Page 41 of Revealing Mark

The only sound was the ice clinking every time he sipped his drink. He was already pretty drunk and I wondered how much worse it was going to get. Was he going to keep going until he passed out? I knew better than to lecture him. He was a grown man, he knew his limits.

When he got to the bottom of the glass, he set it down. I sat up and waited. He stood up, swaying slightly. I rose to put an arm around him to help him but he pushed me away.

“I’m going to bed,” he stated emotionlessly.

I nodded. I wanted to shake him back to the Mark I knew, as this one scared me. He was shutting everyone and everything out.

He began to walk out of the living room, when he stopped by a mirror and stared at his reflection. He snapped and wiped a crystal vase from the table with one destructive action. He was breathing hard and I was too shocked to say anything as I surveyed the broken glass scattered across the living room.

I didn’t know this man.

“Mark,” I found myself saying tentatively. His shoulders slumped as he viewed the mess he’d made.

He looked back at me over his shoulder. “Go home, Tracy. I don’t need you.”

I sighed and walked over to him, sidestepping the larger pieces of broken vase.

“You need someone and I’m the only one here.”

We both didn’t want me to be here but there was no way I was going anywhere with him like this. He was like a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any second. He needed someone to watch over him even if he didn’t believe he needed it.

“I don’t need…anyone.”

My heart squeezed. “Everyone needs someone,” I argued.

He sighed and bowed his head. His emotional anguish was clear in his handsome face so I put my arms around him and hugged him. I didn’t care what he wanted, I needed to be able to comfort him.

He didn’t move away, instead he let out a deep emotional breath and I held him tighter. We stayed there for a while while he let me hold him. I rested my head against his shoulder. It felt so good to be close to him, and I wished I could take his pain away.

Finally, I loosened my hold and he took my hand into his. Without a word or explanation, he walked to his room, leading me a few steps behind. I was just going to make sure he got into bed and then I would go and crash in the spare room I had used the last time.

I had never been in his room before. It was decorated as sparsely as the other rooms. Still no photos.

When we entered, he turned to me. “I lied.” I frowned as he still held my hand. “I need you.”

Before I could comprehend what he meant, his mouth slanted over mine.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Mark’s one hand cupped my nape while his other hand gripped my hip, bringing me closer. My breath caught in my chest. I was overwhelmed and unable to process a thought.

He tasted like whiskey. He deepened the kiss, darting his tongue into my mouth. I held on to his shoulders while he assaulted my senses. He backed me to the bed and I found myself being lowered onto it.

My mind was still struggling to catch up when I felt his body cover and press into mine. For a moment I hesitated. I wanted this so badly. He lifted up from the kiss to stare at me. Did he comprehend what he was doing? I wondered if he was going to stop. It was what I expected him to do, but he lowered his mouth to mine again and kissed me gently. I framed his face as he continued to kiss me. My skin tingled.

This was Mark. I had lost count of the times I had fantasized about something like this. This was Mark, the boy I had fallen for in my teens. My mind was numb. I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. He was also the same guy who had told me he wouldn’t cross a line when it came to his friendship with my brother.

With a heavy heart, I let him kiss me one last time before I pushed against his chest. “I can’t.”

He rolled off me and lay breathing heavily, staring upward.

I sat up, trying to catch my breath. If I let it happen, he would regret it, and that was something I couldn’t live with. With shaking hands, I stood and smoothed my clothes.

He didn’t move. I waited, unsure of what to do next.

“Get out.” His quiet command was laced with anger.

Even though I knew I was doing the right thing, it still hurt.