With those words, he walked back into his office, leaving a stunned Teague and a shy Marcy in his wake.
Teague looked down at Marcy, then at his brother. When he saw the dark circles under her eyes and the stiff tension in Zeke’s shoulders, he almost threw back his head and laughed. “Got it,” he said, smothering a chuckle because he didn’t think that either party would find this situation amusing. Granted, Teague found a lot of situations amusing. More so than most people but…
Hell, he knew exactly what Zeke was going through. Jealousy was racing through his body as well and he wondered what….
Nope, not going there, he reminded himself firmly! His woman was gone. She’d decided he wasn’t what she wanted for her life. No matter how…
Teague rubbed a hand over his face, almost as tense as Zeke’s now.
Forcing his mind back to the present and not on the lovely blonde that had tormented him for way too long now, he gently urged Marcy to follow Zeke’s orders. “Go home, Marcy. I know that you stress about these exams and Zeke’s right. You have put in plenty of extra hours and you’ve done an amazing job around here. Everything is back to normal. Maybe soon…”
“No!” Zeke roared from the inner office and Teague stifled his laughter once again. He’d known what his brother’s reaction would be, but it was a good test.
Teague’s eyebrows shot up with those words and he glanced down at Marcy, who was in turn glaring at the empty doorway.
He couldn’t stop the chuckle and shook his head. “Take the day off. Get some rest and then study.” With a wink, he walked into his brother’s office and closed the door.
Marcy stared at the door, not sure what to make of that interaction. Those four brothers were close, but something was…off today.
At this point though, she was too tired to muddle through the dynamics of the two extremely large, complex men. Normally, she would protest taking the day off. She loved her job and cringed at the idea of anything going on in the office that she couldn’t control.
But she was exhausted and it was all Zeke’s fault. Well, he didn’t know that it was his fault, nor would she actually tell him, but still….
Grabbing her purse, she ignored her cooling coffee and walked out of the office. After she closed the door to her apartment behind her, she fell onto her sofa and was asleep in less than thirty seconds.
Chapter 6
“We have a problem,” Teague announced, the following Monday as he, Logan and Luke walked into Zeke’s office. They didn’t bother closing the door this time, needing to work things out with Zeke.
Zeke stood up and gestured to the conference room table. “I think I know what you’re going to say,” he said and slid the report he’d just been reviewing towards Teague. The man looked over the numbers, his lips compressing with irritation. “Yeah.” And he slid the report over to Logan and Luke, both of whom glanced at the numbers, and nodded as well.
“I’ll go,” Logan announced. “I can get in there and…”
Teague shook his head. “You can’t. I need you on the Queen Anne project. Those beams are coming in tomorrow and you and I both need to do the calculations to ensure that they are set properly. Tommy already has the specs, but he can’t do it himself.”
Logan nodded. “You’re right. I’d forgotten about that.”
“I’ll go,” Luke announced.
Teague leaned back in the leather chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “You can’t go either. The marketing just hit the papers. You have a blitz going on at the moment. Your sales team is good, but you’re the driving force behind the sales.”
Zeke sighed and rubbed his face. “I’ll go. Teague is right. The three of you are needed here. The timing is critical for your departments. I can cancel my meetings over the next week and get this situation solved.”
The three younger brothers glanced quickly at each other, all of them trying hard to maintain blank expressions even as they sent silent messages to each other. “Take Marcy with you,” Teague interjected. “She knows the issues behind the supply orders. She has a good eye for doing an audit and can spot things that are not right.”
Zeke thought about that for about half a second. “You’re right. She’ll be an asset. But can she get away from her night classes?”
Teague straightened up. “Marcy!” he shouted towards the doorway.
A moment later, the adorable brunette appeared in the doorway. “You bellowed?” she asked with a tone that told him that he shouldn’t have yelled for her. Logan and Luke both chuckled, knowing that Teague was going to pay for that.
