Page 50 of Black Mark's Heart

"It's kind of obvious." Brooks looked surprised. "Don't you?"

"No," Darius growled. "No one will tell me."

"That's because it's none of anyone's business," I grumbled.

"I beg to differ..." Brooks started.

I turned a harsh glare on him. "You can beg all you want. I'm not part of the brotherhood, and my life is none of your business."

Brooks’s eyebrows shot up. "Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it? You Ellis women..."

I knew where he was going with it straightaway. I took Jacob from my hip and handed him off to Darius. Darius was too shocked by the conversation to object and took Jacob instantly.

"...Really know how to hold a grudge, don't you? Should I call Children's Services now? Since it turns out you are just like your..."

I swung and punched him in the face. Brooks fell on his rear, blood gushing from his nose. "I am not my mother, you fucking prick!" I raged at him. "Might I suggest you learn to hold your tongue about my business, Brooks, because if you decide to share my secrets, I might be just as inclined to share how you whore your wife out to pay your debts!"

"Mora." Marshall clamped his hand over my mouth, moving me away. "Alex, get your sister out of here."

Alex took Jacob from a surprised Darius; his other hand went around my shoulders and moved us towards the cars. "Come on, Mora, I think you need a drink." Alex looked back over his shoulder. "Or three."

***

The knock on the door was soft. I checked Jacob was happy with his bottle in the port-a-cot I'd brought with me and answered the door. Darius half-smiled at me when I opened the door. "Can we talk now?"

"Are you going to yell or cause me to yell?" I asked.

Darius's smile dropped. "Not if I can help it."

I stepped back, letting him in.

"How's your hand?" Darius asked, collecting it in his after the door shut. He studied my knuckles.

"Fine. A little tender, but I'll still be able to hold the bow." I carefully removed my hand from his grasp and stepped farther into the room. "Did Brooks talk to you after I left?" I asked, wondering if he'd been told.

"No, your father dealt with him." Darius walked towards me. "Why won't you tell me who the father is? Why can everyone else know but me? It's obviously someone I know or you wouldn't be hiding it..."

"Dare," I breathed his name in warning. "I'll tell you one day, I promise, but I feel like I'd be setting myself up for more heartache making it public knowledge right now."

We stood facing each other for a good thirty seconds in silence while Darius weighed my response and decided to shelve it. "Should we talk about us then?" he asked instead.

"Is there an us?" I asked unsurely.

"There has always been an us, Mora." Darius sat on the end of the bed. "I want to know how you see this working."

I swallowed and sat beside him. "Being your lover?" I asked to clarify. Darius nodded. I cleared my throat. "Well, we both have busy careers now and I'm a single mom, so obviously both those things are going to take priority. Dad told me our affair can't take place in England, and that we need to travel to see each other."

"Marshall knows?" Darius asked, annoyed.

"He knows that we've had sex since Jacob was born," I cringed. There would be no hiding it in another few months. I bit my lip, seriously wondering what I was thinking. "You need to know, since Jacob was born, I've only been with you." I needed to say it, needed him to not even doubt for a second when I told him about number two that it was his.

Darius's brows jumped. "Um, okay."

I smiled at the blush of embarrassment rising up Darius's neck. "I'm not expecting you to have stayed chaste, Dare. I just wanted you to know that fact."

Darius stood up, removing his jacket and putting it on the settee. "Okay, we both have rather large responsibilities and connecting our schedules might be difficult." Darius was in problem-solving mode. I'd seen it plenty of times while I worked for him. "Always leaving the country to see each other isn't going to work, Mora. I want to see you more often than I can get away."

"Dare, if we are caught, you could lose everything," I reminded him. "You would have put us both through the last twelve months of heartbreak hell for nothing."

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