The Lawson Boys: Marty (5 page)

Gathering up
the cardigan and clutch, she went downstairs. Leaving the cardigan
and clutch on the foyer table, she wandered into the lounge room.
Marty wasn’t due for another thirty minutes, so she crossed to the
coffee table and picked up the folded local newspaper to read.

The first two
pages were full of the usual bad news, but then she got to the
third page and her eyes widened.

‘
Who Is The
Other Woman?’
was emblazoned across the top of the page and
underneath was a photo of the back door of the church, showing
Trevor exiting with his hand over his face and his best man and
groomsmen shielding him from the photographer. Another photograph
showed a limousine at the side of the church with the distraught
bride glaring at the photo lens while being bundled into the car by
her tearful mother and scowling father.

In horrified
fascination, Belle started to read.

‘
On what
should have been a day of heartfelt fidelity swearing, it was
discovered that Trevor Benderage had been anything but when his
wedding to Melissa Hartford was interrupted spectacularly by a
mystery woman who stormed the church accusing him of taking her
virginity less than a week ago.’

“Ooohhh, shit.”
Taking a deep breath, Belle read on.

‘
The mystery
woman allegedly stormed up the aisle, accused Trevor and then
slapped him across the face. Neither the bride nor groom was
available for comment, and the parents of both are saying nothing.
All that is known is that the mystery woman will not be charged for
assault.

In fact, we’re
left wondering who is the mystery woman? Witnesses say she’s not
the kind of woman the groom would normally date.

One guest
stated, ‘Obviously she had something that attracted Trevor. I guess
we all know what that was now!’

There has been
no further mention of whether the wedding will go ahead or not.

Staring at the
photos was like seeing something that had happened to someone else,
and in case of the photos it had, but she’d been the cause of
it.

No, Trevor had
caused it with his lies and his cheating. But whatever happened,
now everyone was wondering who The Other Woman was and a sudden
thought struck Belle. What if someone recognized her?

“Oh no,” she
muttered, dropping the newspaper onto the coffee table. “I can’t go
out, not now. No way.”

“Sure you can,”
a voice drawled from the doorway.

She spun around
to see Marty leaning languidly against the doorway, his ankles
crossed and one hand in his black pants pocket, the other holding a
light jacket across one broad shoulder. The thick lock of blonde
hair flopped low across his brow and his eyes twinkled
wickedly.

“I don’t know
what you mean,” she replied stiffly. “I’m not feeling well, that’s
all.”

Pushing
upright, he ambled past her, leaving a faint trace of fresh
aftershave in his wake. When he bent over to pick up the newspaper
she couldn’t help but notice how nicely his pants stretched taunt
over his buttocks. Very nice, firm buttocks.

God above,
Belle! You’ve more problems on your plate and don’t have time to
ogle a man’s arse!
What the hell was wrong with her? She’d
never noticed a man’s arse before in her life and now certainly
wasn’t the time to start.

Tossing his
jacket carelessly onto the coffee table, Marty picked up the
newspaper and straightened, turning to face her and holding it
before him with the photos glaringly clear. He arched one brow.

She arched one
back at him coolly, determined not to crack.

He shook the
paper a little.

She arched her
brow higher.

His matched
hers.

This time he
snapped the paper briskly.

Belle folded
her arms beneath her breasts, which caused the generous mounds to
swell against the bodice.

Give him his
due, Marty’s gaze faltered only briefly. His mouth quirked at the
corner, the dimple appearing.

“Come,” he
coaxed, his voice deep and oozing masculine confidence. “Tell
me.”

“Tell you
what?”

“Honey, you’re
The Other Woman. Everyone is wondering who you are. That’s why you
don’t want to go out now.”

“No. I said I
don’t feel well.”

“That’s the
sensation of the butterflies in your belly having a panic
attack.”

Dropping all
pretence, she glared at him. “What do you want, Martin?”

“Ooohhh,
Martin. My mother calls me that when I’m in trouble.” Dropping the
newspaper onto the table, he stuck both hands into his pockets and
rocked back on his well-shod heels. “Am I in trouble, Belle?
Because I rather thought it was the other way around.”

“Then you’d be
wrong. Trevor was in trouble. I’m just fine.”

