Chapter 4

Jason was still holding the unconscious Marlin when Michal lead Brain into the private parlor. The tall, tanned Solarain looked like someone had tried bleaching his skin when he walked in. The sight of Jason holding the slender woman in his arms must have pissed him off, though, because anger took the place of the fear in his eyes as he strode toward them and demanded, “What have you done to her? How dare you sit there and take advantage!”

Before the Lunamen could protest Brain snatched Marlin from his arms and held her like a father would his precious daughter. Michal looked worried from the infuriated man to the surprised lord, clearly a step from a panic attack. Jason shooed him out as he stood and he went as quickly as he dared, closing the door behind him.

“Mr. Hayes, I assure you I meant no harm. Miss Muse tried appraising a very old pendent and almost got lost in it. I was simply trying to comfort her.”

Brain gently laid the sleeping cat on a couch across the room from where Jason had been sitting before he turned and the night-cat could tell it took a lot of self control to not yell or punch him as he said, “Mar doesn't know you, sir, and she certainly doesn't trust you. You have no right, no matter what the situation, to put your hands on her. Ever. If Mar had woken up like that, disorientated and confused, she may have seriously hurt or even killed you.”

“Now, Mr. Hayes, I don't see how that-”

“Don't even think to underestimate someone you don't even know, Lord Nightclaw,” Brain interrupted. “For all you know Marlin is a retired assassin or just a martial artist or any number of things that could kill an unsuspecting make when frightened or cornered.”

“Alright, I will give you that,” Jason said with a nod, “but I truly mean her no harm. I was only trying to be helpful in anyway I could since her condition is my fault.”

“Which reminds me, sir, that you haven't answered my first question,” Brain snapped. “What did you do to Marlin?”

“You are both being stupid, shut up. How am I supposed to sleep with you to at each others' throats?”

Both men turned to Marlin, who was sitting up rubbing her forehead. Jason held himself back as Brain knelt by her side, checking her pulse. She pushed his hands away and growled, “I'm fine you moron. If you spent less time acting like a dick and more like a worried friend I'd be home by now. Leave it to you to be pissy while I suffer.”

“Well, if you listened to me and didn't read object you have no history on you wouldn't be in this mess,” Brain snapped as he stood and offered her his hand. “Hell, even better, if you didn't go off with strangers you wouldn't have had the urge to randomly read an old and powerful pendent. Didn't your mother ever teacher you about stranger danger?”

Marlin grimaced as she took his hand and used it to stand up. “Why don't you ask her? You talk to her more than me anyway.”

Jason watched as they continued to banter. The sight reminded him of his younger siblings and made him smile.

“What are you smiling at, panther?” Brain snapped.

Marlin sighed and elbowed him hard enough in the gut to make him double over. She walked a little unsteadily toward Jason and took his hands as she smiled up at him.

“Don't mind him. I fed him one too many lead paint chips when we were kids. He is kinda retarded now.” She flashed her brilliant smile. “A few more months of beatings and he should learn to be more polite.”

“Ha. Fat chance. Not with you teaching.” Brain took hold of one of her arms and lightly pulled on it. “Come on, lets get you home and in bed before you collapse.”

Marlin glanced from him to Jason. “Go get the car and wait out front. I'll be right there.”

Brain opened his mouth to protest but shut it when she glared at him. He sighed grimly before leaving the room. She smiled at him and gently squeezed his hands. “Sorry about him. I am normally the rash and rude one.”

“No need to apologize. I completely understand.” He raised her hands to his lips and kissed both sets of slender knuckles. “I would have done the same if I were him. Then again, if I were him I would already be married to you by now.”

The last statement had the desired effect and Marlin laughed. Her smile stayed on her face as she pulled back from him. That retreat left him a little colder than he had been before and he realized he may never see this enchanting woman again.

She turned toward the door to leave when Jason slid up behind her, one hand tracing her upper arm, the other slipping into the small pocket of her dress. Her head snapped around, one hand going for the one that now held her cell phone, temper snapping in her eyes. He circled her tiny wrist with his fingers and spun her against him, trapping her free arm between their bodies as he held her close and flipped her phone open.

“What do you think you are doing, Jason?” she snapped, struggling against him. Her efforts were useless because, in a wrestling match, Jason had an obvious size advantage. “I swear, if you don't release me and give me my phone I will hurt you.”

“Now, now, I am not doing anything horrible. I am just putting my number and email in your phone. Oh, and memorizing your number.” He winked down at her as he closed her phone and released her. “I haven't met such a delightful woman in a very long time. You can't blame me for wanting to continue our association, can you?”

Marlin snatched her phone and stormed out of the room.

Later that night Marlin sat on her couch and stared at Jason's number in her phone. Her first instinct was to erase it, but every time she opened her phone to do it she couldn't bring herself to do it. She growled at the hand-held device and threw it onto her couch as she walked angrily into the kitchen. She pulled an apple out of her fridge and cut it up with quick, angry strikes.

Marlin never let people worm their way into her life like that. She should have broken the lord's nose or at least slapped him. She should have told him where to shove his interest. Instead she had been distracted by the feel of his fingertips on her skin and the smell of him that still clung to her. Served her right. Distractions only got people, thieves in particular, killed.

She sighed unhappily at her apple slices as she nibbled on one of the. Something about Lord Nightclaw drew her, called to her, but she wasn't sure what. Her grandmother was the physic, not her. Maybe a visit to her Nana was in order.

Music erupted from the living. It was the catchy dance tune Marlin had set as her text messaging ring tone ages ago. She frowned as she scooped her apple slices onto a plate and went to see who was texting her.

It was Jason, not that Marlin was surprised. She almost didn't reply to his greeting. Almost. She definitely needed to pay Nana a visit and find out what was wrong with her. Surely she wasn't going soft. Either way, she still stayed up til long after midnight texting with a man she shouldn't even have had lunch with.