Sea Breeze 02 - Because of Low

in his gaze made the fact I was a complete withering mess a little better.
    “Martus tiss” Larissa called out loudly reminding us both where we were and that we weren’t alone.
    A giggle erupted out my mouth and I shifted my eyes from Larissa who was looking up at Marcus expectedly.
    Marcus let out a dramatic sigh, “The ladies, they all want me,” he teased and bent down and kissed Larissa on the top of her platinum curls.
    “Bye bye,” Larissa said apparently pleased with his kiss.
    “Bye bye princess. I’ll see you again soon.”
    He stood back up and studied me a moment before reaching out and rubbing my bottom lip with his thumb.
    “I’m not done here. I’m just beginning Low. But I couldn’t walk away again without that kiss.”
    My knees felt like jello. How sweet was that? Guys didn’t talk to me that way. Marcus Hardy was straight out of those gushy romance novels my mother used to read.
    “Okay,” was all I could say. Piecing words together right now was impossible.
    His hand dropped and a sexy smirk touched his lips before he turned and left.

    Chapter Nine

    Marcus

    “Well that took awhile,” Amanda teased as I got into the truck grinning like a fool.
    “Yeah it did.”
    “She’s really pretty.”
    Pretty did not begin to describe Willow. Seeing her sitting there beside Sadie I realized how much sexier Willow was. All that copper hair and fair skin and curves. Damn the girl had curves. Really, really nice curves.
    “More like gorgeous,” I replied backing the truck out into the street.
    “That’s what Sadie said. She was really happy about Low. She seems happy for you. I think she worried you were still pining away for her.”
    I’d stopped pining for Sadie awhile back. My attraction to Willow only proved that.
    “I mean I know Cage is a total male whore but Preston said he was like real protective of Low and then there is that little issue about his claim that he’s going to marry her one day.”
    I gripped the steering wheel tightly trying to control the violent reaction that reminder caused. There was no way in hell Willow was going to marry Cage. I wasn’t ready to propose marriage to her or anything. We were just in the beginning stages of a relationship. But I knew she was better than Cage York. Sure he was good to her but he reminded me of a big brother. He treated Willow the way I treated Amanda. Willow deserved so much more in life than that. She was smart, funny, real, so incredibly sexy, she wasn’t someone’s standby dammit.
    “Your knuckles are turning white,” Amanda chirped.
    I relaxed my tight grip and took a deep breath.
    “Cage is a little confused about things. Low will never marry him. She’ll tell you so herself. She’s special.”
    “Like Sadie was special?”
    I thought about it a minute and then nodded.
    “Yeah, like Sadie I guess. You don’t come across girls like those two often. Trust me, I’ve looked. They’re definitely rare.”
    “Like I said before, this time you aren’t up against a rock star. My money’s on you.”
    I grinned and reached over and squeezed her knee.
    “So tell me about this car Dad’s giving you.”
    An immediate frown tugged the corners of her mouth down.
    “My Jeep has all kinds of issues and Dad said that’s what happens when you buy inferior automobiles,” she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, he’s giving me some trade in he just got. A sports coupe or something. I think he said a 250CL... maybe. I don’t know. But I need a car and I can’t afford one on my own.”
    Figures, Dad was putting her in a Mercedes. Let the world see the Mercedes King supplies his daughter with a car. He won’t be getting my ass in a damn Mercedes. Nothing was wrong with my Chevy truck. It was paid for, by me.
    “It’ll be a safe car. If you end up going to Tuscaloosa in the fall then I’ll feel good about you being on the road in a Mercedes coupe.”
    Amanda fidgeted in her seat and cleared her throat. Uh oh. That was never good. Those were her nervous ticks.
    “Um, about college. See, Jamie and Hannah are going to Auburn”
    “Ah no ! Amanda please tell me you’re joking.”
    “Let me finish Marcus, GAH!”
    I did not want to hear this but I let her continue.
    “Like I was saying before you went all ‘Roll Tide Monster’ on me, Jamie and Hannah are going to Auburn. Jamie got a cheerleading scholarship and Hannah’s daddy is an Auburn alum, and I want to be a veterinarian. You know I love animals. It’s what I