Obsession (Sons of Judah MC Book 2) (5 page)

He turned around and left the building. Marco stood there for a long time with the flowers in his hands.
Man!
His life just got difficult, but whatever the cost was, he wasn’t going to let go of Stacy. She was important to him, way more than he initially realized. There was no way he was going to succumb to this pressure and prove himself to be unworthy of her.

He was up for this challenge, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do to beat him.

Chapter Five

Marco was late. For some reason, Stacy felt a little restless. He was barely fifteen minutes overdue, but she couldn’t stop gazing at the clock as she stirred the sauce on the stove. He was always on time. Sure, she had gotten used to that particular attribute of him, but it was more than that. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she saw Ned’s car on her street today. It had to be his car. She only caught a glimpse of a part of the number plate, but she was quite sure it was him. Perhaps she was being paranoid. That was always a possibility. After all why would Ned come to this street? He didn’t know anyone, and he didn’t come to see her. She must have either imagined the whole thing or else the car wasn’t his.

The doorbell rang. With a sigh of relief, she walked over and opened the door. “Hi.”

He bent to brush his lips over hers. “Good evening. Sorry for the delay. I got caught up with some work.”

Why did she have the distinct feeling that he was hiding something? Her paranoia was acting way out of control. She needed to get a grip on herself or else he would think that she was nuts. “No problem. Dinner is almost ready.”

“For you.” He gave her the flowers. “Something smells good.”

“Thanks, and thanks for these.” As she arranged the flowers in the vase, he prowled in the living room.

“Do you need help?”

She admired the lovely flowers for a while. “Why don’t you put them on the window sill so we can look at them while we eat?”

“Sure.” He put the vase in place and then sauntered back, watching as she stirred the sauce. “So you really can cook?”

“I sure can. It’s…well, not my passion, but I do take some pride in it. I’ve made pasta and braised chicken steaks. Would you like me to open a bottle of wine? We can have that while everything gets ready.”

“Let me do that.”

He opened the bottle and poured wine in two glasses. “How was your day?”

“Not bad. We got a new corporate customer, and that is always cause for celebration. Then, we also finalized the plans for an event that is going to take place over ten days. We’ll be quite busy while that goes on. I’m actually looking forward to it. It’s a seminar on Urban Development, and we have a lot of distinguished guests coming in. I might even sneak in and attend a lecture or two.”

“That’s great.”

She took the glass of wine and sipped it. “Perfect. Let’s go sit in the living room while the food finishes cooking. So how was your day?”

He actually blanched. She didn’t have any other words to describe the expression on his face. “Not that great. Don’t really want to talk about it.”

She didn’t quite know what to say. On one hand, he was direct enough to tell her that he wasn’t happy with something. However, on the other hand, he didn’t want to talk about it. “Ok. Alright. Did you finalize the details for our Cape Cod trip?”

“No, shit. I forgot.” He wiped a hand on his brow as he sat on the couch. “I’ll do that tomorrow.”

She put a hand on his thigh. His hard muscles clenched under her fingers. Although she longed to rip off his clothes and touch his bare skin, Stacy controlled her emotions with effort. “Is everything ok? I understand that you don’t want to talk about it but…”

“No. It’s…let’s just leave that. Have you seen Ned lately?”

She nearly spilled her wine. Stacy debated telling him about the car. She wasn’t quite sure if that was Ned, and if she was wrong, then she didn’t want to come across as a hysterical ex-wife who believed her ex-husband was stalking her. “No. Why would I see him? We don’t really move in the same circles.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

“Did you see him?”

The play of emotions on his face was almost comical. She saw the struggle and didn’t understand the reason for it. “Actually, I did. Just now. Outside your apartment.”

“What?”

He swallowed the rest of his wine in one quick gulp as if he needed it to bolster his courage. “He caught me as I was coming up. Said to stay away from you.”

“What? What?” She set the glass down. Surely, he was joking. This couldn’t be real. “Ned actually told you to stay away from me. Why? Why does he care about our relationship? And what the hell was he doing in my building? He didn’t come to see me.” She stopped, considered her earlier assumptions, and grimaced. “It must have been his car I saw on the street, but…I wasn’t sure. Thought I was mistaken.”

“He was lurking outside your apartment building, waiting for me, so that he could warn me to not remain involved with you. I think he wants you back.”

The statement was so absurd that she nearly burst into laughter. If it wasn’t for the serious expression on his face, she would have done so. “Of course he doesn’t. Please. We don’t want to go back and repeat the same mistakes all over again.”

“
You
don’t want that. That doesn’t mean he has the same intentions as you. I think he is already regretting the divorce and wants to get back with you.” He studied her carefully, as she tried to understand his words. “If he does, would you take him back?”

“What?” It was her turn to pick up the glass and take a healthy gulp. The alcohol singled down her throat and set fire in her belly. “Never in this lifetime. Once was quite enough, thank you. He cheated on me, not once, not twice, but repeatedly. I don’t think he has any intention of settling down as a one-woman man. He will do the same thing over and over again. Why the hell would I want to take him back?”

“He is an influential and rich man,” said Marco.

She stood as the first licks of temper slid up her skin. “I didn’t marry him for his money.”

“No, of course not. That’s not what I meant to say.”

“That’s what you said.”

