Kate Hoffmann - Marcus

Marcus fought back a surge of anger, struggling to maintain an indifferent facade. He’d never been the jealous sort, but the notion of his brother staring at images of a naked and aroused Eden cavorting with another man didn’t sit well with him. Marcus jumped to his feet and set his empty beer bottle on the picnic table. “I gotta go,” he said.

“You haven’t had anything to eat,” Ian said.

Marcus shrugged. “The wind is supposed to pick up later tonight, and I’ve got to set another anchor.” Marcus started toward his truck parked in the driveway next to Ian’s house.

“So how’s the job going for you?” Dec called. “What did Ross think about the work?”

“He thought it was great,” Marcus yelled, giving them both a wave. By the time he slipped the key into the ignition, his thoughts were firmly fixed on Eden. He’d been away from her for three hours, too long in his book. He needed to touch her, to inhale the scent of her hair and feel the warmth of her body against his.

Eden had become a basic need for him, like food or water. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but as he pulled onto the street and pointed the truck toward Newport, he felt the hunger grow even more. When he touched her again, he wasn’t going to stop until they were both completely sated.

MARCUS STARED AT HIS watch, then looked out across the water at Victorious. Midnight. And Eden was gone. Marcus had returned to the boat five hours before, fully expecting her to be waiting for him, ready to smooth over the rift between them. But when he’d climbed on board, he’d found the boat silent and empty.

He stood on the end of the dock, his arms braced on a piling, feeling helpless to do anything but curse himself for driving her away. Hell, Eden could be on a plane back to Europe at this very moment, ready to return to the glamorous life she’d left behind. Or she could be checking into a luxury hotel in New York City. Or she could be sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Newport. Even if he wanted to find her, it was impossible.

He sat on a nearby bench and stretched his legs out in front of him, tipping his head back to look up into the starry sky. Inhaling a deep breath of the damp night air, Marcus tried to put order to his thoughts. Where would she go? She’d been determined to avoid her father, so maybe she’d returned to California, to her mother. Or she could have called friends.

Wasn’t this how he’d always expected it to end between them? One day Eden would be there, and the next she’d be gone, no explanations, no apologies. Marcus sighed. In truth, he ought to be glad it was finally over. They’d made a quick and clean break. He could go back to his work without having to worry about Eden and the drama that seemed to swirl around her.

Yet he couldn’t help but worry a little. The way Declan talked, there were people out there looking for her-and not just her father. Reporters, photographers, they all wanted a piece of her. He felt as if he were the only one qualified to protect her.

Though she wanted everyone to believe she was tough and resilient, Marcus knew better. He saw something of himself in her bravado. As a kid, he’d covered up his loneliness with a false confidence, hoping that if he appeared to be sure of himself, then others wouldn’t notice that he was a bundle of fears. Eden was lost like that now, trapped by her insecurities and fighting to prove that she was strong enough to survive.

Eden had handled that kind of attention in the past, but she was much more vulnerable now. Could she withstand another onslaught from the press or her father? Or would she capitulate and go back to the life she’d led before? Marcus shook his head and sighed.

He’d come to her rescue, keeping her presence on board Victorious a secret. But she could take care of herself if she had to. She had her father’s money. That kind of money could get her out of almost any mess.

He raked his hands through his hair. So that was it. Eden was gone and Marcus would go back to life as he’d known it. But it would never be the same for him. Marcus couldn’t imagine ever meeting a woman now without comparing her to Eden, without wondering if he’d ever experience such crazy, uninhibited desire again.

His cell phone rang and Marcus reached inside his pocket and pulled it out. He glanced at the caller ID-the Sandpiper Motel. Frowning, Marcus flipped open the phone and held it to his ear. “Hello?”

“It’s me.”

Her voice sounded shaky and strained, as though she was on the verge of tears. Marcus sat up straight. “Eden? Are you okay?”

“Can you come?”

“Are you at a motel?”

“I can’t remember what it’s called. I’m in room five.”

“Are you all right? Tell me.”

A sob tore from her throat and Marcus winced. “No,” she replied.

“Are you alone?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice now barely audible.

