~ Marcus in the bedroom with the others ~<br/><br/>He would have thought it impossible to have more surprises that night given how many had occurred already; would have even been willing to bet on it in fact.  However, Marcus was wrong, so terribly wrong and yet it was a good thing indeed.  His gaze was on Mila, watching the emotions play across her face when Nicci make her overture, and it was clear that an internal struggle was going on, one that might impact the cohesiveness of this group – no, this family - that Marcus wanted so desperately.  He wanted to shout at her to do it, to just let go of whatever it was that held her back, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.  This would have to be her decision to make, her step towards a brighter future, and no one could influence that.  When she took it, his heart stopped for the briefest moment and then began beating faster and harder than he thought possible.  She’d stood at the edge of the cliff and leaped off it, taking control of her destiny in that moment, and it was a delightful thing to see.  The kiss sizzled with heat and lust and so much more and his only regret was that Bo got it instead of him, a thought that drew a grin to his lips.<br/><br/>As the two broke apart, Marcus’s gaze was drawn away from them, towards the lovely Mari, whose words caused his heart to beat even faster.  He blinked then, realizing he was on the hot seat, and simply stared at her for a moment, his gaze tracing the contours of her cheeks and lips before dipping lower for just a second.  It was a move that he hadn’t planned, one that he usually did more discreetly, but in that moment he couldn’t have stopped it if he’d tried.  The room was simply too charged with emotions to do otherwise so he let it stand; having done it though, it was only fair that he do the same to the others so his gaze moved to Nicci next, letting it trace over her also.  Last, but not least, he turned towards Mila, noting the way she held her arms over her breasts, as if protecting them from his sight yet wanting to draw attention to them.  He drew his eyes upward then, until he was studying her carefully, considering his options, finally making a decision.  Flashing a smile at Mila, he slowly turned his head back towards Mari.  “As beautiful as each of you are in your own ways, this decision is an easy one.”  He licked his lips slowly as his gaze bore into hers and continued.  “For my first<em>real</em>kiss” he nudged Mila as he said it, to tease her for the chaste kiss she’d delivered earlier, “I choose the woman that first captured my heart, when she smoked me out there on the dance floor, her body teasing mine the entire time.”   Crooking his finger at her, he grinned.  “Come here, Mari.”  The words were husky yet commanding, brought out by his intense desire to feel her lips against his.<br/>