Alpha Billionaire Series

MARK

Brooke pushed me away. I had unexpected emotions surge through my veins at the rejections. I knew better. It wasn't rejection, it was her gentle reminder that we had agreed to be discreet about this relationship. Only I discovered that the more I was with her, the less I wanted to be discreet.

I enjoyed being near her, touching her. I swear I could feel her smile more when we held hands. It was a power move to kiss her in public because nobody else could, but I was allowed to.

only I shouldn't.

She was right. I had gone a little too far. We could have been seen. How would that have gone over with her father, her job? I drove away from her so that I could get ready for a dinner party where I should have been allowed to happily parade our relationship. Instead, I stopped at a liquor store on my way home and purchased a bottle of wine. Once home I jumped in the shower to get the smell of the museum and Brooke off my skin. Running my hand over my scruff, I considered shaving. Brooke liked to play with my beard, but too many years of keeping it clean-shaven outweighed her preferences, at least for tonight.

Shaved, dressed, bottle in hand I drove over to the DeBoise home for dinner. I wasn't kept waiting long after I rang the doorbell. I expected Karen to open the door and fill me in on everyone who was already here, and who would be expected. My breath caught momentarily when Brooke opened the door. “Doctor Mark, come on in."

Damn if she didn't revert back to that old name, the one she used when she was being playful, the one that I heard it now put my cock on alert. Only this time she wasn't playing in that way. She stepped back and allowed me in.

I put the wine bottle on the side table and began shrugging out of my coat. “So, who's here?” I asked in low tones.

“Some doctor Dad insists I remember, but I don't. His name is Franks.”

“Howard Franks?”

She nodded.

“He's a cardiologist, recently divorced. Who else?”

“That's it she said.

That didn't seem right. Karen would never have a dinner party with two eligible bachelors and not have one of her single friends over. She always called it balancing the sexes, but I knew what it really was. It was her little version of the dating game. For some reason, it really bothered her to see a single man.

“Is your mom expecting anyone else?”

“She was a little irked earlier when one of her friends canceled.”

I nodded, that was it.

Brooke looked over her shoulder. Where we were standing in the entry, no one in any of the other rooms could see us. She kissed her fingers and placed them on my lips. I grabbed her wrist and held her hand to my mouth a moment longer. I officially hated this.

I followed her into the rest of the house. She continued on toward the kitchen with the bottle of wine and I stopped in the living room to join Howard and Peyton. They paused in their discussion momentarily to acknowledge my arrival but were quick to return to the finer details of boat launches, or maybe it was floating docks. They both had houses up at Lake Lanier I poured myself a drink and sat in one of the empty chairs.

Guilt nibbled at the corners of my mind. I couldn't help but think at any moment Peyton would turn on me and demand an explanation as to why I was treating his daughter like some side piece when she deserved to be front and center in my life. She did. Only neither of us thought Peyton would readily accept our feelings for each other.

Unable to contribute to a conversation about lake homes, and boat docks, I was glad when talk turned to sports and how ou local baseball team was looking for the current season.

“Okay, boys it's time for dinner” I think Karen enjoyed pretending we were just a bunch of kids that needed wrangling.

I had dinner over here so often that I had a usual seat. As I slid into it, I forgot that I typically sat across from Brooke. I knew we would be in close proximity, but I forgot I would be looking directly at her all evening. I didn’t mind looking at her. She was beautiful. She had large dark eyes framed in long dark lashes. Her cheeks were high and round and always kissed with hint of pink. Her nose was delicate and straight above the perfect pouty cupid bow of her mouth. Her lips were perfect for kissing.

The problem with sitting across from her tonight was that I didnt want to take my eyes from her.

Karen was a good cook, it was one of the reasons I never said no to one of her dinner invitations, even though I knew it frequently came with an attempt to set me up. I also came because Peyton was my friend, and as busy adults, there never seemed to be enough time to be with friends.

Over dinner, we talked about the unseasonably cool weather, Howard's daughter's quest for putting in a container garden, and how I spent the afternoon furniture shopping. This latter topic gave Brooke a coughing fit. I wasn't about to tell everyon I spent the day at the museum, I didn’t know what Brooke had told her parents, and it never occurred to me that we would need to have our stories straight for such an occasion.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Every chance I got I would glance at Brooke and give her a wink when I thought everyone else wasn't paying attention. I kney it was a dangerous game, but I couldn't help myself. She looked bored. She had nothing to add to the conversation. Yet she was there because her mother insisted that she be there.

Brooke surreptitiously checked her phone. A stab of jealousy hit me in the chest. Who was she texting? It wasn't me. “Thanks for dinner Mom. I'm going to head out” she announced as she stood up.

“Where do you think you're going?” Karen asked.

“'m going to meet Angela at the theater”

“It's kind of late, don't you think?” Peyton asked.

“It is, that's why we're going to the late show. Angela wanted to see the new Jane Austen remake and Mom wanted me here for dinner” She shrugged. “This way I can do both. You don't need me here.”

“Well, have fun. Are you going to be late?”

“'m going to spend the night, that way you don't stay up trying to listen for the front door.”

“I don't.”

“She's right, you do that."

“Fine. As long as you aren't an imposition on Angela. Have fun.”

“Good night, Dr. Franks, it was good to see you again.” Brooke paused. Maybe it was just me, but it felt like she froze time. “I'l see you later, Doctor Mark.”

My cock surged. Her voice was lower, seductive, a tease. Everyone at the table had to have heard the change in her voice. “Yeah, I'll see ya My own voice felt tight, guilty.

“Brooke works in the Medical Center building. You see Mark all the time. Don't you honey?”

“I wouldn't say all the time, but yeah, we see each other. I'm off” Brooke leaned over and kissed her mom on the cheek. Less than ten minutes later my phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket and read the text. I couldn't help but smile. Brooke, “Don't make me wait too long. It's fucking cold out.”

I typed out a quick message telling her to text me once she got to my place and I'd let her in. There was no need to wait outside.

“That's not work, is it? Someone isn't having a baby?" Karen asked.

“No, I'm not on call this evening”

The conversation returned to the weather and sports. When Karen began clearing the table, I saw my opportunity. I carried dishes into the kitchen for her and helped with cleaning up.

“Mark, what do you think you're doing?”

“You fed me, it's the least I could do to help clean up.”

“Nonsense, you're our guest”

As Karen insisted that I should not help with cleaning up, I took that as my exit. After saying good night to everyone, I got my coat and drove home.

I checked my phone. Brooke had not texted me that she had arrived.

When I pulled into my driveway, the car's headlights illuminated her sitting, huddled on my stoop.

“Why didn’t you text me?” I asked as I got out of the car.

She shrugged. “I didn't think you were going to keep me waiting so long. I'm cold”

She snaked her arms into my coat and wrapped them around my waist.

We stumbled inside. I began to shrug out of my coat when she caught my wrist and began dragging me upstairs.

“What are you doing?” I asked with a laugh.

“I'm cold, Doctor Mark, and you need to warm me up.”

She didn't need me to warm her up, she was already too hot to handle. But I did handle her, for hours. x Oc ever, I fell asleep with Brooke in my arms. That was something I shouldn't get used to. But I could, I really could: