Cara gazed at the angry and disgusted look on his face as she walked into his room. She had expected him to react this way. She placed the food on his bedside table and turned towards him. “I asked you something, Cara. What are you doing here?” Cara stood silently not knowing what to say to him.
“I’m back at my job, Marcus. What else?” She shrugged. “So do you need to go to the washroom?”
Marcus gazed at her with an angry scowl on his face. “Did Ben bring you here?”
“Does it matter? I would have come anyway. You haven’t paid me for my services yet, remember?” Marcus smiled and tried to sit up. “Let me help you.” He shook his head.
“I don’t need your pity. So don’t get your hopes up. I didn’t take this extreme step because of you. You can take your fake concern elsewhere.” Marcus held up his hand to stop her. Cara gaped at him, trying to comprehend what he just said. Was he trying to tell her that he didn’t attempt to take his life because of her? Was he trying to tell her that there was another reason she was unaware of?
“Why should I pity you? I’m just doing my work in return for a payment.” She shrugged although deep in her heart she knew that money was farthest from her mind. Obviously, she couldn’t tell Marcus that without him flaring up unnecessarily. Marcus seemed to like her retort and his eyes softened a little towards her.
“Don’t just stand there then. Help me up.” Cara rolled her eyes and went closer to him, a small smile playing on her lips. She placed her arm around his shoulder and gently helped him up. She was acutely aware of his hot stare pinned upon her face but she preferred to ignore it. The proximity made her heart pound faster and faster inside her ribcage.
“Are you in pain?” Cara flinched seeing the bandaged wound with a dried bloodstain on it. Marcus shook his head and tried to stand up but his head reeled too much and he clutched onto her delicate frame for support. With his thick muscular arm around her shoulders, he inched slowly towards the washroom. Cara tightened her hold around his waist and helped him go inside.
“I’ll manage now.” Cara nodded and went outside, closing the door and waiting for him to emerge. It was strange that he didn’t put up a fight and throw her out already. Ben Duncan’s words echoed in her head. Did it mean that he really liked her? The door opened and Marcus stood staring at her, his eyes searching hers. She went forward and reached out to help him back to the bed.
“You need to eat to regain your strength.” She helped him sit upright against the cushions and placed the tray in front of him on a laptop table. Marcus started eating and then glanced up at her.
“Why don’t you have yours as well?” Cara nodded and walked out of the room to serve herself. She realized how hungry she was.
Marcus quietly ate his food, all the time glancing towards the door, waiting for her to walk in. What was holding her up? Couldn’t she just bring her food and sit down and eat with him? After fifteen minutes, he was done with dinner as well as the medicines that she had placed on the tray when Cara walked into his room.
“What took you so long? I asked you to get your food.” He scowled at her looking displeased. Cara’s mouth hung open. Oh, she might have misunderstood him.
“I ate mine in the kitchen.” Marcus scowled more.
“I don’t need anything else. So come to bed and sleep.” He patted the side next to him making Cara blush to the roots of her hair. Did he expect her to sleep with him?
“I’m using the bedroom next to yours, Marcus. Why don’t you sleep? I have work to take care of in the kitchen.”
“Why can’t you sleep here? You’ve slept here before. There’s ample room for both of us.” Marcus looked offended. He couldn’t understand why she was trying to make life so stressful and difficult for him.
“I might hurt your hand in my sleep. It’s better if I sleep in the next room.”
“My hand is on the opposite side of yours. How in the world will you hurt me?” Marcus continued relentlessly. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep alone knowing that she was just beyond the wall. Cara suppressed a smile that was trying to break free. Her heart was doing a happy dance as it wanted to sleep with him.
“I’m a light sleeper. I’ll wake up if you need me in the night. So, it doesn’t matter where I sleep.” Marcus shook his head.
“No, I can’t wake you up. You will sleep with me here and that’s final.” Cara nodded and walked out of his room to wrap up her work. Marcus waited for her but the effect of sedatives started to take a toll on him and soon he fell into a deep slumber. Therefore he had no idea when Cara placed her bag in his closet, arranging her stuff on the shelves neatly. The house was very dirty but as she crossed the studio, a stench made her scrunch up her nose. She walked towards it to check. The last time she had checked it was indeed very dirty but the stench wasn’t there then.
Opening the door, she was horrified to see the condition of the studio. There was blood everywhere and it was then she realized that Ben Duncan hadn’t been able to get the place cleaned up. He was too busy saving Marcus’s life. The blood, paint, and dirt were causing the awful stench. She needed to clean it up immediately while the rest of the house could wait till tomorrow.
As she cleaned, she noticed the beautiful, life-like paintings of her that Marcus had created. She had seen them all before on the day she left his house. It was strange that he didn’t sketch or paint anything new. All the blank canvases had her name written on them in red paint. She walked closer to take a look and staggered backward with shock. It wasn’t red paint at all. It was blood, Marcus’s blood! She blinked with horror as realization dawned on her. Marcus had written her name on the blank canvases with his blood. But why would he do that? She sat down on one of the chairs, looking dazed.
Then slowly Marcus’s words came back to her, words he had said that day when he kissed her.
Do you know now how crazy I am about you? Do you know now that I won’t let you go home at all? Do you know now that I want you to be mine? You inspire me to paint and I won’t let my inspiration leave me this time.
So was she his inspiration? Did that mean that when she left him, he lost the inspiration to paint again? Was that the reason why he attempted to take his life? The questions played havoc in her head and at that point, she realized that Ben Duncan knew everything. He saw everything when he rescued Marcus. Maybe that was the reason why he summoned her instead of his family.
Slowly getting up, she resumed her cleaning. Her mind was in a daze as she realized that maybe Marcus Donnelly was obsessed with her, after all. But why? Why would he be obsessed with her when there were so many other beautiful women who were at par with him? Confused and bubbling with a million questions, she cleaned the place up and finally returned to Marcus’s bedroom after an hour. To her surprise, she found the shopping bags still there in his closet, containing the clothes and stuff he had bought her. Choosing a soft lavender camisole and matching soft shorts, she showered and quickly changed into them.
Marcus was already asleep and she just lay down beside him and stared at his handsome profile. He was so good at hiding his real feelings from the world but now that she knew what was in his soul, her interest was piqued. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to know why he was so obsessed with her! Was it only because she inspired him to paint? Or was it because of something else? The urge to pull him into her arms, kiss him and comfort him was so strong that it took all her willpower to restrain herself. She couldn’t do that as it might wake him up. He would be upset knowing that she had discovered all his deeply hidden secrets.
Cara closed her eyes and a deep sigh escaped her. She knew that she was doomed for life. All this had made her fall for him already. After this, she could never leave him or ignore her feelings for him. She was already in love with Marcus Donnelly!