Page 17 of Ruthless Secrets (Alpha Mafia Daddies #6)

Chapter Fourteen

CLARA

The last thing I’m expecting to find when I walk into the kitchen this morning is Marco at the stove, flipping pancakes. Sam might have warned me that Marco was dangerous, but nobody warned me that he was also domesticated.

There’s something quite mesmerizing about watching Marco humming to himself as he whips up pancake batter. Or maybe it’s because he’s wearing nothing but a pair of black sweatpants that sit low on his hips, giving me the perfect view of his muscular back and shoulders.

“I can feel you staring,” he says without looking over his shoulder.

My cheeks burn as I pad over to the breakfast table and take a seat.

It’s already been laid with two plates and glasses filled with orange juice. There’s even a fresh pot of coffee and creamer too.

I could definitely get used to this.

“I’m staring at the pancakes.” I pour myself some coffee.

“Oh, yeah? You mean these pancakes?” This time, he looks sheepishly over his shoulder as he bends over, and I can’t hold in my laughter.

“Your butt is anything but flat, Marco.”

Marco holds a hand to his chest in mock horror. “Clara Peterson, you were looking at my butt? I feel violated.”

I chuckle. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I know.” He flashes me a wink. “Do you know what else is unbelievable?”

“I’m not sure I want to know the answer to that.”

He waves the spatula at me. “I was going to say my pancake-flipping skills. Get your mind out of the gutter, there are children in this house.”

“Oh, my god.” I roll my eyes.

Over the last couple of days, there has been some kind of weird sexual tension between Marco and me. It’s like we’ve gone from hating each other to secretly wanting to jump into bed together. At least, that’s what I’ve been feeling.

I know it’s likely just from being in close proximity to one another or the fact I haven't gotten laid in forever, but things are definitely shifting.

Also, he makes me laugh more than anyone I've ever met, and I can’t help but find that an incredibly attractive quality.

Regardless of the reason, we can’t avoid having a proper conversation about our situation forever. At some point, Zoe and I will return home, and then what?

Will Marco station a permanent bodyguard at my apartment at all times? Or will he want custody of Zoe half the time?

The thought of not being with Zoe makes me sick to my stomach, but I also don’t want to fight Marco for custody, if only for the reason that I can’t afford a lawyer.

We’re going to have to do this the old-fashioned way, which means I’m going to have to stop staring at Marco’s ass and buck up the courage to talk to him .

“Are you ready to see my skills?”

I set down my coffee and turn in my seat to watch him at the stove. “Hmm?”

“I am the king of pancake flips.” He picks the frying pan off the stove and starts moving it back and forth. “Ready?”

“Oh, I’m so ready.”

I try not to laugh at the look of concentration on Marco’s face as he tosses the pancake up in the air, but then, when it lands straight on the floor, I can’t hold it back anymore. I throw my head back and laugh so hard tears start stinging my eyes.

“You put me off!” He picks the discarded pancake up off the floor and shoves it in his mouth.

“Marco!” I exclaim. “That was just on the floor!”

“Just be grateful I didn’t serve you that one,” he says once he’s finished eating.

I chuckle. “I’ll pass on the floor pancakes, thanks. Seems your skills aren’t that impressive.”

“I don’t remember you having any complaints.” He smirks.

This man is unbelievable.

Somehow, Marco manages to make the rest of the pancakes without any landing on the floor, and by the time he sets them down on the table, my stomach is aching from how hungry I am.

“Where’s Zoe?” He takes the seat opposite me.

I stab a couple of pancakes with my fork and drop them onto my plate. “Lila offered to take her for a few hours.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, the offer came out of nowhere, but I wasn’t about to say no.”

When Marco doesn’t reply, I glance at him and frown when I catch him smiling .

“You wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would you, Marco?”

“I think Lila is using Zoe as bait to try and get Andre on board with the idea of having another kid. If you want to be mad at someone, you should be mad at Lila for exploiting our child.”

“Is that so?” I take a sip of my orange juice.

“Outrageous behavior.” He shakes his head. “But, since you’re free, go out with me.”

I almost spit my juice all over the table. “W-what?”

“Go out with me.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“I…” I can’t seem to think of a good enough reason.

Normally, I would have used Zoe as an excuse, but it seems Marco is already one step ahead of me.

“Fine.”

“Fine?” Marco laughs. “You could say it with a little more enthusiasm.”

I smile. “Ask me again when I’ve had another cup of coffee.”

Marco gave me no clues as to where we’re going except that it’s outside.

Under normal circumstances, I would have been excited at the idea of leaving Andre’s house, but the fact that there’s a blacked-out Range Rover following closely behind us with two armed guards has my stomach threatening to empty itself.

I’m not sure if it would make me feel better if I didn’t know they were armed, but Marco made a point of asking them about their weapons in front of me before we left the house.

He likely did it as a way of easing my anxiety, but it’s only made it worse.

But I don’t have the heart to tell him how worried I am when he seems genuinely excited about wherever it is we’re going.

We drive for over an hour, listening to the radio and talking about anything and everything.

It feels easy being with Marco like this. It makes me wonder what it would have been like if I’d woken up all those months ago in my hotel room at the plaza to find him still sleeping beside me rather than gone.

He seems more at ease too. He’s ditched his usual black attire for a pair of tan slacks and a pale blue shirt, which brings out the golden tones in his skin. He’s rolled the sleeves up to his elbows to expose his muscular forearms, which has me practically salivating.

To be honest, he could wear a paper bag, and I’m pretty sure I would still be salivating. The man is insanely gorgeous, but completely off limits. Or so I keep trying to convince myself…

I roll down my window and lift my face to the sun to warm my skin.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been out of the city.

