CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
KATY
At the assault of his mouth on hers, Katy froze. It was a punishing kiss; there was nothing gentle about it. There was no love in it, only primal need and desire. He was driving and taking, and her body rebelled with every fiber of her being, pushing against his chest for release.
And then, suddenly, the kiss changed.
The pressure eased, and he was teasing her lips with soft brushes that made her ache inside.
The hands that would have pushed him away suddenly found a new role. Instead of pushing, they splayed on his chest and around, reaching for something solid. They embraced his neck while his arms circled her waist.
His hand moved from her waist to her hair, threading his fingers through the strands, clutching at her nape and deepening the kiss.
She was lost and found, all at the same time. She’d never been kissed like this, and, somehow, she doubted that anyone would even come close to kissing her this way again.
An instant later it was over. He released her abruptly, and she unreeled from him like a top, staggering on weak legs against a lounge chair.
She wanted to cry.
His body radiated animosity. There was no affection or respect. He had simply used and discarded her. Shame on her for participating in his hedonistic pleasure for however long that kiss lasted.
She should slap him. Her hand itched to slap him.
“Go on,” he goaded. “I’m a monster. I deserve it.” His eyes glittered wildly.
Her hand stayed at her side.
“Marcus,” she said, with the last shred of dignity she could muster. “I have traveled the world. I’ve been catcalled, insulted, propositioned, groped, and threatened. Mugged, if it counts that I just gave money to someone in a dark alley, but this takes the cake.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “I have been nothing but kind to you. Make fun of me if you wish. Express your bitterness when I try to make the best of things, but you dare to use me so…so callously. That is unforgivable. I should have insisted from the start to keep our relationship professional. I take back my wish. There are more deserving people in the world.”
If she thought he would dial back, she was wrong. Like a storm brewing, he had just begun. The clouds continued to form above him, and he grabbed her arm as though to make his point.
“Yes,” he said. “A million times yes. There are more people deserving of love and blessings and wives who live and children who grow up. God passed me over, and He now has the last laugh since I’ve lost even the remotest chance to find love with you.”
She was too angry to contemplate his words as anything but self-serving. This billionaire proved her right. He was not worthy of her trust.
“You’ll get your million dollars. Don’t worry,” he said.
The insult had the same finesse as a dog barreling over scraps at a table spilling everything in its wake.
Her voice sounded flat to her ears. “Is that why you think I’m being nice to you?”
“No, of course not. You’re too noble for it, but isn’t that your hope? To sway me?”
She shook her head. “It’s not my job to sway you. I merely wanted you to see for yourself what is going on here so you can make up your own mind.”
“I could have gone to other places, but I chose to come here. Have you not wondered why?”
“Because I asked?”
“You give yourself far too much credit, Miss Oliver.” He paused.
“What is the reason, then?” she said, exasperated.
“I prayed about it.”
Her posture slackened. The fight left her. For some reason, she had assumed he wasn’t the praying kind, and this changed things slightly for her. Made her heart more tender on his behalf. Still, the wall stayed up.
“Impressed, are you?” he said in the scathing tone she’d endured these past few days.
“Surprised, more like it.”
“What, you had so little faith in me that I actually believe in a God still? Heaven forbid I forsake Christmas.”
“I did think you were bitter about God and that you might not believe in Him anymore.”
“Well, I’m not ready to enter the priesthood or anything.”
She was almost afraid to ask. “What do you want from me, Marcus James?”
He considered her for a long moment. “I could use a friend.”
“You will always have a friend in me.”
Surprise registered in his eyes. “Even after all I’ve put you through?”
“Yes.”
He hesitated. “Even after that kiss?”
She could hear the regret in his voice.
Her cheeks burned, and she was grateful for the darkness. “The kiss changes things.”
“Meaning?”
“We can be friends. But that’s it. I’m drawing a line in the sand.”
His shoulders sagged. “That’s fair, I suppose. I don’t even know how to apologize.”
She waited for two words.
I’m sorry.
When they didn’t come, she made an impatient sound and moved to go.
As she passed him, she thought his arm flinched, but it must have only been a trick of starlight.
“Good night,” he said.
She nodded and walked around him.