~ Marcus with Bo at the girls' door ~<br/><br/>Bo’s knock was loud enough to wake the dead or at least that’s the way it appeared to Marcus when he heard it.  He was jumpy, his nerves on edge, and he knew it was a delayed reaction to Vince’s departure.  The minute the Irishman had left, Marcus had gone into business mode, analyzing the situation and anticipating the next moves, but now that they were standing in the dark hallway of the castle, the playing field had changed.  Gone was the business realm that he starred in; now they were in the realm of emotions, one in which Marcus definitely considered himself a weak link.  Strength, charm, protectiveness, those were all traits Marcus could pull from at will but emotions….not so much.<br/><br/>When Nicci opened the door, the look on her face caused his heart to skip a beat.  Weariness and shock were there, as well as hope, or at least that was Marcus’s interpretation of what he saw and he understood them both.  Bo spoke quickly, the words far from flowery or cliché, and Marcus found himself nodding along as he went, a genuine smile fresh on his face.  “Bo’s right” he said when his turn came and he moved closer to the door, his hand falling on the man’s shoulder.  “We both came here for a specific reason and we’re committed to making this work.  I, for one, am counting on it.”  His words were sincere and he meant everyone of them, even if he didn’t say much.<br/><br/>The approach of Mari drew his gaze away from Nicci and he grinned when he saw the young Hispanic woman.  Dressed in simple pink pajamas, she oozed a secret sex appeal that he doubted she was even aware of, though it did much for his libido in that moment.  All the women were dressed down, a fact he noted for the first time right then, and he liked that; it showed a different side to them, one that was more personal and revealing in its own way, and he couldn’t wait for the time when they could all dress down and be totally relaxed.  When she extended the offer to join their slumber party, he laughed and shook his head.  “I think that’s the most tempting offer I’ve had all night.  I accept.”  He had no idea if Bo was of a like mind or not but he suspected he wouldn’t say no so with a squeeze of his shoulder, he slipped past the ex-soldier and Nicci and entered the room, taking a seat next to Mila.<br/>