Her Shield (The Uncut Series Book 1) (18 page)

  “Is that why you left?”

  Marc pulled her closer causing the water to swish around them. “I beat the hell out of Jeremiah and he was intensive care for over a week. I swear I wanted to kill him.” He said angrily. “I'd never felt that type of rage or that out of control. Normally I'd been a very mild and well-mannered child, but something snapped inside of me.”

  “What did your parents do?” Isis questioned.

  “What they always do whenever Jeremiah does something evil. He has a history of plotting and scheming to get his way.”

  “They said he was troubled. He didn't know what he was doing. He didn't mean it, he'd grown up without a family...excuse after excuse. I wouldn't accept that anymore. I couldn't...”

  “Why did he want to hurt you?”

  Marc sighed. “Jeremiah always wanted to be my father, but he didn't have the skills. Me, on the other hand...acting came easy to me. I did it every day of my life pretending that I was in a wonderful family. I didn't want to be like my father in any way and that made Jeremiah angry. He wanted me out of the picture so he could have all of my father's attention.”

  “I can't believe he did that to you,” Isis said sadly.

  “When Jeremiah was finally released from the hospital, they brought him home to recuperate and I knew I couldn't stay there any longer or I really would kill him, so I packed a bag and walked out the door planning never to return. I didn't care what happened to me, I just knew I could not stay there. Not with somebody who wanted to hurt me and vice versa.”

  “Your family didn't try to find you and bring you back?” she asked.

  “They tried but I'd hooked up with some guys and just hung out on the streets in the hood. After beating Jeremiah's ass, I thought I was hard. I crashed at the houses of different friends and used the money that I'd made from acting to take care of myself.”

  They sat silently for a few minutes. “Let me turn around please. I want to see you,” Isis requested.

  Marc released her slowly and she turned and looked into trouble gray eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him quietly stroking his head. “I'm so sorry babe.”

  Holding her closely, Marc let out a deep breath. He'd never told that story to anyone else ever and he'd never planned to in his life, but Isis had become his life and she deserved to know the man she'd fallen in love with.

  “Is that why you became an FBI Agent?” she asked.

He nodded. “I had taken one of their own and I owed it to them.”

  “How did you become an Agent?”

  He looked at her. “After I was gone for a few months and wouldn't return, my mother called Ray. He had done some security for our family in the past and was building his company. He found me hanging out one day.”

  “I remember this big dude asking for me and thinking who is this? After living on the streets those months, I had no doubt that I could handle myself and all my boys were around, so I stepped to him. He told me that my mother wanted me to come home and when I found out that my family had hired him, I knew he wasn't coming to hurt me. I proceeded then to tell him off and just where he could go.”

Isis' eyes widened. “You told Ray off?”

  Marc nodded. “Yes, I was cussing and pointing my finger in his face... right before he punched me and I passed out cold. I'd never been hit in my face like that before or since.”

She put a hand to her face in amazement.

  “When I woke up, Ray was standing over me and everyone was silent waiting to see what was going to happen next. He looked down at me on the ground and asked if I wanted to start the conversation over,” Marc recalled.

  “What did you do after that?” Isis questioned with wide eyes.

  Marc laughed softly. “Basically, whatever the hell Ray told me to do, except go back home, I didn't care what he did to me, I wasn't going back there.”

  He sobered. “Ray got me a place to stay, made me finish high school then paid for my college since I wouldn't accept any money from my family. Plus, he said since he was paying, if I fucked up, he'd have every right to beat my ass.”

  “I finished college and Ray recommended me for the FBI because he knew how badly I wanted to be an agent. He trained me to fight and handle weapons. He was also always there for me, telling me I was a young god and I could overcome anything that came my way.” Marc shook his head. “I owe him so much. He saved my life and helped me become the man I am today.”

  Isis stroked his jaw. “I'm so proud of you Marcus. You've survived so much.” She touched her lips to his. “You are Iron Man.”

  He returned her kiss while they sat in the still warm water. Marc thought of how he'd fallen for this amazing woman. She was as kind as she was beautiful, and as brave as she was sweet.

