“Marcus, please,” she murmured at last just as his lips grazed her soft lower lip in a feather-soft touch. She herself had no idea what exactly she was pleading with him for, to be kissed or not to be kissed. Marcus stilled on hearing her whisper out his name. It sounded very intimate, almost like an endearment. He closed his eyes for a split second to calm himself and then abruptly released her, striding off towards his closet. Cara stared at the rippling muscles on his back, suddenly missing the warmth of his touch. She slowly dragged herself towards the door, feeling a little disappointed by his dismissal. A tiny part of her had wanted him to kiss her. She had wanted to experience how it felt to be passionately kissed by someone. Not by anyone else, but Marcus Donnelly.Marcus scowled more as a frustrated grunt escaped his mouth hearing the click of the door shutting behind him. She had esca

Cara was too stunned to utter a single word. She stared at his determined face as he carried her towards the bed. From so near, he looked so gorgeous; his eyes were more blue than gray and his lips glistened more than ever before. The way he was forcefully taking care of her, the way he lovingly held her against his chest, and the way his heart was beating so fast, all made her deliriously attracted to him. She laid her head on his shoulder, feeling his breath hitch. “But..,” she started as he laid her down on the bed and stood staring at her with a strange expression on his face.“No arguments,” he told her grimly, as he walked over to the table to get her food.“How can I stay here? The flu will take at least three days to get better,” she croaked, looking clueless and los

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 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 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