Teague only laughed. “Do you have any exams coming up that you need to be in class for over the next week or two?”
Marcy shook her head. “No. I’m all caught up with assignments and…” she stopped, her eyes moving towards Zeke’s. “Why?” She felt that strange nervousness, anticipation almost, creeping up on her.
“I need you,” Zeke explained. When her eyes opened wide, he almost laughed at the slip. “I need your help, if you can spare the time.”
He saw her shoulders tense even more, but she turned to fully face him. It almost seemed like she was ready to do battle. “What do you need?” she asked.
Zeke ignored the smirks on his brothers’ features as they walked out. The problem was solved and they wanted to give their oldest brother the privacy he would need for this conversation. Logan shook his head, Luke winked at Marcy and Teague punched Luke’s arm as if to convey some sort of warning. Zeke ignored them, focusing all of his energy on Marcy. “We have three projects that are in progress and falling behind suddenly. We can see the supply issues, know that there aren’t any labor shortages and the site managers are asking for help. On the surface, everything is operating normally, but something is wrong.”
Marcy nodded, understanding that sometimes problems weren’t always on the surface. “And what do you need from me?”
He looked down at her, moving closer as he tried to figure out the best way to answer her. Besides telling her that he needed several days of her in his bed, during which he could take his time, explore every luxurious curve of her body? “I need your knowledge of how we operate. We’ll be doing a sort of site audit of everything.”
She opened her mouth to say something, and closed it firmly. “I can do that. I can help.”
“Thanks,” he told her and his arm reached out to touch her shoulder. “That’s great. I suspected that would be your answer,” but it was still nice that she didn’t hesitate.
“How about if you take the rest of the day off to get ready? We’ll fly out tomorrow morning. Would that work out?”
Marcy nodded her head. “Yes, but I don’t need the …”
“Yes. You do. You’re going to be gone for a while. I know you’ll need to pack three or four times, call your mother and check in with everyone. So go ahead. Relax, get things ready and I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”
Marcy cringed but when he was finished, she glared up at him. “You think you know me so well?”
He laughed softly. “What part did I get wrong?”
She swung her shoulders slightly, her lips pursing in irritation. “I might have to pack a few more times than just three or four. I hate forgetting something.”
He threw back his head and laughed, thinking she was delightful and honest. “Fair enough. Go!” he said and waved her out the door.
Marcy opened her mouth to argue but he shook his head. “I’m leaving as well. Don’t worry. Nothing will go wrong here, Marcy.”
Chapter 7
Marcy groaned as she rolled over in the luxurious hotel bed. Staring at the wall, she wondered how she was going to get through breakfast today. He was going to be practically naked, she thought. Again!
Burying her head under her pillow, she pondered the possibility of throwing herself at her boss. What would happen? Would he fire her? Maybe if she just “accidentally” touched his chest, that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity. If she could…
Nope. She knew that just a slight touch wouldn’t be enough for her. That man was…gorgeous.
Rolling over, she stared up at the ceiling. “Why can’t he wear a shirt?” She laughed slightly when she thought about doing the same thing. What would the man do if she came out of her bedroom with just a towel wrapped around her waist?
He’d probably have a heart attack. And then laugh himself silly. She didn’t want to have to call an ambulance because her boss was laughing himself to death.
Pulling herself out of bed, she forced herself to hit the shower. Unfortunately, her muscles were sore from her workout last night. The obnoxious man exercised every morning, killing himself from the looks of it. So last night, she’d bowed down to the pressure and went to the hotel gym herself. Now she was paying the price!
Not fair, she thought as she struggled to lift her arms. Even the bar of soap was too heavy! Shampooing her hair was torture!
Somehow, she managed to get through her shower and dress herself, but it was iffy at times. Nakedness was looking better and better since it hurt to zip up her skirt!
