He's No Prince Charming (Ever After) (17 page)

He refused to look at her. Danni closed the distance, tentatively touching him. Her hands moved over his back, trying to soothe him the way she would Simon when he cried. It was all she could think to do.

“I couldn’t let him hurt Caro. She was so small. So fragile. The only good thing in my dark world. She would smile every time she saw me. She didn’t know how I cowered like an animal from my father.” His throat thickened. “I loved her so much, and she, me. I was determined to protect her…she made me brave.”

Tears fell from her eyes as he continued to recount his tale. Her heart broke piece by piece for the little boy trapped in hell.

“I ran as fast as I could, arriving in her room before my father. She was still asleep, a tiny thumb in her mouth.” He paused, as if gathering himself to tell the rest of the story. “I grabbed Caro and hid her in the linen closet across the hall. When my father came in the room, he was furious he could not find her. He struck me, throwing me into a corner of the room. Pain so intense I could see colors exploded in my skull. Before I had a chance to rise, he’d grabbed my shirt. I was so close to him I could almost taste the stink of liquor on his person. My mother came flying into the room, screaming. She beat at his back, trying to stop him. He threw her out and locked the door. He hit me again, roaring with rage. Demanding to know where I put Caro.”

Her heart raced. She no longer wanted to hear the rest. She knew what was going to happen, what he was going to say. But she couldn’t stop the tide of emotion swirling through her. The anger she’d felt for him had slowly changed over the last few days to tenderness and confusion. And for that reason, she could not halt a story she knew he’d likely never told anyone before. She knew above all else that he must never feel she was repulsed by him or his past. The rejection would likely kill him.

“He took out the knife he always carried in his boot. He’d threatened me with it before. He told me he’d cut me if I did not give Caro up. I refused, afraid then and still convinced now that he would have killed her.”

He swayed, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. Danni realized he was reliving the horror as he told her. She wrapped her arms about his waist, hoping to soothe them both. “The more I defied him, the more insane he became. He caught my face, wrapping his arm around my neck to hold me still. I struggled against him. I fought as hard as I could. But he was so much bigger. So much stronger. I cried as the metal touched my face. It dug so deep, hurt so much…but I could not yell. If I had, Caro would have cried and he would have found her.”

Danni shook her head, tears freely falling down her face. She clutched at his back as he continued to look away from her. “Sometimes I wonder if he would have stopped had I told him. Sometimes, I wonder how my life would be if I had not gotten out of bed that night.”

“Marcus…”

Broken eyes laying bare all his pain clashed with hers. “Maybe I would be a whole man. Maybe you could have loved me.”

Her chest burned. Could he really care for her? He’d had so much pain in his life, it was little wonder he hesitated to care for anyone, let alone her. He needed to shield himself.

Ignoring all her misgivings, she acted on the need that rocked her entire being. She wanted to make him happy, to make him realize how wonderful he was. Without breaking her gaze from his moss-colored eyes, she pulled him closer, molding her body to his. She refused to let him regret his sacrifice because of her. “Marcus, if you hadn’t tried to help Caro, you wouldn’t be the kind, compassionate man you are today.”

Wonder filled his eyes as he stared down at her. His hand reached out hesitantly to stroke the hair at her temple, twisting a strand about his long, blunt finger. “Do you know how beautiful you are?”

Danni’s eyes widened as his hand cupped her jaw, his thumb feather-light across her bottom lip.

“So very, very beautiful,” he muttered.

Unbidden, her eyes drifted shut, and without thinking, her tongue darted out, swirling across the pad of his thumb. The ridges in his skin felt foreign on her mouth as she tasted salt and…
him.
Her nipples tightened, straining against her shirt, reaching for his warmth. She ran her palms across his body, soothing and reassuring the hesitant beast.

Marcus drew a shallow breath. His body held taut as she explored him, his fear of rejection palpable. Pressing closer, she ran her hands over his waist, feeling the leanness of his hips. His arms came round her, joining her to him, fingers threading through her hair, cupping the base of her neck. Her forehead pressed against the center of his chest, she relished the way his warmth seemed to fill her from the inside out. With her lips and the tip of her tongue, she tasted the sweetness of his muscles along his collar, and felt at his shuddering response. She palmed the hard plain of his chest, inhaling deeply of his slightly spicy scent.