When she pulled away, she looked at him. “So that's why you don't gather with your family.”

  “My father is still disappointed because I didn't want to act anymore and chose to become an FBI agent. I don't want to hurt my mother and Tasha by actually killing Jeremiah, so I stay away.”

  “Do you think you will ever reconcile completely with them?” Isis asked.

  Marc shrugged. “I know my mother wants me to be more involved. Honestly, I don't know. I still remember it.”

  “Are you worried that Jeremiah will try to hurt you?” she wondered.

  “Jeremiah knows where we stand. He hasn't stepped out of line since the incident,” Marc explained. “And he'd better not.”

She lowered her head. “I guess there's a reason why he scares me.”

  Marc lifted a hand to her chin. “I promise you do not have to worry about Jeremiah. He's not going to hurt you because he knows no one could stop me from ending his life, very slowly.”

Isis looked at him. “Have you talked to your father about your feelings?”

  “My father and I don't talk. He tells me what he thinks I should be doing and I tell him to mind his business because I'm not his concern and clearly never was.”

  Silence overtook them again and Isis turned her back to him again and settled between his strong legs in the bath.

  “Do you have any other questions Princess?” he asked after a short time.

Isis lifted her hand behind her and touched his face. “Who's Khayla?”

Marc frowned. “How do you know Khayla?” he asked.

  “I don't know her, which is why I'm asking you who she is,” Isis explained quietly.

  “How do you know about Khayla?” he rephrased.

  Isis removed her hand and folded her arms in front of her. “When we were shopping together for the baby shower gifts, your phone rang and I saw her name on your screen before you put your phone away.”

  “Khayla is a friend I met while I was working for Ray in Detroit.”

Isis nodded. “So is this the type of friend that you've kissed?”

Marc paused. “Yes...”

She nodded again slowly. “Is this a friend you have plans to continue to kiss?”

  “No sweetheart, I have no plans to kiss Khayla anymore.”

  “Good, because I wouldn't like that,” she told him.

Marc kissed her shoulder. “Point taken. She had an emergency situation.”

  “I've been told that I'm hella jealous,” Isis informed him.

He lifted a brow. “Hella jealous? Sounds like Trent.”

She smiled. “Yes it was, because I told him I don't share my man. I'm telling you too.”

  “You don't have to say it ever again,” he murmured kissing her neck and she arched back against him. Marc moved his hand underneath the water to her sacred spot and began a gentle massage as Isis caught her breath.

  “Relax Princess,” he whispered in her ear. “This is for you.”

She arched back into his body as his hand entered her space. “Marcus...

  He probed deeper as he moved his other hand to cup her waiting breast. “You are so beautiful, outside and inside,” Marc breathed against her neck. “I've always wanted you.”

  Isis closed her eyes and spread her legs wider to accommodate his ministration. “I've always wanted you Marcus...no one but you.”

  Marcus continued to slowly lift her higher while placing kisses along her shoulder and back. His expert touch caused her to moan as the penetration of his hand deepened.

  “I love to hear you do that...it makes me want to take you over and over again,” he said slowly.

  Isis was beyond words as the stars eventually appeared behind her closed lids. Marc continued to caress her gently as she slowly returned to reality.

  Finally, after regaining her breath, she smiled as she relaxed against his warm body. Isis ran her hand along the strong arm that held her as he continued to kiss her softly.

She turned back and connected with his eyes. “I love the way you love me.”

Marc smiled and savored her lips for a few moments.

  “The water's getting cold. We should start getting out,” he said reaching for the washcloths he'd sat out. Grabbing the soap, he began washing her back. Isis returned the favor and they managed to get clean and out of the cooling water.

  In the bedroom Isis climbed onto the bed then flopped on her back thinking as Marc laid beside her.

  “What's on your mind Princess?” he asked watching her deep in thought.

  “I want to do something like you Marcus. I want to help people,” she said turning to him.

Marc placed a hand on her stomach. “Help people? How?”

  “I don't know.” She placed her hand over his. “My father did so many bad things, I feel like I owe the world something to make up for what he's done.”