Coffee! She needed coffee! And if God were merciful, Zeke had followed his normal routine and had already done his death-defying workout and had ordered coffee to be delivered. She glanced at her watch, noted that he should be in his shower at this point and knew it would be relatively safe to come out of her bedroom.
She loved the extra space the two bedroom suite allowed. There was a large, elegant sitting area, a fully stocked bar and even a dining room table for meals that were delivered to the room.
It was beautiful, but the downside was that she had to share the suite with Zeke. She wasn’t sure if she would have preferred her own room so that she didn’t have to see and drool over the man’s muscular physique, or if she relished the view each time, torturing herself by watching him with hungry eyes as he moved across the suite.
When she stepped out of her room, she spied the coffee service and almost groaned with relief. “Coffee,” she whispered and moved towards it as if it was manna from heaven.
She was just pouring herself a cup when she heard the door on the opposite side of the suite open up.
Spinning around, she watched with awe as Zeke came out of the bedroom. Sans shirt. Again.
Well, he was wearing a shirt. Sort of. He had his arms in the sleeves but nothing had been buttoned up yet.
Oh goodness!
“What are you doing?!” she demanded, her voice a squeaky parody of her normal tone.
Zeke walked over to the coffee stand, reaching around her. “Getting coffee,” he replied with a blasé tone of voice. “Is that wrong?”
She had to lean back to avoid his chest rubbing against her breasts. “Yes,” she squeaked out. “You’re supposed to be in the shower now.”
He lifted his cup, taking a sip while he looked at her curiously. “I am?”
She nodded, but was too stunned to say anything more. She couldn’t even move! The man was so close and so amazingly virile! Oh my, those muscles were less than an inch from her nose!
“I’m not,” he commented back, looking down at her.
She couldn’t pull her gaze away from that chest. It was…amazing!
Zeke was watching her. Or more accurately, he was watching the top of her head but he could feel her desire. It almost matched his. He’d seen the lovely Marcy walking around this suite and his body had been in an almost constant state of arousal. He knew she was looking, that she was interested. But she had to make the first move.
At least, that was his plan. He’d been waiting for days, silently begging her to touch him, to reach out and stop him, kiss him, do anything that would release him from the hell of keeping his own hands off of her.
It suddenly occurred to him that the little lady was too controlled! Hell, she wouldn’t make the first move because, in her mind, he might be forbidden.
Damn, he should have thought of that!
“You don’t have to just look. You can touch as well,” he coaxed, wanting her fingers on his body more than he’d thought possible.
Marcy’s eyes flashed up to his. “Touch?”
He set the cup of coffee back down on the cart and leaned closer. “Touch me, Marcy. I’ve been waiting days, letting your eyes caress me. Now I want your hands on me!”
She shook her head but her hand lifted. Just a few inches but then she shook her head, those dark curls dancing around her shoulders. “I can’t!” she gasped. “It isn’t right!”
He almost groaned. “Touch me, Marcy. I guarantee that I can make it feel right.” When she still hesitated, he lifted her hand himself, placing her palm right in the middle of his chest.
She gasped and started to pull her hand away, but he covered her hand with his, forcing her fingers to stay right there, pressed against his warm skin.
“You’re very warm,” she told him, her eyes wide and her fingers trembling.
“I’m hot,” he contradicted. “I’ve wanted your hands on me for the longest time,” he told her.
Her eyes looked back up to his, shocked by his words. “Really?” she asked, in a tortured whisper.
“Really,” he assured her.
He almost groaned when her sexy tongue darted out to lick her lips. “So I could do this?” she asked as her fingers moved over his skin, feeling the hair and skin, so different from her own. “And you wouldn’t mind?”
Mind? Hell, he might just burst into flames. “Please don’t stop,” he growled, closing his eyes and placing his hands on her hips so he could pull her closer. Not close enough, he didn’t want to scare her, but closer so that he could smell her feminine scent.
When her fingers skimmed over his chest, spread wide, he loved it. But her fingers stopped and he felt her gaze.
