Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 292

Emotions Flare As Marcus Redraws The Line.

Friday, 9:58 am

"Marcus!" Danni shouted, standing up from the table outside Helena's—the brunch spot where we agreed to meet. We had a reservation for ten in the morning, so I was a little surprised to see the raven-haired, fair-skinned beauty approaching me from a table she'd already been sitting at.

"Hey, Danni!" I said as she reached me. I slipped an arm around her shoulders as she threw hers around my middle and squeezed me tight. She looked up at me with her beautiful green eyes that reminded me of a lush Canadian forest; her bright smile was made even more beautiful thanks to her perfect lips—not too thin… not too plush. She wore a sleeveless blouse, and I spied a dark blue jacket on the back of a chair that matched her pants. I lowered my head to press my lips to her bare shoulders, dusted with freckles.

She was a lot like Erin—always a bright ray of sunlight warming me on a cold day. Only, unlike with Erin, I didn't get the sense that a lust-induced hellspawn lurked just under Danni's sweet exterior. She was an angel who simply enjoyed getting filthy in the bedroom.

"Am I late?" I asked, glancing at the table.

"No," she said, backing away. "I had an early showing and came straight here after it was done. I've only been here five minutes."

She glanced behind me and said, "Hi, John."

"Ma'am," the bald man in his early fifties behind me said. I'd insisted that Chloe take the morning off for a little self-care after yesterday's wreck, so I was accompanied by one of the other security staff. There was another, but he was parking the car.

"You've met?" I asked as we approached Danni's table.

"Not that I know of," Danni said as I pulled the chair out for her.

"Then how did you know his name?"

"The three I've met so far have been named John. It was a safe guess." A look of horror overcame her. "Oh gosh… please don't tell me I just got his name wrong, and he just let it slide!"

"Nah," I said. "You were right."

We ordered food and made small talk for the next thirty minutes. I filled her in on what happened at the funeral, what I'd learned about Roger, going golfing, and then confronting Roger in his office. Danni was on the edge of her seat for most of it, hearing it for the first time since Erin hadn't had a chance to fill her in on the details for the last few days. She was a phenomenal listener, maintaining eye contact, asking follow-up questions, and gasping at all the appropriate moments, all while making me feel she was genuinely interested. When it came time to fill me in on her life, she was a little embarrassed since it consisted of showing houses and catching up with her friends.

"It's not been as glamorous or exciting as what you've been doing, but it's been a nice change of pace," Danni said shyly before sipping her cold coffee. "I've got to get my peace and quiet before I become your girlfriend. Your life's a little more fast-paced than I'm used to."

I was amused at Danni's attempt to broach the subject of our relationship; she would never make a good spy. Then I remembered what I needed to tell her, and that amusement died. Since she kicked that door wide open, I might as well dive right in.

"Danni," I said, placing my fork on my plate to give her my undivided attention. "I saw Natalie yesterday."

Like I said, Danni had a shit poker face. She did her best to hide the warring emotions that crossed over her lovely features, but it was quite the journey. I witnessed flickers of annoyance, worry, uncertainty, and sadness all within the space of a few moments.

"I asked her to leave the guy she was with."

She bit her lip nervously and carefully put her fork down on the plate before looking up at me with those soulful doe eyes of hers, and every second I stared back at her was like having my heart ripped out of my chest and torn in two all over again. I took a deep breath and said, "You have to understand… I've been carrying a torch for Natalie for nearly a year, but we were in other relationships for most of it. Then, when the opportunity for us to get together came, I fucked up and waited too long. It's been eating at me this whole time, and you were right the other night. I still have a thing for her, and you were insightful enough to see it. I had to try because I'm not over her."

Danni looked back at her plate. "Oh…"

"She turned me down," I said.

Danielle's head immediately shot back up, her eyes a mixture of sorrow and a sudden burst of hope. She very visibly made a point of swallowing as she waited for me to continue.

"It hurt a lot, but she was right to turn me down."

"Why?" Danielle asked, her voice barely registered. Her eyebrows were drawn together, and her green eyes shined with unshed tears.

"Because I don't think I'm ready to date anyone right now."

She didn't speak at first, and I watched as she pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. She blinked, and a single tear slipped down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away with her fingers. She blinked away a few more before they could slip free.

