Page 12 of Black Mark's Heart

Chapter One

Mora

I'd just pulled on my pajamas and was towel-drying my hair when I heard the knock at the door. I smiled, thinking it was Ewan coming to keep working on the songs. The man was addicted now that he was back writing. I pulled on the robe and opened the door.

"I thought we decided to rest tonight..." I cut off when I saw Darius standing there. His dark hair was scruffy and well overdue for a trim, his hazel eyes piercing. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" he asked with the same self-confidence he'd had when we first met.

"You told me to get out of your life, Darius," I snapped. "I did what you asked. I always did. You can't keep stepping back into mine and think that's okay."

"I just want to talk, Mora," Darius assured, but I couldn't believe him. I knew what that look in his eyes meant now.

"No, you don't."

Darius smirked, "You're right." He stepped forward and kissed me.

I stepped back away from him, angry. "Have you been drinking?"

Darius stepped forward, catching the door and then moved to the side, closing the door behind him so he was in my room. "No."

"Then why would you think this is okay?" I asked astounded.

"Your father continued sleeping with Alex's mom after she married another man." Darius shrugged out of his jacket and threw it on the couch as he moved into my room freely.

I looked at him gobsmacked. He was so at ease, so confident that he could just walk in here and have sex with me. "Marshall didn't break her heart an hour after they got married without explaining why. He didn't sign an annulment to say the marriage was never consummated when he knew it had been."

"You signed those papers too, Mora," Darius grumbled. He turned to look at me. I swallowed under the emotion in his eyes. "I hurt you. I was an asshole about it because I was hurting, and angry, and your pain just made it unbearable. You weren't the only one who lost the person they love, Mora. I have been a miserable asshole since that day, ask anyone. I miss you every minute of every day, but if God didn't want us to be together, you wouldn't keep turning up every time I turn around."

"Jeremy is not God," I argued, turning away from him.

Darius chuckled. "You think he brought me here on purpose to put us together?"

I looked at Darius. "Jeremy told me about Marshall and Alex's mother. I think he was hoping he could put a smile back on your face if I was willing to go for that."

"You're not though, are you?"

"No, Dare. We're done, for good," I explained. Did he not understand how badly he'd broken my heart? How he'd broken his promises and I'd never trust him again?

Dare stepped towards me. "What if I don't want that?" he asked, pulling me into his arms.

I arched my back to look up at him, meeting his eyes. "This is unfair." I felt the first tear run down my face.

He wiped the tear away. "You've always given me what I want, Mora, from the moment we met. I want you as my lover. I will never marry another woman because the woman I want is you."

"So you want me, you just don't want anyone to know about me?" I clarified.

"We can go away together. I can organize business trips every couple of weeks overseas. You can come with me, and we can be together openly then," Darius suggested.

"But my father can't know, my brother, our friends?"

Darius shook his head, his face falling in understanding of what I was saying.

I sighed and shook my head staring at his strong chest. "No, Darius. You wanted me out of your life. I'm gone." I tried to step out of his embrace, but he held me tight.

He lowered his mouth towards mine. "Please, Mora? I need you."

"Don't," I begged.

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