“If you’re just
fine then you don’t feel sick, your butterflies aren’t having a
panic attack, and we can go out for dinner and drinks.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Frustrated, her
emotions a jangled mess, Belle slammed her hands on her hips.
“Look, I appreciate you keeping your mother happy, but-”

“Oh, honey, I’m
not taking you out to keep my mother happy.” His smile flashed
white against his tanned skin. “I’m taking you out because I like
you.”

Her mouth fell
open.

“I also know
you’re scared stiff that someone will recognize you, but you can’t
hide in the house forever, Belle. Now get your things and lets
go.”

“Are you
listening to me? I said-”

“I’m
listening.” Walking past her, he smoothly slid his arm around her
waist and brought her along with him, tucking her into his side as
he did so. “Now here’s what I propose. We skip the expensive club I
was planning on taking you to, we go to some cheap dive no one who
mixes in Trevor or Melissa’s company would ever dream of going to,
we have a nice meal and some drinks, you relax, and we enjoy
ourselves.”

By the time
they got to the foyer, she’d regained her senses and dug her heels
in. When Marty looked down at her inquiringly, she said, “I don’t
think this is a good idea.”

“If you don’t
go out, Mum will start to get suspicious. She’ll think I did
something to you.” His eyes gleamed a little wolfishly. “I promised
her that I’d be good.” His face saddened a little, though his eyes
retained the twinkle. “Come on, Belle. You’ve had a rather nasty
start to your holiday and I’m here to see that you enjoy tonight.
All you have to do is eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”

Looking up at
him, she couldn’t stop the sad droop of her shoulders.

“Or talk.” His
gaze softened, and reaching up, he gently stroked her cheek with
his thumb. “Or not. Just come and relax, Belle. We’ll go somewhere
you can relax and not be afraid of being recognized. Okay?” He held
up three fingers in the Boy Scout salute. “I promise to
behave.”

“Your Mum said
you’d never been a Boy Scout.”

He made a
motion of crossing his heart with one finger. “Better?”

Looking up at
him, Belle could see the sincerity in his expression. All amusement
was gone from his handsome features and was now replaced with
concern.

Yes, she could
stay in this house, holed up, thinking about Trevor and his
treachery. Or she could go out and relax for a few hours. Marty,
she was certain, would ensure she was okay. If he didn’t, it would
reflect on his family and that was one thing she knew a Lawson
never did.

Besides, didn’t
she deserve a nice evening with a handsome man after what Trevor
had done to her? After all, she’d done nothing wrong, so why should
she be the one hiding?

She smiled up
at Marty. “Okay.”

His grin was
instant. “There you go.” Picking up her lace cardigan and clutch,
he handed 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 park of an old, two story brick building.
Music thumped out and people milled around.

Opening the car
door, Belle got out and glanced around. Pubs were more the places
she was used to when going out, fancy clubs no. Marty came up
beside her, his hand on the small of her back easing her aside so
that he could shut the door. He pressed a button on the remote
attached to the key and the locks engaged, the headlights flashing
once to show that the car was now alarmed.

Belle was
startled when he took hold of her hand as he started walking,
threading through the cars and leading her around the crush of
people, his tall, muscular frame making a pathway for her to
follow. Not once did he release her hand, not even as he nodded and
called back cheerful greetings and several times a laughing
insult.

Okay, she had
to admit, his warm grasp felt comforting, his stance between her
and the crowd almost protective, and when he stopped and she bumped
into the back of him, his other hand came back to brush against her
hip as he glanced back over his shoulder. “All right?”

It wasn’t just
a casual glance but one that swept over her face searchingly.

Unsure in the
face of this unexpected chivalry, she nodded. The heat from his
body so close against her own was…delicious.

And she, Belle
decided, must be delirious. He was just a man, for Pete’s sake.

Okay, a
protective man.

And a man who
knew his way around women, she reminded herself as one giggling
woman called his name and waved. She couldn’t afford to forget that
little fact, not after having just been badly burned.

The timely
reminder had her stepping back from him, but when his hand
tightened reflectively around hers, she didn’t struggle.

Okay, she was
weak. The warmth of his hand holding hers was welcome. Call it a
moment’s weakness, but damned if she was going to pull away.
Besides, she’d probably get lost in the crowd.