His grip tightened. She felt the press of his lips against the top of her head before his hand caught her chin, drawing her gaze level with his. “Look at me.”

She obeyed.

His haunted eyes blazed with internal fire, but his face filled with sorrow. “This is all for naught. I’m not the prince of your dreams. I am ugly, surly, and disreputable, prone to periods of deepest despair and anger. I’m not meant for you, the fairest of all.”

He grinned sadly.

With a sinking stomach, thoughts of the earl waiting for her acceptance and her father’s certain disappointment swamped her. She should stop this, she needed to agree with Marcus, and allow him to leave, but the words would not come.

Danni doubted she would ever have moments like this—moments of such intense and deep connection—with the Earl of Hemsworth. She would have a good life with him, a carefully planned and very secure life, but the trials that truly united a woman to a man would not surface. Danni knew she and Marcus would be forever changed, forever bonded—in more than a physical way. And as she stared up at his ravaged features, she realized she couldn’t leave him tonight with another rejection. She hated that Marcus may believe she did not want him. Because she did. Desperately.

So she whispered, “No.”

Marcus stiffened as if she’d struck him. She refused to let him retreat. Not after all she’d learned about his past. He needed her as much as she wanted him. She held firm to his wrists, allowing him no quarter to run.

“No,” she said with more force, “I will not pretend that you are something you aren’t. I have never met anyone with more courage and strength. You are beautiful inside and out.”

He snorted in disbelief. “You, little one, are daft as well as blind. I’m hideous.”

She smiled. “You are perfect.”

And then she kissed him.

He froze under her kiss, unresponsive long enough for Danni to fear he would reject her. Then he seemed to make sense of her words. His soft lips moved over hers, deepening the kiss. Delicious sparks tightened her throat. Fabric rustled as the sheet fell to the floor and her free arms encompassed him. Large, rough hands caressed her body, leaving not an inch untouched. She shivered. His hands moved down her ribs, brushing the sides of her breasts, cupping the roundness of her bottom. She became aware of his hardness, brushing her belly, causing her fingers to dig into his shoulders in surprise.

Marcus overwhelmed her senses. He seemed a man possessed—as if afraid she would stop him at any moment. However, Danni was so lost in the swirl of emotion he stirred inside her, she couldn’t have formed the words to stop him even had she wanted.

She moaned, her head tilting back as his mouth shifted, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses along her collarbone. Gasping at the intensity of her emotions, Marcus returned and invaded, rasping along her tongue. She drank hungrily of his kisses, the taste drugging her with longing, filling her with him.

Closing her eyes, she imagined his hands exploring her naked body, feeling the rippling of her shift, the barrier gone, and his skin against hers.

Marcus nipped at her earlobe, her toes curling in response. His voice ragged with desire, whispering, pulling back once more. “I want you, but we cannot do this.” He sounded pained as he added, “I care too much about your future. And your future right now is promised to another.”

With a soft gasp, Danni was lifted off her feet. Marcus turned them around, striding towards the straw bed. Her hands threaded through his thick curls as his lips trailed gentle, almost desperate kisses over her face.

“Marcus,” she breathed, as he gently laid her across the bed. He stood back to leave, but Danni caught his wrist. Plucking up her courage, she met him straight in the eye. “I want this. I want you. Just this once. Regardless of what happens in the future, I want to have this memory. So don’t stop. Don’t leave me…please.”

Emerald eyes glittering with an odd mixture of tenderness and pain as he surveyed her face, trailing over her prone body. Suddenly, Danni became aware of just how scantily clad she was without the sheet. Her shift had slipped off one shoulder, exposing the curve to cool air. The hem of the thin garment had ridden up to her thighs. She made to cover herself, but Marcus caught her hands.

“You are beautiful, Danni. Never hide.”

Heat rushed to her face and she looked away.

A soft chuckle drew her frown. “Marcus, it’s not amusing.”

