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breaths I forced the knot in my stomach to go away. Marcus pulled back and turned his head back toward the bar and said something to the bartender then took Jess's hand as she led him into the crowd. Away from me. This was not happening. Cage's warning came back to haunt me. I guess Marcus was done slumming it. Cringing at that thought, I stood up.

"You okay?" Preston's voice broke into my thoughts.

Bringing me back to the table where I'd been abandoned by my date.

I took a deep breath and nodded forcing a smile. I wouldn't let them see me cry. No one would know this hurt me. I would not get embarrassed by this. I would not let Marcus Hardy humiliate me. "It's warm in here. I'm going to go get some air," I replied.

"Last time you said that you disappeared," Dewayne pointed out.

"I'm almost positive that what you saw isn't what it looks like," the concern in Preston's voice was unmistakable.

"It's okay if it is. Just because he came with me doesn't mean he has to leave with me. I've grown up with Cage. I'm use to this behavior," I tried to make my voice sound light and unaffected.

"Marcus is nothing like Cage," Dewayne replied.

I wanted to believe that too but right now I just wanted to leave. I didn't have a response, so I left.

Only two days later and here I was again. Another bar, alone outside because a sexy blonde bombshel had stolen my guy. Well technically he wasn't my guy last time but he had been flirting with me. I stared down at the dress I'd spent twenty minutes ironing because it had been folded up in the bottom of my suitcase for months. There was never any reason to wear it. The guy who'd helped me out of the truck had seemed to really like me. Just me. My eyes started to water and I bit back the sting of tears. I would not do that here. I had my pride. My cell phone was in Marcus's truck along with my purse. I hadn't wanted to deal with it while dancing. This dress had no where to tuck anything.

Calling Cage was impossible. Probably a good thing. Last thing I wanted was to have Cage angry with Marcus. We'd barely had a real date.

Reaching down to undo the straps around my ankles I slipped off my heels and crossed the street. If I was walking the two miles back to the apartment barefoot then I was taking the beach route. Sand was easier on the feet than asphalt. Beside if tears rolled down my face on the dark beach, no one would see.
Chapter Eleven
Marcus

"Jess I don't see them. Like I said, I think you've had too much too drink." Jess crossed her arms strategically under her breasts and pouted. I was beginning to think I'd been had and that pissed me off. When Jess had come to ask me to help her get to her car out back I'd told her to find Rock. But she'd said she couldn't find him and there were two big stray dogs outside blocking her path to her car.

Leaving Will ow with Preston bothered me. She was very worked up from our dancing. So damn worked up I'd needed to put some space between us so I could think straight. When she'd started trembling in my arms as I ran my hands over the tops of her thighs I thought I was imagining it. But then she did it again harder. By God no one but me was going to get to witness her orgasm. My heart had almost pounded out of my chest and I'd been so freaking hard, I was pretty sure I'd have suffered permanent damage if I hadn't gotten her off that dance floor and calmed myself down.

Jess's appearance had been the distraction I needed to lose my boner and catch my breath. Dealing with stray dogs would clear my head. That way I could come back and take Will ow on that walk along the beach I'd promised her. I wanted tonight to be special. My flipping that little dress up and sliding my hands between her legs was definitely not what I wanted to happen. Especially considering she had to be pretty damn inexperienced to be brought to an orgasm with just a few touches. Slow Marcus. I had to take it slow.

"Well fine then. I guess you can go back inside