Chapter 8: Itching for a Touch

*MARCUS’ POV*

Wolfgang’s hands were itching. The tips of his fingers were tingling from the urge to reach out and pull Bonnie into his lap. Although he was content with the conversation, he craved something far more intimate than what he had at present.

As pathetic as it sounded in his head, part of him wished that he had never let go of her hand once they got to his office.

Whenever Bonnie spoke, his eyes were locked on her full lips. Whenever she would sigh, he would watch the gentle rise and fall of her breasts. Whenever she shifted in her seat, his mind would fantasize about what it would feel like to have her thighs wrapped around his head.

The man swallowed back a groan and shoved the wonderful thoughts down for the time being before his arousal became too apparent. Much to his surprise, Marcus was thoroughly enjoying the talk they were sharing. It certainly wasn’t often that he spoke to someone whom his people would consider to be an ‘outsider’.

But Wolfgang was simply captivated by her in every sense of the word that he wouldn’t dare focus on anything else but her. Unfortunately, their conversation had taken a bit of a stagnant toll once they started discussing Bonnie’s contract with her agency.

“What sort of people are you not allowed to be seen with?” he pressed.

He knew he had no right to be upset with this particular facet of Bonnie’s legal binding. Hell, it wasn’t as if he was decent company to keep in general. Marcus was fairly certain that he was exactly the picture-perfect idea of what Bonnie was meant to stay away from.

But even with that same thought in mind, Wolfgang found himself slowly inching closer to the young woman next to him. The scent of jasmine layered with fresh linen filled his nose. Her smell matched her personality. Soft, gentle-natured, and innocent.

“I think it would be much easier to tell you about the people who I ‘am’ allowed to be around,” Bonnie stated. “According to my contract, I am only permitted to be near people who are not considered to be of any negative influence. The ideal person must have an honest background and must be favored in the public eye, a stable career, no addictions, a clean criminal record, and must be of sound body and mind.”

All Marcus could do was stare at her. The corner of his mouth pulled up into an amused smirk.

“Well, sh*t,” he said under his breath. “That must make the chance of dating difficult.”

He expected Bonnie to laugh the way she had earlier. However, the exact opposite had taken place. The girl’s eyes looked as if they had glazed over. Her voice sounded taut and thick with indignation.

“Nope,” she said bitterly. “The contract covers that too.”

A new kind of energy filled the space around them. Apart from the sensual thickness of having moved closer together, Marcus felt he was on the verge of a very dangerous revelation. He didn’t trust the words to calmly come out of his mouth, so he waited for her.

Bonnie raked a rough hand through her wavy hair. Her eyes fluttered shut.

“My contracts usually last up to six months, at most a year. During that time, I am basically paired with someone...someone who I am ‘technically’ in a relationship with,” she explained flatly.

For the moment, Marcus was grateful that Bonnie wasn’t looking at him. Otherwise, she would have seen the lethal look in his eyes and surely would have taken off running. He curled both of his hands into tight fists, causing his knuckles to whiten. His mouth pulled back into a vicious sneer.

“That’s f*cking ridiculous!” he hissed between his teeth. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” she said weakly.

A new feeling filled Wolfgang. What was once sympathy turned to a malicious form of jealousy. Just the mere thought of some random guy putting his hands on Bonnie—all because he had the legal right to do so—had him gritting his teeth.

He fought to keep his composure but was not winning the fight. A painful sensation crackled through his rib cage and left him feeling utterly tortured. Soon, the words were falling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“What’s his name?” he snarled.

“Jake Connor.”

Marcus rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. He was not impressed.

“What does he do?” he pressed harshly.

“He’s an actor,” Bonnie said swiftly. “He’s...just starting out.”

Wolfgang blew another puff of air in irritation. Christ. Not only was Bonnie legally shackled to a person for the sake of upholding her end of a psychotic contract, the woman just had to be tied to a godd*mn nobody as well. The utter disrespect was baffling.

Of all the various occupations, why had they picked someone who was just starting out as an actor? Why not a professional? Did she have any say in who she gets contracted with?

Marcus felt his stomach drop. “Do you like him?” he questioned stiffly.

He loathed how immature it sounded to ask such a childish question. But he needed to know.

“No,” she whispered.

He snapped his head around to face her, not caring if he looked manic or not. Marcus released the death grip he had on his own hands. His eyes studied the saddened features of Bonnie’s face and wished there was a way he could make them vanish.

“Jake? He’s a nice guy. However, I think he lets his attractiveness go to his head a lot,” she said coldly. “It’s the only reason why he and I were contracted together in the first place. My agent thought it would be fitting to pair me with ‘another pretty face’ as she described it.”

This time, Marcus let his intrusive thoughts win. After several attempts of keeping his hands to himself, the man relinquished all self-control he had left and went for Bonnie’s hand. He slipped his long fingers around her wrist and softly enveloped her delicate hand inside of his own.

Wolfgang half expected Bonnie to pull away or, in the very least, tense up under his touch. But, no. The girl pushed her hand further into his and even went a step further and tried to hook her fingers around a few of the man’s digits. That same rush of heat boiled inside of him.

‘I should not be enjoying this as much as I am,’ he thought. ‘Hell, I shouldn’t be doing this at all.’

Surely this woman was wise enough to notice that Marcus’ intentions were not entirely selfless. Nor were they pure to any capacity. Why this man wanted her was still yet a mystery to be unraveled. Yes, Bonnie was beautiful. And Marcus held every intention on one day worshiping that beauty until his fixation would be satiated.

But what if it never would be? What if what this man was currently feeling ran much deeper than just feverish lust?

His tender gaze observed her staggering ability to mask her true emotions and produce an awe-inspiring smile.

“Thank you for the flowers by the way,” she said kindly.

Wolfgang returned her smile and traced tiny circles over her hand with his thumb. “My pleasure, Miss Renolds.”

She lightly shook her head. “And... this whole contract business. You really don’t have to concern yourself with it, okay? It’s something that I just have to deal with myself,” Bonnie admitted.

“What if I want to make it my concern?” he asked daringly.

His eyes dropped to her lips, wanting only to discover what she tasted like. And it appeared that he was not the only one with this thought flashing through his mind. Marcus sat as stiff as stone while Bonnie adjusted her position on the couch, inadvertently scooting herself closer to him.

“I’d tell you not to waste your time,” she murmured.

Marcus lowered his voice just above a whisper. “You could never be a waste of my time, Bonnie.”

Her breathing grew hitched. “I...I should p-probably...get back to my friend,” she weakly suggested.

Again, Marcus waited for her to pull away but Bonnie continued to lean in closer. His hold on her hand tightened while the other reached up to brush a few strands of hair away from her face. The two sat so close that they were all each other could see.

“Marcus.”

“Yes?”

Her expression was pleading. Marcus glanced between her eyes and her lips. The man was seconds away from setting fire to his conscience and capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. Self-preservation be damned. He was ready to yank her up by the fabric of her clothes and haul her into his chest.

Wolfgang could practically hear the need in her voice and how it sought to be satisfied. How desperately her body probably ached to be touched by someone who genuinely had an interest in her. Not because of some signed piece of paper but because of a true mutual affection.

‘Has she ever experienced something like that?’ he wondered. ‘Would she ever allow me to show her what it’s like to be properly cared for?’

All this time, Wolfgang hadn’t realized he was holding his breath while waiting for her to speak. Bonnie’s brows knitted together, her head tilted to the side.

“I—”

**Knock. Knock. Knock.**