Black Mark Series Book 2: Black Mark's Secrets Read online

  When I got home, I showered, checked my phone again, then sat myself down at the piano in the reception room and started playing. Yes, I played piano, too. My Nanna believed piano was the foundation to all musical instruments. I finished the song and found Steffen standing next to the piano with an amused grin on his face.

  "I thought it was the master home, until I recognized the song as Abba's “Happy New Year.” Not something I could imagine the master listening to, let alone learning to play." Steffen started back toward the kitchen. "I will fetch you some warm milk."

  "I'd rather a warm bed," I murmured.

  For his age, Steffen had remarkable hearing. He frowned at me. "Did the master not tell you his plans tonight?"

  I sighed, stood up, and walked toward bed. "No, Steffen, the master did not share his plans with me, but I am guessing from your reaction that they remain no different from every other year."

  "No, Miss Ellis, they remain unchanged," Steffen responded sadly.

  I gave him a small smile. "Then neither should mine." I kissed Steffen on the cheek. "Happy New Year, Steffen."

  "Happy New Year, Miss Ellis." Steffen's voice followed me into Darius’ bedroom as I shut the door.

  It was nearly two when I climbed into bed, turned my phone on silent, and switched off the light. I was just drifting off to sleep when the screen on my phone lit up. I rolled over and went to sleep. I wasn't about to let Darius get it into his head that I was going to sit by the phone waiting for him to call. I was never that sort of girl before, and I wasn't about to become one.

  The room lighting up woke me. I opened one of my eyes to see Darius standing next to my side of the bed. He was looking at my phone, the screen of which seemed bright enough to be a spotlight in the darkness. My eyes flicked to the clock, which read four a.m. I closed my eyes and rolled over with a groan.

  I knew what he was checking for. My phone was on silent, the missed call would still be displayed. He couldn't deny I'd gone to bed before he called.

  "I called the brothers looking for you," Darius said calmly into the darkness. I heard the tell-tale sounds of him undressing. "They were worried. They thought you were with me."

  I didn't answer. I just lay there with my eyes closed.

  "I eventually tried Steffen and he let me know you were home safe and in bed asleep," Darius huffed as he slid into bed beside me. "You could have messaged to let me know you were going home."

  I took a deep breath, ready to apologize, but when I smelled the horrible perfume he was smothered in, I screwed up my face in disgust. I sneezed viciously and sat up, glaring at him in the dark. I sighed and climbed out of the bed, grabbing my robe.

  "Where are you going?" Darius asked, annoyed.

  "My bed. You are covered in another woman's perfume and it's making me sneeze," I grumbled back.

  "Jesus!" Darius growled. "I never took you for the jealous type."

  I sneezed again and swore. "I'm not. I just have allergies. You, however… I pegged right the first night we met at Horizon."

  "You called me an asshole."

  "Yes, I did." I smiled before sneezing again. I found my purse and took some anti-allergy tablets to the kitchen so I could get a glass of water.

  As I wandered up to my old room, turning on the fireplace before snuggling into my old bed, I wondered if Jasper was right. I knew every relationship had issues that needed to be addressed. I just wondered how many women had to train their new boyfriends to shower before coming to bed after fucking other women all night. Was a little consideration too much to ask for? Or maybe even just fucking a woman with a little taste in perfume?

  I sneezed a few more times before the antihistamine kicked in, and I could settle back down to sleep. Somewhere on the fringes of subconsciousness, I acknowledged that this was not the best omen for our relationship. Then, in my mind, I heard the echo of what Darius said that day just over a week ago, about us not being meant for each other. The thought came and went between one breath and the next. I knew in my heart that losing Darius was going to kill me.

  ***

  I stretched and yawned, rolling over to wrap myself around a warm body, only to find the bed empty. I opened my eyes and recognized I was in my bedroom, my old bedroom. I groaned as I remembered the way my new year had started.

  "Something wrong?" Darius’ voice came from the corner.

