"It's okay," she murmured. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to lift his face so she could see him. They'd been lovers for only a week now and she was still getting used to the feeling of Marcus's body joined to hers. "It's okay, baby." She wasn't sure if she was telling him or herself.
She expected him to move-but she didn't expect him to grab her hands and hold them over her head. Then his mouth closed over hers again and he furiously kissed her as he began to thrust.
For the first time, she was completely at his mercy. He'd spent the past week making sure that she was comfortable, that she was okay with what was happening. Any sweetness was gone, however, as he drove into her harder and harder.
If it'd been anyone else, she might have been scared. But this was Marcus and she was his. She'd always been his.
But more than that, he was hers. This raw coupling, this furious need? This was how much he needed her. So instead of trying to reassure him, instead of struggling to get her hands loose so she could touch him, she gave herself over to him completely. This was what he needed and she could give it to him.
He shifted and held both of her wrists with one hand and then grabbed at her bare breast. He pinched her nipple with just enough pressure to make her gasp and, when she did, he covered her mouth with his.
He shifted again, slipping his free hand under her left leg and holding her thigh up so that he could thrust deeper. Electricity filled the air between them, making her skin prickle as her climax began to build. "Yes," she hissed at him. "Oh, yes, Marcus."
"Babe," he groaned, his teeth scraping over the sensitive skin at the base of her neck. Then he pushed back and reached down between her legs, his fingers finding the place where she needed him most.
He pressed and thrust into her, and Liberty couldn't control herself any more than she could control the storms. Her climax broke over her like a clap of thunder. Marcus thrust a few more times before he froze. Then, groaning, he fell forward onto her.
She pulled her arms free of his grasp and hugged him to her. She didn't say anything, though. She didn't need to. She just needed to be here for him.
They lay tangled together, breathing hard, for several minutes before Marcus leaned up on his elbows, a sheepish grin on his face. "Okay?"
"Okay," she agreed. "More than okay." Except she needed to tell him. And she hadn't yet.
Before she could get her mouth to form the words, Marcus said, "Before I had you, I didn't know I could fight back, babe. But I'm going to fight for you-for us. You and me and even William."
The mention of the baby shocked her out of her little speech about mothers and prison and foster care. "William?"
Marcus rolled over and pulled her up into his arms. "I think maybe we should try to apply for custody. Together."
She sat bolt upright. "We should what?"
His smile this time was more confident-the smile of a man who knew what he wanted and was used to getting it. This was, after all, Marcus Warren-and very few people said no to him. "I know I'm screwed up and I know my parents probably aren't done with me yet. But it doesn't matter what they think, what anyone thinks, I'm not going to hide you and I'm not going to let you go. I'm going to fight for you, Liberty." He touched her face, his fingertips trailing over her cheek. "I can give you anything you want. And you want William."
"But-I work. I need to work. And what about Jenner?"
"I know it bothers you to carry on an affair with your boss. I'm not that fond of the circumstances myself. My father is notorious for sleeping with his assistants, and I want to be better than that. I want us to be on a level playing field."
"But-the baby?"
He shrugged. "We can hire a nanny or you can take some time off. A year."
She stared at him openmouthed. "But..."
"There are no buts here, Liberty. I want you. I think I've known that for a long time. I want to wake up in the morning with you in my arms and I want you in my bed every night. You are the one person I trust and I can't imagine life without you anymore. Come live with me." He sat up and touched his head to hers. "Come be my family. You and me and William."
"Marcus..." I'm black. My mother was a convict. "You should know-"
He shook his head. "No, I don't want to know. Really, Liberty-it doesn't matter. I can't change your past any more than I can change mine. It doesn't matter any more than my mother's version of what my nanny did matters. It's over and done and I'm not looking over my shoulder anymore. I know what I need to know-that I love you and I want you," he whispered, his thumb stroking over her cheek.
She couldn't. She shouldn't.
Then he said, "Let me be your family, Liberty-that's what I want. Be my family. Be mine."
And how was she supposed to say no to that? If the life she'd been born into truly didn't matter to him, then it didn't matter to her. Jackie Reese was dead and gone, and so was her grubby little baby girl. The woman she was now-that was who mattered. She mattered because Marcus loved her.
"That's what I want, too," she told him.
He began to laugh, a happy noise that couldn't be stopped. And she laughed with him.
Because she wanted to.
Sixteen
"Why are we doing this again?" Liberty stopped in front of the nondescript building that held the offices for the producers of Feeding Frenzy.
It'd been two days since they'd left Catalina Island early Saturday morning-hours before the Hanson-Spears wedding had been scheduled to take place. Since then, they'd been ensconced in a suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel, feasting on room service and each other.
Marcus had no idea if Lillibeth had actually gotten married or what his mother had told people about their absence. And what was more, he didn't care. "We have a meeting. It would be rude to bail."
Liberty made a noise of frustration. "I didn't think meeting with reality-show producers was a good idea before we got involved," she said. "And now? I think it's a really bad idea."
"I'm not going to do the show," he said, holding her hand as they headed inside. The fact that she was arguing with him made him smile. He couldn't have this kind of honest conversation with anyone else. Just her.
"Then why meet with them at all? You don't have to do this."
"Look." He stopped and turned to face her. "My parents are insane."
"No argument here," she replied, wrinkling her nose.
"But," Marcus went on, "they're right-to a degree," he hastily added when Liberty rolled her eyes. "I do have a business image to maintain. So this isn't about building my brand name. This meeting is more about keeping investment options open. I'll listen to their pitch, politely say it's not for me and who knows? Maybe in a year or three, someone remembers this meeting and they reach out to me with an investment opportunity." He squeezed her hand, hoping she'd see that this was a good compromise. After all, it would be foolhardy to close the door on potential investments. That was his whole business. "I could make movies."
"You could do that anyway. You're Marcus Warren," she reminded him, trying to look stern. But he saw the way the corner of her mouth curved up into a tiny smile. "You can do whatever you want."
"Speaking of that," he murmured, pulling her in closer. "What do you want to do after this? We can see the sights or..." He pressed a kiss right underneath her ear and was rewarded when she shivered.
They'd get this meeting out of the way and then they'd take another day or two to do whatever Liberty wanted. And after that, they'd head back to Chicago and he'd start working on assembling the necessary paperwork to get custody of William.
Liberty would move in, of course. And if she didn't like his place, they'd get a new place, one that was theirs and not just his. And he'd have to get a ring. "Or we could fly to Vegas and get married."
Liberty jolted against him. "Marcus..." she said in a quiet voice. "Let's-let's get through this first."
He looked at her-was that reluctance in her voice? But she gave him a huge smile, as if maybe getting married was exactly what she was thinking, too. "Think about it-but no Beach Blanket Bingo. That's final."
She laughed and he laughed with her. This was right. This was his life on his terms.
They were shown into a conference room. Liberty sat beside Marcus, her tablet out. He smiled to himself as she slipped back into her role as executive assistant as if nothing had happened. The only thing that seemed different about her was the business suit he'd bought for her. Everything else was the same.