Bachelor Auction (12 page)

beastly after all.

73

Darah Lace

He’d invaded her territory.

In one afternoon Marcus had wedged himself

between her and these children, the closest she

would have to her own. He had infiltrated the

hospital—her refuge—the only place she felt safe

enough to let down her guard. He had invaded it,

same as he had her every waking thought. Geez, he

had even taken control of her dreams.

His deep, throaty laughter rose above the

children’s giggles and shrieks, making Charlotte

resent him all the more. She glanced over her

shoulder to where he sat in her designated neon-

green beanbag chair, sharing in the excitement of a

new video game with
her
children.

Amy, imp that she was, leaned over his back,

her tiny arms wrapped around his neck. Dylan’s

freckled face looked upon him, rather than the

television screen, with something akin to hero

worship. And Sarah, bless her heart, tried her best

not to reveal a quickly developing crush.

Charlotte

frowned.

She

could

see

the

attachments forming and knew the children would

end up hurt if he stayed much longer. They didn’t

know this was a one-time visit for Marcus, that once

he left, he would never return. She hadn’t been able

to save herself from the sting of his rejection, but she

refused to let them experience it.

“He’s waiting for you.”

Charlotte spun to find Melody studying her over

the promotional contracts and liability release forms

the other bidders and bachelors had signed before

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Bachelor Auction

they left. “Why do you say that?”

“He’s intrigued. He’s seen a side of you today

you don’t allow many to see.”

Another reason to resent him. “Yeah, well, I

didn’t have much choice.”

The past three hours she’d been trapped in a

web of her own making. Because of the children, she

hadn’t had the luxury of hiding behind witty

sarcasm or sensual playfulness. To become someone

else, especially a wanton flirt, would confuse them

and damage their faith in themselves to judge who

they could accept at face value. She’d had no choice

but to remain open, her defenses down, and could

only hope most of those assembled here today were

too self-involved to notice.

She rubbed her temples to relieve some of the

pressure and tugged at the neck of her sweater.

After an hour of smiling on demand then posing in

way too close a proximity to Marcus for the publicity

photos, her nerves were frayed to a fine, strained

thread. All she wanted was to get the hell out of

Dodge while the getting was good, while he was

occupied.

Charlotte handed Melody her own contract,

which she had signed against her better judgment.

She wished she could tear it up and forget the whole

thing. Especially her plan to seduce Marcus. Only

the thought of the children and what this promotion

meant to them kept her from doing so. “If you don’t

need me anymore, I’m out of here. I’ve got a killer

headache, a paper to write, and a ton of packing to

do.”

“I’ll see you in the morning. Bright and early,”

Melody said, then surprised Charlotte by grabbing

her hand. “Give Marcus a chance. Get to know him.”

Charlotte laughed and picked up her black

leather purse and matching calf-length overcoat.

“Why Melody, that’s what this weekend is all about.

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Darah Lace

And believe me, I plan to get to know him very well.”

Before Melody could admonish her, Charlotte

turned away and headed across the room. As much

as she wanted to hit the door running, she couldn’t

leave without telling the kids good-bye. She’d be

damned if she would allow Marcus to cause her to be

the one to bring them more pain.

As she drew closer, he gazed in her direction

almost as if he’d been aware of her the entire time.

His smile was genuine, similar to the ones he’d

bestowed on the children. The warmth of it poured

over her like hot fudge on soft-serve ice cream. She’d

always been a sucker for chocolate. “I’m sorry to

interrupt, but I wanted to say good-bye to the

children.”

“That’s my cue.” He passed Dylan the controls to

the video game and stood, gently lowering Amy from

his back to the deep indentation he’d left in the

beanbag chair. “Can’t have a pretty lady walking to

her car alone in the dark. Can we kids?”

Amy squealed in delight. Sarah sighed dreamily

and held out the brown leather jacket she had been

hugging to her chest while the rest agreed heartily

with their new knight in shining armor.

Charlotte refrained from rolling her eyes and

managed a smile. “That’s really not necessary. It’s

not dark yet.”

“Close enough.”

His expression made it clear his mind was made

up so instead of arguing in front of the children, she

hugged each one and promised to see them next

week. At least in accepting his escort, she’d get him

away from the kids before they were sucked in

further by his charm.

He fell into place beside her, and Charlotte tried

to keep her pace casual and unhurried. But when his

hand settled at the small of her back, branding her,

she felt as if time slowed to a crawl and the door

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Bachelor Auction

lurked a hundred miles away. The same heat that

rushed through her veins earlier when the

photographer had draped Marcus’s arm around her

seeped slowly over her skin, giving rise to hundreds

of goose bumps.

As they neared the door, it swung open. Spencer

smiled in greeting as he stepped inside, holding the

door ajar with one hand. “Hey, Charlotte. Ready for

your trip?”

With Marcus behind her, hovering close, the

scent of his cologne enveloping her, the urge to run

overwhelmed her. “Um, no, as a matter of fact, I’ve

got lots of packing to do. Better get a move on.” She

ducked under Spencer’s arm and twisted to wave

good-bye. “See you later.”

