Never Standing Still (The Never Duet #1)(57)
The last time we’d seen each other we’d been alone for nearly two days straight, allowing us to give in to the need to touch each other. But this time, not only was Marcus with us, but we were out in public. My body was aware of his, knew he was near me, and reacted with an aching need.
We’d gone to dinner at a restaurant outside of central LA, and the crowds were significantly smaller. Riot smartly chose a place that had an arcade and he kept handing Marcus ten dollar bills, trying to keep him occupied as we sat in the booth, neither one of us able to keep our hands from touching one another. It was all innocent, but it was just scratching the surface of our need for each other.
“He seems to be having a good time,” I said as I nodded in Marcus’ direction. “This was a good pick for a place to eat.”
“I may not be the smartest guy you’ve ever met, but I can make a few informed decisions when it counts.”
“So you’ve got your training session tomorrow morning and then we’re off to Legoland?”
“That’s the plan,” he said, squeezing my thigh under the table.
“This is really nice of you to spend your weekend doing things Marcus would like.” His hand stilled and his smile faded a bit. Then, he removed his hand from me altogether.
“You make it sound like it’s some sort of sacrifice to spend time with him. I’m not sure how many ways I have to say it, or how many times you have to hear it, but Marcus isn’t a burden, Kalli. He just isn’t. For some reason, you feel guilty about having him around, like he’s something I have to deal with in order to be with you. But he’s not. I really wish you’d start thinking better of me than that, and better of Marcus.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out, because there was nothing really to say. Riot was right. Of course he was right. I snapped my mouth shut and tried to figure out the hundreds of different thoughts running through my brain in that moment.
“I’m sorry,” I said earnestly. “Really, Ri, I apologize.” This time I reached out for his hand, twining our fingers together. “You’re right. You’ve never ever made me feel like Marky was a burden. I guess I’m just so used to protecting him that I try to imagine worst case scenarios and prepare for them. I need to be able to fight the battles for him.” I exhaled loudly, trying to release some of the tension I’d felt coil in my shoulders in the last few minutes. “I don’t know what I’d do if a man I was dating made him feel like he was an annoyance or an obstacle, ya know?”
“Hey,” Riot said, tipping my chin up with his finger to look him in the eyes. “You’re not dating any other man; you’re dating me. And I love you. And I love Marcus because he’s a part of your life, an extension of you. You don’t have to worry that I’m tolerating Marcus. He’s a great kid. And you’ve done a great job.”
“No one but Nancy has ever told me that,” I whispered, my eyes still trained on him, partly because he was holding my chin in place, but mostly because I loved looking in his eyes.
“That’s because you’ve kept him hidden from everyone in your life. If you would talk to Ella or Megan about him, or even introduce them to him, they’d fall in love with him too. He’s not a dirty little secret, Kal. He’s a gift.”
“I know that, Riot. But it’s my job to protect him, and letting other people get close to him is just inviting heartache.”
He pressed a small kiss to my lips. “You need to give yourself more credit. You wouldn’t be friends with the kind of people who could hurt him. Give them the opportunity to know him. Odds are, they’ll be better for it. I am.”
My heart immediately swelled at his words, my breath catching in my lungs. “How in the world did I get lucky enough to find you?” I whispered, my eyes welling with tears.
“Hmmm, we’ll debate later who’s the luckiest between the two of us, but in the meanwhile we should probably send Lexi Black a thank-you note.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and then pressed another chaste yet electric kiss against my lips. Just then, Marcus returned to the table, hand out, and smile bright.
“Can I have some more money?”
“Please?” I insisted, raising my eyebrows at him for not being polite.
“Please, may I have some more money?”
Riot handed him another ten dollar bill, but kept his hand captured in his as he took it. “This is the last one, buddy. Then we have to head home, all right?”
“All right,” Marcus agreed.
“Good man,” Riot said, letting his hand go.
An hour later Riot was leading us into his temporary apartment.
“It isn’t much, I’ve only been here for about two weeks,” he said nervously as he opened the door. Marcus clomped in, heading straight for the couch in the living room and I swept my eyes over the white, stark, bare walls and nearly empty rooms. The living room had a couch and a tiny, wheeled cart with a TV atop; the dining room had only a small table with two chairs. There were no curtains, no pictures on the walls, no character at all. “The couch pulls out so I thought Marcus could sleep here.” Riot’s eyes narrowed a little, as if he were trying to communicate something nonverbally. “You can stay on it with him if you want, or….” His voice trailed off and I finally grasped what he was trying to say.