Buying Him, page 5
She drew herself up, straightening her back and squaring her slender shoulders as she stared at the man. Marcus saw the change in her immediately, his own stance changing into something more formal. He became the formidable man he was known to be, his eyes hard and assessing as she gave him everything she knew.
‘Simon. I can’t remember his surname, but Alexi set us up.’
Marcus’ mouth became a thin line as he clicked his fingers at the two officers behind him, making them snap to attention again.
‘I’ll have someone speak to Lady Alexandra immediately.’ The moment the words were out of his mouth, one of the women quickly turned and hurried back down the stairwell. Victoria should have known his behaviour was all manipulation. Yes, this time it was for her benefit, but that was all there was to Marcus Walker.
‘This has been a… weird night,’ she declared, rubbing her forehead as she felt the onset of the headache returning. ‘I’m going home.’
‘You can’t just go home, Victoria,’ Marcus told her. The remaining officer behind him agreed.
‘We have to take you to hospital, ma’am,’ the younger woman said. ‘If you were indeed drugged—’
‘Are you calling me a liar?’ she snapped, raising her eyes and glaring at the woman.
‘No, my lady!’
‘Victoria.’ Marcus’s voice was low, warning her she was being a bitch. She didn’t care. Her head hurt, her body ached, her knees were throbbing, and she had no idea why. She was tired, she was confused, and seeing him standing there only added heartache to her growing list of pains. ‘We also need to check you weren’t sexually assaulted.’
Her hand flew to her throat at Marcus’ suggestion. The thought hadn’t even occurred to her. How could she have been so stupid not to think of that! She’d been out cold for goodness knew how long before she’d been found. What if the bastard had—
She felt herself sway on her feet before a strong arm encircled her waist from behind and drew her towards a firm, hard body. She leaned against it willingly, welcoming the warmth it provided and the strength it offered to protect her.
‘You weren’t.’ It was Cormac, his deep timbre rumbling against her ear, causing a delicious shiver down her spine. Victoria looked up, and he met her gaze with those magic eyes, ensnaring her once more, and something within her knew that every word he spoke was the truth.
‘When I got to you, he was sort of standing over you, as if he’d just got there himself. And, please forgive me if I screwed this up, but I asked Geri to… um…’ He faulted, and Victoria’s eyes strayed to his cheeks to watch the flush of colour fill them again. She had to stop herself from smiling at his bashfulness; it was endearing, cute, and honest. Not something she usually came across in a man.
‘I peeked!’ Geri squeaked from behind Cormac, breaking the moment.
Victoria blinked at the woman’s declaration, unsure she’d heard it correctly. She frowned, turning in Cormac’s arms to lean around his strong body to see her. She expected him to drop his hold on her and was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Nothing pervy!’ the blue-haired woman hastened to add. ‘I just looked, with Cormac watching-’
Cormac groaned, and dropped his chin to his chest again, his eyes screwed tight.
‘Not helping, Ger.’
‘It was just to make sure it was all still… there. And it was. Is! All still there. That is. Tights undisturbed. Not even a snag. Where on earth do you get them? I mean. Oh, God, I’m so sorry!’
‘Do you realise-’
‘Marcus.’ Victoria held her hand up to stop the Guard going for the poor waif. She knew she should be annoyed some random woman had peeked up her skirt, but she found it hard to be angry at the girl when all she’d done was see if she needed additional help. What if she had woken up to find her tights around her ankles and herself violated…
God, just the thought turned her stomach.
Victoria closed her eyes to push the thought away, giving herself a moment to collect herself, but the soft squeeze of her hip and a hand gently taking hers and holding it against their chest made her peer back up at Cormac. His chest was warm, if a little slippery with baby oil, and she swore she could feel the rhythm of his heart beneath her fingers as he held her eyes with his own.
