Page 108 of Revealing Mark
Not once did he touch me when he opened the door, or when we stood in the elevator. Was this his way of withdrawing from me? Even when we entered his apartment, he kept his distance.
“Are you going to talk to me?” I asked, throwing my purse onto the sofa before sitting down.
He studied me. “I let you in and now I need to know if you’re going to stay.” There was so much emotion in his voice.
“Does it look like I’m leaving?” I moved to him.
“Are you sure?” he asked softly when I put my hand to his cheek.
“Yes, I don’t understand why you would think that would change anything for me?” I searched his features, looking for something more. “You did something selflessly for someone else. She is lovely and I can see why you did what you did.”
For me it was that simple.
“You see them regularly?” I asked, remembering how Mark had mentioned it had been a month since he had last seen Haven.
He nodded. “Once a month.”
“On Sundays?” I questioned, having noticed some time ago that he missed a lunch at my parents’ place once a month.
He nodded again.
“Why would you think finding out about Haven’s stepfather would push me away?” I asked.
He moved back and I gave him the space he seemed to need, hoping he would open up.
“There was an incident when I was younger.” He quieted.
“What happened?”
He walked over to the window and stared at the city landscape. “Before high school, I went to a private school. Boys with too much money or power are never a good combination.”
I waited patiently, trying not to interrupt with more questions.
“One guy named Ethan was always causing trouble and bullying the weaker boys. Initially it started with the odd insult but began to build up until he and his group of thugs got physical.”
I frowned.
“It’s not in my nature to stand by and do nothing. So, one day when a fight started, I got involved.” His shoulders were tense. “He hit me first so I retaliated. He hit the floor but he…never got back up.”
His voice was filled with regret. It hurt to hear it. This time I approached him but it was like he was still tightly gripped in the past.
“You never meant for that to happen,” I whispered, trying to understand the guilt and heaviness of what had happened.
“That didn’t matter to his parents. Their son was dead and I was the one who was responsible. The circumstances were irrelevant. My parents made it clear that I had tarnished the family name and I finished the rest of the year being homeschooled while charges were brought against me, but because of my age and my family, it was swept under the rug without any permanent record. Then I went to a public high school, as faraway as possible from the high society that had judged me as no more than a murderer.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I never fit in before and, after that, I stopped trying.”
I came up behind him and put my arms around his waist, leaning my head against his shoulders. His cologne filled me with a comforting warmth.
“It wasn’t your fault, it was an unfortunate accident,” I murmured, feeling his shame and guilt.
“It’s one of the reasons I gravitated to becoming a bodyguard. I liked the control I was taught and I knew exactly how much force to use without hurting someone like I had with Ethan. It gave me a peace I never thought I would ever have. If I kept the control, it would never happen again.”
I understood, even when I had issues of my own with his and my brother’s profession. “I’m sorry you have parents who didn’t know how to love you.”
I held him tighter. He turned to face me and held me. “When my parents couldn’t get over that, I didn’t think you would be able to see past what I did with Haven’s stepfather.”
Now I understood why he had believed it would be a deal-breaker. “I loved you before and I still love you now. None of what you have told me today changes any of that.”
