A Man For Marley

by Arianna Hart

  “Whatever you want to do.” Marley went off to Seamus’ room to go through the boxes marked “Mary Kate.”

  The first box she opened contained a beautiful, Irish lace baptismal gown. She tried picturing Hunter in the delicate dress and snorted at the image.

  Underneath the baptismal gown was another dress of Irish lace, probably for a girl’s First Communion. It must have belonged to Mary Kate, and she would have been saving it for her granddaughter. The thought that Seamus would never see any grandchildren Hunter might have, made her eyes tear up.

  This was going to be harder than she thought. She put the dresses aside to save for Hunter. He might not want them now, but someday he would. The last dress could only have been Mary Kate’s wedding dress. It consisted of yards and yards of hand-embroidered satin and a beautiful beadwork bodice.

  There was a floor length veil of Irish lace beneath the wedding dress.

  Marley looked at the dress in awe. The amount of work that went into making it was unbelievable. She ran her hands gently across the beads; along the hem the beadwork formed ancient Celtic patterns. It was more beautiful than anything she had seen in the glossy magazines at the supermarket checkout. She carefully packed it back into the box, along with the other two gowns and set it aside, sniffling quietly.

  She quickly went through the other boxes; there were two filled with clothes, none of which would fit her, and one that held jewelry. She had better check with Hunter before she took any of the jewelry, he might want some of it for his future wife.

  The thought of Hunter with some other woman for the rest of his life gave her a sick feeling. She pushed it aside. She had her plans and he wasn’t a part of her future. It was best to keep that in mind.

  “Find anything good?” Hunter asked from the doorway, looking far too sexy in the early afternoon sunlight.

  “Yes, actually. I found your baptismal gown. I bet you looked stunning in yards of Irish lace,” Marley teased, trying to gage his mood.

  “Really? I can assure you it is the only time I ever wore lace. What else is in all those boxes?”

  “Well, this one here has a First Communion dress, and your mother’s wedding dress. I’ll store that one for you if you don’t want to keep it. These two have your mother’s clothes, and this little one has her jewelry. I figured I’d let you pick out anything you wanted to save first. I’m not big on jewelry, but I would hate to see anything that Seamus gave her just sold off.”

  “I’ll look it over, I can’t imagine there is much there. My mom didn’t wear a lot of jewelry either.”

  “Okay, well, is it all right with you if I have the china and crystal? Seamus didn’t think you had any use for it, but I feel funny just taking it.”

  Marley could feel the tension building again.

  Hunter had moved into the room while they talked, and now he was standing very close to where she was kneeling on the floor. She imagined running her hands up his denim-clad legs and digging her fingers into his oh-so-tight butt. She had to get out of here.

  “Go ahead and take it, I really don’t have any use for dishes with little flowers on them.”

  “As long as you don’t mind?” At his nod, Marley got up and nervously dusted her hands off on her behind. “I’ll just start putting those boxes in the truck then. If you get movers, I wouldn’t want them moving that stuff anyway.”

  “That’s fine, there aren’t too many boxes that will fit in the truck. I can’t believe he saved all that stuff. Is anyone taking the bed? I could get a new mattress for it and it would be good as new.” Hunter ran his hands lovingly over the spirals on the headboard.

  Marley’s mind once again betrayed her by picturing those hands running over her the same way.

  What did he ask? Oh, yeah, the bed.

  “Um, no, I don’t think anyone wanted it, or the rest of the bedroom furniture, either. I know all the living room stuff went, plus the dining room set, but I don’t think anyone wanted this monster of a bed. Seamus rarely slept in it anyway. With his heart condition, it was uncomfortable for him to lie down all the way. He would mostly sleep in the recliner in the den. It’s sitting in my apartment now. The recliner, I mean, if you want it.” She was babbling like an idiot. She really needed to get away from him before her last brain cell got up and ran away, too.

  “No, I don’t want the chair, but there is no sense getting rid of the bed. I need one, and this is as good as any I could buy. I think my grandfather made it, but I don’t remember for sure. I don’t remember where a lot of things came from. I guess I should have paid more attention to my mom.”

  Marley saw a wave of sadness spread over his face.

  She suddenly felt very guilty for thinking about jumping him when he was having such a hard time dealing with his past.

  “Listen, why don’t I put the china and stuff away, you go through the box of jewelry, then we can get out of here for today. We’ll call some movers and have them take everything back to the apartment.”

  “Thanks,” Hunter’s jaw was clenched tight, and he wasn’t looking at her anymore.

  Marley left quietly and started loading boxes into the truck. She got as many cartons stacked as she could, then went back to the bedroom to get Hunter.

  Maybe she would treat him to lunch before they went back to the bar. She stood in the doorway of the room about to say something when she stopped suddenly.

  Hunter was kneeling by the bed, holding an apron and there were tears on his face.

  The apron looked like a young child had made it. It had two small handprints on the pockets, and a shaky heart on the front that had 'Mom' written in it.

  She didn’t know what to do. A strange part of her ached to hold him and let him cry it out; the other part warned her that he probably wouldn’t appreciate being caught crying. This was a private moment, and it would probably be best if she just left him to deal with his grief alone, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.