“Shit.” He ran a hand over his face. “Look, I got rattled by his presence. He accosted me on the stairs, and it’s not like I am afraid of the man, but this sure is a sign of incoming trouble. I want to know…I need to know…if there is a possibility that you would want to go back to him, because if that is so, I’ll step aside willingly.”

“Even if you were to step aside for any reason, I wouldn’t go back to him.” He took a deep breath, and she actually felt his relief. Still, she wasn’t willing to forgive him so easily. “If you don’t want to be a part of my life, you only have to say the word. I don’t cling to men who don’t want me.”

“Of course I want you. I…love you.”

She stared at him as if he spoke in a foreign language. “You…what?”

He bit his bottom lip. “This wasn’t how I intended to make this declaration, but the truth is that I’ve been struggling with my emotions ever since I met you. You’re important to me. Very, very important, and yes, I am in love with you. I know that it’s way too soon, and you might not be ready to hear something like that. I wasn’t prepared to accept something like that, but then when Ned threatened me, I realized that I wouldn’t like to give you up at any cost. It’s because I am crazy about you.”

She sat on the couch. Words couldn’t describe the happiness that bloomed in her heart. The man sure had a way of taking away her breath. She was ready to kick him out of the house, but he just said something and made it impossible for her to concentrate on anything else.

What power he had.

What strong statements he made.

She was speechless. “You love me?”

He picked up his glass, walked over to the kitchen, and poured himself another glass of wine while she studied him. It was easy enough to tell that he was feeling fairly self-conscious. Perhaps he really hadn’t been ready to make such a statement, but she was glad he did so. “I do. Just because I have said this doesn’t mean that you have to reciprocate in any way. If you don’t feel it, then you don’t, and that’s just the way it is. We’ve barely known each other for weeks, and I quite understand if you’re not ready to make such a commitment. That’s fine really.”

“Oh, please. Be quiet.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “You can’t make a declaration like that and then just expect me to…accept it as if it isn’t a big deal.”

He drank his wine. “It’s way too early. I understand. I am just worried about Ned. He is going to make trouble. Sure, I can handle whatever he directs at me, but I don’t know what he would do to you. The man is crazy.”

“He is,” she said. Her heart thundered in her chest, as she recalled the memories of their short but sweet relationship. It wasn’t too long since she first met him, and now she felt as if life without him was totally alien. How had she lived and breathed when he wasn’t with her? It was impossible to envision her days without him now. “But you should be careful. He doesn’t let go that easily.”

“I can handle anything he throws at me,” he said in a confident way.

She was sure he could. There wasn’t much that deterred Marco. He was a force of nature, deadly and sure. “I bet you can.” She walked over to check on the chicken. It was ready, so she turned off the oven. The sauce was done, too. “Dinner is ready.”

“Good. I’ll help you put it on the table.”

She poured the sauce on the pasta and handed it to him. The salad was ready. She put the vinegar, olive oil, and salt on it and handed it over. After bringing the last dish, she set it on the table. Stacy glanced once at the food. It looked delicious, but she wasn’t ready to eat as yet. “So you’re really ok with the fact that I don’t feel the same way as you?”

A strange emotion flitted across his eyes. Disappointment? Regret? She couldn’t be sure. “I am. And you will feel those emotions real soon, honey. I am not without considerable charms and when I turn on the magic, you won’t be able to resist this hunk.”

She lifted her lips in a smile. It was too obvious that he was more than a little crushed at her lack of feelings. Well, she was about to make his day better. Stacy sauntered forward. She grabbed his collar and forced him to take a step forward. “In that case, there is no point telling you that I am already in love with you, right?”

His expression was comical. “You…what?”

“I love you, Marco. You’re slightly crazy, but I think I can put up with that, more so because I am a little bit crazy myself. Together, we’re a good fit, and the last few weeks that I have spent with you have been the happiest in my life.”

“You love me?”

“That’s what I am telling you, you silly man.”

He crushed his lips on her. The scent of him, the touch of him, was heady, exotic. Her arms locked around his neck, as she deepened the kiss. His tongue twisted with hers. Sensations, raw, wild, and tumultuous, skipped through her veins. Every cell in her body vibrated with a need. The dinner was forgotten. The problems they faced ahead were forgotten. All she could feel and think about was the way he made her feel.

When she stepped away, he smiled. “You had to make me whine for it?”

“Hey, I just wanted to be sure you weren’t saying all that just for effect? But now I know that you really mean it.”

“Of course, I meant it. I love you.”

“And I love you more.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. “The way we started our love story, it’s just something so special.”

“Oh yeah, that day in your ex-husband’s house was indeed special. I’ve got it etched in my memory. The sight of you as you slid down the clothes and stepped away from them. Your creamy, smooth skin…”

“Oh, shut up. That’s not what I meant. I feel it’s really destiny that has brought us together. If it wasn’t for that day, we wouldn’t have come into each other’s radar. Our lives are so far apart and so different that I really feel it was just meant to be…the way we met.” She ran her finger over his cheek. “Come on now, let’s eat.”

“I’ve lost my appetite. I am just filled up with your love.”

“You have to eat my food because I am not stashing it inside the fridge.” She took a seat next to him. He poured another glass of wine for her, and she served him. It felt so right, so perfect, to be with him. There were just no words to describe this feeling of intense peace that stole over her. For the first time in her life, she actually felt that she was in the right place with the right man, and now nothing could spoil her bliss. She wouldn’t let anyone do it. Not ever.