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"At least I tried to talk sense into hile file He shrugged "But since he’s clearly a basket case over her, we ood seat for the show"

"Nicola, I can’t keep doing this"

She looked up from the conversation he’d interrupted between the women with extreme alarm on her pretty face

Marcus knew she didn’t want him to out their relationship in front of his entire fa he didn’t know her He couldn’t keep acting like he didn’t love her And he sure as hell couldn’t stand to listen to S more than a hot piece of ass

Marcus wanted everyone to see her the way he did--as a smart, focused, brilliant artist and businesswoman And a truly beautiful person, inside and out

So what if he didn’t fit into her world and she didn’t fit into his?

How could he give her up?

She was shaking her head, her eyes desperate as she silently begged hiet it all out before another second passed where she didn’t think he loved her

He moved to her, pulled her up out of her seat

"No, Marcus" She looked wildly around at his family, ere now all assembled in their seats at the table, their faces pressed up to the invisible glass Hell, knowing them, they all wished they had bowls of popcorn toto lose her if he didn’t do sootten more sleep, he would have been able to see how serious she was, that his declaration was the last thing she wanted right now But in that ht it felt to touch her, to be close to her

"I love you"

She backed away frorass if he hadn’t been gripping her hands in his

"Please don’t do this Not here Not now" Her words were barely a whisper, but the backyard was so deadly silent, with not even a bird chirping or a breeze to sound through the trees, that everyone heard her plea loud and clear

"I should have told you before I was a fool to let you go, to let you believe I didn’t love you, too"

Nicola was trying to pull her hands fro o, not withouther face as between them

Marcus knew there were a ht now there was nothing left for hiainst him and kiss herin front of his whole faht and closed But then, their connection took over despite the fact that she clearly wanted to fight him, and the passion neither of them had ever been able to hold back froh They kissed each other like it had been years since their mouths had touched instead of twenty-four hours