“No, sir.”
The guy asks us a few more questions, but ultimately decides that we’re just two idiots walking on the beach in the middle of the night, which is fair.
As he drives away, I turn to Jeremy. His eyes are unfocused like he’s spooked, and one hand is rubbing circles on his hip.
“Hey,” I say, gently cupping his face. “You okay?”
An exhale shudders out of him, and his eyes follow the cop car moving in the other direction. “Yeah, I’m okay.” His gaze meets mine, and our breaths mingle. His hair is limp and wet around his face, but it still glows in the moonlight. I want to kiss him again, but we’re both freezing, so it’ll have to wait.
“C’mon, Starlight. Let’s get you back and warmed up.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JEREMY
Istare in wonder at Marcus’s silhouetted form while he pulls me along the beach, our fingers intertwined. In the moonlight, he looks like a wild beast, his dark hair blowing chaotically around his face, which is all shadows and angles.
My brain keeps replaying our encounter with the cop. It’s the first time Marcus didn’t push me away.
Something sharp scrapes my foot, and I hiss in pain.
Marcus stops, concern furrowing his brow. “What’s wrong?”
“I think I stepped on a shell or a stick or something.”
As if I weigh nothing, Marcus sweeps me into his arms, bridal-style.
I yelp in surprise, my hands gripping his shoulders instinctively. “I didn’t say I can’t walk, you brute!” I shriek as he hauls me toward the nearest log.
He shakes his head. “You should have worn shoes, Jer,” he admonishes like he’s talking to a naughty child.
It’s the third time he’s shortened my name, the first two times when I made him come in his pants. The sound of it on his lips again tugs at something in my chest. No one has evercalled me Jer except my mother, and it makes me feel even more vulnerable than being carried around like I can’t take care of myself.
I hate pity.
“Don’t call me that,” I snap as he drops me onto the log, knocking the breath from my body. “And you could be a bit gentler.”
Marcus squats in front of me, and I can see the outline of his sizable dick through his wet sweats. I avert my eyes, hoping that he can’t see me blush, but he cups my chin, turning my face toward his.
“Do you want to tell me why you’re blushing?” he asks, raising a thick eyebrow.
Why is this infuriating man so fucking hot?
I jerk my face away from his grasp. “I’m not blushing. I’m flustered because of the way you just manhandled me like a caveman.”
“Oh?” He clears his throat pointedly. “In my experience so far, you like being manhandled, Starlight.”
“Whyare you calling me that?”
He smiles. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“You’re infuriating, you know that?”
“And you’re a brat. Now, hold still.” He picks up my foot, gently brushing sand from my heel as he inspects the cut. “It’s bleeding.”
“No shit. And you’re making it drip up my ankle.” I yank my foot from his grasp, and he gives an exasperated sigh.
“What’s your problem?”