I was born and raised in New York, and I never feel like I’m missing out on anything by not leaving.

But right now, as thick green forests surround us on both sides and the smell of the fresh air hits my nose, a sense of calm washes over me that I haven’t felt in a very long time.

Marco brings the car to a stop. “We’re here.”

I frown as I glance around at the thick forest surrounding us. “Have you brought me here to murder me?”

Marco turns his body in his seat so he can face me. His expression is unreadable and for a moment, I’m worried that I’ve crossed a line.

But then he leans forward so that his face is close enough to mine that I can feel his breath tickle my cheek.

“There are many things I want to do to you. But they all involve giving you pleasure, rather than pain.”

I almost choke on my own breath.

Marco grins before reaching across me to open up my door. He doesn’t even touch me and yet somehow, being so close to him has me subtly shifting in my seat as warmth starts to spread between my thighs.

“Everything okay?” Marco’s body still leans over mine.

His lips are twitching, and his dark eyes have a mischievous glint to them as he regards me with curiosity.

He knows exactly what he’s doing to me, and yet he makes no attempt to move.

“Yep.” I try not to breathe through my nose.

He’s wearing that cologne that makes him smell like sandalwood, and I want to smother in it, in him .

“We should get going,” I blurt out.

I swear Marco chuckles under his breath as he gets out of the car.

Asshole.

After climbing out of the car and smoothing out the skirt of my pale pink sundress, I walk around to the trunk to see what Marco is up to.

I find him unloading a wicker basket as well as a cold bag that I didn’t even realize we had brought with us.

“I thought we could go on a picnic.” He grabs a checkered blanket.

“A picnic?”

“You know, with a blanket and food and?—”

I laugh. “I know what a picnic is, Marco. It’s just…unexpected. ”

“I’m full of surprises, Clara Peterson.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” I mutter under my breath.

Marco chuckles, and I scowl even more when I notice his biceps straining against his shirt as he lifts the cold bag onto his shoulder.

I glance behind us to find our two bodyguards standing in front of the Range Rover, both with their arms folded across their broad chests and their faces completely expressionless as they survey our surroundings.

I don’t bother asking if they’re going to be joining us on our picnic because I think I already know the answer.

Marco takes us on a short walk through the woods.

The shade created from the canopy of trees overhead is the perfect reprieve from the beating midday sun.

It doesn’t take long for my skin to be covered in a thin layer of sweat, despite the fact I’m only wearing a thin sundress.

Marco, of course, still manages to look flawless, with not a dark hair out of place, whereas I have to keep subtly wiping at my top lip so he doesn’t notice how sweaty I am.

I’m about to ask if there’s a river where I can throw myself when I catch the sound of running water nearby.

I pick up the pace, eager to reach the water so I can cool off my overheated body. But then I realize that it wasn’t a river that I heard, but a waterfall.

“It’s magnificent!” I run up ahead to watch the water crash over the rocks.

“I thought you’d like it,” Marco says from behind me.

“I love it.” I laugh as the spray from the waterfall kisses my skin.

I let out a sigh as the cold droplets cover my face and arms, instantly cooling me down.

“Better?”

“So much better. ”

“You don’t get this in the city.” He comes to stand beside me.

For a moment, I wonder if he’s going to put his arm around me, but then he tucks his hands into his pockets, and I can’t help but feel disappointed.

I sigh. “I wish Zoe could see this.”

“Maybe we can bring her next time.”

I glance up at him and smile. “I’d like that.”

I stay looking out at the waterfall as Marco sets up the picnic. By the time he’s done, my skin and hair are suitably damp from the water spray, but I make no attempt to dry myself off.

I settle myself down on the blanket. “So…is this a date?”

Marco shrugs as he pops a grape into his mouth. He leans back on his elbows, the picture of ease. “Do you want it to be?”

As I take him in, lounging on the blanket looking so handsome it hurts, I want nothing more than to say yes.

It would be so easy to say yes, especially when there’s no denying the intense sexual energy between us.

But that’s not enough to go on, and while he might be Zoe’s father, I still don’t really know who Marco is .

It’s not just about what I want anymore.

It’s about what’s best for Zoe, and I’m not sure if Marco is what’s best for her. At least, not yet.

I fiddle with the hem of my dress. “I don’t know.”

As soon as I let myself consider taking things further with Marco, I feel that gut-wrenching pain in my stomach that I felt when I found out about Adam and Jess, and I’m not sure I could survive such pain again.

“There’s no pressure, Clara.”

I shouldn’t be entertaining this idea.

There’s no denying that Marco is exceptionally charming and very likeable, but that could all just be a front to get me to comply with his demands .

Sam warned me that the De Lucas are dangerous, and what happened with Zoe is proof of that.

The last thing I should be doing is getting myself mixed up with Marco and his family, but that’s a little hard when I share a child with him.

Then again, he has proven that he would do anything to protect his family, which is a very attractive trait…

“Maybe we could see where this goes?” I suggest before I can overthink this even more.

Marco chuckles, and the sound sends a shiver down my spine.

“I’m good with that. But there is one thing I want you to know.”

“What’s that?”

“Now that I have you and Zoe in my life, I’m not going to ever let you go.”

He’s looking at me with such intensity that my breath catches in my throat.

I know hearing such words coming from Marco De Luca should frighten me, but they don’t. In fact, they do quite the opposite.

Something about his words has my blood heating. It’s like the decision of what happens between us has nothing to do with me, and I like that.

I like that a lot.