Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 53764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Pain pierced Natalie and slid through her system and landed in a tight coil in her stomach. She didn't like to think or be reminded of Tanya in any way. Her own foundation was always shaken a bit when she was reminded of the woman who'd been with Marco before her. The woman who'd been with him for so long and still failed to get him to marry her. It left Natalie feeling hollow inside, as if her own dream of a happy ending with the man she loved would end in despair.
She tried to push the thought of the other woman aside and focus on the conversation. "I can't explain what goes on in his head. Tanya's beautiful." More pain assailed her as she said those words.
"Tanya's a beautiful slut." Marco's rejoinder was blasé, with not a hint of emotion, nothing to suggest he had any feeling left for the other woman at all. "He wants you, Natalie."
He loosened his hold around her waist and took her by the hand, preparing to walk from the room. "And we're leaving now. I can't sit through supper and pretend I'm not pissed."
She tugged on his arm. "We can't just leave."
"Yeah, we can."
"Marco, we can't be rude. It will hurt your business."
"It'll hurt my business if I'm in prison for murder."
Natalie dug her heels in and tried to hold her ground. "Please don't say something you'll regret later. Try to remember that he's married."
"You think that would stop him?"
"I think his wife would stop him. I know she's rather--" Natalie couldn't think of the right way to describe Nora Kennedy, but she tried. ". . .out there. But I think she'd divorce him if he humiliated her in front of other people."
Marco turned and studied Natalie in stunned surprise. Nora Kennedy didn't give a shit about anyone but herself. All she cared about was money and her own gratification. How could Natalie not see that?
She continued to amaze him. Why, he didn't understand. He'd known she was sweet from the moment he'd met her. And he didn't want to spoil that sweetness in any way. He didn't want her purity and goodness contaminated by even so much as an explanation about the other couple. He knew she already had questions--questions he never wanted to answer.
He knew Natalie had been upset earlier when Nora caged him in a corner of the living room and began flirting her ass off. He'd seen Natalie's wounded eyes from across the room, but what she didn't realize was that he hadn't heard one-tenth of Nora's bullshit. He may have appeared to be giving the other woman his attention, but that was because he was frozen--a pure river of ice running through his veins as he ignored Nora. His eyes and attention had been on Matthew Kennedy and the beeline he'd been making for Natalie. And when the man had finally reached her side, he'd actually touched her.
Touched her. Touched Natalie.
And then the shit had hit the fan.
He'd pushed away from Nora, Natalie had pulled her arm free from Kennedy's hold, and she'd run upstairs. Marco remembered giving the other man a blasting stare, but he hadn't wanted to waste his time on the guy and had instead followed Natalie upstairs. She was his number one priority and always would be.
And now he didn't give a shit how they extricated themselves from this mess, he just wanted to get her home and get her naked.
It happened every damn time. Every time some guy made a move on her, he wanted to do two things. Kill the guy. And get her naked.
He couldn't kill every guy who looked at her, or half the population of Houston would be dead by now. Oh, but he could sink into her every time. And he did. It was almost worth the blistering rage in his guts he felt when someone else looked at her.
But tonight, someone had touched her. Someone had had the fucking temerity to touch her.
He swore to God, if it happened just once again, Matthew Kennedy would feel the impact of touching his woman. And he'd feel it where it would hurt him the most: his business, his bank account.
Marco slipped his phone from his pocket. "Bring the car around. We're leaving early."
His curt demand was met with instant agreement, and now all Marco had to do was get Natalie out of this house and away from the Kennedys' depraved brand of company.
If he'd known for sure that the other couple would be here tonight, he would have begged off. He didn't know how he would have gotten out of the commitment, but he damn sure would have.
He hated it. It enraged him. The only place Marco's former life crossed with his business world was the goddamned Kennedys. When he'd started going to the debauched round of parties with Tanya, he had never met the other couple before. He had no idea they were customers at his bank. But the one good thing about their kind of business was he could cut them off any damn time he felt the need. They didn't have large deposits with him, oh no, on the contrary. They had debt. Big debt. Ugly debt.