Beauty and the Price

Chapter 17

Date Night, Continued.

Sang

Neither of us spoke when we got in the truck. I stared out the window, dazed by the lights as Marc sped down the streets in the direction we arrived. I was sad to leave Myrtle Beach so soon, even feeling a little left out while I watched groups of people just starting their evening out. But I didn't dare voice my thoughts, a small part of me worried he was upset with me for putting him in a situation like that.

I was too scared to find out.

"Sorry," Marc muttered, breaking the silence. I turned my head to glance at him, his eyes met mine for a quick second before returning to focus on the road. "None of that was supposed to happen. I'm not usually..." he trailed off and paused, pursing his lips.

I lifted my hand, pressing my finger against my lip. His intentions warmed my heart but if it wasn't for me, Marc wouldn't have gone through all the trouble. "I'm sorry," I mumbled.

He jerked his head back and shared a confused smile with me. "What are you sorry for?"

I pinched my lip between my fingers before dropping my hand. "Well, I made you..."

"What?" Marc chuckled, interrupting me and shaking his head. "You didn't make me do anything. It's not your fault, dummy."

My cheeks flushed and I tried to explain myself but it came out jumbled with my stuttering. "But... I..."

"Stop," he ordered, flashing me a teasing smile before reaching for my hand.

I lowered my gaze to watch our fingers intertwine, the prominent veins leading to his knuckles had my heart doing flips. I had no doubt he was strong enough to snap my wrist if he wanted to, yet he always held my hand delicately, as if afraid he would do just that.

"I wanted to see if I could do it," he said, drawing my attention back to the conversation. "You know, fit in with that part of your life." He moved our hands to emphasize his explanation. I bit the inside of my cheek, letting my eyes slide over to him. "That was my mistake, not yours."

Before today I didn't realize he felt anything about our social differences. It added a weight of guilt to my heart and I didn't know how to express how little I cared about those things. I was happy just spending time with him, fancy dates weren't necessary.

If it weren't for fear of my parents, I wouldn't hide our relationship.

We were about to get on the highway when Marc's stomach growled, he squinted his eyes, loosening his grasp on my hand.

I attempted to hold back a smile, not wanting him to think I was laughing at him. "I think we just passed a diner."

He grinned when he seemed to understand what I was suggesting. Bringing my hand to his lips to kiss, he released it to place both of his on the wheel, turning the car in the opposite direction.

♥♠♥♠

Marc and I sat in the bed of his truck, parked in front of a local diner. The lot was empty with only two other cars. The sun had fully set but the light from the diner and the parking lot was bright enough to see each other clearly.

I nearly choked on my milkshake while Marc told me stories of his friend's antics. Raven. He laughed at my reaction and poked my side causing me to giggle.

His jacket had been thrown somewhere and he leaned back, tugging on the tie until it became loose, then used the same hand to remove the top four buttons of the shirt. He released a sigh and settled back down before reaching for his drink.