“He was my father’s client,” he said quietly. “The first one he ever had. And the first one to jump ship after he died, and it was decided the company would go to me.”
My lips parted in surprise, but I could think of nothing to say. I wished I hadn’t brought it up and spoiled his mood—but Marcus didn’t look particularly upset. More like...resigned.
“It’s my own fault,” he said in that same, soft monotone. “My father was the only person I had left. When he died, I went into a sort of tailspin. Became the stereotype.”
His eyes focused on each wave, holding it in his gaze until the moment it crashed.
“Takahari isn’t wrong to doubt me. I’d doubt me too, if I were in his position. It wasn’t until just a few months ago when I found out he was pulling his investment, that I...I don’t know...snapped back into things. I sold the sports cars, hired a PR firm, came back to the States.”
We were quiet for a while until I peeked up at him through my lashes. “You sold the sports cars?”
His pensive mood broke with a grin. “I sold most of the sports cars.”
“Ah, I see.” I buried my toes into the sand and stared out at the ocean, but he was looking at me now. Staring as if he’d never quite seen me before.
After a moment’s pause, his brow suddenly furrowed and he reached for my bracelet.
“Can I see that for a minute?” He frowned as I slipped it off and handed it to him. “It looks like there’s something etched into it, just there...”
“Oh, no. You won’t be able to take it back.”
My eyes widened.
“There’s something etched into it.”
“What does it say?”
“‘We belong together’.”
I smiled. “Did you do this?”
He grinned. “Yes. To keep the farce up.”
“Did you choose the engraving?”
“Yes.”
I was getting mixed signals. He told me he didn’t want a girlfriend, that this was just an act. Yet, we kissed. I mean, really passionately kissed. We had chemistry and were madly attracted to each other. Was he trying to hint in his own way that we belonged together? He didn’t want a girlfriend...and I didn’t want to date a player.
“Does it have a hidden meaning?” I asked, hoping for a hint.
He shrugged innocently and slipped it back on my wrist with a smile. “We can’t take it back now...it’s engraved.”
My mouth fell open in shock as I stared down at the priceless jewels—now permanently mine.
“I can’t believe you did that,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
“You’re not mad.”
“How can I be? It was such a beautiful gesture. I love it.”
He tilted toward me in the sand and stared down into my face, one arm wrapping casually around my back. He was close enough that I could count every hair, every fleck of gray in his ocean-green eyes. My lips parted again as my mind started racing. There weren’t any people around. We were shielded completely from view by a little inlet in the sand. There was no public reason for him to be doing this, except...
The wind blew a strand of hair across my face, and he brushed it aside with delicate fingers, his knuckles grazing my cheek as he leaned ever so slightly forward. His mouth opened as he gazed down at my lips, shallow breaths making his chest rise and fall. A warm flush hummed through my skin, and I closed my eyes.
I can’t believe this is happening...
A rush of cool air poured between us and I looked up with a start to see him straightening out, eyes locked on the sand.