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes, sweetheart. Stay right where you are. Don’t go outside and don’t open the door to anyone but me. And if anyone tries to get in, then you call the police or 911, all right?”

“O-okay.” She hung up the phone and Marcus jumped to his feet. His mind raced with all the possibilities. Had she been hurt? Was she being threatened? Obviously something had happened to upset her, but what? Hell, maybe she’d called her father and it hadn’t gone well.

As he sped along Ocean Avenue toward Newport, he felt oddly relieved. She wasn’t gone yet. And when she needed help, she hadn’t hesitated to call him. Marcus grabbed his phone again, ready to ask for Ian’s help. But then he thought better of it. If he told Ian about Eden, then Ian would feel compelled to tell Dec, and Dec would have to tell Ross.

The fifteen-minute drive across the bay to Bonnett Harbor was accomplished in ten minutes, and by the time Marcus pulled the truck up to the front of the Sandpiper Motel he was determined to grab Eden and take her back to the safety of the boat.

He jumped out of the truck and found the door to room five. Marcus knocked softly, and a moment later the door opened a crack in front of him. Eden peered out, then stepped back as she let him enter. She closed the door and stood against it, dressed only in her panties and a bra, a towel wrapped around her head. Marcus strode into the room and glanced around, but Eden was alone.

“Thank you for coming,” she murmured.

He faced her, his heart twisting at her tear-stained cheeks. Marcus held out his arms and Eden crossed the room and stepped into his embrace. “Are you all right?” he asked, his hands smoothing over her narrow shoulders to rest at the small of her back.

God, it felt good to touch her again, to feel her warm body beneath his hands. He’d grown accustomed to touching her whenever the whim struck and he didn’t like doing without.

“It’s stupid,” she said, burying her face in his chest.

“What? Tell me. I’ll make it all right,” Marcus said. “I swear I will.”

“You can’t.”

He drew back and cupped her face in his hands. “I can try. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

Eden wiped her nose on the back of her hand and drew a ragged breath. “It’s green,” she murmured.

“What’s green?”

Eden reached up and brushed the towel off her head. “My hair.”

A laugh slipped from his throat, and the moment it did Marcus wished he could take it back. This was one of those times when honesty was probably not the best policy.

Eden’s expression crumpled into tears and she ran to the bed and threw herself face-first onto the mattress. “I know! It looks ridiculous. I wanted to dye my hair so people wouldn’t notice me. I might as well have a neon sign attached to my head now.”

Marcus sat down on the bed and gently turned her over to face him. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at your hair. It was just a laugh of relief. I thought you were hurt or in trouble.”

She plucked at her hair. “What do you think this is?”

“Jaysus, Eden. You scared me. I thought…well, you don’t want to know what went through my mind. I’m just glad you’re all right.”

“But I’m not all right,” she said. “Look at my hair.”

God, even with the green hair she looked beautiful. How was that possible? “Well…it’s green. How did that happen?”

“I don’t know. The box said medium brown and it came out green. I should sue. This isn’t even close to medium brown.”

“Why did you dye your hair?”

“It’s part of my plan,” Eden said. She gave him a narrow-eyed glare. “This is all your fault, you know. You told me I needed a plan, and I made a plan and now look at me.”

“Unless that plan includes clown college, then I’m not sure what you’re going to do with green hair.”

She gasped, but then a reluctant smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. Marcus reached out and tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry about what I said on the boat.” He couldn’t wait any longer and he covered her mouth with his, desperate to taste her again.

With a groan, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her. Her tongue met his, the kiss deepening until Marcus felt a pleasant warmth seep through his body. When he finally had a chance to take a breath, he gazed down into her eyes, fingering a curl at her temple. “It’s not that bad,” he said. “It’s not like it’s bright green.”

“What is it then?” she asked.

“Avocado?” he ventured.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, then turned him over until she straddled him on the bed. “Tell me it’s pretty,” Eden demanded. “Tell me I’m beautiful.”

Marcus stared up at her as he ran his hands up her rib cage and cupped her breasts. “You know you are,” he whispered, slipping his fingers beneath her bra.

Eden reached back and unhooked it, letting the lacy scrap drop between them. Marcus couldn’t keep from touching her. His thumbs lazily teased at her nipples.