Page 83 of Marked

Johnson’s intense gaze softened slightly. “Welcome to Cedar Grove, Mr. Chen. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Thanks? Though I’m pretty sure that’s the first time anyone’s ever looked forward to meeting the guy who regularly trips over his own shadow.” I caught several of the security team hiding smiles. Great. My tendency to babble when nervous was apparently universal entertainment.

Derek led me through the facility, his hand still hovering protectively near my back. The technology was mind-blowing—cutting-edge security systems, surveillance equipment, and what looked suspiciously like military-grade weapons behind reinforced glass.

“This is… intense,” I said, watching operators track movement through the forest on high-resolution screens. “Arethe local deer really that dangerous, or is this more about those aggressive squirrels I mentioned?”

Derek’s lips twitched. “We take the safety of our community very seriously.”

“Clearly. Though I’m starting to think Cedar Grove has a very different definition of ‘small-town security’ than the rest of the world.” I paused at a screen showing thermal imaging of the forest. “Please tell me those red blobs are just really warm rabbits.”

“Wildlife monitoring,” Derek said smoothly, though something passed between him and Johnson that I couldn’t quite read.

The security team watched us with barely concealed interest as we moved through the facility. Their attention made me want to check if I had moussaka on Miguel’s borrowed shirt or something equally mortifying. But there was something else about their gazes—a mix of curiosity and… respect? Which made zero sense. I was literally drowning in an oversized t-shirt that wouldn’t stay on both shoulders, wearing jeans that probably belonged on a runway instead of a security facility tour, and trying not to trip over my own feet.

“Ready for that walk?” Derek asked after the tour, his voice dropping lower in a way that definitely didn’t make my stomach do flips. Nope. Not at all.

“Sure, though after yesterday’s nature adventure with you and Caleb, I at least know which trees are most likely to jump out and try to kill me.”

The trail Derek chose wound through towering pines, dappled sunlight creating shifting patterns on the forest floor. Normally, being this deep in the woods would have my anxiety doing backflips, but something about Derek’s solid presence beside me made the forest feel… safer. Less threatening. Though that might have had more to do with how I keptgetting distracted by the way his tactical shirt stretched across those ridiculous shoulders. Seriously, the man was built like a mountain—all broad chest and massive forearms exposed by rolled-up sleeves. His cargo pants hugged things that really shouldn’t be legal in at least forty states.

And those thighs? Let’s just say I was having very inappropriate thoughts about being picked up and pinned against one of these trees. Derek looked like he could probably lift me with one arm, which really shouldn’t be as appealing as my brain—and other parts—found it. I could almost imagine wrapping my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck while he…

Nope. Bad Kai. No objectifying the walking military recruitment poster. Even if he did look like he’d been carved from marble by an artist with a thing for dangerous men in tactical gear.

“So,” I said, trying to distract myself from how good he smelled—seriously, was ‘irresistible’ a standard Stone brother feature?—“do you actually enjoy playing forest Batman, or is this more of a family obligation thing?”

Derek’s lips twitched, and God help me, even that slight movement was devastating. “Forest Batman?”

“Well, you’ve got the whole dark and brooding protector vibe going on. Plus, the fancy tech. Though I haven’t seen the Batcave yet—unless that’s what’s behind those reinforced doors in the security hub?”

His laugh was unexpected and rich, echoing through the trees. The sound did things to my insides that weren’t PG-rated. The way his whole face transformed when he smiled should come with a warning label.

“They’re not afraid,” I observed softly, watching the deer. I leaned against a nearby tree, trying to put some distance between myself and the walking temptation that was DerekStone. The t-shirt slipped farther off my shoulder, and I heard something that sounded suspiciously like a growl rumble from Derek’s chest.

When I looked up, his eyes had darkened to an impossible amber shade. The intensity of his gaze made heat pool in my stomach. He’d moved closer—when had he gotten so close?—until I was effectively pinned between his massive frame and the tree. One of his forearms braced against the bark above my head, and holy hell, the way his muscles flexed should be illegal.

“They know they’re safe here,” Derek’s voice had dropped to that dangerous rumble that went straight to my core. His other hand hovered near my exposed shoulder, not quite touching but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. “Just like you are.”

Safe was not the word I’d use for how I felt right now. Not with the way my body was practically begging to climb him like the redwood he resembled. Not with how his scent—pine and leather and something wildly masculine—was making my head spin. And not with how my traitorous body kept swaying toward him like he had his own gravitational pull.

With another growl, deeper this time, Derek’s hand finally made contact with my shoulder. His thumb traced my collarbone in a way that had me biting back a whimper. “You have no idea what you do to me,” he muttered, more to himself than me. His control seemed to be slipping, something primal bleeding into his expression.

Move away, my brain screamed.This is Derek Stone. Marcus’ brother. The guy you were fantasizing about bench-pressing you approximately thirty seconds ago. The one who probably knows fifty ways to kill someone with his pinky. The walking definition of dangerous attraction. And didn’t you just have an equally inappropriate moment with Marcus this morning?

But my body had other ideas. Like with Marcus earlier, I leaned into Derek’s touch, drawn by some magnetic force I couldn’t fight. Didn’t want to fight. His hand slid from my shoulder to cup the back of my neck, and the possessive gesture made my knees weak.

“Kai.” My name was a warning growl on his lips. His eyes seemed to glow as they fixed on my mouth. “If you don’t move away right now…”

I knew I should step back. Should make a joke about the aggressive squirrels and lighten the moment. Should definitely not be wondering if Derek would actually pick me up if I jumped. But instead, I asked, “What if I don’t want to move away?”

The sound Derek made was barely human—a deep, primal growl that should have terrified me but instead sent heat rushing through my entire body. His hand tightened on my neck, thumb stroking along my jaw in a gesture that felt possessive and tender at the same time.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he warned, voice rough with restraint. But his body betrayed him, pressing closer until I was completely caged between him and the tree. And wow, those muscles I’d been admiring? Even more impressive up close.

“Maybe I’m tired of playing it safe,” I heard myself say. Which was ridiculous because playing it safe was literally my entire life strategy. But something about Derek made me want to be reckless. Made me want to find out exactly what would happen if I pushed just a little further.

His eyes seemed to darken even more, that impossible amber color almost glowing. “Last chance to run,” he growled, and I swear I could feel the vibration through my entire body.

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