Read The Lawson Boys: Marty for Free Online Page B

them to her with a flourish. “Madam.” Placing a hand in
the small of her back, Marty steered her to the front doors,
opening one and standing back to let her go through first. Down the
stairs to the BMW they went, he ensuring she was settled in and
buckled up before he closed the door and strode around to the
drivers side. Getting in, he slid his seatbelt on and snapped it
closed before slanting her a wicked look. “Ready, Belle?”
    That wicked
look wasn’t exactly reassuring. “I think so.”
    “Trust me.” His
grin was equally wicked. “You’re in expert hands.”
    Oh boy. “You
forgot your jacket.”
    “Honey, where
we’re going, I don’t need a jacket.” He tugged his tie loose and
tossed it over his shoulder into the back seat. “Or this.” As she
watched, he unfastened the cuff buttons and rolled his sleeves up
to just below his elbows, revealing muscular, tanned forearms.
Popping open another couple of buttons on his shirt, he stretched
and gave a sigh of contentment. “That’s more like it.”
    Putting the car
into gear, he pulled out of the driveway.
    Settling back
into the seat, Belle rested her elbow on the door and her chin in
her hand, watching the scenery pass as the car moved smoothly down
the long drive, around a curve and through the big, wrought iron
gates into the traffic.
    Here went
nothing. The Other Woman was out in public. She wondered what her
parents would think, then gave a mental groan. Hells bells, they’d
get the news soon and they’d know exactly who The Other Woman was
as soon as they read the article. In fact, her friends would
know.
    “Oh, crap.” She
dropped her head back onto the headrest.
    “Problem?”
Marty kept his attention on the road.
    “Everyone back
home will hear about this.”
    “Yep.”
    “What am I
going to do?”
    “Keep forging
onward. Refuse to talk to the media. Keep your chin up.”
    “Keep my chin
up?”
    “You did
nothing wrong.” He slanted her a quick look. “Did you?”
    “Of course I
didn’t do anything wrong!” she retorted hotly. “It was Trevor who -
who…”
    “Took your
virginity?”
    Belle
flushed.
    “Hey,” Marty
said. “Your words, not mine, remember?”
    Dropping her
forehead into her hands, she moaned. “Oh my God.”
    A big hand
patted her back comfortingly.
    “My parents are
going to read that. My neighbours. My friends. My boss. Oh God !”
    “Trust me, it’s
not as bad as it sounds.”
    “How can you
say that?” She rubbed her face.
    “It’s not like
you’re a terrorist, right? You didn’t hold up a bank or steal from
an old pensioner, or kick a dog.”
    “Kick a
dog?”
    “Kicking a dog
is low.”
    “Are you
kidding me?”
    “Not when it
comes to animals.”
    “Trevor was an
animal.”
    “Okay, you can
kick him, but that’s it.”
    A glance out of
the corner of her eye showed him smiling and Belle couldn’t help
but give a watery laugh.
    Marty leaned
across, popped open the glove box and withdrew a small box of
tissues which he dropped into her lap.
    Plucking out a
couple, she dabbed the stray tear that had been hovering at the
corner of her eye and took a deep breath, straightening her
shoulders and cracking the window open a little to let the evening
breeze enter to help dry her eyes. Though why she was crying over
the cheating bastard was beyond her.
    She sought to
divert her attention. “So where are we going?”
    “To the local
pub.”
    “Do you even
know a place like that?”
    “What a
question! I always go to the pub when I’m slumming.”
    Realizing how
her words had sounded, Belle turned to face him. “I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean that the way it came out.”
    Unconcerned,
Marty waved it away.
    “I’m really
very grateful to you for taking the time to take me out. For
dinner.” Not wanting him to get the wrong idea, she added, “At your
parent’s suggestion, I mean.”
    “I know what
you mean.” He grinned. “And here we are.”
    He pulled the
car into the crowded car