Marcus cut me off with a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth, then whispered, "You don't have to think so much."
His lips caught mine properly this time. Gentle at first, coaxing. It was easy to lean into him and let him take the lead. His hand slipped to the back of my neck, fingers threading through my hair, and the warmth of his body against minehelped ease some of the stress I'd been carrying.
When he pulled back, his gaze had softened. He brushed his nose against mine and murmured, "Come inside. Let's just focus on us for a while."
I nodded and let him lead me up to his flat.
I was able to relax as I stepped inside. As usual, the rooms felt comfortable and put together. Marcus had an eye for making a space look good without cluttering it up, and I always appreciated how calm and orderly it felt when I came over.
Marcus closed the door behind us, and then he stepped up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin lightly on my shoulder. His warmth settled against my back. "You're still tense."
I let out a quiet laugh. "It's been a long day."
"That's why you shouldn't let him get under your skin."
I frowned. "He's not – "
He pressed a slow kiss to the curve of my neck, cutting me off before I could finish. "Mm. I'll run the bath. You need to relax."
I hesitated, caught between the noise still buzzing in my head and the comfort of the moment. But the promise of warmth and quiet was too tempting to turn down. "Yeah... Thanks."
His arms gave a light squeeze before he let go and headed down the hall to the bathroom. When I heard the water turn on, I pulled out my phone – though I wasn't sure what I expected to see. No new messages. A part of me wondered if Eli would text again or push the issue. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to, though.
"You know," Marcus called over the sound of the water, "I don't get why he's so suspicious of me."
I quickly tucked my phone away. "What's that, now?"
"He watched me the whole time. Almost felt like he was waiting for me to slip up or something."
I had to think for a second about how to respond to that one. "He's a photographer. He's always watching everyone."
"Or he doesn't like seeing his best friend with someone else."
That uneasy feeling crept in again. "That's not – "
"I know, I know." The water stopped, and he appeared in the doorway with a towel slung over his shoulder. "Just saying. It's easy to judge from the outside."
He had a point. Eli wasn't part of this. He didn't understand Marcus the way I did. He didn't see the things I did.
"Anyway, bath's ready." He held out the towel and moved aside so I could pass.
I nodded and offered a small smile in return as I stepped past him. The room was already filled with steam, the water warm and inviting. I undressed and eased into it to let the heat chase away the tightness in my muscles.
I needed to let go of the past few hours. To stop replaying Eli's words in my head. He was overthinking things. And if I wasn't careful, I'd start to do the same.
By the time I pulled myself from the water and wrapped a robe around me, my limbs felt looser and my thoughts had quieted. I stepped into the bedroom and almost immediately felt Marcus behind me before I even saw him. It startled me initially, but that was his way of goofing around.
His hands drifted down my arms until our fingers entwined, and I felt a light kiss against my hair. "Feel better?"
I nodded and leaned into him without thinking. "Yeah."
"Good." His hands let go of mine and slipped to my waist, moving slowly and deliberately. One of his fingers hooked into the tie of my robe and gave it a gentle tug to loosen it. Then he leaned in to press a soft kiss to the back of my neck, and it sent a shiver down my spine. "I just want to take care of you."
Before I could react, he guided me to turn to face himand caught my mouth in a firm kiss. His hands slipped down to my hips, and I let myself sink into it. After everything today, this was what I needed. To let myself feel wanted and belong to someone who cared about me.
He nudged me back toward the bed, his movements smooth and practised. I let him lead, and my breath caught slightly as he kissed along my jaw and down my throat. His hands slipped beneath the folds of my robe to nudge the fabric aside. I barely fought back the urge to shiver again as his fingers trailed against my skin.
It started soft. Slow. Tender.
