Page 12 of His Aries Heiress
Marcellus glanced over at her. She noted that his eyes looked sad and tired. When he finally came out of that room with Gregory earlier, she’d wanted to hug him. He looked like he was way past overdue for a good hug. Hell, so was she.
He chuckled sadly before pushing his head back into the headrest on the seat.
“Just a nickname he gained over the years.”
Cassydie wasn’t buying that. It seemed like there was more to the name and more to the man who helped create her, but she recognized that now may not be the time to get into that. She did, however, want to ask one more question.
“How did you meet him? Are you family?” She held her breath after asking that question. A small voice deep inside her didn’t want Marcellus to be family to her. The attraction she felt for him was deep, and she would feel so icky with herself if he turned out to be a damn cousin or something.
“Yeah, but not by blood. Grim took me in when I was young and raised me as his own.”
Cassydie immediately wanted to know more, but again, she recognized that it might not be the right time to pry. Marcellus acted tough, but she saw through him. She noticed how torn up he was about Gregory’s death, and she didn’t want to be insensitive.
There were many questions that plagued her, but she pushed them aside and focused on getting them to their destination safely.
They finally pulled into a gated community, and Cassydie’s eyes widened. When they pulled into a driveway in front of a large home, she eyed Marcellus wearily. “This is where you live?”
He smirked. “Yeah.”
She couldn’t believe it. She’d only seen houses like these on TV. Never up close and personal.
“Are you sure your girlfriend or wife is okay with me staying here?” she asked as soon as they got out of the car.
She heard his tired laugh as she opened the back door and gathered a few of her things. To her surprise, he appeared besideher and helped her grab one of her suitcases, so she was left with her blanket and a couple of other random items.
“I ain’t got none of that, ma. It’s just me. You living out this mothafucka or somethin’?”
He switched the subject so swiftly she couldn’t catch herself from mumbling, “Something like that.”
Heat radiated off her skin from embarrassment as she closed the car door and locked it before following behind him.
She still felt the heat of embarrassment as she walked into the house, but it evaporated as she took in her surroundings. The home was extravagant. High ceilings, black marble floors, beautiful artwork . . . It was not the type of home she would have pictured Marcellus having. She had completely misjudged him.
They made their way to the second floor, and he stopped at the first door on the right. When he pushed it open, she gasped. It was a bedroom with a crystal chandelier, a bed with a deep purple duvet and pillows, and the softest cream carpet she’d ever stepped foot on.
“You can sleep here. There’s a bathroom and a closet through that door. If you need anything to eat and drink, the kitchen is downstairs and fully stocked. I’ll come get you in the morning when it’s time to go get Tato.”
He turned to leave swiftly, but Cassydie stopped him by placing a hand on his forearm. “Wait.” When his eyes met hers, she continued. “Thank you. For letting me stay here, I mean, and giving me the chance to properly meet Tato.”
Marcellus peered down at her, and she swore there was a moment of lust that passed between them, but it evaporated quickly.
“I keep my promises.”
He left her with that short response. As she watched him walk out of a room she could have only dreamed of, her tired mind finally realized that he was referring to the promise hemade to Gregory about her before he died. As she looked around the room, she realized Marcellus was definitely a man of his word because she absolutely felt well taken care of at the moment.
It baffled Cassydie that after the horrendous day she’d had yesterday that she was able to sleep like a damn baby.
It also baffled her that just yesterday she was riding around in her beloved beat up old car, wondering if she would have enough money to feed herself and fill up her tank with gas. Now, she rode in the back of some expensive ass truck with a damn partition after eating a full breakfast prepared by a chef. She was in awe as she glanced over at Marcellus, who tapped away on his phone. He had been doing that all morning, even through breakfast. He hadn’t spoken more than two words to her that day, and for some reason, that bothered her.
She realized yesterday, as heartbreaking as it was, she didn’t think about her parents or Cierra as much because she was surrounded by other people. They were a great distraction, and she craved more of that. She did take pleasure in distracting herself by looking at him though. He had to be the finest man she had ever seen. Guilt creeped in almost immediately and shut those lustful thoughts down. What the hell was wrong with her? Her parents were dead, her best friend was dead, and the biological father she never knew was dead. Now, she was on the way to formally meet the little brother she never even knew she had and break the news to him that she was his big sister andthat his father was dead. Nothing about this situation invited the naughty thoughts she had about Marcellus. Yet . . .
“See something you like, ma?”
His deep voice startled her. She hadn’t realized she was still staring at him.More like drooling over him, Cass. Nice job.He didn’t even look at her when he spoke, and somehow, she even found that attractive.
“Uh, . . . I was just wondering what’s so important about your phone.” She scrambled to come up with that excuse, and by the way he snorted, she could tell he knew it was bullshit.
“Anyone ever told you you’re nosy? What sign are you?”
