Page 54 of The Spare
We stayed like that for a few moments.
“Poor little rich girl.” I laughed and tried to introduce some levity as I wiped the few tears that fell. I pulled away and looked up at him. He kept his arms wrapped around me tightly. “For the record, I’ve never felt that way around you or Xander.”
He smiled.
Maybe it was because I’d known them for so long. Maybe it was because we met when I was a teenager and most of who I was today formed alongside them. Whatever it was, I never felt the need to wear a mask, code-switch, or hide any part of myself.
They’d been there for it all. The Amari Diwali parties, Thanksgivings, summers in the Hamptons, every experience that made up the kaleidoscope of who I am.
CHAPTER27
Marcus
How I found myself at Sloan’s house was a mystery.
Well, not a complete mystery. I spent the better half of a week consumed with stress about if she ended up going on that date.
I was so consumed that I missed a meeting with a small Swiss biotech I was trying to acquire. Technically, they weren’t looking for buyers, not that it mattered. I missed the CEO while he was in London. I’d have to find some time to meet him in Zurich.
The more time we spent alone together, the more she pulled me in, dangerously close to our event horizon. I knew so much about her, but then there were times, like tonight, when I felt I hardly knew her. I was drawn to every facet. Her mind, her body, her soul. I wanted it all. The parts she was proud of and the parts she tried to hide.
Sloan ignited something in me that had lain dormant for years. A deep desire to feeleverything.If only to know her just the slightest bit more.
She perked up for dinner.
“What’s this?” I asked. Sloan and I finished dinner and began to clear the dishes when I noticed something reflective on the end table leading into the kitchen. I thought I saw my name on it, and after picking it up, I found I was right.
It was clearly a book. No points for creativity.
“No!” She tossed the towel in her hand and attempted to yank the gift from me. She may have been tall, but I was much taller. I pulled it back quickly and stretched my arm above my head. It dangled just out of her reach.
I laughed at her attempt to overcome my arm span. “It has my name on it, Counselor.”
“I wanted to come by your office and deliver it.” She shocked us both with her confession. There are a million things I adored about Sloan. One was how she could be confident one moment and wholly disarmed the next.
“You can still visit me. We’re…”
Fuck.
She smiled victoriously and tucked her tongue at the side of her mouth. “We’re…what?”
“Sloan.” My warning was flimsy at best.
“Answer the question.”
Instead of answering her question, I brought my arm down. I couldn’t think of any answer that would satisfy me. Except for the one where I took her to her bedroom. “What’s in this?”
She could have pressed me on it. My hopes fell slightly when she didn’t try a little harder to get me to finally cross the line.
“Fine. Open it.”
Her hand landed on my chest as she steadied herself after attempting to jump for the gift. My heart thundered beneath it. She left it there for a drawn-out pause, sending electricity through us. The sound of her shallow breath became a siren song that drew me in.
Kiss her. Take her to bed.
I pulled away and moved my line of vision to focus on the gift wrap. She took a step back and watched as I opened it. There was a shadow of disappointment in her eyes.
“The Count of Monte Cristo.” I smiled. She picked a good one.