She smiled at him. “I want to be a superhero too.”

  “You want to be my Mighty Isis?” he asked smiling back at her.

  “Yes...you could teach me how,” she said earnestly. “I could learn how to shoot or fight...or something.”

Marc frowned. “Whoa, slow down sweetheart. Let's not get carried away.”

  “But is there something I could do?” she inquired.

  “Let me see. There may be some ways you can help out Ray.”

She smiled. “Thank you babe!” Isis said climbing on top of him.

  “I want to teach you something else right now,” he said huskily looking up at her.

  Isis settled over his growing erection while he reached over to the nightstand. He handed the package to her and waited. Her eyes darkened as she took him into her hands and applied the protection. Marc laid back watching her dark hair fall as she concentrated on her task. When she was done, he lifted her face to his, bringing her lips inches from his.

  “I love you Isis.”

She sighed and touched her lips to his, loving the words from his mouth. “I love you Marcus.”

  Marc helped her settle her body over his and groaned as she eased slowly down his manhood. Leaning down Isis nibbled his lips before tracing them with her tongue while he guided her hips into a sultry rhythm that prompted her feminine waterfall to begin.

  “Make it erupt baby...” he whispered against her mouth.

Isis moaned. “Like Mount Tambora...” she replied breathily.

  Marc awakened the next morning to an empty bed beside him. Lying back against the pillows, he reflected on last night. He'd told Isis everything about his past but there was still his work with Ray that needed to be discussed. He'd wanted to see how she reacted to everything else before sharing that tidbit.

  He lifted a brow as he waited for her to return, presumably from the bathroom. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, he saw it was just a little after seven. Last night he and Isis had eventually made it to the kitchen for some food then quickly found themselves back in bed.

  Marc smiled thinking of the beautiful and passionate woman he loved. Never in a million years would he have thought he'd be in love, let alone with Isis Martin. Their relationship had been tumultuous at times, especially when her father had been involved but they'd made it through and now she was his.

  Marc got up and grabbed a pair of shorts to go looking for his woman. He sniffed the air and smelled food. “Oh shit! Isis no!” He turned and ran down the hall into the kitchen where she was standing in front of the stove...
cooking
.

  Marc wasn't sure what he had expected, maybe a blazing fire...but definitely not Isis...
cooking
. He watched as she concentrated on scrambling the eggs in the pan, dressed in one of his shirts and her feet bare.

  “Hey sweetheart,” he said cautiously and she turned to him with a wide smile.

  “Hey babe, I made your favorite.” She turned back to her project and turned off the fire before removing the pan from the stove and filling two plates that already contained link sausages with the fluffy eggs. He glanced to the side and saw a plate of toast on the counter.

  “Uh, you did this?” he asked coming slowly into the room further.

  Isis glanced at him in basketball shorts then turned back to her preparation. “Yes, I did. I also wanted to do something special for you while we were here, so Tasha showed me how to make this breakfast.” She smiled at him. “I'm just glad everything worked out okay. I was really nervous.”

  Marc walked over and took her into his arms, holding her closer. “This is really sweet Isis.” He kissed the top of her head. “Thank you.”

  She looked up at him. “I'm not trying to start making complete meals, but I at least can feed you breakfast.”

He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Good morning Princess.”

  “Good morning Marcus. Did you sleep well?” she asked.

Marc grabbed her behind. “How could I not with this pressed against me?”

  She laughed softy and lifted her arms to hang around his neck. “I always sleep well snuggled up with this sexy body,” she said touching her lips to his. “Eat your food before it gets cold.”

  Marc moved to pull a chair out for her after she'd sat the two plates on the table. When they were both seated, Isis reached for a banana on the table and peeled it before putting the entire piece of fruit into her mouth and sliding it back and forth.

Marc watched in fascination for moment before asking, “What are you doing?”

Isis looked at him then removed the banana completely from her mouth. “Practicing.”

He dropped his fork. “Practicing what?”

