st
Marcus sat with his head in his hands unable to get any work done. Hurting Cara wasn’t his objective but she was being stubborn and refused him point-blank. Marcus felt insulted and her words pierced his heart more than anyone else’s. Did she think that low of him? Surely he didn’t have the best of reputations, but he couldn’t stoop that low! He would never force her to his bed. He liked her! Why was that so difficult to understand?The silence all around the house made him fear the worst. Had she left him? He slowly got up and walked out of his studio to check. He saw that she wasn’t there in the kitchen or in the living area. He walked over to his bedroom and found the clothes he had bought for her, neatly folded and kept on a couch. His heart sank with dread as his worst nightmare came true. Cara had left him forever! Where would he now get his inspiration to paint? He was
Cara climbed into the passenger seat of Ben’s car and he drove on with a grim expression on his face. “How did it all happen? He was fine when I left him.” Doubt crept into her mind, making her repent her decision. Was he really fine? Maybe this could have been avoided if she hadn’t left him that night. Guilt washed over her and he looked at Ben Duncan, waiting for an answer.“After you left, Mr. Donnelly left for New York. He handed the keys over to me to clean the place up and pack everything and send it over to his apartment in New York. I knew then that he wasn’t returning. But I was sick and couldn’t do as he had asked me to. When I went to clean the place after two days, I found him lying in a pool of blood in his studio with his wrist slit open. I immediately admitted him to the hospital. He was critical for the last two days. They just released him bu
Cara gazed at the angry and disgusted look on his face as she walked into his room. She had expected him to react this way. She placed the food on his bedside table and turned towards him. “I asked you something, Cara. What are you doing here?” Cara stood silently not knowing what to say to him.“I’m back at my job, Marcus. What else?” She shrugged. “So do you need to go to the washroom?”Marcus gazed at her with an angry scowl on his face. “Did Ben bring you here?”“Does it matter? I would have come anyway. You haven’t paid me for my services yet, remember?” Marcus smiled and tried to sit up. “Let me help you.” He shook his head.“I don’t need your pity. So don&rs
Cara’s eyes flew open all of a sudden in the wee hours of the morning. She wondered why she felt so weighed down as if a bulldozer was crushing her with its weight. She soon realized the cause of it all, Marcus Donnelly. In his sleep-driven state, he had rolled over to her side, almost crushing her with his weight. Alarmed, she checked his injured hand. It seemed as if he wasn’t in much pain. With his face embedded in the crook of her neck, her senses turned to mush, all she could do was wrap her arm around his torso and hold him close to her. A strange feeling of warmth and a surge of love filled her mind and body. She was now completely certain that she had fallen for him, hook, line, and sinker. Marcus didn’t stir at all although Cara was unable to sleep with his hot breath fanning her neck. She needed to get up but couldn’t disturb him. He needed the rest. After waiting for minutes, listening to