Page 10 of Toxic Devotion

“The person I would be having that meal with.”

Alicia put her hands on her hips and cocked a brow at him. “Is it because you’re unsure if you like this person?”

Why he was entertaining this conversation with her, he wasn’t sure. She was the last person he should be talking to.

“No,” he said.

“Then why don’t you want to be with them?”

“Because being with me isn’t exactly…”

“Easy?” Alicia suggested. “Yeah, I’m sure all my exes say the same about me.”

“I’m sure they don’t.”

She grinned and arched a brow at him. “Oh, trust me, they do.”

She linked her arm with his and tugged him toward the door.

“But I’m too strong a believer in love to let you throw away your chance at it,” she said and with a shake of his head, he let her lead him inside.

Alicia headed toward a table and sat down, motioning for him to sit across from her. He sat down with his back to the door, his shoulders tense though from Alicia’s calm demeanor, she didn’t notice. His line of sight was toward the back of the restaurant where Marco’s office was along with the entrance to the kitchen.

Alicia looked at him, then looked over her shoulder. She turned back around with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

“It’s someone on the staff, isn’t it?” she asked, the excitement in her voice making him fight to hold back a smile.

“Well go, then,” she said, motioning for him to get up.

A smile teased his lips as he stood and walked to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” he said.

She put a hand on his arm and gave him a kind look. “Love is worth it.”

He nodded, then took off toward the back. The office door was open, and he could hear Marco talking on the phone inside. He leaned a shoulder against the door jamb, eyes tracking Marco as he paced from his desk to the window. When he turned to walk back to his desk, his eyes snapped onto Neil and his steps faltered, his words coming to an abrupt halt.

“I’ll call you back,” Marco said, dropping his phone onto his desk on his way toward Neil.

He pushed away from the door just in time for Marco to reach him and slam their mouths together in a hard kiss, Marco’s hands warm against his cheeks. He reached behind him to close the door, then wrapped his arms around Marco to pull him against his body.

Marco’s reaction to seeing him meant everything to him. He wasn’t sure where they were headed but he knew Alicia was right, he couldn’t throw his chance at love away because if anyone was worth putting himself and everyone else in danger, it was Marco.

Marco

He was watching Neil flip through the hotel’s room service menu. He had a slight line between his brows. It was his concentration line. Not to be confused with his ‘you annoy me’ line. He was starting to be able to discern more and more about the workings of the man and he was sure Neil didn’t like that one bit.

“Red or white?” Neil asked and turned his head to look at Marco.

He knew he was smiling because the frown on Neil’s forehead changed.

“Whichever you want.”

“Sounds like you’re paying?”

Marco leaned closer to brush his lips to the corner of Neil’s mouth, voice low as he said, “I’m the only one of us who can afford the wine on that menu.”

Neil’s grunt had him pulling back to grin at the man.