I tried it again with about as much success as the first time, and a moment later, a pair of cool hands wound around my hips. My breath caught in my chest as Marcus gently guided me through the twisting gesture he was trying to explain—his body mimicking the motion behind me. Almost too soft to notice, I felt his forehead press down against my hair. There was a sudden stillness behind me, and I realized he wasn’t breathing either.
A shiver ran up my spine, and when I felt like my body was going to literally explode, I scrambled to come up with something—anything—to say.
“…this feels like more than just acting.”
My eyes snapped shut. That was not what I had in mind. But as Marcus pulled away he laughed aloud, twirling a club in his hand. “Give it another try.”
I glanced out nervously at the green. “Do you think I should take off my bracelet first? I don’t want it falling off…”
“It’ll be fine. Now stop stalling and swing.”
“Just put it in your pocket for me.”
“It’s not going to come off—just swing the club.”
“Marcus—”
“Now, Miss White!”
“Fine!”
With a silent prayer, I squinted shut my eyes, yelled a pre-emptive “Four” and gave it everything I had. A loud whoop behind me jolted me out of my thoughts. I gazed out at my ball as it landed shockingly close to the little flag.
“Did you see that?” I screeched.
Without stopping to think, Marcus scooped me up in his arms and spun me around in a circle. “That was brilliant!”
“I twisted from the hips!”
“You twisted from the hips!”
Our laughter slowly faded as we stared into each other’s eyes. I flushed and glanced away as his hands quickly loosened. He set me gently on the ground and took a small step back just as Takahari came around the corner, squinting off across the lawn.
“Akio, did you see that?” I cried.
Marcus raised his eyebrows and muttered, “Akio?”
Takahari used his hands like a visor. “Was that you, Marcus?”
Marcus grinned proudly and turned to me. “Actually, no. That was Rebecca.”
“Really?” Takahari took me by the arm and started leading me up the lawn to follow the shot. “In that case, Miss White, you need to let me in on your secret.”
“It’s all in the hips…” I said sagely, rejoining Takahari. Marcus and a henchman climbed into the cart and sped past us over the green.
The old man and I walked for a while longer in comfortable silence, before he turned to me speculatively. “Did you see the article that came out this morning?”
There was a hitch in my step. “I did.”
“Didn’t paint your boyfriend in the best of light.”
“No,” I admitted with a sigh. “I guess it didn’t.” We walked a few steps farther when I pulled us to a sudden stop. “But you know, Marcus never claimed to be a saint.”
Takahari looked at me curiously. “Go on.”
My eyes flickered across the green as I tried to think of how to phrase it. In the end, I simply shook my head. “I think any man who gives four million dollars each year to fight the disease that killed his mother is worth consideration.”
The old man nodded, but his face was hard. “Sentimentality isn’t the greatest attribute when it comes to business.”