From This Moment On (The Sullivans #2)(22)

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she finished with, “They might think you and I are going to be together for more than one night.”

Already, she knew one night wouldn’t be enough.

What was wrong with her?

She and Marcus had been totally clear with each other from the outset. Tonight was about sex, nothing but physical pleasure.

And yet, the reminders made no difference.

Because she’d already learned enough about him via his mother and sister—and the time she’d spent in his arms the night before—to know that her heart was a heck of a lot more involved than was going to be good for her.

“You had no problem walking out of that club with me last night.”

Wanting him to understand, she said, “You know how you were upset about something last night? Well, so was I and I acted without thinking. I shouldn’t have gone to the club like that. And I definitely shouldn’t have left with you.” It was finally time to come clean. “There were pictures taken of the two of us.”

She refused to look away from him, even though his reaction to that was exactly as she’d expected. He wasn’t at all happy about it.

Before he could ask questions, she said, “My publicist called and told me. I knew people had to be snapping pictures on their phones, but fortunately the lighting was really bad inside the club and they’re too blurry for anyone to want to run.” She pulled out her phone and showed him the pictures she’d been emailed earlier that day as proof. “Here they are.”

Marcus was dangerously silent, silent enough that she forced herself to say, “I understand if you don’t want to do this anymore, if this is all too complicated for you.”

His eyes moved from the pictures on the phone back to her face. He still didn’t look happy about the situation, but the hunger, the desire for her was still there. He wound his finger through a lock of her hair and pulled her toward him with it.

“It isn’t any more complicated than this.”

His mouth was so hot and sweet and perfect that with each slow slide of his tongue against hers, she almost forgot more and more of her hard-won caution. Even though this was the special VIP entrance, someone could walk by and look through the windshield to see them making out in the car.

When he finally pulled away and said, “I’ll meet you in your room,” her hand was shaking as she opened the door. Her legs were shaky, too, and she needed a moment to regain her bearings before walking inside the hotel.

* * *

Marcus had never understood how Smith put up with this kind of nonsense. Private entrances and calls from publicists about pictures that had leaked and entering buildings under cover just wasn’t normal.

He pulled around to the front entrance and as he gave his keys to the valet, he couldn’t quite believe that he was sneaking around to get it on with a beautiful pop star.

He didn’t like how not coming clean to Lori about already having met Nicola had felt like lying. And he didn’t like the way Nicola had handed him her hotel room key and told him to meet her in the penthouse suite.

But then, he wasn’t exactly calling his sister to come clean or getting back in his car and leaving, was he?

Hell no. He might have his pride, but he wasn’t completely stupid.

And only a total idiot would turn down a second chance to be with Nicola.

He was just heading out of the hotel’s large reception area when he saw a crowd of what looked like college football players surrounding someone. They were clearly drunk and even though he wanted to get up to Nicola as soon as possible, something told him to go check things out.

Veering off course, he was almost at the group when he heard her voice. Chills ran up his spine as she told them, “Give a girl some room to breathe, guys.”

He read right through the playful edge in Nicola’s voice and heard the terror that had crept in.

“All of you need to back off. Way off.”

A couple of guys looked over at him and made the mistake of dismissing him as some old guy in a suit. Several of them had their cameras out and they were putting their hands on Nicola to get her to pose for pictures with them.

“Hey Nico, take off that big sweatshirt, would you, so everyone can see how hot you are?”

Marcus pushed into the group so hard and fast a couple of the college kids knocked over like bowling pins. “Get your hands off her,” he growled. When they didn’t move fast enough, he grabbed them by the shoulders and shoved them away.

“What the hell are you, her bodyguard or something?”

Marcus’s hand was already in a fist when Nicola grabbed his arm. “Yes, he is. And I’m afraid I’m late for something. Nice to meet all of you!”

She dragged him away from the group. “Good timing,” she said under her breath as they made a beeline for the elevators. “They were getting a little annoying.”

Annoying? That’s all those buffoons were to her?

Forgetting that they were supposed to be going upstairs separately, he said, “They weren’t just annoying, they were outright dangerous.” He wanted to run his hands over her body, make sure nothing had happened to her. More than that, he wanted to take her someplace safe and make her stay there, out of harm’s way.

“They weren’t dangerous,” she said, dismissing his concerns. “They couldn’t have done anything really bad in the middle of the hotel lobby.”