Lyon on a Leash (29 page)

She bit her lip and looked away.

Fear, ugly and nasty, rose, threatening to choke him. “Vera.” He waited until she looked at him. “I am in love with you and I refuse to leave. That’s one order I will not obey. Please don’t send me away.”

She frowned. “But why would she—”

As much as he hated defending Marguerite, he knew he had to for Vera’s peace of mind. “She had no idea how close we’ve become. How much we love each other. She’s thinking this is a phase for you, like nail polish you try on, remove, and throw away if you don’t like the color. She has no idea what’s going on at home, so she made some real leaps and came to some wild conclusions.”

Vera’s frown deepened even as she took one of his fingers in hers. “You’re saying she lied? She made that stuff up?”

Yes, she lied. But calling someone’s mother a liar was always a losing strategy. “It’s because you never told her we decided to take our relationship to another level, so she’s afraid to leave me with you. She thinks you see our relationship as an experiment.”

Vera frowned. “She said something like that, but I wouldn’t do that, would I?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am. When we first met you were sure about what you wanted. The only thing that changed is you’ve let me in your heart.”

She nodded and then frowned.

“I’m not going anywhere, Vera.” Her gaze met his. “I can tell you’re thinking about that BS Marguerite told you, but she’s wrong. I’m where I want to be. Home is with you.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, my mom said to tell you she’s sending prayers up for you.” It was time to change things up; he didn’t want her to get upset.

“Huh?” She blinked. Her eyes widened. “What? Your mom?”

“Yeah. I told you about my parents.” Her stunned expression made him smile.

“I know, but…I didn’t think she’d care enough to…never mind. Tell her thanks.”

“Will do,” he said, rubbing the back of her hand with his fingertip.

“I didn’t think we’d last,” she whispered. “Didn’t think we’d make it this long. Not many people stay in my life, so I just didn’t expect this to be any different.” She looked at him. “I mean, I’d hoped you’d be different.”

There were so many things he could say to that. They’d had numerous conversations over the past few months and he’d poured out his heart. He knew she loved him and the feeling was mutual. But she had to decide where to go from here.

“What do you want, Vera? I wanna take care of you while you recover. I wanna comb your hair, give you your baths, feed you, take you to therapy and hold you in my arms every night as you sleep. I promise no one will ever take better care of you than me because no one will ever love you like I do. But I need to know what you want.” He waited. She looked at him, biting her lower lip.

He groaned as her tongue slid out and then returned. Lord, he missed her.

“I don’t want to stop you from living your life, Marcus. My recovery is going to take a long time. Maybe…maybe I should go with her to Tennessee.”

“Is that what you want?” He tried to control the hurt and anger that coursed through him but it was hard. In a matter of minutes, Marguerite had planted seeds of doubt that found fertile ground in Vera’s weary and battered mind.

She turned from him. Her chest rose faster. He cursed beneath his breath, afraid she’d have another panic attack. He did the first thing that came to his mind.

He started singing the song “When a Man Loves a Woman”.

When he noticed she was laughing, with a genuine sparkle in her eye, he stopped.

“You sing as good as you dance,” she chuckled.

“I know.” He shrugged, not caring as long as she didn’t have another attack. “But I’m willing to try to hit a note if it keeps you calm.”

“Calm? Is that what you were aiming for with that song?”

“Umm, okay, what about happy? How about relaxed?” He kissed the back of her hand. She watched him with an intensity he hadn’t seen since before the accident. Heart racing, he licked the area he’d just kissed. “I love you and I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, bad singing, worse dancing, and all.”

She closed her eyes with a glimmer of a smile. He sat watching her.

“You’re stubborn.”

“I know,” he said.

“I’m scared,” she whispered without looking at him. Her hand tightened around his. “The thing is, my back hurts. They can’t find what’s wrong. I don’t want to be on pain meds for the rest of my life.” Her gaze met his and he refused to turn away from the terror he read there. She attempted to be strong but he read the misery she’d kept bottled.

“Okay, we can work on that. Research everything, confer with specialists, and try different things to strengthen the muscles. If there’s a solution, we’ll find it,” he said with certainty.

She stared at him and he returned her stare.

“You think we should stay here? In Atlanta? Instead of going to Tennessee?” she asked, her voice small, unsure.

Hot pleasure flashed through him. She was giving him a chance. He released a long breath before kissing the back of her hand. “Yeah, we should stay here. One queen per castle is the rule of the day.”

She smiled. “True. I’m too used to doing things my way.”

“Nothing wrong with that. It
is
your castle.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I wanna go home. To my own house.”

“Can I go with you?” he asked, wanting to be sure there were no misunderstandings.

Her brow rose. “I haven’t released you. Where else would you go?”

Heart full to bursting, he stood, leaned over, and planted a kiss on her lips. He rubbed his forehead with light strokes against hers.

Her breath hitched. “Kiss me again.”

He complied. But allowed her to control the kiss. Her lips pressed against his and then her tongue slid across his sealed lips. He opened and her tongue slid inside, teasing, tasting, and taking possession of his tongue. It was ambrosia to taste her again.

“Mmmm, I miss you so much,” she murmured.

He grinned at her half-closed lids and dreamy smile. What man wouldn’t be pleased to put that kind of expression on his woman’s face?

“Me too.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a velvet sack. “I have a surprise for you.”

Her eyes lit as she saw the bracelet. Smiling, she opened her right hand.

“Well, it’s not a surprise, per se. I planned to give you your bracelet. I’d picked it up from the jeweler the day of the accident.” After removing it from the sack, he held it up so she could read the inscription. “Mistress Rose, You own my heart. Your Lyon.”