  I propped myself up on my elbows to see him standing looking out the window. The fact his hair was still slightly damp and he was dressed in his casual ‘at home’ attire, meant he'd been awake long enough to eat, shower, and dress. Considering Darius needed at least six hours of sleep to function, I guessed the time was around lunch time.

  I flopped back onto the bed, rolled over, and put the pillow over my head. I was annoyed about how last night went. I was even more annoyed that, at that moment, I didn't care he came home covered in another woman's perfume. I wanted him, naked, in bed with me.

  I felt the bed dip under Darius’ weight and then the pillow was pulled from my grasp and my head, leaving me lying face first in the mattress. I grumbled, trying to squirrel down below the covers while resisting a smile.

  "No," Darius chuckled as he pulled the blankets down the bed.

  This, I did protest. "It's cold!"

  "It is also past twelve. It is time to get out of bed," Darius said clearly, but I noticed he stayed kneeling on the bed.

  "We spent the day in bed yesterday," I complained. I resisted the urge to smile as Darius’ hand brushed the side of my ankle before running firmly up the back of my leg.

  "Yes, we did. If we do that again today, our sleep routine will be out, and I need to go to work tomorrow." Darius’ hand reached my backside and squeezed.

  I couldn't resist squirming under his firm grasp. "I didn't sleep during the day yesterday. I caught up on my emails and played on my tablet while you snored your gorgeous head off."

  Darius released his grip on my backside and slid his hand under the bottom of my singlet. "Are you suggesting I spend the day in bed with you without sleeping?"

  I didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling. Darius’ hand skimmed up the side of my ribs and the mound of breast pushed to the side by my position.

  "I wasn't suggesting a thing. Just clarifying a fact," I sighed.

  "Is that so?" Darius chuckled, his other hand pushing my singlet up, gently forcing it up and over my head.

  "It is," I murmured into the mattress, refusing to let him see my smile as he pulled my panties down my legs.

  "I think you were a bit uptight last night," Darius commented. He spread my legs and laid his body between them.

  "I'm allergic to specific perfumes. A considerate boyfriend would have showered before coming to bed," I replied easily. I wasn't looking to start a fight but he obviously wanted to discuss what happened. I needed to let it slide or risk another disagreement.

  "Why did you leave the club without telling the brothers where you were going last night?" Darius asked, kissing along the inside of my thighs.

  "They were busy hooking up. I was alone on the dance floor and decided to leave them to it and come home." I smiled into the mattress.

  "And you didn't answer my call?"

  "You called?" I asked, glad my face was hidden. "What time was that? I was home by one and in bed not long after."

  Darius couldn't claim I hadn’t missed his call. My phone screen would have still shown a missed call when he checked it this morning. Darius reached the top of my thigh, blew a breath out across my nether region and started kissing down the other side.

  "I honestly wasn't avoiding you, Dare. I checked my phone a million times before I got home to see if I'd missed a call or message from you. I figured I hadn't heard from you because you were caught up at your party." I shrugged. "I was tired and alone and couldn't stay awake any longer."

  Darius paused, lifting his head. "Are you always home early on New Year’s Eve?"

  I swallowed, hurt stabbing my chest. "No,
but the last two years I went home with Jasper. The years before that I would’ve been dancing all night with Sophie."

  My body slumped, the anticipation of sex with Darius forgotten under the heartache of losing my best friend. "Last night was the first New Year I've spent alone since I moved to England."

  Darius crawled up my body rolling me beneath him to face him. He looked intently into my eyes. "I promise you, you will never spend another New Year alone, Mora. Every birthday, Christmas, and New Year. I will be there with you."

  He kissed me intently, his hand releasing the button on his jeans and unzipping himself. Darius moved his jeans enough out of the way to free his engorgement before dropping his pelvis to mine as his tongue thrust into my mouth. I spread my legs to accommodate his hips and he nuzzled himself in, his monster seeking out my entrance and pushing in. My body resisted him, and I gasped when he forced the issue, pushing harder.

  "Open up for me, Mora. Let me in," he murmured in my ear as he pressed in again, barely gaining any ground. "Come on, baby. You have to let me in. I cannot fill that emptiness inside of you if you don't let me in."

