Marked With Love – A Valentine’s Day Read Online Ella Goode

Categories Genre: Novella, Romance, Virgin Tags Authors:
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Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
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“It’s not a walk of shame,” I blurt out.

“We didn’t say it was,” Grams responds gently before taking a sip of her tea. “I think it was more a walk of fear.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re a runner,” Alfred supplies.

“I am not! What do I run from? I don’t even work out.” I smirk, trying to distract them with my joke. I don’t know why I do it. These two see right through me.

“From people, sweetheart.”

“I don’t run from people. I once punched someone in the face,” I remind them.

“Your best friend lives in forced proximity. Then you have Alfred and me. You like your little bubble you’ve created.” I stand there as Grams drops that reality bomb on my head.

“It’s too early for this.” I walk out of the kitchen. “I’m getting a cat!” I shout over my shoulder as I go, knowing it’s a lie. Gremlin holds my heart. I think his owner might too.

CHAPTER 17

EROS

“Maybe the sex was bad,” Matty unhelpfully suggests.

“It’s not that.” She came—multiple times. She cried once because she came so hard. She wanted to have sex again even though her poor pussy had taken a beating before. Maybe she was mad I said no. She fell asleep almost immediately afterward, so I thought she was satisfied. But then she left—without a word.

“Men don’t know. We’re dumb fucks, okay? Women can fake orgasms and make you think you’re the greatest lover in the world, but in reality, they’re reliving the chocolate episode of the Great British Bake-off. If you’ve ever watched that show with a woman, you’d know. So, what do you think about this?” He holds up a red purse.

“I think if you can’t tell if a woman enjoys you in bed, you shouldn’t be buying her a purse.”

“I’m not one of those boring assholes that buys flowers. Any schmuck can do that. She likes purses and has had a new one every time we’ve gone out. This is a knock-it-out-of-the-park kind of gift. A deal closer.”

I have not bought one thing for Morgan. Maybe Matty has the right idea. I start scanning the racks. What color purse would she like? Does she even like purses? I think back to the times I’ve been with her. She had a black one with an embroidered flower on the front when we ate at Louis’ the first time. When she came over the first time, she had the same purse. The second visit, she had no purse. Do I buy her the same kind of purse with embroidery?

“Earth to Eros. Come in, Eros.” Matty’s hand appears in front of my face. “What about this one?” This one is a different bag but in brown.

“Ugly. What happened to the red one?”

“That was three suggestions ago. Why? Wait, are you buying that? That was my idea.” Matty tries to grab the bag out of my hand, but I push him away.

“And now it’s mine. It has a flower here, see?” I point to the hand-painted decoration. “It matches her other bag.”

“I don’t care. I saw it first.” He lunges for me. I side-step, and he crashes into the table and sends several bags to the floor. An attendant comes racing over.

“Sir! What are you doing? You can’t fight here.”

Matty ignores her and attacks me. I duck his fist and shove the bag into the saleswoman’s hands. “I’ll take this one.”

“The hell he will. That’s mine!”

The saleswoman freezes, her eyes darting from Matty to me and back again. I pull out my black card and stick it between her fingers. “Mine.” She gets the message and scurries off.

I turn toward Matty with a triumphant smile and get a fist in the eye.

“You deserved that one,” he pants. “Payback for the other day.”

“You walked into my house unannounced and saw my woman without her clothes on.”

“Maybe don’t have sex in the living room,” he shouts.

It’s probably that exchange that resulted in Matty and me getting kicked out of the store by four burly security guards. In the cab, Matty glares at me.

“You should let up the pressure on those flowers,” I suggest. “You’re about to snap the heads off.”

“You smug bastard,” he snarls.

“Hey, I suggested we buy those. You should be thanking me or you’d show up on Blake’s doorstep emptyhanded.”

“That’s my red purse.” He tries to reach for the white box on my lap. I fend him off.

“I don’t think red’s your color.” I tap the cab driver’s shoulder. “Turn here.”

“I’m going to pay you back.”

“I let you punch me. Isn’t that enough?”

“Here?” the driver asks at Morgan’s big black gate.

“Yep. Take this one home.” I hand the driver a couple of bills. “Keep the change.” To Matty, I say, “No need to thank me for paying for your cab ride.”

I only get a middle finger in return.

“Sir? Do you need an ice pack?” says the gate guard. He brings his finger up to his eye.


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