Keeping Score

Warrick’s brows shot up his forehead. “That many?”

“Did you know about this?” Marilyn’s troubled gaze searched his.

He shifted his stance in the family room’s threshold. “Troy mentioned the images to me, but I had no idea there were that many of them.”

Marilyn’s lips parted. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Jackie told the Horn’s publisher to remove those photos this morning. By the time I went to the site, they were gone.”

Marilyn threw her arms up and paced in a small, agitated circle. “You still should have told me.”

“I didn’t want to upset you even more.” Warrick spread his arms. “I’m angry and embarrassed enough for both of us.”

Marilyn fisted her hands. “That’s my decision to make, Rick. Not yours.” She spun away from him and paced farther across the room. “I had to find out from my mother. She caught me completely off guard.”

“I’m sorry.” He’d been saying that a lot. Did the words still mean anything to her?

He wanted to go back to the way things used to be between them. How much longer would they have to weather this storm? And where would the gusts carry them?

“I can’t believe this.” Marilyn muttered the words under her breath.

She stood frozen in a far corner of the room, almost hidden in shadows. She pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes. Her shoulders slumped.

This was what Warrick had been trying to avoid. Maybe he should have told her. She did have the right to know. But the damage already had been done. Knowing the images had been posted to the Internet could only cause her pain. She’d experienced enough of that because of him. Still, he wasn’t ready to let her go. He wasn’t strong enough.

“What can I do?” Would she let him hold her?

She stepped from the dark and looked at him in disbelief. “This isn’t just about me, Rick. Mother said you were naked in those photos, too. Aren’t you horrified? Doesn’t that make you furious?”

His temper stirred. “I’m angrier for you. You don’t deserve any of this.”

“Neither do you. But you’re still not angry enough to do anything about it.” She swung her arm toward the covered windows. “And now those jackals are swarming our home. When will they have crossed the line? When will you defend yourself ?”

Warrick stared at her. “Mary, I’m not going to defend loving you.”

Her shoulders slumped again. She buried her face in her hands and started to cry. Hard. “How many people have seen me naked? This is a nightmare. Why won’t they leave us alone?”

Warrick rushed across the room and gathered her in his arms. He didn’t care whether she wanted him to hold her or not. He needed to touch her, to comfort her.

He gathered her against him, pressing her head against his heart, and murmured into her ear. “We’ll get through this together.”

She tightened her arms around him, digging her fingers into his back. “How?”

He held her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know. But it will be all right. I promise.”

“How can you make a promise like that?” Marilyn’s words were muffled against his chest. “These people are crazy. You can’t promise that they’ll suddenly come to their senses.”

“No, but I can promise that the media has a very short attention span.” He heard the heavy irony in his own voice. “In a minute, they’ll find someone else to vilify, like Tiger Woods or LeBron James.”

Marilyn was silent for several moments. She stopped crying and slowly relaxed in his embrace. “I wouldn’t wish these constant attacks and public humiliation on my worst enemy.”

“I wouldn’t mind if Arthur experienced this. Maybe then he’d understand how invasive the media is and how unfair he was to fire you because of them.”

Marilyn pulled away to look up at him. Her cheeks were flushed and her lashes were spikey from tears. “You’re right. Arthur’s the exception.”

Warrick lowered his head and kissed her. He couldn’t help himself. The temptation was too strong. His mouth moved gently over hers. His touch was meant to soothe and perhaps heal. He tasted her tears, still wet on her lips. He sipped them from her. He nibbled her full, lower lip, then ran his tongue across the seam of her mouth. Marilyn wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. He sighed at her acceptance and deepened the kiss. She moaned into his mouth.

Reluctantly, Warrick pulled back. “I have to fly to Miami tonight for Sunday’s game.”