Looking down into her pretty blue eyes, he felt the frustration and need fire up inside of him. “What’s wrong?” he demanded, his fingers tightening on the soft curve of her waist. “Don’t stop!”
“I’m not hurting you?”
He laughed, thinking he must have made a sound. “The only thing hurting is this,” he told her and pulled her against his erection. “I’m going to kiss you now, Marcy.”
She didn’t have a chance to react to his announcement. The man wasn’t asking permission. And to be honest, Marcy liked that.
Well, she liked his kiss even more. As soon as she felt his lips touch hers, the fire consumed her. It was like a furnace had been blowing in her face while she touched him, but when he kissed her, that furnace raged into a fire, a heat that consumed her.
His lips didn’t just kiss. They took possession of her. She wanted to whimper as the heat surged through her, the need raged out of control, and all she could do was react as he pulled her higher against his hard body, his erection pressing against the softness of her stomach and she knew that she was going to burst into flames.
Then his tongue slid against her lips and she opened for him. His tongue moved against hers, tasting her, feeling her. She felt his tongue against her own and wanted more. So she took it. Her hands slid up his chest, her fingers reveling in the feel of him as she unconsciously explored his skin with her fingertips. He was rock hard muscles covered in a layer of warm, fascinating skin. When her fingers tangled in his hair, she lifted up on her toes, needing more from him.
Zeke could feel her body give in to the need that they’d been dancing around for the past several weeks. No longer! When her fingers pulled at his hair, he growled and lifted her into his arms, bringing her back to his bedroom. He didn’t give a damn about the meetings they had scheduled for the day. At this moment, they were canceled! For the first time in his life, he was going to ignore the call of business and just exalt in the beauty of a woman. Marcy!
When he stopped, looking down at her, he could barely believe that this moment had finally arrived. He felt like he’d been waiting to have her in his bed, in his arms, for so long!
“Are you sure about this, Marcy?”
&nbs
p; Was she sure? No. Marcy wasn’t sure about anything at this moment. Her mind was all fuzzy with desire for the man. But what if he…
“I don’t…” she wasn’t sure what to say.
Zeke set her down on her feet at the end of the bed and she looked up at him, her breathing ragged. “What do you want, Marcy?” he asked gently, his hand moving to cup her chin.
What did she want? She wanted him! She wanted him to make love to her, to show her what all the fuss was about. She wanted him to take her into his arms and keep her mind from doubting that this was really happening.
“I…” she opened her mouth to try and say something, but his thumb rubbed against her lip.
“We can take this slowly,” he told her, moving closer. He didn’t want to take things slowly. He wanted to ravage her. He wanted to make love to her until they both couldn’t speak. But he also didn’t want to scare her away.
Marcy looked up at the most amazing man, thinking he was giving her an out. But why? Why would he kiss her like he’d just done and then want to walk away? She was standing here in his bedroom, his shirt open on his chest and all of that amazing skin on his chest taunting her.
“Slower?” she whispered, not sure what to say. No, she absolutely didn’t want to go slower. She wanted to go faster. She was tired of being cautious. She wanted non-cautious. She wanted him to make love to her more than she wanted her next breath.
But he was pulling back. She could see it in his eyes…something had changed.
“If you don’t want…” she started to say, but that electrifying thumb stopped her.
“I want. I definitely want you, Marcy. I’ve wanted you since I walked into my office and saw you there. But I want you to be sure.” He pulled her closer, putting her hands back on his chest and his on her waist. “I’m rushing you. I’m sorry.” He bent down and kissed her gently. Nothing like the kiss she really wanted from him, but she’d take anything from him. “How about if we finish getting dressed and we’ll go to those meetings that I was thinking about blowing off? But instead of dancing around this attraction that we both feel, we’ll explore it.” He knew he needed to give her a bit more space. He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted, but he was pretty positive that it included Marcy. In his bed. Forever.
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