"Thank you. Now, be careful tonight."
"Yes, ma'am."
I left his room and went into mine. I didn't really need another shower, but the hot water would probably help loosen up my back.
I would have loved a massage, but I wasn't going to ask Marcus for one. If he put his hands on me, I'd want more. And I wasn't sure I was ready for that. Not after everything he'd said in the dream.
Marcus was intense and driven. If he said he would want more than my body, then he would work extremely hard to get it. Loneliness had been my constant companion for so long that I questioned my own judgment. I had strong feelings for Marcus, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for anything permanent. With anyone.
* * *
When I emergedfrom my room, Callum was gone and I could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. I shook out my hands and blew out a breath. Damn Callum and his little comments. Now, I was nervous when I hadn't been earlier.
Once I felt a little calmer, I headed into the kitchen. Marcus turned from the stove and smiled at me.
"Feel better?" he asked, looking completely at ease.
"Yes. Thanks." If he could act naturally, so could I. "That smells great. What are we having?"
"Shepherd's pie." He paused. "Technically, I think it would be considered cottage pie since I'm using ground beef instead of lamb, but it's what I had."
I smiled back at him. "Sounds great. I'll, uh, set the table while you work."
"No rush. Once the sauce and potatoes are ready, I'll still need to bake it for a little while."
I grabbed plates, cutlery, and glasses out of the cabinets and took them to the table. I hesitated, wondering if I should put his setting directly across from me or at the head of the table to my left.
Before I could decide, Marcus said, "Put mine at the end of the table please."
As I did it, I asked, "Why?"
"So I can see both doors and have my back to the wall."
Hmmm. That made a strange sort of sense. I noticed both Callum and he disliked sitting with their backs to a door or window. Which now made me nervous. Shit.
"It's habit," he said. "Nothing more. We'll be safe here."
I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Are you reading my mind now?"
He shrugged. "Not exactly. I'm just beginning to understand you a little better."
I finished setting the table and saw an open bottle of red wine sitting on the counter next to the sink. "Want a glass of wine?"
"One wouldn't hurt. All we have are juice glasses, though."
"A glass is a glass when it comes to wine," I commented.
He pointed to the cabinet that held the glasses and I grabbed two. They were small, maybe four or five ounces, which was perfect. I didn't need to drink half a bottle of wine and end up throwing myself into Marcus' lap before the night was over.
I poured us each a glass and put his on the counter to the right of the stove.
"Thanks."
I carried my glass to the other counter. I boosted myself up on top of it and watched as he stirred the sauce to thicken it.
"Thanks for making dinner," I said. "And lunch."
"You're welcome. I can't do what you and Callum do, but I can help in other ways."