  I bit his shoulder through his shirt as he continued to force his way inside of me. The double meaning of his words weren't lost on me. I knew by his tone, by the kisses he placed on my neck and jaw, that he meant those words literally and metaphorically.

  "Relax, baby. I am never going to leave you. I promise."

  "Darius, look at me," I gasped.

  Darius lifted his head and met my eyes. The lust glaze cleared as he studied my eyes and those hazel eyes of his filled with the deepest, most intense emotions. He touched my face, his thumb tracing a trail across my lips, down my chin, to my neck...

  "Jesus, Mora! How do you do that to me?" he murmured.

  "Do what?"

  "You break down all my walls. You make me feel for you in a way I never have for anyone else. You make me ache for you, physically and emotionally."

  I touched Darius’ cheek and gave him a quiet smile, his words igniting that need inside to be wanted and loved. "I love you, Dare."

  Darius gave me the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. "I love you, Mora." He pressed forward with his hips, my body relaxed, and he slid deep into me.

  I hung my head back and moaned at the feel of him filling me. I smiled and looked back to see Darius grinning, a wicked look in his eyes. "Telling a girl you love her still works."

  I smacked his arm, insulted, but couldn't help the smirk on my face. Darius’ grin turned into a beaming smile then he ducked his head and kissed me deeply.

  Being with Darius was always intense physically, but the emotions that passed between us, in the way we touched, kissed, and caressed each other… I'd never had this with Jasper.

  We spent the afternoon in my old bedroom, making love and talking while we lay recovering in each other's arms. After dinner, we returned to Darius’ room and talked more about our lives before we met, then puttered around doing our own thing.

  "Have you ever told a girl you love her before?" I asked casually while Darius sat writing a list on a notepad.

  "My sister and mother," he answered without looking at me.

  I used a pillow to whack him. "You know I meant non-familial."

  Darius frowned. "My high school girlfriend. I thought we would eventually marry, and I was only a teenager. You know what it's like, though, all hormones and new experiences."

  I blinked at him in understanding and returned my attention to my game on my tablet. Darius watched me and cocked his head as he did. "You've never told anyone you loved them before have you?"

  "No," I answered easily, keeping my focus on my game.

  "Not even Daniel?" Darius asked, moving himself to be closer to me.

  "Not even him," I replied quietly. I looked at Darius. "It's not a sentiment I would say without meaning."

  Darius studied me a moment longer. "Do you worry I don't mean it when I say it to you?"

  I met Darius’ eyes. I observed the stress lines around the outside, the lines he only ever got at work when he didn't like the plans placed in front of him. I traced the line of his brow with a gentle finger.

  "I know you mean it. I know that you choose your words carefully and mean every word you say, when you say it."

  Darius moved my hair back from my face, his brow furrowing. "When I say it? You think I tell you I love you in the heat of the moment, but once I am not in bed with you, that changes?"

  I met his eyes and chose my words carefully because I didn't want another fight. I did believe he loved me. "You have said some mean things to me, Dare. I believe in the moments you spoke those words, you meant them. I'm hoping that, now that we have cleared the air, you don't still think those things of me."

  Darius shook his head and kissed me hard for several minutes. When he pulled away, there was a rawness in his eyes I'd never seen before. I almost believed it was regret. "I would not be sitting here planning our wedding if I thought you anything but the kind, gentle soul I know you are, Mora."

  I frowned. "Planning our wedding?"

  Darius smiled and showed me the notepad. "The guest list; well, for my side anyway." He handed me the notepad so I could see what he’d written.

  I swallowed at the long list of names. There were ten times more names for him than I could think to invite, including the fact that my father's name was already on his list. Taking the pen from his hand, I scrawled Alex's name, Nan and Grandad’s first names, added Sophie and Dean, and finally Jasper, to the list. I purposefully didn't write down anyone's surnames. When I had finished, I handed the list back to Darius.

  "Six names? You only want to invite six people to our wedding?" Darius looked at me. "And one of them is your ex?"