"Are you saying you don't want to date me?" Danni said, looking out toward the street.

God, I felt like a complete asshole.

"No," I said. "Danni… any guy who didn't want to date you would be a fool. You're incredible. You've—"

"Then why?" she snapped. There was no heat in her voice… just the need for an answer.

“Because… I…”

"I think I love you, Marcus," Danni said, looking back at me, and I could see tears building at the rims of her eyes, barely held at bay.

"Danni…"

"Please." Her bottom lip trembled. "Please don't do this."

"Danni, I don't think I can be a good boyfriend right now."

"I know you would be!" Danni said. "You're so sweet to me, and I've never enjoyed being with someone as much."

"Thank you, but—"

"I don't understand," she said, cutting me off. "I even told you that you can still sleep with everyone else. What else do you need?" She looked like she was going to be sick. "Is it me!?"

"Fuck! No!" I said, horrified that she would even ask that question. "Of course not! Like I said, any man would be insane to not want to date you!"

"Then… what?"

I'd expected her to push back against me a little, but I didn't anticipate this much. I had to be careful. I wanted to be honest with her without destroying her.

"Because I went to Natalie, Danni! I could have called you at any point since we first talked about it and asked you to be my girlfriend, but I've spent this whole time being indecisive. Then I went to see Natalie and asked her to break up with her guy and date me. Even if we have an open relationship, you'd have to be my priority, and I clearly can't do that right now. You deserve better. Way better."

"I don't care," she said.

"You don't care," I repeated.

"I've seen us together enough to know that we'd be great for each other. You're already sleeping with a whole bevy of women, and I'm okay with it. You know I won't be a jealous girlfriend, and this Natalie thing isn't that big of a deal."

"You said she was off limits," I pointed out.

"If we were in a relationship," she corrected. "We weren't yesterday, and you tried to shoot your shot. I don't blame you for that. She's gorgeous and nice, and I can tell she really likes you, but she's with this other guy now. Just give me a chance to show you how good of a girlfriend I can be. I know there's something between us, Marcus! I know you can feel it, too!"

"I can't, Danni. I don't want you even more invested than you already are, only to break your heart down the road!"

"You won't!" She protested.

"You don't know that! I'm changing! I have some growing that I need to do, and I can't promise you that things will remain the same a year from now."

"Dammit, Marcus…" Danni didn't even bother trying to hide the tears. She looked around, spotted a hotel, and then looked back at me. "Just… let's get a room. We can fuck and talk some more. I'll—"

"Danni, no," I said. As much as I enjoyed the idea of making love to Danni again—even if for the last time—I didn't want to do that to her. "Having sex with you one more time isn't going to change my mind. You have a beautiful heart, and I'm trying to do what I can to protect it."

"I want it!" Danni said. "Why do Erin and Bobbi get to be in your life, and I can't?" She stared at me pleadingly through her tears. "What if I let you put a collar on me… like Bobbi? Would that change anything?"

"What?"

"Because I think I'd try it," she said.

The images that conjured…

Oh, fucking hell no… that was a stupid idea.

"That's not what I want for us," I said, shaking my head. "I care about you too much for that."

"So, you care about me more, but I don't get anything?"

"Please tell me you can at least understand why I wouldn't want that for us!"

"I mean… I wouldn't want to be treated just like Bobbi," Danni agreed. "I just want to be your girlfriend, and if that was the only way, I'm just saying I'd… I'd consider it!"

"No, Danni," I said again. "I'm not doing that with you. That's not what this is or what I'd want it to be."

"What about what I want?" Danni asked.

"Dammit, Danielle! That's the point! I can't give you what you want! Not right now!"

Something I said must have gotten through to her because she didn't push back. Danni and I simply stared at each other as our food grew cold. It felt like fifteen minutes passed, but in reality, it'd probably been no more than two or three. Time is hard to keep track of when you're looking into the tearful eyes of the woman you made cry. God, I wanted to say yes, but Erin was right… Danni was a tenderhearted girl, and I didn't want to start something with her when I was barely hanging onto my life by my fingernails. Helen had just returned, I was trying to keep my relationship with Emily from falling apart, Roger and Ashlee VanCamp were on the loose, Jess would be moving in this weekend, and my relationship with Bobbi was developing into… something.