Page 85 of Marked

Instead, I just nodded, not trusting my voice. As we walked back, Derek kept a careful distance between us, though his eyes never left me. Every few steps he’d clench his fists or take a deep breath like he was physically restraining himself from reaching for me.

I tried to sort through the chaos in my head. This morning I’d kissed Marcus, and it had been intense and overwhelming in the best way. Now here I was, practically climbing his brother like a tree, and it had been just as overwhelming but in a completely different way. What the hell was wrong with me? And why did it feel less like cheating and more like… pieces falling into place?

Derek suddenly stopped walking, a shudder racking his massive frame. When I turned to look at him, his eyes had that impossible amber glow again, burning with barely contained need.

“Kai.” My name was a desperate growl. He took a step toward me, then another, moving with the fluid grace of a predator. “I can’t… you smell so…”

I should back away. Should not be mesmerized by the way his muscles flexed as he fought for control. Should absolutely not want him to pin me against another tree. But my body had other ideas, swaying toward him.

“Please,” he ground out, though I wasn’t sure if he was begging me to run or to stay. “I can’t… fuck…”

As if summoned by Derek’s obvious distress, Marcus and Caleb burst through the trees, moving with impossible speed. I hadn’t heard anyone approaching—how had they known to come? And how had they gotten here so fast from the manor?

“There you are!” Caleb’s voice was forcefully cheerful as he immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulders, practically shifting me away from Derek. Despite his playful tone, there was an urgency to his movements I didn’t understand.

Marcus stepped between us and Derek, his stance protective, though I couldn’t tell who he was protecting. Derek wasn’t looking at any of us anymore. His hands were clenched so tight I could see white knuckles, his breathing ragged and uneven.

“Derek.” Marcus’ voice held a command I didn’t understand. “Go.”

Derek turned and… holy shit, I didn’t know anyone could move that fast. One second he was there, the next he was disappearing deeper into the woods at a dead sprint.

“Did he just—” I started.

“Training exercise,” Marcus cut in smoothly, though his eyes never left the direction Derek had vanished. His voice was calm but held an edge of tension. “Derek takes his security duties very seriously.”

“Very, very seriously,” Caleb agreed, steering me back toward the house. His usual playful tone seemed forced, and his arm around me was just a little too tight.

I let Caleb guide me along the trail, but not before catching one last glimpse through the trees. Even from here, I swore I could hear something that sounded like a frustrated growl echoing through the forest. Something deeper and more primal than any sound I’d heard Derek make before.

Marcus fell into step on my other side, and I suddenly felt very small between them. The way they bracketed me felt protective, almost possessive, and that really shouldn’t send such a thrill through my body. Especially not when my lips were still burning from both brothers’ kisses—Marcus’ calculated intensity by the lake this morning and now Derek’s wild, desperate claim against the tree.

“So…” Caleb’s voice was deliberately light as we walked. “I’m guessing the security tour was interesting?”

I touched my still-tingling lips, remembering exactly how ‘interesting’ it had been. “Yeah,” I managed. “You could say that.”

Marcus made a sound that might have been a cough or might have been a laugh. When I looked at him, his eyes held the same intensity they had this morning in the car. The heat in his gaze made my breath catch, and Caleb’s arm tightened around my shoulders in response.

Great. Because I needed more confusing feelings about multiple Stone brothers. And why did being sandwiched between them feel so… right?

The dining room was a study in controlled chaos. Maria and Jorge were bickering in rapid-fire Spanish over the proper way to plate the cordero al horno, while Anna tried—and failed—to hide her smile behind her napkin. Miguel watched his girlfriend with obvious adoration, seemingly immune to the culinary warfare happening around him.

I was seated between Marcus and Caleb again, which was becoming a strangely comfortable pattern. Yet the empty chair kept drawing my attention. Something felt… off without Derek’s brooding presence completing our little square.

“The lamb must rest properly!” Jorge insisted, brandishing a carving knife like a weapon. “The juices need to redistribute!”

“Ay, por favor!” Maria rolled her eyes. “As if you invented cooking! My grandmother was making cordero al horno before your abuelo could walk!”

The roasted lamb finally made it to the table, and holy hell—it was a work of art. The meat was perfectly browned, fragrant with herbs from Maria’s garden, and the aroma alone made mymouth water. Alongside it came her seafood stew that smelled so incredible it should be illegal, and a massive platter of pollo al ajillo that had me seriously reconsidering my life choices. How had I lived this long without Maria’s cooking?

“Where’s Derek?” I asked, trying to sound casual as Maria heaped my plate with enough food to feed a small army. “Shouldn’t we wait for him?”

Marcus’ expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes. “He’s busy with work. Security matters.”

“At dinnertime?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

“Derek takes his duties very seriously,” Caleb jumped in, passing me a basket of fresh bread that smelled like heaven. “Try the bread—Jorge made it fresh this afternoon.”

I wanted to press further, but Maria chose that moment to unleash her seafood stew—the rich aroma of saffron and seafood making my mouth water. “Eat! We’re celebrating your new job!”

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