  "Jasper and I are still friends."

  "He is your ex," Darius growled.

  "You're inviting Tracey," I pointed out.

  "She is not my ex."

  "Tracey has sucked your cock and fucked you more than I have." I rolled my eyes. I wasn't upset by her being invited. I was pretty sure the five females under her were also ex-work friends who enjoyed Darius’ company in and out of the bedroom.

  Darius cocked an eyebrow. "Not by the time we get married, she won't have."

  I smiled at his smile and gave him my full attention. "Look, I'm a loner. I've never really made a lot of friends, just a few very good friends. I told you I wanted a quiet wedding with just our family and closest friends. I don't need or want the big hoopla," I justified. "I just want to be married to the man I love, and that's you."

  Darius smoothed his hand around my neck and threaded his fingers into the hair at the nape, his lips moving closer to mine. "Maybe we should just take the brothers and your brother and head to the registry office then?"

  I smiled, blinking to clear the double vision caused by his face being so close to mine. "Suits me perfectly. We can have a quiet wedding and then have a party for everyone else at a later date."

  "Done," Darius murmured. his lips brushing over mine. He rolled me onto my back, untying my robe before pulling the tie on his own. "I will have the prenup organized this week and we can marry on the quiet when I get back from America in three weeks."

  I hung my head back as his lips trailed a wet path down my body. "Perfect."

  Chapter Six

  "I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks," Alex said as he slid a drink across the table to me.

  I rolled my eyes. "It's been four days, Alex."

  "Right, New Year’s Eve." Alex smirked into his beer. "You just disappeared."

  "And when exactly did you notice?"

  Alex shrugged. "When I was leaving and tried to find you to say goodnight."

  "Uh huh," I mumbled.

  Alex's smirk grew for a moment. He lifted a brow. "So, it is Friday night and your former boss turned lover has let you out to play?"

  "Darius is away traveling with work. He’s in Paris until Saturday, then goes to Denmark, and is dropping in to see his family b
efore coming home on Wednesday," I informed Alex. "How was your first week working for Dad?"

  Alex smiled. "Intense. It is not like working your way up through a company. Coming into a new company in a top position places a lot of expectation on your shoulders. I really wish you would reconsider being my assistant."

  "It's a skyscraper, Alex. You know I can't."

  Alex sighed, placing his hand over mine on the table. "I do, and Dad understands, too." Alex removed his hand and cleared his throat. "When are you going to tell him about you and Rafal?"

  "Well, actually, I sort of wanted to talk to you about that." I hesitated. "He's asked me to marry him."

  Alex's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. "That is… really quick, Mora."

  "Not really. You remember how I told you about the guy I lost my virginity to?" I raised a brow at Alex.

  He looked at me, and his eyebrows jumped impossibly higher. "No!" He drew out the word. "You lost it to Rafal? And what? He didn't remember you?"

  "Oh, he remembered. He sought me out, Alex. When he heard I worked with you at Horizon, he intentionally brought his business your way to put himself in my path again. He intended to hit on me at the club that night, but when Jasper showed up, he changed his plans. He asked me to work for him just to stay in my life."

  I took Alex's hand. "Alex, we've loved each other for six years. From the moment we admitted that to each other, it's like the time in-between disappeared. I feel like we've been together all this time," I admitted, blushing at how ridiculous that sounded.

  "Well, I never picked you for the romantic." Alex wiped his face with his hands, still stunned by my confession. "So, when are you going to tell Dad?"

  I cringed.

  "Mora!" Alex looked at me, exasperated. "He will be happy for you. He really likes Rafal, and he loves you. I am sure if he thought Rafal had the potential to fall in love and settle down, he would have lined you two up years ago."

  I swallowed, hoping Alex was right. "We want the wedding to be quiet, Alex. Just you and the Mann brothers as our witnesses. We'll have a big party later for family and friends, but..."

  "Mora, he is your father. You cannot honestly be considering not inviting him to your wedding?" Alex's face was running the gamut tonight. He was appalled I'd even consider not inviting Marshall.