“You think my smile is charming?” He brushed his lips over her throat, making her shiver.
“Only as of recently. I used to find it irritatingly conceited.”
He chuckled. His hands wandered up her torso to palm her breasts, fingers deftly locating her nipples.
She wanted to slap his hands away, but his light stroking of her nipples sent tingles straight to her quim, and it was difficult to think. Perhaps she could spare the time for a brief tumble…maybe she could teach him a new position…
“You’ve never visited me at home before,” she said.
“Well, this is not a business matter, and I thought it more appropriate to see you here,” he murmured, breath tickling the crook of her neck.
She curled one leg around him, drawing him close enough to feel his growing arousal against her. “Oh?”
The noise of the front door opening made her break off. A shock of horror ran through her.Marcus. Oh no. Oh no.
She jumped away from Felix as fast as she could, disentangling their bodies and putting distance between them.
But the front door was only a few arms’ lengths away, and Marcus was already entering the atrium.
He stopped short as Lucretia was in the midst of righting the fallen sleeve of her dress.
“Marcus!” she gasped, trying to force her voice to sound light and cheerful. Instead, it came out shrill, with a distinctly guilty edge.
By the confused, horrified look on Marcus’s face, she knew he had seen them. Or at least seen enough. Lucretia tried fruitlessly to summon the words to explain, but nothing came out.
Marcus’s eyes flicked between Lucretia and Felix, who had retreated a few steps, as if trying to fade into the background. His gaze settled on Felix. He marched forward, drew back his right arm, and landed a vicious punch to Felix’s nose.
The impact sent Felix reeling backward, hitting the floor hard on his backside as he clutched his nose with one hand.
“Marcus!” Lucretia exclaimed. “What have you done?”
Marcus rounded on her, fists clenched and eyes blazing with fury. “I saw him!” he spat. “I saw his hands all over you—”
“Fucking Dis!” Felix groaned, still on the floor, his hands quickly becoming slippery with blood.
“Watch your mouth,” Lucretia snapped. “I hope you don’t regularly use that language around my son.”
Felix shot Marcus a baleful glare. “Only when hebreaks my fucking nose.”
Lucretia returned her attention to Marcus, attempting to soothe his rage. “Sweetheart, I don’t know what you think you saw, but—”
“Don’t lie to him, Lucretia,” Felix interrupted. “Marcus, it was exactly what you saw. I love your mother, and I came to ask her to marry me.”
Love. Marry?There wasn’t enough time for his words to sink in.
“Marry?” Marcus yelled. He launched himself at Felix again, and Lucretia had to grab the neck of his tunic to stymie another attack, her head spinning from everything happening at once.
“Marcus. Calm down.” She kept a firm grip on her son’s tunic. He was probably more than capable of breaking her hold on him, but despite his anger, he allowed her to restrain him.
When he stilled, she released his tunic and clasped his shoulders, forcing him to meet her eyes. “Please let me speak with Felix in private. I will handle this.”
“But he said he wants to marry—”
“I will handle it,” she repeated, firming her voice. “Please go to your room.”
“Fine,” Marcus muttered. He gave Felix one last threatening scowl, then left the atrium.
Lucretia turned to Felix. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”And then we can talk.