  It was startling to see such a strong man break down. She had never seen a man cry before, and the sight made something in her heart thud. When she first met him, she thought he was a pretty boy interested in nothing but racing and women. She saw him as being all flash and no substance. But now, after seeing him in the house he grew up in, the obvious pain on his face, she thought there might be a little bit more beneath the surface than she had first presumed.

  Going on instinct alone, Marley walked quietly over to him and put her arms around him from behind, giving him the option to hide his tears before turning around.

  “We can leave any time you want. Why don’t we go get some lunch, my treat?”

  “I made this for her when I was in the first grade. She used to wear it every day when she made dinner. It still smells like her, for God’s sake.”

  Marley could see his struggle for control, his throat was working madly, and she could hear him swallowing back more tears. She was completely at a loss on what to do next. She had never had to comfort a man on the loss of his parents before; she had no idea what to do. So she did nothing, just stood there with her arms around him while he fought for composure.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  —

  Hunter fought to get his emotions back under control.

  For the first time it really hit him that this part of his life was over for good. For the last ten years he had gone on his merry way, rarely missing the house or his father. He would talk to Pops on the phone, but didn’t visit that often. It never bothered him, he guessed because he knew in the back of his mind that the house and his father would always be there.

  Now his father was gone, and soon the house would be, too. He hadn’t cried since his mother’s funeral, and it bothered him that Marley had seen him. He kept waiting for her to say something to him, but she had been quiet all the way into the city.

  “Do you mind if we don’t do lunch? I’m not feeling very hungry, and there are a lot of things I need to get done before I have to be on duty tonight,�
�� Hunter said, trying to give her a smile.

  “That’s fine, I need to get some things done anyway.”

  “I, uh appreciate your help at the house, I don’t know what came over me.”

  “No problem.”

  No problem? Oh there was a problem all right.

  Hunter didn’t know what it was. She answered him in short, clipped sentences, and hadn’t volunteered any conversation the whole ride home. Maybe she was as uncomfortable about the whole thing as he was. He was more than happy to stuff it under the rug. He’d rather face a wall at one hundred ninety miles an hour than an emotional scene any day of the week.

  The sound of her voice shook him out of his thoughts when she asked, “if you have the time, can you help me carry those boxes downstairs? I don’t know where I’m going to keep them otherwise. I don’t have room for the china in the apartment.”

  “Sure, that shouldn’t take long.” Hunter backed the truck up and parked illegally in front of the building, making a mental note to hunt down a parking space later. Right now, though, the husky timbre of her voice was doing strange things to his insides. It was a welcome distraction from his depressing thoughts.

  “Hold on while I unlock the basement door, it should only take us a couple of trips,” Marley said, bustling past Hunter on the sidewalk.

  He could still feel her soft arms around him, smell her sweet fragrance as she wordlessly held him. He appreciated the comfort then, but his thoughts were anything but comfortable now. If fact, they were decidedly uncomfortable as he watched her shorts stretch tightly across her backside when she propped open the door.

  The combination of her nearness and his emotional roller coaster ride had him randier than a goat. He could feel his need for her growing inside him until he was ready to explode with it.

  “Ugh, let’s get this done quickly, I hate it down here,” Marley said as he followed her down into the dimly lit basement.

  “What’s wrong? Afraid of the boogie monster? Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” Hunter wiggled his eyebrows at her, making her smile.

  “Yeah, but who is going to protect me from you?”

  Marley asked as she opened the storage unit. She placed her box on an empty shelf and Hunter followed suit.

  “No one, if you’re lucky.” Grabbing her arm, he pulled her into his body, swooping down and capturing her mouth in a kiss.

  It had felt like forever since he touched her. His entire body came alive when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself against him.

  Certain parts of his body were a bit more alive than others; his erection was again pressed painfully against his zipper.

  This time he wanted her to be as seeped in desire as he was. He used every ounce of his considerable experience to tease and tempt her. His teeth nipped at her full lower lip, his tongue soothed the bite, then dove inside her warm mouth to dual with hers. He ran his hands down her back and grabbed her heart-shaped butt, pulling her even closer into his erection.

  Her hands were gripping his shoulders like a lifeline; her head fell back when his mouth left hers, so he took advantage of the access and attacked her neck with a trail of kisses down across her collarbone to the neckline of the T-shirt.

  He let go of her behind so he could move on to other dangerous curves. He used both hands to hold and fondle her generous breasts, feeling a sense of triumph when her nipples shot to attention under the shirt. Taking that as an invitation, he sucked the delicate nubs right through the cotton.

  She was running her hands under his shirt and rubbing her body against his hardness, making him mad with hunger. It was her turn to attack him, and she kissed him feverishly along his face and neck.

  “Hey, Marley, are you down there? There’s a cop here who’s going to tow Hunter’s truck if he doesn’t move it.” Oscar’s disembodied voice floated down the stairs.

  Hunter reluctantly let her go, but didn’t move away. He looked at the wet spots on her shirt with hunger, literally starving for her.

  “Thanks, Oscar, we were just moving some boxes, he’ll be up in a second,” Marley called back, her hands shaking but her voice steady, if a little husky.