“Oh Marcus….” She took the bracelet and placed it against her cheek. He pulled her hand back to the bed before the IV monitor went crazy. Her glassy eyes locked with his. And then they changed.

His cock hardened as the lust-filled gleam he recognized blossomed.

“I bet you could touch me if you wanted to,” she whispered in her naughty voice, heating his blood.

“Only if the Doc says it’s okay.” He watched her hand inch down her thigh and move to the top of her mound.

“I’m saying it’s okay.”

He chuckled. It didn’t take long for her to remember a few things. He covered her hand with his. She grinned and winked. “Thanks, Marcus.” Her voice caught and then she closed her eyes briefly.

“Put the bracelet on me.”

Eying the IV, he hesitated. “Shouldn’t we check with the nurse at least?”

Mouth pursed, head tilted, she lifted her right arm a bit from the bed.

Queen
. He unclasped the bracelet and fastened it around her arm. It looked magnificent. Bending, he kissed it and then brushed his lips against her arm.

A quick knock and then the door opened as one of the nurses walked in, a cheeky grin plastered on her face when she saw him kissing Vera’s hand.

“Marcus, I need to check a few things and then she has a couple of tests. You can get back to that in about forty-five minutes to an hour,” the nurse said, shooing him.

Heart full with the knowledge their relationship was back on track, he nodded as he backed out of the way.

“Hey,” Vera called as he reached the door.

He turned and looked at her.

“Bring me my briefcase. Oh yeah, I love you, too.” She winked at him and waved her arm with the bracelet.

The grin that split his face was so wide it hurt. “I know,” he said, and walked out the room right into Marguerite, James, and Brinks.

Damn
. He’d forgotten about them.

The pain-filled, pitiful look in Marguerite’s eyes drained the last bits of anger he held against her. Marcus stepped to the side and stuck his hand out to Brinks. The man flicked him a suspicious glance before taking hold of his palm.

“Thanks,” Marcus said, ignoring James and Marguerite.

“Okay,” Brinks said, frowning. “For what?”

“Security, earlier.” Marcus tipped his head toward the nurse’s desk where the guard lingered.

“Oh, no problem. Vera doing better?” He tugged his ear as he removed his hand from Marcus’ larger one.

Marcus didn’t bother to hide his satisfied grin. “Yeah…yeah she’s doing better. They’re taking her to get some tests done. She’ll be back in an hour,” he said, glancing at Marguerite. The door opened. The nurse who’d shooed him out looked down the hall and nodded with a pleased gaze when an orderly turned the corner.

“You’re late, Clarence. They’re booked tight today and I don’t want her to lose her slot,” she said, closing the door behind them.

“She’s okay?” Marguerite asked, staring at the door, her face drawn in concern.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine. It’s going to take time, but….” The door opened and they rolled Vera out. She looked over at them.

“Hi Margie, Brinks, James.” She waved, her bracelet winking in the light.

“Hi, sweetie,” Marguerite said, taking a few steps to catch up with the gurney. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Marcus explained everything,” Vera said with a wan smile as the elevator door closed.

Marguerite looked at him with a curious expression.

He wasn’t in the mood to have another discussion with her. She had threatened him and then caused Vera to suffer an attack. Marguerite could wait for an explanation. Her briefcase was in his trunk. “Got a minute?” Brinks asked, catching up with him as he left the area.

“I’m headed outside to my car.”

Brinks nodded and they walked toward the exit in silence. Reaching his car, Marcus turned and leaned against it, waiting for Brinks to speak.

“First off, I owe Vera an apology for pressing her as long as I did. I had my reasons, none of which I’m proud of, and I don’t want to go into them right now. That’s why I came today. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to tell her that myself later. If not today, then soon. Which is another reason I wanted to talk to you. I know you’ll tell her what I said and if she doesn’t want to see me, then I won’t return.”

Marcus nodded, appreciating the direction of the conversation. He’d thought he might need to slug Brinks again.

“I respect her as a gracious woman who never played games and was brutal in her honesty. Plus, she’s an awesome attorney. Whenever she’s ready, she can return to her job. Let her know that as well.”

Although Marcus had experienced Vera’s cutting wit on more than one occasion, he remained silent. He wasn’t sure how Vera would accept Brinks’ apology or the knowledge she had a job to return to, but he’d give her the information. He’d been looking over Brinks’ shoulder and missed a portion of what the man had said.

“I don’t understand.” Brinks’ thumb and index fingers bracketed the bridge of his nose. “You guys haven’t been together that long. But when she came back from New York she was a different person. Before that trip, she would at least talk with other guys, but afterward, she didn’t even glance at them anymore. She stopped working late. Started smiling and laughing around the office. She changed. How’d you do that so fast? How does a man lock his woman down like that?” He shook his head as though confused. Marcus suspected this conversation had little to do with him and Vera. “I’m not going to lie. If Vera had given me the time of day, I would’ve taken anything she’d give.”

Marcus tensed, narrowing his eyes at the man. “Careful,” he growled.

“She wasn’t interested, which presented a problem. I needed her to…well, to take care of some things. Male-ego stuff. Anyway, you know what I’m getting at.”

“No. I’m not sure where you’re going with this. Let’s save time and you just tell me what’s on your mind. I’m going to be back in Vera’s room in a few.” It shouldn’t take him long to grab her things.

“I’m curious how the two of you fell so fast, that’s all.”

“Are you sure that’s all you want to know?” Marcus gazed down at the jumpy man.

Brinks nodded. “Yeah.”

Marcus pushed away from his car. “None of your damn business. I’m not going to discuss Vera with you.”

Brinks held up his hands. “Okay. Okay. I get that.” He licked his lips as his gaze flitted around the parking lot.