  “Tasha says it helps work on the gag reflex,” she explained and he froze. “Although I did tell her you were much larger than a banana.” She smiled at him. “I think I'll start to practice with very large cucumbers or something.”

  Marc lowered his head for a moment to maintain his composure. “What the hell are you and my sister doing at that apartment?” he asked when he lifted his head again.

  “It's just practice Marcus.” She winked at him. “I want to get my Pro Status.”

  “You will.” He picked up his fork and began eating the meal she'd prepared. He had to admit she had done a good job.

  “Thank you for breakfast Isis. It's very delicious,” he complimented.

  He watched the bright smile come across her face. “Really? You aren't just saying that so you don't hurt my feelings?”

  He reached across the table and took her hand. “You know that I don't lie to you. If it was terrible, I would thank you for the effort.”

  “I can't wait to tell Tasha that you liked it.”

He stared at her. “You and Tasha tell each other a lot.”

Isis leaned in closer. “I don't tell her everything. Some things a girl has to keep to herself.”

  “Like what?”

She gave him a sexy smile. “Like when your man puts you on a dining table and you love it.”

  “You're about to get put on a breakfast table in a minute,” he told her.

Isis shook her head. “No, you have to finish your food first.”

  He smiled at her. “Okay, let's finish so we can get our day started.” Marc went back to eating his food.

  Isis began eating from her own plate then glanced at the banana still on the table. “Should I finish my practicing?” she asked.

  Grey eyes pinned hers. “No need...it's showtime.” Reaching across the table, he took the peeled banana and finished it off quickly.

She watched him devour the fruit then lick his luscious lips.

  “I always give my best performances when it's showtime,” she said licking her own lips.

*********

  Shana and her mother drove to their appointment with the lawyers for Milton Martin's estate. They both wanted to know what the holdup was with their funds. It had been over a month since Milton's death and they were still waiting to get their money.

  Shana was sure her father had taken care of her and her mother. He always had. The pair entered the office and took the empty seats across from the attorney.

  “Thank you ladies for coming in,” the attorney began. “I'm afraid I have some bad news to share with you.”

  Shana looked at her mother in confusion then at the lawyer. “What are you talking about?” Shana demanded.

  “The government has frozen all of Milton's assets while an investigation into his dealings is underway.”

Shana looked at him. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It means that no monies can be disbursed until the investigation is done,” he explained.

She jumped to her feet. “So what are we supposed to do?”

  “Millie, calm down. Let the man speak,” her mother interjected.

Shana turned to her mother. “He's telling us we're not getting any damn money!”

Her mother sighed and turned to the attorney. “Do you know how long we'll have to wait?”

The attorney shrugged. “I honestly can't say. It's up to how their investigation goes.”

  “What did his other daughters say about this?” Shana asked.

  “Isabelle and Isis declined any monies from the estate weeks ago,” he told her.

Her eyes narrowed. “Those bitches! They did this.”

  “Miss White, your sisters didn't have anything to do with this. The government was already investigating your father before his death.”

  “My Daddy is dead and they're trying to drag his name through the mud!” Shana screamed.

Her mother took her hand. “Millie, it's okay.”

  “It's not okay! This isn't right. My Daddy always took care of me. He wouldn't want this!”

The attorney watched the women and prepared to give them the rest of the story.

  “Miss White, I should tell you that you are also being investigated. It seems your father involved you in some of his dealings. He put various entities in your name that the government is looking into.”

  Her mother gasped, shocked that Milton would do such a thing. “But what if she didn't know about it? Can they still hold her responsible?”

  The attorney nodded. “It's a possibility.” He turned to a stunned Shana. “Did you sign any papers for your father Miss White?”

  “Of course, Daddy asked me to sign papers all the time...but he said it was for insurance and to make sure I'd always be taken care of.”

He shook his head. “If I were you Miss White, I'd get a good criminal lawyer,” he advised.

  “A lawyer?” her mother asked.

  “Someone may go to jail over this and since Milton is dead...” He looked at Shana.

Shana frowned. “Jail? What the hell are you talking about. I'm not going to no damn jail!”

Her mother stood. “Let's just talk to an attorney Millie. We can take care of this.”

