“I think you need to hear what I have to say.” The emotions in his voice made her heart clench.
She spun to face him and bit out, “Why do I need to hear what you have to say? I don’t even know who you are.”
“Yes, you do, Candace. Everything between us is real.”
The pained look on his face touched her deeply, and the soft tone of his voice spoke of sadness and distress, and made it so damn difficult to keep hold of her anger. “How can I believe that?”
“I never meant to hurt you,” he admitted. She was astonished by the sincerity and tenderness in his tone. “I wanted to tell you who I was, and I tried to keep my distance from you, but I couldn’t. I wanted you so much I just couldn’t fight it anymore.” His hands clenched at his sides and she could see the way his breathing had changed, become harder, more erratic.
She suddenly remembered the conflict in his eyes. The hesitation. Had he been trying to pull back, to fend off her advances? Honestly, what chance did he have? There was no denying the attraction between them was palpable, and with the way she’d been teasing and tormenting him, she’d made it impossible for him to fight the attraction. Perhaps she too carried some of the blame.
“I went to your father’s office to quit, Candace.”
That caught her by surprise. “You quit?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want money to protect you. That’s a job I’d gladly do for free.”
She gulped air. “You can’t just quit. What are you going to do? Where will you work?”
“I don’t know. Working here with you has reminded me how much I love to use my hands. How much I miss set design and woodworking. Maybe I will set up that shop after all.”
“What about all your training as a security guard? You’re going to let that go to waste?”
“Not a chance, because if you’ll let me, I’d like to spend the rest of my life protecting you.”
Her heart leapt, aware of what he was asking of her. She planted her hands on her hips, not ready to let him off the hook just yet, but deep in her heart knowing she would. Because he was warm and kind and loving and gentle. A fiercely protective man who gave without taking, and to her that spoke volumes. He was a man who’d made a mistake and was now suffering every bit as much as she was. “Who says I need protection?”
“I do.” He stepped closer and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “You father has enemies, Candace, and I plan on making sure none of them ever finds or touches you.”
As she leaned into him, absorbing the heat from his hand, she knew he truly was sorry and hadn’t intentionally hurt her. In that instant she felt her anger melt and thought more about what Pamina had to say. Pamina might have mistaken him for someone else, but there was no doubt that he was right guy at the right time. And forget about too good to be true. This guy was good. Great, in fact. And he was true, honest and giving. Not to mention the best thing that had ever happened to her. It also occurred to her that she didn’t feel smothered by him or his protective nature. She felt loved and cherished.
He must have sensed the shift in her because he pulled her tight. “But the only question is, who’s going to protect you from me?”
She pressed against him and chuckled. “Uh, do you have something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
He laughed. “I picked something up for you while I was in the city today.” Sadness crossed his eyes. “Then I was worried you’d never speak to me again, and I’d never get the chance to give it to you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a new iPod. “After all, I was responsible for damaging yours in the first place.”
Warmth moved through her as she recalled their seductive encounter at the lake. “You really are one of a kind, aren’t you?”
He turned serious. “Candace, I really am sorry I never told you who I was. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.”
“We can put that behind us, Marc.” Once again she recalled the mystical Pamina’s words. “What matters is what you’ve done since you’ve been here. And what you’ve done is opened my eyes and shown me what love really is.” With that she grinned and held her hand out. “I’m Candace Steele and I’m an interior designer. I’m also the daughter of Jason Krane, famous New York movie director. Oh, and I’ve recently discovered I’m a regular old exhibitionist.”
Marc covered her hand with his and visibly relaxed. “I’m Marc Collins, set designer turned security guard for Jason Krane, famous New York movie director. And I’m totally in love with his daughter. Oh, and I’m a regular old voyeur.”
Candace laughed out loud, the love she felt for him filling her darkest corners. “Then that makes us quite the team.”
“That’s right Candace, we do make a good team, and always know this, that I love you for who you are.”
Her heart soared. He loved her. “I love you too.”
“Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the bedroom.”
Desire moved through her. “Oh, yeah.”
“There are some other things we need to square up.”
“Like what?”
“Well, like this.” He pulled her tight and pressed his cock against her. “And since you had your wicked way with me this morning…”
Candace smiled and wet her mouth, knowing full well it was Marc who’d had his wicked way with her that morning. “So what exactly are you suggesting. A little tit for tat?”
“I believe I might be, Candace. I believe I just might be.”
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading, ALL WORKED UP in my Pleasure Inn series. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I loved writing it.
