Page 17 of Tied Up in Riches

I chuckle. “I’m good in my office.”

“I thought you don’t give handouts to people who aren’t your friends?”

What I’d like to give her isn’t appropriate for someone who isn’t a friend either. What I’d like is to be in bed with her. Maybe not feel so fucking lonely for once. “Day after tomorrow I’ll be away on business on and off for another week anyway.”

“Okay, well, thank you. Your bed is really comfortable.”

I smirk, wondering if she’d feel the same if she were tied to it.

Chapter nine

Brooke

The four of us pile into Marcus’ car, Maci and I sitting in the back seat, and make the short drive to the Japanese restaurant. We’re meeting Troy there, but Lexy couldn’t get out of work.

Closing the door behind me, I walk toward the restaurant. My head turns when I hear Marcus’ voice call out to Maci. She stops, taking a few steps back to him by the car.

“Yeah?” I hear her say, but noticing how Dean hardly acknowledges it and continues toward the entrance, I follow him.

Standing outside the row of bike racks by the front door, I turn away from the cute white-paneled building toward Dean. My curiosity gets the best of me. “What’s that about?”

“No idea.” He shrugs.

“Marcus seems like a good guy.”

“He is,” he agrees without hesitation, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his maroon and black flannel shirt rolled just above his forearms.

“I’m really not intruding, right? I don’t want to be an imposition just because he’s too nice to say no.”

“Trust me, Marcus doesn’t agree to anything he doesn’t want to. He’s big on consent.” Dean winks.

What the hell was that about? I’m about to ask, but movement draws my attention to where Maci and Marcus stand by his car. She practically falls into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He embraces her hug, pulling her closer, his hand petting her hair like he’s trying to soothe her.

Not a moment later, they break apart. The way Maci rubs her fingers under her eyes, I know she was crying. I look at Dean, sporting a half-smile and no concern, and I feel like there’s a secret I’m not in on.

Marcus and Maci join us, Dean pulling his fiancée to him in a side hug and kissing her temple. “Let’s keep him,” she whispers through a few residual tears, and Dean laughs subtly.

“If you insist.”

I check Marcus’ reaction, wishing it could give me some indication of what’s going on. He’s checking something on his phone, not paying attention to any of us. I’m about to ask what happened when Troy bounds in front of us, blocking our path to open the door.

“Hey!” he greets. I slip through the doorway with Maci and Dean, catching Troy’s hand slap Marcus’ shoulder from the corner of my eye. “Congrats on your deal.”

“Thanks, man.” Marcus grins, sliding his phone into the front pocket of his dark gray jeans. His black V-neck strains slightly across his chest and biceps. What was I just thinking about?

Focusing forward, I catch up to Maci as she slides into the brown leather seat at the bar top. Sitting next to her, Dean takes the other side, Marcus next to him and Troy on the end. She wasn’t able to get reservations last minute, but this section of the restaurant has such a good ambiance.

Behind the bar, there are six shelves of liquor, reaching so high there's also a sliding ladder like you’d see in a dream library. The lighting is a moody, deep brown over red oak counters and shelving.

Once we’re settled, Troy orders everyone a round of green tea shots. “To Marcus,” he says, holding his shot toward the rest of us. “The guy who helps make all our dreams come true. It’s time for you to have your own.”

“I’ll cheers to that,” Dean adds as he glances at Maci, catching her gaze. She gives him a soft smile, lifting her shot in the air as she leans her head on his shoulder. I want that.

“To my favorite person,” Maci says, and Dean shakes his head slightly, chuckling. From what Maci told me, Marcus really grounded her in her decision with Dean and giving him a chance. I think he definitely played a role in their story.

A tingle of happiness flows through me as I lift my shot into the air, joining theirs. Witnessing the strength of a found family is one of my favorite things. But this one in particular gives me a strange feeling that I could become a part of it and that I might be on the receiving end of Marcus’ magic too.

Halfway through dinner–all of us ordering authentic Japanese ramen–the bartender checks on us. “Everything is great, thanks,” Troy tells her, but her gaze isn’t on him.

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