Cara’s eyes flew open all of a sudden in the wee hours of the morning. She wondered why she felt so weighed down as if a bulldozer was crushing her with its weight. She soon realized the cause of it all, Marcus Donnelly. In his sleep-driven state, he had rolled over to her side, almost crushing her with his weight. Alarmed, she checked his injured hand. It seemed as if he wasn’t in much pain. With his face embedded in the crook of her neck, her senses turned to mush, all she could do was wrap her arm around his torso and hold him close to her. A strange feeling of warmth and a surge of love filled her mind and body. She was now completely certain that she had fallen for him, hook, line, and sinker.
Marcus didn’t stir at all although Cara was unable to sleep with his hot breath fanning her neck. She needed to get up but couldn’t disturb him. He needed the rest. After waiting for minutes, listening to his even breathing, she was relieved when he finally moved away from her a little, giving her enough space to escape. But Cara didn’t want to escape. She freshened up and returned back to the bed. It was just 4 o’clock in the morning and she could still catch up on her precious sleep.
However, Marcus stirred, and seeing her sleeping beside him aroused him in ways he himself couldn’t fathom. He stared at her looking exquisite and curvy wearing the nightwear he had bought for her the last time she was here. He had waited for her for so long last night and then given up hope completely and dozed off to sleep. However, he felt a newfound hope in his heart seeing that she not only listened to him but picked out the dress of his choice as well.
He turned towards her, taking care not to crush his injured hand in the process. Even in the pale light of daybreak, he could see how radiant and angelic she looked. Her milky white complexion, her thick curled eyelashes casting shadows on her cheeks, her ripe, delicious body, ready to be devoured, all made him acutely aware of their position. Can he give in to his desires and listen to his heart for a change? Unable to control himself further, he stroked her cheek in a feather-soft touch, making her shudder even in her sleep. He tucked her soft and silky chocolate brown tendrils behind her ear and she trembled like a leaf. Marcus inched closer to her as a moth attracted to a flame. He wasn’t a resolute and determined man where she was concerned and therefore lost his self-restraint and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
Cara’s eyes flew open for the second time in the night and her eyes widened seeing what Marcus was up to. “Marcus, you’ll get hurt.” Instead of listening to her, Marcus tightened his hold upon her. Why should he not give in? Why should he always force himself to keep away?
“No.” Cara noted the determination in his tone and her heartbeats started accelerating by leaps and bounds.
He inhaled her intoxicating sweetness, his hot mouth grazing across the sensitive skin of her neck. “Marcus, please.” Cara was shocked at her own response to him. Her body was already in overdrive as stranger sensations washed all over her. At that point, she knew that she wanted this. She wanted Marcus and everything that he was doing. His mouth trailed along her jawline till he was nearly hovering over her.
His eyes searched hers as if giving her time to pull out. His stare unnerved her but she didn’t wish to pull out. Their gazes locked and everything ceased around them. There was an unspoken connection between them as if their hearts already knew one another since time immemorial. Cara was surprised that he didn’t kiss her already. It was what she had been dying for since that fateful day. She wasn’t able to get it out of her head even once. Was this the same obsessed man who had written her name with his blood? How could he be so restrained and quiet when she had already reached her limits? He didn’t look like the man who had tried to take his life because of her!
“Are you in pain?” She whispered, searching his eyes. She wanted to ask a million other questions but strangely, that was all she could utter. He blinked as if to come out of his dazed state and focused on what she just asked.
“Not much. Why? Are you planning to leave today?” Marcus was immediately worried. He didn’t want her to leave at all, even when he was better but how could he make her stay? Not paying her wasn’t an option as she desperately needed the money, else she might never have returned. He wanted to believe that she had returned for him but deep in his heart, he knew that it wasn’t true. He would have to pay her the dues as soon as possible.
“Not yet. Why? Do you want me to leave?” Cara was disappointed. Did she misunderstand him? Maybe he just considered her as his inspiration and nothing more.
“No. If I had my way, I’d never want you to leave.” Cara gazed into his intense blue-gray eyes and noted how blue they looked right now. She searched his eyes more although she had no idea what she was looking for, maybe a promise of a future together? But strangely she found nothing but desire reflected in them. “Stay, Cara. Stay with me.” Cara was too dumbstruck to utter a single word. She wondered what it was that he was asking for. What should she stay here for? To be his maid for a lifetime? “I don’t want you to work for me, Cara.”
The last words got Cara’s attention. If he didn’t want her to work for him, then what would she do here? She didn’t understand anything from his statements. They confused her way too much.
Suddenly he winced in pain, having completely forgotten about his injury. Cara gasped seeing a few drops of blood ooze out onto the bandage. “What do you do, Marcus? Shouldn’t you be more careful? Wait, I’ll clean the wound and change the dressing.” Marcus rolled over and lay quietly, his face grim and worried. He wanted answers to his questions but it seemed as if she was trying hard to avoid answering him. Cara dashed over to the living room where Marcus stored his first aid box. She came back to tend to his wound trying to avoid the curious and pensive look in his eyes. His questions and statements kept on replaying in her mind and Cara fumbled while trying to concentrate on the task at hand. She was acutely aware of his hooded eyes following her minutely.
A gasp escaped her seeing the wound. Applying the ointment prescribed, she wrapped it up again. Marcus seemed to have regained some of his strength and she was glad that she didn’t need to help him with everything. She would go crazy if she had to! She had just completed when the doorbell rang. Marcus’s eyes immediately flew to hers, pinning her with a displeased look on his face.
“Wear something decent before you go.” His possessive statement made her roll her eyes. He was already behaving like her husband! Still, l she quickly wore a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt over her clothes and rushed to open the door. A smiling Ben Duncan stood at the doorstep.
“How are you managing, Cara?” Cara smiled warmly at the old man and ushered him inside.
“Why don’t you check him for yourself?” He nodded and walked inside while she went to the kitchen to make breakfast. After a while, Ben Duncan emerged from Marcus’s room and walked up to her.
“Do you have a bank account, Cara?” Cara gave him a clueless look.
“No. Why do you ask, uncle Ben?”
“Mr. Donnelly wishes to transfer your dues to your account. He has asked me to get your bank details. If you don’t have one, he instructed me to create an account for you.” Cara gaped at the old man. What was the hurry to pay her? Was Marcus planning to get rid of her? Maybe he was planning to return to New York forever. A feeling of dread filled her heart. She knew that she couldn’t accompany him to New York. So did it mean that she would never see him again?
“I don’t have an account,” she said in an emotionless tone as all her dreams of being with Marcus vanished into the air.
“Then I’ll get one created for you.”
“Is Mr. Donnelly leaving or something?” She couldn’t help herself from blurting out the question that was upmost on her mind.
“No, not at all. In fact, he is planning to stay here forever if he can.” Cara’s jaws dropped at his answer. She noted the knowing twinkle in his eyes as he left.
“Cara!” Cara jumped up on hearing Marcus yell for her from his bedroom. Now, what did he need?