Marc (Bowen Boys, #4)(52)
He waited, seeing that she remembered. When she stood up and began putting the salad fixings away, he reached for her and pulled her into his arms. She seemed so stiff and cold that he knew she had to say it.
“I stood behind her as plain old Jonny and I broke her neck. I reached up and grabbed her chin and head and…. It came off in my hands. Her head did. I tore her head from her shoulders and killed her.” When her arms wrapped around him, he held her. “I killed two people who richly deserved it, but I killed them all the same.”
“Yes, you did. And had you not, Dylan would be dead, as well as Reed and the rest of us. When Anita couldn’t find you, she started shooting around the room. Dylan was hit in the shoulder, as I had been, but she was going for him while he was down. Had you not done what you did, she would have killed him.”
They finished the kitchen and went into the living room. As they sat and watched a program that neither of them seemed to be interested in, he watched her. She looked to be about a million miles away. When she turned to him, he smiled at her.
“I want to go back and work for you. You said that Mia decided not to come back, and I don’t know how to be idle. Do you think you could stand that?” He nodded and grinned. “There will be no sex during working hours.”
He pouted at her. When she laughed, he pulled her onto to his lap and held her there. He started to tickle her and realized with a start that she was extremely ticklish. Tickling her lasted until his phone rang.
“I wanted to know if you guys can come over tomorrow for a meeting.” He raised his brow at Khan’s tone. “I talked to Mom and Dad about the house, and they’re none too happy with me right now. They are saying that I paid the guy who came out and looked at the house foundation to say that it was too bad and that they’d be better off dozing the house rather than try to rebuild.”
“And what will the meeting be about? How to string you up? Or is it something to do with you being buried under the new foundation and we visit you on weekends?” Khan growled, and he laughed. “I told you this was going to happen.”
“I know that. Don’t you think I know what you said and everyone else said? But I had hoped that it would be okay for a few more years. Something more than his condemning the f*cking house. And now she wants to move to a retirement home across the state, with Dad and her coming to see us once in awhile.”
“Shit.” Khan agreed. “And the meeting? What is this going to be about, because they are not moving across town?”
“To see which one we’d like to put them in.” Khan sounded like he was having his heart ripped out of him. And Marc felt that his was as well. He didn’t want them to move and told Khan that they’d be there to help convince them not to leave.
He told Jonny what they had to do, and she sat down with him on the couch. He loved his parents and couldn’t imagine life without them just down the street. He started telling Jonny about Christmases in the old house, and big holiday dinners with everyone eating too much.
“Maybe my parents can talk to them.” He looked at her. “They could give them some insight on what it’s like not seeing me for a long time. In the meantime, I’m going to work on that thing with your dad. I can’t let him get away without making his happy ass pay.”
He’d forgotten about that. Jonny had been planning this for weeks, and everyone was on board, even their mom. Then she told him what was going to happen, and he started feeling pretty good. They were going to take his happy ass down. But first….
“I was thinking that you coming to work for me is a good idea. It’ll give us more time together, and we can solve more cases if I’m actually at work and not wanting to be here with you. I’ve sort of neglected my business of late.”
“No shit. But I’ve loved being with you. And we sort of had other things to take care of around here.” He nodded. “When can I start? I have some really cool clothes I want to be able to wear.”
“About that. You were a bad girl at the shop. And do you remember what I promised you?” Her eyes darkened, and she nodded. “I’ve been shopping online for things for toys for me to punish you with.”
“I saw the package on your desk. I had to move it so the new cook and his wife didn’t see it.” She lay back on the couch and looked at him. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“No. I’m going to show you by using it. I think you’ll enjoy it.” She nodded at him, and he stood up. “But you need to go up to the bedroom and get it for me. And when you come back down, I want you naked.”
He told her where to find it and walked to the fireplace when she left. Stoking up the fire, he turned off the television and then lit some candles. By the time she returned, he was standing in only his boxers and the room was set.
Marc knew nothing about sex toys. He’d been with a couple of women who had used them, and had gone on that little experience. He had thought for all of one second of asking for help, but knew that any one of his family members he asked would give him shit. He just wanted to please his mate. And looking at her now, standing there gloriously naked, he marveled that she was all his.
“I thought you would have opened it.” He shook his head. “What if it’s…I don’t know, not right?”
“Are you excited?” She nodded. “Then it’s just what I expected. Come here, please. I want to see you when you open it.”