Designing Abigail Kilton's Dress - #1 The Wedding Dress

Chapter 41 - Lovers Unaware

A shiver raked through Kayleigh's body. She wasn't cold or scared. She was confused. Unsettled. She didn't have a plan beyond the next five minutes, if that, and that riddled her with anxiety. 

She walked briskly from the station to the Puppet Theatre, looking behind her every four steps. By the time she crossed the bridge and reached the bright-coloured barge, the people who got off the train with her had dissipated to other areas and she found herself standing alone. 

Nervous. She was nervous. She felt like she was doing something wrong, illegal even.

“We’re just going to talk. We need to talk. We have to figure this out," she said under her breath. 

She caught a sudden movement to her left out of the corner of her eye. A large man wearing a grey hoodie, large sunglasses that hid most of his face and a baseball cap was making his way straight towards her. His head was lowered but she could feel his eyes on her still. 

The unease in Kayleigh's stomach grew for a whole different reason. She looked around her again, this time hoping to see someone else in the area, someone who would hear her scream should she need to, but the place was deserted. Her hand went straight to her phone instinctively as she turned the other way and started walking in the other direction.

The man’s footsteps quickened behind her, and she increased her pace, dialling Marcus’s number. Just as she was about to hit the green call button, a pair of strong hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her backwards. Without giving it a second thought, Kayleigh hitched her elbow backwards with as much force as she could muster until made impact with hard muscle. She knew it wasn’t near enough to actually hurt her aggressor, but she must have caught the man by surprise because his grip on her loosened.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, she quickly twisted in his hold, swinging her bag to the man's head in the process. He got a full face of Dolce, and before he could shield his face, she dug the side of her phone to the man's neck. 

"Jesus!" he coughed clutching his throat and turning to face away from her.

Kayleigh went to run away from him, but somehow, he managed to get hold of her wrist.

"Let go, you son of a-" 

"Kay Kay, it's me!”

She was about to land him another swing to the head but stopped as she realised the man’s voice was very familiar. Her eyes focused on the broad shoulders and the blond man bun sticking out of the blue cap.

“Marcus?”

"At your service,” he winced, removing his sunglasses and fixing his hat. “Not that you need it. I guess I don’t have to worry about anyone mugging you.”

Kayleigh blinked at him several times. The left side of his face was very red, and the chain of her bag had split the skin slightly over his cheek. Marcus rubbed a little drop of blood away with his thumb and sucked on it.

"Are you insane?" Kay yelled suddenly, hitting him with her bag across his arm. "You scared the daylight out of me, you creep!"

Marcus put his hands up over his face, trying to defend himself from the angry woman.

"Ow! Stop that!" 

But Kayleigh didn’t stop. Getting impatient, Marcus grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back. She immediately stilled in his arms, not because she was afraid of him, but because he was suddenly very close to her. Very close.  So close that their noses were touching.

She saw his pupils dilate and felt his breath hitch. His scent hit her senses like a spell, warm and sweet like a summer morning breeze. Just like him. He let go of her wrists. His hands glided up her arms slowly. She could see the fight in his eyes as time slowed around them.