Page 88 of Tied Up in Riches

“Avery and Miller are out of town for the night, so Maci and I will just stay there. We’ll meet you for breakfast at Brail’s in the morning?”

“Sounds good. Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

Dean smirks as Mira tugs on his hand again. He lets her pull him toward the door.

“Be good,” Marcus calls after his sister. Once the door closes behind them I turn to him.

“I feel bad about bailing. We should hang out with them.”

He steps closer, pulling me to him. I press my hands to his chest and meet his gaze. “Nah. Dean’s got her. She loves him just as much.”

“I don’t know,” I say, reaching to pull a butterfly clip from his hair. “She seems pretty fond of you.”

“I’m pretty fond of you.”

“Is that so?” I grin, plucking the other four clips from his hair as well and tossing them on the couch behind him. “I happen to be partial to you myself.”

“It’s been a good week.” He tucks a wave of my hair behind my ear. “A long week. I haven’t seen nearly enough of you.”

“Well, I suppose it's a good thing that Dean forced a nap into our schedule the–”

And then his lips are on mine, like a response would take too much precious time away from kissing me. He pushes me backward, my back thudding against the hallway wall.

I break our kiss, but only enough to speak. “Hey, what if I actually needed a nap?” I smile against his lips, but he doesn’t show any signs of playfulness.

“I’d say too damn bad.”

“Oh, yeah? What would you rather do?”

“Let’s just say you’ll be tied up for the foreseeable future.” He smirks.

“Finally.” I grin and kiss him again. A gasp escapes when he grips my thighs and hoists me up. I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs tight around his waist. Burying my face in his shoulder as he carries me down the hall to his room, I bite his neck, and he groans. I sooth it with a kiss, anxious to have his hands all over me–and his mouth.

Chapter thirty-five

Brooke

When we make it to his room, he kicks the door shut behind us so hard my heart rattles in my chest. We reach the foot of his bed, and he releases me, my toes touching the carpet first, my bare feet slowly falling to the floor.

My tank top rides up, leaving a gap between it and my leggings, and Marcus’ hands immediately find their way to my skin. His palms run over my stomach, up my sides. Hands flat against my skin, he lets his thumbs catch on the edge of my shirt, pulling it up as he smooths his hands up my body until it’s over my head. He tugs his shirt over his head before focusing back on me.

“Fucking hell, you’re perfect,” he says, tracing the top edge of my bra down each breast until he reaches the clasp in the middle. He unhooks it with ease, then drags it off my shoulders and tosses it to the floor behind us. His hands find my breast and hold firm to them as he leans in. “Do you want your meditation?”

I shake my head. “No. I don’t need it.” He squeezes hard, my nipples stiffening to his touch and a soft moan escaping my lips. “Marcus,” I whisper, my hands still linked around his neck.

“What is it, love?” His hands run back down my sides, gripping my hips and pulling me against him, our skin flush.

I want to be completely consumed by this man again, but I already feel in too deep and want to be sure that it’s time for me to fall. “This is real, right?”

“Yes.”

I search his face. “I want to stay.”

“I need you to stay,” he counters.

“I don’t have a place to live. Or a job. I know technically I’m staying here and am temporarily working for–”

“You are living here. That part isn’t negotiable. As for work, whatever you want to do after we get Emma and Charlotte taken care of, I’ll help you figure it out.”

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