Page 9 of Marc (Men of Forbidden Temptation #2)

MARC

Staci’s ex-husband stalks closer to me.

I lean against my car door, making sure to keep my distance and my composure. Out of respect for Staci, I won’t start or instigate things with her ex, but I won’t bow down either.

He needs to know that I won’t put up with his shit.

And neither will Staci.

Just because she endured his drunken abuse and anger outbursts in the past, doesn’t mean she will continue to put herself in danger for him under the guise of marriage.

When he’s about three feet away from me, he stops. “Who do you think you are checking Staci’s mail? That’s a federal offense. You don’t live here and you won’t be with her much longer. Staci can do better than you.”

Laughing, I say, “That is true. Staci can do a lot better than me, but she can also do a lot worse. I know I’m not good enough for her. I never claimed to be, but that is for her to decide. She is with me and is happy right now. Leave her alone.”

My voice is calm but sharp with a hint of a warning. His best friends might be the police chief and the sheriff, but that doesn’t scare me.

The law is the law and eventually he will get what he deserves. I’ll see to it.

“Hey, you said it.” He grins like he just roasted me.

I shrug, not fueling his ego.

A woman like Staci deserves the entire world and then some. I know she could do much better than me, but for now I’m happy pretending to be in a relationship with her.

Maybe one day, things can be real between us, and then I’ll work my ass off every single day to deserve her love, but I will not push her when she is still healing from her past trauma that this asshole caused.

He tries to provoke me more. “She wants to be with me, and she still loves me. You are only with her for the time being. I was her husband. She was loyal to me and only me.”

I scoff and give in a little. “Yeah, you were her husband. Past tense. But you fucked up. Big time. She will not make that same mistake twice.”

I grin as his face turns ten different shades of purple and the vein in the center of his forehead bulges from exertion .

He opens his mouth before closing it. He does this several times like he’s mimicking a fish.

I cross my arms in front of my chest and wait for him to speak.

“I can get her to come back. I have my ways.”

Staci would be a fool to take him back in any capacity, not just as a husband.

Interested in hearing more of his plans, I ask, “And what ways would that be?”

He clenches his fists and lowers his tone to where it is more threatening. “I have my ways.”

“What kind of man threatens and abuses the woman he loves?”

When he doesn’t answer, I answer for him.

“A coward, that’s who. You’re nothing but a coward. I know this. You know this. And Staci knows this. You feel as if you need to control Staci with your fists and your anger, but Staci deserves all the love and affection she can get, and then some.”

He takes a step towards me. His eyes are black with hatred. I stand up straighter and prepare for the unknown.

Someone clears their throat and Jared and I turn our attention to the source of the noise.

Staci’s elderly neighbor steps out her open front door to see what the commotion is. I wave and am surprised when she waves back.

She scowls at Staci’s ex.

What was his name?

Jared ?

Sensing he wants to argue more, I lock my car doors and turn towards her neighbor. I refuse to stoop to his level.

“I’ll be back later to finish this. You have been warned.” He threatens before he turns away and walks to his truck.

He glares at Staci’s neighbor before driving down the road. His tires squeal as he turns out of the neighborhood onto the main road that leads into town.

I should go to the gym and burn off some of this tension, but I don’t trust him to not come after Staci again today.

So, I do what any fake boyfriend would do. I decide to sit in my car and stick around while I wait for Staci to come home.

Before I can get back into the driver’s seat, the elderly woman waves me over.

“Would you like to come in and have some tea?” Her voice is friendly, with a hint of amusement.

“Uh, sure. That would be nice.” I call back.

Plus, maybe she can keep an eye on Staci when I’m not around.

I walk the short distance to her front porch and follow her inside. I close the front door behind me, which causes the elderly woman to give me a small nod and smile.

She leads me into the kitchen to make us some tea. Her house reminds me of my grandma’s, from the flowery decor to the pictures of her entire family hanging on the walls .

Her generous hospitality is almost identical to my grandma’s, and it makes me wish she lived closer so I could visit her more.

“So, Marc, I know you can probably handle things on your own, but I just want you to know that man is bad news. I would stay away from him if I were you.”

She smiles as I give her a questioning look.

“You know who I am?”

How much has Staci told her about me?

“Of course, I do. Staci shows me photos of all of her favorite models. She comes over every couple of days and we have tea and snacks while she shows me the new photos she’s taken.”

The elderly woman’s smile fades into a small frown. She’s sad for a moment before brushing it off. “Although, I think Staci worries about me and is using the photos as an excuse to keep me company.”

“Staci is a very caring person, but why would she worry about you? You remind me of my grandma, and she can kick some ass.”

Looking her over, she is spritely, healthy, strong, and looks pretty happy, but maybe Staci is worried because her neighbor lives alone and is much older than us.

“Well, my husband of sixty-eight years passed away a few months ago, and it was a drastic change. It took me a while to adjust to my new world, but Staci was there for me every step of the way. ”

She wipes a tear from her cheek, and it breaks my heart.

I’m not married, but I can’t imagine the pain she is going through, knowing the love of her life is no longer with her.

“Staci is an incredible woman.” I reply honestly.

She stares at me, searching my eyes for any sign that I am bullshitting her. I’m not. I really do think that Staci is an incredible woman.

“Since Staci doesn’t have any family around, I feel it is my job to find out what your intentions are with her.”

I know Staci and I agreed to a fake relationship, but something pulls at me to not lie to this woman. If we are going to continue the ruse that we are in a relationship, then I have to keep up my end of the deal.

