Page 43 of Personal Disaster

Chapter Thirteen

Poppy

I spendthe next week at Marcus’s house, getting used to dating a billionaire who gets up while it’s dark and goes to work as a park ranger because he likes that better.

I’m starting to get that he’s not so much an enigma as a true exception. Sure, he keeps things close to his chest, but he is exactly what he says he is—quiet, steady, and very intome.

Some days he drops me in town when he goes to work, some days I stay here and wear nothing but one of his shirts while I write.

It’s magical.

And early one morning it all comes to an unexpected end with an email from my editor at the Record.

We’re still in bed when I readit.

“Oh,” I say, sittingup.

“Is that a put-on-coffee kind of oh?” Marcus asks as he peers at the clock. It’s five-thirty here, so not insanely early back in Washington.

I shake my head. “No. It’s not breaking news or anything like that. It’s…a job offer of sorts.” I read the highlights of the email out loud to him. I’ve been tapped to be a new part of a team at the Washington Record tasked with compiling long-form narratives about significant events. “It sounds pretty cool. The LA Times have been doing something similar and we’ve talked about it, but it takes a lot of intensive research and time in the field. Huh.”

He settles his hand on the back my neck and rubs gently. “That sounds great.”

I’m sad about saying goodbye to Marcus again, of course, but it’s the kind of writing I want to do. I chew on my lower lip. “And I’ll be able to come back here more often if I’m not hunting for stories of my own on the streets of Washington,” I tellhim.

“You don’t need to convince me,” he rumbles. “It sounds like a good fit foryou.”

“I’m convincing myself.”

“Ah.” He slides his knuckles along my jaw, then lifts my chin so I’m looking at him. My heart melts when he smiles. “What do you want todo?”

I hold up my phone. “This.”

“Excellent. When do you need to be back in Washington?”

“In threedays.”

His eyes go soft. “Perfect. We’ll have time to celebrate properly.”

He rolls me over and wakes me the rest of the way up with a slow, hard fuck into the mattress.

After, I sit on the bed and watch him move around his room naked, getting his uniform ready before we have a shower. He’s all thick muscle and warm skin. Just enough hair to draw the eye to the good parts, and a ruthless indifference to being watched.

“Are you watching my ass again?”

Or maybe not. “It’s my favorite part of yourbody.”

He turns around, his semi-soft, always thick cock bobbing into view, and my mouth goesdry.

“One of them, Imean.”

He laughs and I drag my gaze up to his face. I’m sure I’m blushing, and I don’tcare.

“Come here?” I don’t care that it comes out like a plea. He can know how much I wanthim.

He tumbles on top of me, his weight heavy and welcome, and I steal the kiss I want. Deep, soft, lingering.

“How much of that can we cram into the next seventy-two hours?” I ask when he lets me up forair.

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