‘I promise you,’ he said, his voice a rich, warm rumble. It sent another delicious shiver down her spine that was completely inappropriate for the situation but felt completely right to her body. ‘He didn’t get to touch you. I got there in time and I’ll get the security footage from my boss to confirm it.’
That nervous little smile reappeared at the corner of his lips, making it twitch and his eyes shimmer hopefully at her. His arm around her waist tightened as if to reassure her she was safe, and Victoria felt herself lean more into him. He was handsome, brave, and strong. Any other time and she might have-
‘I’ll need a copy of that tape.’ Marcus’ voice was cold and firm as it broke the moment between them. Victoria glared at the man who met her gaze with indifference, but Victoria knew better.
‘If one of your officers stays behind, I’ll get Axel to find it for you.’
‘Thank you,’ Victoria said, calling Cormac’s gaze back to hers. She smiled up at him and he returned it, and Victoria knew if he hadn’t been holding her up, she’d have swooned.
‘Victoria, you still need to go to the-’
‘I’m not going, Marcus,’ she said, reluctantly taking her eyes from Cormac’s as she turned to face her ex. She should have pulled away from the man behind her, should have gently let his fingers go from hers, slowly pulled herself from his embrace. But this man had saved her, protected her, and most importantly, faced down her ex with her. She needed his strength right now.
Also, she simply didn’t want him to let her go.
‘You know what will happen if I go to hospital,’ she continued. ‘No doubt the press already knows of my presence here, and we all know they’ll make up whatever reason suits them. If I also get snapped going to a bloody hospital, I’ll be hauled in front of him, and then I have to explain all this to His Majesty and there’s no way in hell I’m-’
She froze as she looked at the man in front of her. Her body going rigid in Cormac’s hold made the man drop her hand and remove his arm, but she didn’t step away from his warmth.
‘You’re here… He already knows, doesn’t he!’ She ran her hands over her head, her fingers grabbing her hair as she pulled at it and turned herself away from Marcus again. Cormac’s hands reached for her, just in case, but didn’t touch her, much to her disappointment. She wanted to bury herself in his arms, snuggle herself into the crook of his neck, and let him fight away all the monsters and demons that were in her life. Just as he had Simon that night.
‘No, he doesn’t.’ Marcus shook his head vehemently. ‘I intercepted the call when I heard your name on the police line. I promise he won’t find out.’
‘You can’t make that promise,’ she said, hopelessly, staring at a spot on the floor. ‘He finds out bloody everything. There’s no privacy in any of our lives.’
The corridor fell silent, the hum of the lights above the only sound as four pairs of eyes focused on her. Her shoulders finally slumped as the fight completely left her and she gave in.
‘He’s going to find out, so let’s just go and get this over with.’ She knew her voice was filled with sad defeat.
‘Victoria, perhaps-’
‘Just give me a moment, okay, Marcus?’
She felt the man hesitate, knew he wanted to say something more, reach out or do something. But instead, she heard him turn around, the sound of his feet on the stairs telling of his retreat, the secondary officer following in haste after him.
‘Will you be okay?’ Cormac asked when their footsteps had disappeared and the sound of a heavy door at the bottom of the stairwell closed behind them. Victoria shrugged, her eyes still on the floor. From the corner of her vision, she saw his hand reach out and a single finger carefully tipped her chin up.
He was shirtless, glistening with baby oil, and probably at least five years her junior; it was utterly preposterous, but he looked every inch the fairy tale prince, ready to fight dragons and demons to save his princess. She groaned and leaned forward, resting her head on his chest, uncaring what the oil would do to her hair. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight into a hug.
It was completely surreal; this man was a stranger, a complete and utter stranger, but he’d fought off her attacker, brought her to safety, and stood at her side against Marcus. She felt far safer with him than anyone else in the world in that moment, and being his in arms just felt right.
‘I will be,’ she muttered against him. ‘Not the first time something like this has happened, probably won’t be the last.’
She felt his body tense against her. ‘Really? That bad?’
