The Deputy and His Enforcer (Kincaid Pack #3) - Kiki Clark Page 0,81
Marcus might have thought, no way in hell would he have just left with Marcus so upset and thinking the worst about Robson.
“Grab the food, cariño,” he murmured, giving his ass another squeeze, then letting him go. “We’ve got lots to talk about.”
Within thirty minutes, he was parking outside Marcus’s house, his mate sitting silently in the passenger seat next to him, bag of rapidly cooling food held in his lap. Throwing the car into Park, he dug his phone out of his pocket and quickly pulled up his texts.
Robson: I won’t be home tonight. Let mom know, will you?
“Um, do you need to get home?” Marcus asked into the quiet car.
When Robson looked over at him, he found Marcus staring into the bag like the answer didn’t matter to him one way or the other. “No. I’ve got nowhere else to be,” he whispered. He glanced at his phone screen when it buzzed in his hand.
Teo: LOL sure thing
Tucking his cell away, he shut his car off and turned toward Marcus. “I know things got a little… out of hand back at the manor, but let’s go inside and talk about the you moving in with me thing.”
The slightest flinch in the corners of Marcus’s eyes was the only outward reaction. Carding his fingers through the hair on the back of Marcus’s head and gripping lightly, he gave a slight tug so Marcus tipped toward him, and he leaned forward, pressing his forehead into his temple.
“I’m not saying no, cariño.” He nuzzled into the side of Marcus’s face, smiling at the way Marcus squirmed when Robson’s nose brushed just in front of his ear. “I’m saying let’s talk about things.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
Chuckling, Marcus turned and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Robson’s mouth. “Okay, let’s talk about things.”
Shaking his head but unable to suppress his smile, Robson climbed out of his car and met Marcus on the other side, snagging his hand and leading the way toward the front door. He didn’t want to start the conversation until they were seated and he could read Marcus’s face more easily than the setting sun would allow.
He frowned at the unlocked front door, but Marcus just lifted one shoulder in a small shrug and slipped past him to enter the dark house. Robson let him go, hovering just inside since he couldn’t see for shit, but once the lights came on, his eyes immediately caught on the suitcase sitting next to him.
Keeping his face calm, he shut the door and headed for the small kitchen table he could see. Marcus followed and started unpacking the bag from Beth as soon as Robson sat down. Robson couldn’t help but smile as Marcus fussed about the mashed potatoes and chicken being cold, hurrying off to reheat them. Forcing the conversation before Marcus was ready didn’t seem like it would end well, so Robson just let him do his thing and dug into one of the side salads Beth had included—and what looked like fresh rolls.
It wasn’t his mom’s food, but it was damn good. He kept one eye on his flustered mate and the other on the food as Marcus kept putting more in front of him. He was almost finished eating before Marcus sat down with his own plate.
Eating the last few bites, he pushed his plate away and relaxed back into his chair, a smile playing at his lips as he blatantly stared at his fidgeting mate. Marcus had only taken a few bites before he started pushing the food around.
“Did you eat lunch after you left my place?” he asked quietly.
Marcus stilled for a moment, not raising his eyes from his plate. “I didn’t get the opportunity.”
Humming, he scooted his chair closer but not so close they were touching. “I bet shifting back and forth between your two forms burns a lot of calories.”
Slowly, Marcus laid his fork down on the side of his plate, then gripped his hands in his lap. His shoulders were stiff as he spoke to the table. “It does. But no matter how much I eat, I’ll always be too skinny.”
Whoa. “What? Cariño, you aren’t too skinny. You’re gorgeous just the way you are.” He wasn’t sure where this was coming from, but he had a feeling it stemmed from Marcus believing Robson had rejected him before he’d even had a chance to say anything at the manor. “I just want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”