  Shana grabbed her bag. “I'll take care of this my way! They killed my Daddy and now they're trying to send me to jail. I've got something for their asses!”

  Shana's mother watched her storm from the room then turned to the attorney. “She's in a lot of trouble isn't she?”

He nodded. “Yes, I think so.”

She shook her head. “I hope she doesn't do anything stupid.”

*********

  Isis sat across from Marc in the outdoor hot tub after their morning interlude. He was watching her with those platinum eyes that always made her warm and she was watching him as well. She smiled as he took her foot into his hands and began softly massaging it.

  “Have I told you that you're beautiful today?” he asked.

Isis shook her head. “Not today.”

  “You are so beautiful Isis Martin.” He continued to massage her foot while holding her gaze. “And I love you.”

He became alarmed when her eyes filled with tears. “What's wrong Princess?”

  She sniffed and wiped at her cheeks as a few drops fell. “When my Daddy died, I thought I'd never be happy again.” She smiled at him through her tears. “But I am...I'm so happy with you Marcus.”

  Marc released her foot and moved over to where she sat. He lifted her face and stared into her dark brown eyes. “Let's agree to make it a priority that you're happy every day.”

  “I love you...and I don't even know how it happened,” she whispered. “But I'm so glad it did.”

  “It happened because it was meant to be. There was nothing either of us could do to fight it.”

  Marc kissed her tears away before claiming her mouth then a short while later he moved back across from her in the bubbling water, reclaiming her foot.

  “Thank you again for breakfast. It was very good,” he complimented.

  Isis laughed. “I went through a dozen eggs before I got those right,” she confessed. “But I was determined.”

Marc laughed with her. “I'm just thankful that you didn't set the house on fire.”

  “You make it sound like I'm an arsonist or something.”

He lifted a brow. “I believe the common trait is starting fires.”

  Isis sat back lifting her breasts into the air. “You set me on fire,” she purred. “So I guess you're an arsonist as well?”

Marc continued massaging her foot. “I'm a plumber.” He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes. “You didn't really just say that.”

He laughed. “Okay, how about a scuba diver?”

  “A scuba diver?”

  “I can go deep,” he explained.

Isis shook her head. “No.”

  “A tour guide?” he offered.

She looked confused.

  “I take you places you've never been.”

Isis groaned. “Oh my god! I can't believe you are this corny.” She began laughing.

Marc held her foot tightly. “Corny? Woman that's game.”

She smirked. “No wonder you're single.”

  “Wait, you've got a lot of mouth for somebody that was dating a teenager,” he taunted.

Isis' mouth fell open then she slowly closed it. “So you want to play, huh?”

He shrugged. “It's your game. I'm just telling the truth.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Then I'm a baker.” She said folding her arms.

  “A baker?”

  She nodded. “I can make it rise.” Isis slowly slid her tongue around her full lips. “Or maybe I'm an equestrian.”

  “I know how to ride...”

  Marc brought her foot to his mouth and slowly sucked the arch causing her breath to catch. His eyes were like two lighting strikes watching her reaction. She tried to pull her foot away, but he held on.

  “You have erogenous zones in your foot,” he explained softly. Methodically he began to massage her toes taking ample time for each one individually. Isis felt warmth between her thighs as he held her gaze.

  “If a man knows how to do this right, he can trigger an orgasm.” He continued to explain.

  His softly spoken words along with that stare and what he was doing to her toes was certainly triggering something deep inside of Isis.

  Holding on to her manicured big toe he expertly rubbed it between his two fingers. She watched in awe as he licked it before placing it in his mouth and Isis melted at the surge of pleasure throughout her body. She could tell he was very experienced at this particular form of love play since he was hitting every spot causing her to moan. Isis decided to simply give in to the pleasure and soon felt herself releasing a tiny explosion.

  Her eyes flew to his and he smiled at her still caressing her foot gently from toe to ankle. She laid back in the water and closed her eyes as he squeezed and rubbed the sole and heel of her tingling foot. Marc continued to kiss her foot until he began to move up her leg.