‘Eh.’ She shrugged. ‘Comes with the territory of being royalty.’ She gave herself one moment, savouring the warmth he provided, before she pulled away and stepped back. ‘Too bad I can’t have a handsome prince around every corner to rescue me,’ she said giving him a sad smile. ‘Sorry about kicking you.’
‘Well, if you ever need rescuing again, just give me a call. I’ll even let you kick me in the shin again.’ He gave her a wink. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes and by the slight downturn of his delectable mouth, he knew it. ‘Seriously, though, if you do ever need anything—not that there’s much a simple stripper can give you,’ he chuckled. ‘Except a lap dance—’
He froze at his words and she heard Geri groan from where she’d hidden herself in the kitchen to give them their privacy. His cheeks flamed bright red, and Victoria noted the colour extended to the tops of his ears. She laughed, properly and heartily for what felt the first time in a long time.
‘I didn’t mean—’
‘Cormac…?’ She waited for him to provide his full name for her, but Cormac just stared at her expectantly.
‘Blake!’ Geri pipped up, still hidden around her corner.
‘Cormac Blake,’ she said, stepping up to the flushed man and cupping his cheek in the palm of her hand so he’d gaze at her. ‘Never sell yourself short. I’m sure that you are a wonderful, talented young man who has much to offer any woman. Including Ladies of the Realm.’ She gently guided his head downward and placed a kiss upon his forehead—not exactly where she wanted to put it.
‘And maybe’—she stepped away and started towards the stairs—‘I’ll take you up on the lap dance one day.’
Cormac watched Victoria’s swaying hips as she began her descent down the dimly lit steps. The low thrum of arousal he’d been feeling since she’d woken up and stuck that plump, kissable lip out in a pout, intensified, wiping out the ache in his side from where she’d elbowed him. He shifted his stance, wincing slightly and hoped it looked more like he was still in pain, than trying to hide his interested cock in the painfully tight trousers of the uniform he wore when waiting on tables rather than dancing on stage.
But he paused mid-shift, suddenly uncaring who saw him sporting a semi, when Victoria turned at the landing to the next set of stairs and lifted her gaze to his. Her caramel eyes, catching a strip of light perfectly, made him forget everything else in that moment.
Cormac finally understood, as they gazed at one another, what people meant by time seeming to stop. The air seemed to still, sound faded away, and any other care or worry in the world disappeared as they peered into each other’s souls.
A second. That was all it was. One second. The tiniest fraction of his lifetime. A measure so small, so insignificant that he wasted so many of them daily. A blink of an eye. A huff of breath. A signature on a document. All important things one could do in such a short space of time, yet they all paled in comparison to how he felt in that moment.
‘You okay there?’ Geri asked, finally stepping out from her hiding place. He jumped at the interruption and blinked away whatever look was on his face—he didn’t even want to contemplate what he’d looked like.
It was unsettling, unnerving to feel so sucker punched from just a look. But that was exactly how he felt as he watched Victoria lower her eyes as she continued her descent.
‘Cormac?’
‘Yeah. Yes?’ he said as he ran his hand down his suddenly tired face while he tried to make sense of everything that had happened this evening. That was what was making him disorientated; the excitement, the drama, not the woman he was watching disappearing from his life. The woman he’d held in his arms, who he hadn’t wanted to let go the moment she turned into him. Who’d made his stomach drop when he’d thought she was going to kiss him, and the rise of disappointment he’d felt when her lips brushed his forehead instead.
No, it had absolutely nothing to do with Lady Victoria Snape.
‘What a night,’ Geri said, heading back into the kitchen.
‘You said it,’ Cormac agreed as he slowly turned away, and tried to push the thought of his princess from his mind. But her gaze at him, those beautiful caramel eyes framed by long dark lashes, had seared itself into his soul. He knew he’d be dreaming of those eyes for many nights to come, picturing that pouting mouth when alone in the shower, and wondering, if he’d just lifted his head and caught her lips with his, what she’d taste like as he lay in bed, alone.
