Page 42 of Craving

Her answering smile was soft, and Marlon felt like no one had ever understood him better in the entirety of his lonely life.

For a few precious hours, Camilla was able to push all her worries out of her mind and focus on fabrics, couches, lamps, and decor items. They went to four different stores including two antique stores so packed full of stuff that Marlon couldn’t go two steps without accidentally bumping into something.

When they got home, he’d spent an eye-watering amount of money on items she’d chosen, and he’d done it without blinking an eye. Camilla tried not to think about how easy it would be for him to pay ten thousand dollars to avoid public disgrace.

But she wouldn’t let her thoughts drift in that direction. She wouldn’t trade one man’s debt for another in the first place, and she was determined to fix this mess on her own.

This weekend would be a Frankie Smith-free time. Her weekend was her own. She wouldn’t worry about the money she owed. She’d just enjoy the company of the gruff, complicated man who had opened his heart and his home to her.

They were in the middle of rolling out a new rug in the waning afternoon light when the doorbell rang. Half a second later, the front door opened.

“Hello, hello!”

Camilla sat on her haunches and glanced at Marlon, who had turned toward the door. Leo and Amelia appeared in the living room entrance, arms around each other, wide smiles gracing their sun-kissed faces.

“Amelia!” Camilla jumped up and went to embrace her friend. “How was the honeymoon?”

“So great. Turks and Caicos is gorgeous.”

“Lucy showed us a picture of your room, and you had your computer out with work on the screen,” Camilla accused with mock seriousness.

Leo laughed, leaning over to kiss Amelia’s temple. “She can’t help herself.”

“The business isn’t going to run itself,” Amelia protested, then swept a hand at the room. “How are things here? Are you renovating?”

“Camilla objected to my living room decor,” Marlon explained.

“Excuse me,” Camilla shot back. “Is it really that bad that I didn’t want to sit on a sex couch?”

“I don’t even know whose thong that was, Camilla.”

“You keep saying that like it makes it better!” Camilla laughed.

“For all I know, the thong came with the couch.”

She was giggling now, shaking her head at him. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Maybe I should stuff my thongs in your furniture to mark my territory.”

Marlon’s eyes darkened. “I wouldn’t stop you, sweetheart.”

“So, um,” Amelia interjected. “What’s… What’s going on here?”

Camilla snapped back to herself in time to see an expression of absolute glee on Amelia’s face. Leo was less amused, frowning at his brother with an unreadable look in his eyes.

Striving for nonchalance, Camilla brushed her hands over her thighs and shrugged. “I found a thong in Marlon’s couch, and now we’re renovating the living room.”

“Logical,” Amelia said, lips trembling with a barely suppressed smile.

“Come to the kitchen,” Camilla said, sweeping past them to hide the redness creeping up her cheeks. “I want to hear all about your honeymoon. We’ll have coffee and cake.”

When the four of them gathered in the kitchen, Marlon leaned against the kitchen counter next to where Camilla prepped the coffee and baked goods, his arms crossed. Leo sat at the table, his arm around Amelia’s chair. He threw Marlon another glance, then turned to Amelia. “Why don’t you show Camilla the pictures you took of the beach and the catamaran tour?”

“We went on a sunset tour,” Amelia explained as she pulled out her phone. “It was beautiful. The pictures really don’t do it justice.”

As the coffee machine gurgled, Camilla sat beside her friend and listened to her talk about her honeymoon. Leo kept his hand on the back of Amelia’s chair, his fingers toying with the end of Amelia’s blond ponytail. They’d only met recently and got married within six months of knowing each other, and they were obviously madly in love.

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