  Hunter’s gaze was direct. “This isn’t over, Marley. No more games. We both know where this is headed,” Hunter said. He held her next to him for another delicious second.

  She let out a long sigh before speaking. “That may be so, but it isn’t going to be in a filthy cellar with an audience waiting to charge down here. Go move your truck.”

  Chapter Seven

  Marley had changed into an O’Malley’s T-shirt and was now at the bar stocking, cutting, and cleaning with an excess amount of energy. If Oscar thought it was odd for her to be flushed from moving a few boxes, he didn’t say so.

  She was in trouble, big time.

  If Oscar hadn’t interrupted them she would have gladly finished what Hunter had started right there in the dirty, creepy cellar. Well at least now she had something else that would occupy her thoughts the next time she went down there.

  She had been trying to puzzle Hunter out the whole ride back to the city, he seemed like such a contradiction to her. On one hand he was Mr. Risk Taker ready, willing, and able to take on every race that came his way. On the other hand he showed her a depth of feeling she never would have expected in someone like him. He came across as arrogant, an irresponsible pretty boy, yet he held doors for her, took the heaviest boxes without making a big deal about being stronger than she.

  And he cried over his mother.

  Maybe he was running away from home, rather than running towards something else.

  Her thoughts were chasing each other around her head. Was he really sincere, or just out for what he could get? She needed to take stock of the situation before it spiraled further out of control.

  Okay, she really wanted him. Duh, that was an understatement. But that was just physical; she had to look at the facts. He was definitely not the type of man she would pick for a husband, he was too transient, and she wanted someone who was going to be there at the end of the day.

  But she didn’t want a husband right now did she?

  He was leaving in six months anyway; this could work in her favor. If she looked at it like a short-term contract instead of a relationship she could get what she wanted with no strings attached. And she wanted Hunter, there was no use denying that any longer.

  It seemed a little mercenary, but if she kept it at the physical level and didn’t get her heart involved then she could enjoy him while he was here and say good-bye with no hard feelings. She didn’t think he would mind, after all he had made it quite clear that he was only here for the six months and when the time was up he was gone for good.

  A voice in her head said she was rationalizing giving into her desires, but she didn’t care. Her body still hummed from their aborted lovemaking session downstairs, and the area between her legs was still swollen and wet. Her body had already made its decision; the rest of her just had to catch up.

  “Hey, Marley, that was Johnny on the phone,” Oscar called from the kitchen. “He called to remind you that he wouldn’t be at work tonight.”

  “I forgot all about that with everything else going on. Damn, who are we going to get to bus the bar? Who’s on door besides Hunter tonight?” Marley thought out loud. “It’s Ricardo, isn’t it? That’s not going to work, he won’t ever work behind the bar again.”

  The person who bussed the bar, called the bar back, had a tough job. The bar back had to keep the bartenders supplied with clean glasses, replace the kegs when they got empty, and restock the ice and anything else the bartenders ran out of. Friday and Saturday were the only nights they had to have a bar back, because they were just too busy for a bartender to be away for ten minutes to replace a keg or go wash glasses.

  Marley was wracking her brain trying to think of a replacement she could call in for that night when Hunter came down the back stairs.

  “Hey, I got a mover to come in on Sunday
, I guess they had a last-minute cancellation or something.” He must have noticed her looking at him because his smile died and he said, “What?”

  Marley looked at Oscar and smiled. Replacement located.

  —

  Marley couldn’t believe how packed it was. The band was popular and there were many new faces in the crowd. Everyone was singing, dancing, and cheering loudly. Apparently they were also working up quite a thirst. Marley, Tiger, and Sandy were making drinks and pouring beers as fast as they could, and the crush was still three people deep all the way around the bar.

  Hunter was doing his best to keep up with their demands, Marley had to give him credit for busting his very cute butt. He had kept them well supplied with ice and glasses. He had a little trouble at first with the kegs, but Tiger showed him the trick to switching the hoses, and he caught on quickly.

  Marley was working her tail off, but not so much so that she could ignore the way Hunter’s muscles bulged when he carried in a load of ice or a full keg over his head. He smiled at a woman who flirted with him, but didn’t flirt back. She figured he was too busy to bother.

  Of course, he wasn’t too busy to rub against her butt every time he passed her, or brush his arm across her chest when he was reaching for something. When he would walk behind her she could smell his spicy cologne mixed with the slight musk of sweat and total manliness. He was teasing every one of her senses except taste, and she couldn’t wait to do something about that one later.

  After ten hours of foreplay, she was darn certain there was going to be a later.

  “Ti, is there any vodka in the back row?” Marley needed a crate to reach the top shelf of the rows of liquor. On a busy night like tonight she couldn’t have the crate lying around for everyone to trip over, so she had to rely on the much taller Tiger to get things for her.

  “I got the last one, I haven’t had a chance to replace it yet,” he called over the crowd.

  “I’ll go get a couple more, it looks like Hunter is busing tables to get us more glasses.” Marley pulled Sandy over to cover her spot at the bar and wiggled her way through the crowd to the storeroom.