Cormac groaned as he stepped into the kitchen and saw the grin on Geri’s face. Even if he could forget his princess, there was no way Geri was going to let him forget anything. Nor would any of the guys downstairs the moment they heard about it… from the little imp.
Chapter Four
Victoria hurriedly climbed into the back of one of the royal cars when a camera flash popped. She cursed as she settled into her seat and glared at Marcus as he climbed in beside her, closing the door and hiding them away from the world for the time being.
‘I told you this would happen,’ she snarled as the driver pulled away from the back of the club. She stared angrily through the dark tinted windows, knowing whoever was lurking out there couldn’t see her, but hoping she could somehow curse them for their callous invasion of her life.
For a brief moment, she wondered if they’d have helped her, if they’d been the ones to come across her being attacked by Simon, or if they would have just snapped away as he’d done whatever he’d had planned? She threw that thought away as fast as it came; he hadn’t managed to do anything to her, and she knew that by the morning, Marcus would have located the evil bastard and had him thrown in the Broken Hill, where traitors had been held and tried for centuries.
By the afternoon, she imagined the man next to her would have interrogated her attacker, received a file full of evidence against him and his co-conspirators, and by this time tomorrow night they’d all be rounded up and joining the man in Avalone’s highest security prison.
‘All they got was you coming out of the back of a club. Nothing unusual there—at least not lately.’ Marcus’ voice was filled with disdain as he spoke of her recent dating spree as she tried to find a husband before her next birthday. The once rarely seen Lady Snape stepping out almost nightly with a different man on her arm had been the discussion and headline of many a magazine, gossip blog, and entertainment show over the last three months as they puzzled over the sudden change in her actions. It was why she knew there’d be someone waiting to take her picture.
Had they seen Simon’s attack on her? Had they followed her as she tried to escape from the man, recording her plight ready to sell to the highest bidder? She shuddered at the thought.
Before that night, the most vicious rumour they’d concocted was that her father had forbidden her to date and now that he was six feet under, Victoria was free to sow her royal oats wherever she pleased. But now…
She turned and narrowed her eyes at the guardsman. ‘An all-male strip club, Marcus,’ she reminded him. ‘And you know they’re going to follow us. They’ll get me going from such a place to a hospital. Who knows what they’ll come up with to explain that?’
The man at her side sighed. ‘Victoria, we—’
‘No, you don’t get to be so informal anymore!’ She snapped, holding her finger up to him. She knew she was being a bitch, but she didn’t care. She was angry and scared over what had happened and he was part of the reason. ‘You will address me accordingly. As fitting for propriety’s sake.’
‘Yes. My lady,’ the Guard growled.
It was the first time she’d stood her ground against him. Usually, she diverted her gaze from him whenever they were together at events and tried to stay as far from him as she could, being polite and emotionally distant when she couldn’t. She’d never spoken down to him, never made him feel the subject he was to her, but she was feeling raw and off kilter. He’d stormed to the rescue, just as he had ten years ago during another kidnapping attempt, and acted hot and cold. He was playing with her heart and it wasn’t fair.
He’d broken her without explaining why, leaving her with unanswered questions and always wondering if it was something she’d done or if he had just been weak enough to allow her grandfather to buy him off as the rumours had suggested.
She ground her teeth at the thought that if he hadn’t walked away, she wouldn’t be in the situation she was now. They’d have been married for years, probably would have had a child or two, and she’d have received every penny of her inheritance she was entitled to the moment her father had died.
She turned her attention to the twinkling beauty of the capital sliding by as they quickly and quietly crept through the sparkling streets towards whichever hospital Marcus had deemed fit.
This was all his fault.
And her father’s.
She felt her fingers curl in on themselves, her nails digging into the palms of her hands as she realised it was really her father who had put her in the position she’d been in tonight, by setting such stupid stipulations in his will for each of his daughters.