“Yes, it is,” he whispered, his knuckles softly skating up her outer thigh. Her breath hitched, flames licking up her skin to her center. Fingertips slipped under the shift, brushing the edge of her bottom. With a groan, he surrendered and climbed onto the bed. His heavy weight tilted the bed precariously. Her hands latched onto his shoulders as he shifted to his knees between her legs. Nerves tightened her grasp. His palms swept over the tops of her thigh. “Marcus…”

“I know, little one. Just a touch. No more.” He added with sadness flitting across his features, “It’s not my right.”

Danni gulped, tamping down words to tell him she wished it were. But for all intents and purposes, she was engaged and she had to remember that, even in this stolen moment of passion.

“However,” he whispered secretly in her ear, “I can still do a great deal.”

“M-Marcus!” She felt her eyes widen as a calloused finger dipped into her core. Her hands dug into his shoulders as it shifted, sending a jolt of pleasure through her.

A devilish grin she’d never seen before, nor imagined him capable of, flitted over his lips. The odd lip dimple deepened, renewing her desire to kiss it. He leaned over her, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. His gentle smile was both soothing and breathtaking. “Trust me, Danielle.”

He’d never used her full name before. Emotions swam through her, drowning her ability for words. She could only nod.

Marcus leaned on one arm, possessive fire blazing in his gaze, trapping hers. One questing hand smoothed the hem of her dress over her hips, the touch like a butterfly’s kiss. Cool air licked her heated skin. He continued to lift the fabric up her body, raising her arms above her head. She moaned, her legs tightening about him. He paused, her hands still in her sleeves. He wasn’t looking at the shirt. The new position had placed her breasts level with his mouth. Hot breath skated over them, beading the aching tips.

A thrill of anticipation shot through her. As if seeking permission, he hesitantly leaned forward and captured the pink tip between his teeth.

Danni almost screamed.

Her hands twisted in her shirt as he laved the sensitive underside of her breast. She melted with pleasure. Her arms were suddenly freed as the shift disappeared. Danni felt herself falling back against the pillow. Marcus shifted his attention to her other breast, engulfing the sensitive tip in his unbearably warm mouth. Her legs tightened, coming to rest on his hips. They quivered with the foreign, pleasurable touch.

Groaning, Marcus placed a soft kiss on the curve of her shoulder. She whimpered at the loss of his mouth, even as warmth washed over her from the tender touch.

“Shall I show you something else?” he whispered against the pounding pulse in her neck. Wrapping herself around him, she nodded, marveling at the change in him. Gone was the broken and cold man. In his place was a confident, tender lover.

She found she liked this man much more.

He kissed her greedily again, before drawing a line down her body with his mouth. She could scarce catch her breath as he worshipped her, her skin leaping and burning.

“I want you so much, little one.” His murmured endearment warmed her as he wound her tighter and tighter. He kissed her ribs, stomach. The lower he moved towards his goal, the tenser she became.

“Oh.” The word escaped her on a breath as he pressed a light kiss to the small patch of skin between her stomach and apex. Gently he spread her thighs, giving her a chance to stop him. Danni held her breath, waiting, wanting to know what he would do next.

A slow smile dimpled his lip as he glanced down at her exposed center. Heat rushed to her face and she had to bury her fingers in the bedsheets to stop herself from hiding. Even then, she squirmed in pleasure. His rough hands massaged the backs of her knees, loosening the muscles. His husky voice seemed hesitant as he whispered, “Do you want me, Danni?”

She gasped as his thumb inched higher, close to where she desperately craved his touch. His ragged breath feathered over her skin, “Do you
desire
me?”

His hand came so close…but moved away. Her eyes clashed with his. Green pools drowned her, bringing her under his rapidly rising sea. Despite his teasing caresses, she saw how much her answer would mean to him. Danni’s chest tightened, ached to banish that look. She mustered her courage, and buried deep every reservation she had. “Yes. Very, very much.”

Relief and pleasure brightened his green depths. His eyes drifted shut for a brief second; his palms warmed the length of her thigh. His mesmerizing smile widened a fraction. When he looked at her again, Danni saw the beginnings of a new man.

Her vision blurred. “Marcus…”

“Lovely Danni,” he whispered and lowered his head. She tensed, her vision clearing with uncertainty as to what he was about.