“My intentions are strictly pure. I only want what is best for Staci.” My answer is honest, and it hints that we are in a relationship but doesn’t say it word for word.

Her eyes squint as she looks into mine. “I know when people are lying, and I can tell that you are telling the truth.”

Despite knowing that I was being honest, I felt a little nervous for a moment. I let out a small sigh of relief.

Outside, we hear a car door close before the horn beeps, letting us know the car is locked.

Moments later, there is a knock at the front door. The elderly woman looks towards the noise .

“I bet that is Staci. I called her when I saw the two of you standing outside her house. She said she was finishing up at the studio and would be right over.”

She grins like she knew I was going to ask how Staci knew I was over here at her house.

I’m a dumbass.

My car is also parked in front of her house. Of course, she would know that I was somewhere around her house.

The front door squeaks open before Staci’s voice drifts to the back of the house. “Miss Edith?”

“Everything is fine, dear. We are in here drinking some tea.” She gives me a wink before sipping her tea.

Staci walks into the kitchen looking incredible. Her hair is now in a messy bun, my shirt is still tied at her hip, and she is carrying her camera bag and purse.

Drinking the rest of my tea, I stand. “Thank you so much for your hospitality.”

“You are welcome here anytime. I enjoyed our chat.” She winks before finishing her tea and carrying both cups to the sink.

“I’ll come back and talk to you later.” Staci gives Miss Edith a quick hug before grabbing my hand and dragging me over to her house.

She quickly shuts her garage door, leading me into her living room. Dropping her bags on the carpeted floor, she plops down on her light brown microfiber couch .

She closes her eyes and rubs her temples for a moment.

“You got into an argument with my ex-husband in the middle of the street, in the middle of the day. What were you thinking?” She continues to rub her temples as she takes a deep breath.

I make my way over to her, sitting next to her on the couch to explain the situation.

“Let me explain.” My voice is calm and low.

“He was following me, and I feared that he would cause you trouble, so I stopped at your house and checked the mail so he could see that I was, in fact, coming around your house.”

I take a deep breath and continue. “I was hoping it would deter him from following or harassing you. I never intended to cause a scene, and to my defense, it could have been a lot worse.”

Staci sits up straight and looks at me. “Oh, I know it could have been a lot worse. You could have ended up in jail. Don’t forget who his best friends are.”

Jail isn’t exactly what I was referring to, but I guess that could have been one possibility. “I’m not worried about them. Besides, no charges would stick. We only had a few words to say.”

I understand she is scared, but if we don’t stand up against him, then he will continue harassing her.

“So…” Staci pauses as she looks down. “Did Miss Edith tell you about the photos?”

She seems embarrassed. Her cheeks blush a light pink and she refuses to make eye contact .

It’s adorable and innocent but drives me wild.

“Of course,” I chuckle before continuing, “but I love that you spend time with her and keep her mind off recent events.”

Plus, a part of my ego inflated when I found out I was one of her favorite models. I have to admit that it makes me feel damn good.

Better than I felt prior to coming over here.

“I’m sorry. I should have asked permission first.” She is really being hard on herself.

“I don’t mind. A part of me likes that you show us off.”

Not just a part of me. A huge part of me.

Changing the subject, I ask, “You have the next two days off, right?”

“Yeah, it’s the weekend. Well, technically I’m off. I still have work to do. Why?” She’s confused.

“Come to the beach with me. I know I can use a mini vacation right about now, and it appears you do, too. Plus, it is normal for couples to vacation together, and it is supposed to be a really nice, warm weekend.”

“That does sound nice. Especially since Jared called me seven times while I was driving here. I eventually gave up and turned off my phone.”

She doesn’t seem scared that he called, just defeated.

“Why don’t you change your number?” That seems like the most logical thing to do.

She answers like she’s already thought this through. “I can’t. I have too many professional contacts.”

“Block his number.” I counter.

Sitting up straighter and turning her body towards me, she says, “I have many times. He just gets new burner phones. I don’t even have a personal voicemail set up because he said he likes to hear my voice.”

Rage consumes my every thought. Who the hell does he think he is? She’s not his girl anymore.

Then another thought pops into my mind.

Am I being possessive?

She isn’t really my girl, so I have no right being this upset.

But if she were mine, I’d treat her the way she deserves.

I reach out and grab one of her hands. “So, will you come to the beach with me for the weekend?”

“Like a couple's getaway?”

“Oh, um, yeah, I guess a fake couple's getaway. A relaxing, enjoyable, stress-free miniature vacation.”

My heart pounds erratically as I wait for her answer.

I want her to agree to come with me. I want some alone time with her, away from work and away from the other models.

Time to just talk as friends and get to know one another.

Her eyes narrow as if she is contemplating the pros and cons of this trip, so I add, “No strings attached. Just time for us to get away and enjoy the sun, sand, and other people cooking for us.”

Her eyes light up as a grin stretches across her face. “Then yes, I accept. Let the fun-filled weekend begin.”

I breathe a sigh of relief as my nerves start to settle down. For a moment there, I wasn’t sure that she was going to agree to my impulsive adventure.

It would have been a huge hit to my ego- one that I wouldn’t want to verbally admit.

But I have nothing to worry about, because I am about to spend two whole days with my fake girlfriend.

My girlfriend.

My heart leaps at that thought.

I’m already waist deep into this fake relationship.

Shit.

I’m royally fucked.