~Marcus, at dinner with everyone~<br/><br/>There’d been a brief moment of worry after his comment, the type one got when they realized they might have just said something that would make a fool of them and stop the conversation short, but it faded almost instantly.  Mari’s reaction, a quick burst of laughter that lit her face with an inner glow, brought an instant smile to Marcus and he felt warmth inside his chest as a result.  That was quickly followed by a playful punch from Nicci herself, done in mock jest, her words causing a flare of arousal inside him as an image of all three men writhing on the bed with her swam in his mind for a moment.<br/><br/>What followed next was more light banter and jokes from Bo and Tool at Nicci’s (and the other women too) expense, all of which was taken in stride.  It was timid Mila’s comment though, said so softly and directed towards Tool, which almost made Marcus spit out the liquid he’d just sipped.  Taken by surprise, his eyes turned to the man to see how he would react, grinning when he did.  So the first intimate salvo had been thrown among them, if only in jest, and Marcus hoped it opened the way to more exploration in that area when the time was right.<br/><br/>Looking to one after another, he basked in the feeling that existed right then.  Friendships were beginning, the way to future endeavors being paved, and all of them seemed to delight in that fact.  Thinking back to the days when he’d sat down to select this group, he realized just how lucky he’d been with his choices.  This thing that was developing between them….he now knew it truly had a chance.<br/>