Page 6 of Awakened by Sin

She searched his deep green eyes. “What kind of notes?”

“All kinds.”

Something about his tone betrayed him. He knew about the costumes. She jerked her hand out of his and tipped her nose in the air. “You should give me any notes that aren’t relative to your position as COO.”

“They’re extremely helpful,” Marcus said. “And you came up with a great concept.”

“It may have been a great concept, but you took it to the next level,” she said with grudging admiration. A part of her resented the fact that Marcus had been able to execute Vinny’s plans so flawlessly. “It came out better than I imagined. I’m glad you finished his project.”

“If you have time, there are other projects I’d like your input on.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re behind some of the most successful restaurants and nightclubs that Pyre Casinos has turned out in the past five years.”

No one knew how heavily she had been involved in Pyre developments. She enjoyed playing the blonde bimbo. Only Vinny saw through her act and tapped her intellect, something she loved him all the more for. He talked to her about everything. She enjoyed helping him flesh out concepts. The fact that Marcus uncovered a piece of her that no one else knew about sent a streak of unease through her.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine on your own,” she said and took a step back.

“You aren’t what I expected.”

Even though she shouldn’t take the bait, she stopped. “What did you expect?” Damn Vinny and his stupid notes.

“I’ve seen pictures of you, but you’re more beautiful in person.”

She was used to outrageous flattery, but the way he said it was more like a statement of fact rather than a come-on. What was Marcus Fletcher’s deal? Why was he deliberately singling her out? He had Vinny’s job, so what more did he want?

“I heard you went on the road with Lyla after her accident,” Marcus continued. “I’ve wanted to meet you both.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to meet the woman who could bring Gavin to his knees.” He cocked his head to the side. “And I wanted to meet the woman Vincent Pyre worshipped.”

The tears hit without warning. One moment, her eyes were clear, and the next, they were flooded. Her insides, which had been empty a moment before, were suddenly swamped with grief. She reached for an anchor. Her hand touched something solid, and she gripped out of blind instinct as she tried to control her pitching emotions.

“I’m sorry,” Marcus said quietly.

How he closed the distance between them so quickly, she didn’t know. She was too focused on trying to control her emotions that threatened to consume her. This was a nightmare.

“I heard about your father. That can’t be easy after losing Manny and Vinny. I’m truly sorry for your losses.”

None of the condolences she heard tonight affected her the way Marcus’s did. It was the sincerity and sympathy in his words that made her feel as if he were slicing into her chest with a dull knife. She twisted her hand in his shirt, threatening to rip buttons. He didn’t try to stop her. He slid his hand beneath the fall of her hair and cupped the back of her neck with a familiarity that shocked her. She jerked her head up and stared at his blurry image through the tears.

He massaged her nape. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to—”

The intimacy of his touch and the way he addressed her as if he knew and cared about her felt wrong. He didn’t know her, and she didn’t want to know him. She pushed away and with great effort, stuffed her emotions into the empty, yawning pit to deal with later. Under normal circumstances, she would have sailed into Marcus, but she was barely holding herself together. Did he do it on purpose? Marcus might have earned Gavin and Lyla’s approval, but he hadn’t earned hers.

She stalked away. Within a matter of minutes, Marcus destroyed her composure and shoved her toward a precipice she’d been avoiding all night.

I’m still here, baby.

Pain threatened to bring her to her knees. He wasn’t here, and she would never hear his voice again. She could feel the breakdown coming, like a freight train with no brakes careening toward the station. She scanned the crowd for Lyla, but it would be a miracle to find her in this crush. Her hands rose to grasp handfuls of her hair. She opened her mouth to scream—

“Carmen, I’ve been looking for … What’s wrong, babe?”

Large, warm hands grasped her shoulders. She dropped her hands from her hair and stared into Kody Singer’s soulful brown eyes.

“You okay?” Kody’s hands smoothed down her arms, which were covered in cold sweat. “You’re shaking. What’s wrong?”

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