Marcus started to follow, but Spencer caught his

arm. “Chad tried calling you on your cell phone.”

“I turned it off during the shoot. What’s up?”

Charlotte didn’t stay to hear Spencer’s reply.

Hurrying down the corridor, she didn’t stop until she

turned the corner and came to the elevators. She

pushed the call button and plucked at her sweater,

suddenly hot. Blowing out a long breath, she

unbuttoned the top two buttons, then a third.

She’d never felt so off balance. Marcus had a

way of doing that to her. And though she had dealt

with it many times in the past, today had been

especially difficult. She had known it would be, had

prepared for the inevitability of the children

revealing her as a regular visitor.

What she hadn’t been prepared for was the

moment she had first entered the game room to find

Marcus already present, hunkered down in front of

Amy, tenderly brushing the hair from her face. She

had been both touched and surprised but mostly just

plain scared. She didn’t like thinking of him as

gentle and caring. It was much easier to believe his

behavior just an act. Problem was, those kids could

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Darah Lace

smell insincerity a mile away, yet they had taken to

him like bees to honey.

She was a coward, pure and simple. Instead of

running, she should have stayed to take advantage

of his attention and set her plan of seduction in

motion. Why wait for tomorrow?

The elevator doors parted, and she hesitated for

a mere second before entering. She couldn’t do it.

Not now. Not when her head pounded as if it would

explode any minute. Not when she felt so out of sorts

at the lingering image of Marcus with Amy clinging

to his neck.

“Coward,” she muttered as she pressed the

button for the lobby then retreated to the far corner

of the empty compartment and closed her eyes. She

released the clip from her hair and shook it loose,

hoping to ease the pain.

“Are you going to undress right here in the

elevator?”

Charlotte didn’t have to open her eyes to know

Marcus wore a frown. She heard it in his voice, same

as she had so many other times. Opening her eyes,

she found him standing in the doorway, one hand

braced to keep the door from closing. She hoped that

meant he hadn’t made up his mind to ride with her.

She let her gaze travel from his tense chiseled

features past broad shoulders clad in a black long-

sleeved pullover that fit snug across his chest and

brought out the green of his eyes. His faded jeans

emphasized his narrow hips, the length of his

muscular legs, not to mention the curve of his ass.

He was one well-toned package.

She licked her lips and looked at him from

beneath her lashes. In her most sultry voice, she

asked, “Would you like me to?”

He straightened but didn’t budge any further, as

if still undecided which way to go. Hoping to give

him the extra push he needed to fully retreat, she

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Bachelor Auction

flicked the fourth button, exposing the lacey edge of

her red bra. “I’ve never done it in an elevator, but

I’ve heard it can be...uplifting.”

The doors began to close, but instead of backing

out as she’d hoped, Marcus slid forward, his frown

intensifying. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You know, Marcus. You spend a lot of time

apologizing to me for some infraction or another. You

should try to relax, loosen up.” She gripped the silver

bar behind her, knowing the position thrust her

breasts forward. “You should just accept me as I

am.”

“You’re right.” He took a step toward her. “If

we’re going to make it through the weekend without

getting into it every five minutes, we’ll have to

accept each other as we are.”

He moved closer until he stood inches away, his

unreadable gaze locked with hers. She forced herself

to remain still when inside she trembled with

anticipation. She wanted so desperately for him to

touch her, to kiss her. And yet, she feared it. “Every

five minutes, huh? Sure you can manage that?”

“The question is,” he reached for the buttons of

her sweater, “will you let me?”

His calloused fingers grazed the swells of her

breasts, and Charlotte shivered as heat spread

through her belly. Her gaze fell to his lips. It didn’t

take much to imagine them replacing his fingers.

She knew firsthand the pleasure both could bring.

“I—uh, I...”

Then suddenly he stepped to the far side of the

small space, his hands clasped behind his back. “Will

you?”

“Huh?”

“Let me accept you as you are?” He smiled

knowingly. “As you truly are?”

Charlotte glanced to where his fingers had been

and felt as if the floor had dropped out from under

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Darah Lace

her. The pearl buttons she had freed moments ago

were now tucked safely in place.

The elevator doors opened, and with a smug

grin, he gestured for her to precede him. She lifted

her chin and strode forward, angry at herself for

letting him have the upper hand. She had to get

herself together, and to do that, she had to put some

distance between them. Which went in direct

opposition to her plan. Geez, the weekend could

prove more difficult than she thought.

At the front door of the hospital, she paused.

December in Texas could be warm during the day,

but the sun had set and the chilling wind at night

sometimes carried a mean bite. Marcus took her coat

before she could protest and held it out. She

reluctantly accepted his assistance and murmured a

wary thanks before passing through the door he held

open and heading for the parking lot.

This was getting way too weird. Seeing his

kindness to Amy was one thing, but being on the