Marc (Bowen Boys, #4)(29)
“I’m going out.” She opened the door and was standing on the deck when he came out. “I want to be alone. I have things to think about and I…I’ll be back.”
“No.” She turned to look at him. “No, you can’t go off and think on your own. I want to talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you.”
Where to start? She looked out in the woods that seemed to be in the backyard of all their homes. All their big-assed homes. Their furniture was really nice, some of it really old but in beautiful shape. And they had nannies and maids, things she didn’t understand or know what to do with. And they were violent at times, more so than she’d ever seen when it came to their families.
“My parents are a little overwhelmed by all of you. Mom said she felt like she was living in a castle staying with Khan and Monica. I told her she didn’t have to curtsy when they came in the room.” It was supposed to be a joke, but she knew even to herself it sounded lame. “My dad isn’t used to not going to work either. He’s worried he’ll lose his job.”
“I have a couple of houses they can live in if they want after this is over. Or they can go back to their home too, when this is over. You have to know that they’re safer here with all of us.” She nodded. “What else is wrong, Jonny?”
“You saw where I grew up. You had to notice that you’re way above me in the blue blood scale. I’m not ashamed at my home, but it’s nothing like this. My parents have to work to make ends meet. I do too. You sort of come and go as you please because there are others to help you out. I’ve never…my family and I have never had that. We’ve only ever had each other.”
When he started to step toward her, she stepped off the deck. He moved to the railing around them and leaned into it as he watched her. She was trying to tell him what she wanted him to understand, but she felt she wasn’t telling it right.
“I don’t know how to be one of you guys.” He laughed. “I’m trying to tell you that I don’t know how you expect this to work out. Your parents are the nicest people I’ve met and have treated me really well, but I’m just a panther they’re trying to help out, I think. Your brothers are amazing and rich and seem to like me okay. But I don’t know how to act around them.”
“You don’t need to act at all, Jonny. Just be yourself. When you’re standoffish to them they think you don’t like them.” She looked at him and started to deny what he said, but he cut her off. “You do. Even at dinner tonight you sat next to me and hardly said a word. Sebastian tried to get to know you, but you only gave him one-syllable answers until he just gave up. He asked me if you hated him.”
“I’m afraid for them to touch me.” She flushed when she realized how loudly she’d said that. “I don’t want you to kill any of them because they touched me. Your dad said that a male could and would kill to protect what he has claimed. He was telling me a story about this man he’d seen torn apart because he had the nerve to touch another man’s female.”
“He raped her, not touched her.” She looked at Marc. “And I’m going to kill my father the next time I see him.”
“No. Don’t do that. He’s really old, but he’s nice. I think he was trying to tell me not to go around hugging people. He said it would make you want to kill, and then you’d mark me again.”
Marc laughed. “Yes, he’s going to die a slow and painful death. He was kidding you, love. He’s the most lovable, ornery man I know. And he doesn’t know when to quit. I won’t kill any of my brothers because they touched you. So long as they know that there is touching and there is hurting. And when you get back to me, I’m going to mark you again. Everywhere I can.”
He moved toward her, and she stood still on the step. She wanted him to touch her, to mark her, but she wasn’t sure how to tell him that. When he pulled her into his arms, she went to him willingly and laid her head on his chest.
“I can smell Monica on you. And your mom. I don’t feel the least bit like going out and killing them.” He chuckled. “You know, I think I’d like to handle your dad. I think there are some ground rules he and I are going to put down, and I’m going to make him pay for making me a nervous wreck all night.”
“Good. I’ll play along. Khan too. I’m betting any of them will be willing to help you out.” He lifted her chin. “You need to understand something. Everything I have is yours. Everything, Jonny. This house, the money, the buildings and property? All if it belongs to you as much as it does me. And as for your parents? They are as welcome into our family as you are. If they want, we’ll put them into a castle if we can find one and hire all the people they want to wait on them.”
“I doubt they’d want that. My mom has been a housewife all her life. And dad has been a beat cop longer than I can remember. He is terrified of losing his pension as well as his seniority. The house isn’t even paid off.”
He was quiet for several minutes, and she realized how incredibly quiet it was around them. Her parents’ house was on a busy, rundown street that had things going on all the time. And not in the good neighbor sort of way, either. There were drug deals going down daily and police cars making runs down their street nightly. She looked up at him when he started to speak.