Page 90 of The Wrong Billionaire
His eyebrows rise. “I would have thought Marcus wouldn’t let his wife have a job.”
That makes me stare at him. “Whether or not I go to work has nothing to do with Marcus.” I’m conscious that my voice is sharper than I meant it to be.
The kettle clicks off, and I pick it up and pour the hot water into each mug. Then I look around for a tray. I spot some stacked upright between the fridge and cupboard—right next to where Alan’s standing. I move closer to him and bend to retrieve one. He doesn’t move. I extract one, and as I try to keep away from him, I lose my balance. He puts out a hand to steady me, resting it on my waist.
It’s nottotallyinappropriate, but a ripple of unease runs down my spine. Flushing, I turn away and start putting the mugs on the tray. After removing the teabags and adding a splash of milk, I’m ready to leave. I lift the tray and turn, and he pushes up from the counter to put his mug in the sink.
He’s now blocking my way out.
“Excuse me,” I say clearly.
“If you ever get bored up at the house, you know where I am,” he says with a wink.
My heart bangs. Determined not to show how uncomfortable I am, I lift my chin and fix him with an icy gaze. “Excuse me. I need to get back.”
I half expect him to refuse to move, but to my relief, he steps to one side. I stride past him, my mouth dry, and head out into the sunlight.
I carry the tray over to the stables, and when I get there, I place it onto an upturned barrel, my shaking hands making the cups rattle on the tray.
“Sorry,” I murmur, taking Ruth’s over to her.
“All good,” she says, accepting it. “The next one’s on its way, I think.”
I give Jacob his tea, and then carry the last two over to Marcus, who’s back at the partition wall. He takes his, his shrewd gaze watching me.
“You okay?” he asks.
I nod and give a bright smile, then sip my tea, feeling a little queasy.
“Here we go,” Ruth says, and we lean on the partition and watch Luna produce another puppy.
Once again, my eyes fill with tears. The incident with Alan has upset me more than I thought, and combined with the emotion of seeing the puppy born, it makes me tremble a little.
Marcus puts his arm around me, and we watch Luna clean the puppy. It’s a soothing, calm moment, and gradually my trembling dies down.
“She’s gorgeous,” I say softly with a sniff.
“Half an hour or so before the next one,” Ruth says cheerfully.
Marcus nods. “Come outside for a bit,” he says to me.
I follow him out, both of us putting our empty cups on the tray as we pass. Outside, Marcus pauses and turns me to face him. “What’s up?” he asks, holding me by the upper arms. “You’re as white as a sheet.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alan turn from where he’s leaning against the truck and murmur something to Neil.
“N-nothing,” I say.
“Everything okay?” Jacob asks, coming out of the stables.
“Something’s upset Wren,” Marcus says.
“I’m okay,” I insist.
To the side, I hear Neil say, “Dude, that’s inappropriate.”
Jacob looks over, then strides across to them. “What did he say?” he demands.
Neil is stiff with indignation. He glances at me, then back at Jacob. “Something I’d rather not repeat.”
