I stare at the man, wondering if I’ve moved beyond dreaming and slipped into a coma or something.
“What do you mean you’re seeing someone?” Arlo grunts.
“Well, when a man and a woman?—”
Arlo punches him, making his coffee slosh over the side of his cup.
“Asshole,” Marcus mutters.
“I’m with Arlo on this one. How the fuck did we not know you were seeing someone?”
“Because I know how to keep my mouth shut, and you guys are a bunch of gossipy bitches.”
“I resent that.” Arlo huffs as Marcus turns his glare on him.
“Am I lying?”
Arlo waves him off. “That’s beside the point.”
I interrupt before he goes off. “Wasseeing, as in you’re not seeing her anymore?”
He shrugs before shaking his head no. “I liked her, but we’re not compatible.”
“If you both like each other, maybe it’s something you could figure?—”
“She wants me to hurt her, and I’m not talking about spanking or a little choking. She wants me to make her bleed, and that’s a hard no from me.”
“Shit.” That’s not something they’d ever be able to figure out. Marcus is a protective guy by nature. Most of us are, and it’s why we are suited for what we do. Causing a woman real pain is not something any of us would be comfortable with.
“Shit like that worries me because the kind of man it would attract tends to be the kind of men most women would, and should, be wary of.”
Marcus blows out a frustrated breath. “I know. It’s what made me hesitate for a second longer than I should have.”
“Because if she’s with you, you can control the damage. Whereas if she’s with someone else, she stands the risk of them going too far.” Arlo curses.
“And I don’t know if she’s even figured out her limits yet. She might not know her limits until they’re pushed.”
Nobody says anything for a minute because what the fuck do you say to something like that?
“You can’t save everyone, and it sounds to me like she doesn’t want saving in the first place. Yeah, we can see how this might turn to shit, but that doesn’t mean we’re right. She could meet someone who is exactly what she needs. It’s just not you, my friend,” Arlo tells him as I watch Marcus, trying to gauge if his feelings run deeper than he’s letting on.
“No, you’re right. Anyway, where is everyone?”
“Blake is in his office, but as Callie snuck in there twenty minutes ago, I doubt he’s working.” Arlo grins.
“Kellen is doing a consult, and Felix went to grab milk and snacks, like we don’t all have drawers of snacks already.”
“What about Aiden?” I ask before I smack my forehead. “Shit, I forgot. It’s the Oscars tonight, right? I can’t believe Aiden’s going to be walking the red carpet. That shit still feels surreal.”
“Imagine what it feels like for him.” Marcus chuckles. “Though there isn’t much he wouldn’t do for Matilda. Hell, I’m pretty sure he’d walk the red carpet naked if she asked him to.”
“Ooh, who’s naked?”
I turn at the sound of Callie’s voice and see her straightening her clothes.
“Well, not you anymore, apparently.”
She reaches over the nearest desk, picks up a stapler, and without a second thought, launches it at my head.
