by Tawna Fenske
“Corporate policy strictly forbids it,” Marley said, licking her lips. “And I’ve given up on dating rich guys.”
“Right. That.”
“And also you have all kinds of crazy trust issues,” she added. “Which means I’d be crazy to get involved with you.”
“Define involved.”
Marley moved her hand closer, but still didn’t touch him. Will was pretty sure the temperature in the dining room had risen twenty degrees in the last ten minutes. He shifted his eyes to the flutter of pulse in her throat and realized she was breathing harder, her skin more flushed now than it was when she’d emerged from the kitchen with the pasta.
“So anyway,” Marley continued as though Will hadn’t mentally undressed her a dozen times in the last minute, “we really shouldn’t fool around.”
“Fool around,” Will repeated, choosing to ignore the first part of what she’d said. He was too busy studying her hand now, watching the delicate bones of her fingers drumming the table in a nervous rhythm. He thought about capturing one in his mouth, sucking the tip of it to make her moan and press her body against him. He was starting to feel dizzy now and wondered if there was any blood left in his brain.
“I mean, I know plenty of people get away with some sort of friends-with-benefits arrangement,” Marley continued, her voice high and tight now. “But really, I don’t think that ever works when—”
“Marley?”
She blinked. “What?”
“Shut up.”
Then he made sure it happened. His mouth was on hers before she could protest, and he pulled her out of her chair with more force than necessary. He dragged her onto his lap, and she came willingly, twining her fingers behind his neck.
She made a tiny squeak in the back of her throat as he shifted her weight across his knee, but she didn’t move to get away. Will’s mouth was on hers, devouring, tasting, probing. Her lips were unbelievably soft and tasted like blueberries and crisp white wine and desire. Marley twisted her fingers in his hair and kissed him back, hard.
They kissed like that for a while—minutes? Hours? Decades?—Will wasn’t sure. The one thing he was sure of is that he needed to touch a whole lot more of her soon.
He scooped his hands under her backside, lifting her as he stood. She stiffened in his arms for an instant, but latched her fingers behind his neck, holding on tight.
“Will, you can’t pick me up like you’re some sort of caveman,” she protested.
“A caveman would toss you onto the floor right now and have his way with you. This is my attempt at being a gentleman. Where’s your bedroom?”
Marley blinked, then shifted her weight in his arms. “That way.” She nodded down the hall, which wasn’t much direction, but it was a start.
Will turned and headed down the hall.
Chapter 10
William Barclay the Fifth is carrying me into my bedroom to do naughty things to me.
Marley didn’t say the words out loud, but she forced herself to articulate them clearly enough in her brain, gauging how her mind and body would react.
At the moment, her body was screaming, “Hell yeah!” while her mind fretted over whether Will might blow out a knee halfway down the hall.
But Will’s knees seemed fine, and since neither Marley’s brain nor body seemed to be protesting, she tightened her hold around his neck. She pressed her lips against the stubble on his throat, testing his pulse with her tongue. He groaned and dug his fingers into her bare thighs.
“Left or right?” he asked.
“Left. Right. Wait, what?”
“Your bedroom.”
“Oh. Turn here. The one with the creepy-looking painting of the eggplant on the wall.”
“A handy landmark,” he said, but obeyed her direction as Marley licked her way across his throat, her breath hot on his flesh.
“Keep that up and I’m going to drop you,” he groaned.
“Take five steps to the bed, then drop me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and tossed her back onto the feather duvet. He landed on top of her, his lips seeking hers as his palm slid up the side of her body. His fingers were hot, possessive, and Marley whimpered with the pleasure of his touch.
“God, you feel good,” he murmured against her mouth.
“Mmm,” Marley said, the closest thing she could manage to “you too,” as she toed off her shoes and wrapped her legs around his back. She gripped him with her thighs, enjoying the hard, hot length of his body pressed against hers.
He kissed his way along the column of her throat, and Marley almost forgot to worry whether her skin was salty from her bike ride. She pressed her sock-footed heels into the back of his legs, pulling him tighter against her, craving more of him still.
She slid her hands down his back and found the hem of his T-shirt. Tunneling her fingers beneath it, she savored the heat of his bare flesh, the strong ridges of his spine. Will kissed her behind one ear and Marley gasped, digging her nails into his shoulder blades.
“You appear to have some rather sensitive nerve endings there, Ms. Cartman,” he murmured, his breath warm on her earlobe. “How’s the other side?”
“Oh,” Marley gasped as Will moved to her left ear. As his lips found that perfect spot, Marley raised her hips and pressed her body tighter against him. She gasped, savoring the delicious weight of his body on hers, delirious from the heat and tingle of his touch.
Marley slid her hands further up his shirt, tracing his bare shoulder blades with her fingertips. His flesh was smooth and hot beneath the heels of her hands, and she pressed into him, feeling the hard coil of muscle. Will shifted slightly, angling his kisses down her shoulder, his lips soft and urgent and so damn good at what they were doing.
Marley wanted more.
“Take your shirt off,” she gasped.
Will laughed, his breath warm against her collarbone. “You first.”
He sat back on his heels, and Marley wriggled to a seated position, eager to rid herself of the T-shirt so she could touch him again. Will smiled, his mismatched eyes glinting in the faint glow of the hall light.
“I asked first,” she pointed out. “Shouldn’t I get the first striptease as a courtesy?”
“How do I know you’ll follow through on your end of the bargain?”
“Trust issues, much?”
“How about we do it on three?”
She must have looked startled, because Will laughed and grabbed the hem of his shirt. “I don’t mean do it on three. I promise I have better foreplay skills than that. I just meant—”
Marley whipped her shirt over her head, cutting off whatever his next words would have been. She tossed it across the room and grinned.
“I’m an overachiever,” she said.
“Thank God,” Will replied, and tugged off his own shirt. “It really isn’t fair you’re still partly clothed above the waist. Let me help you with this.”
He reached for her bra clasp before Marley could decide whether she was ready to remove it. But once Will flicked the clasp with one hand, it felt so damn good to have her breasts bare that she forgot all about any hesitation. Will nudged the straps off her shoulders and Marley gasped as the cool air brushed her breasts.
They didn’t stay chilly for long.
“You taste so good,” Will murmured as his mouth found her left nipple, teasing it to a stiff peak.
“Don’t stop,” Marley hissed and buried her fingers in his hair.
“Wasn’t planning to,” Will murmured in reply, the vibration of his words exquisite on her flesh. Will devoured her with his tongue a while longer, then moved across her rib cage to the other breast.
“So soft,” he murmured.
“Will,” she hissed through clenched teeth. His hair was baby-fine between her fingers. She caught a faint whiff of sage
and wondered what shampoo he used. Will trailed his tongue from one breast to the other, taking his time in the shallow valley between her breasts. When his tongue found her other nipple, Marley arched tightly against him and cried out.
“It seems easy to make you moan,” he murmured. “This bodes well for me.”
“Should I make it harder?”
“You already are.”
She pressed her palms against his bare back, letting her fingertips bump over his ribs, then back up the trail of his spine. She leaned up and kissed his bare shoulder, tasting his flesh with the tip of her tongue. Grazing him with her teeth, Marley pressed softly to feel the hardness of bone beneath his skin. Will moved from her breast back up to her throat as Marley drew back to study him in the dim light of the room.
“You have freckles,” she murmured, planting a trail of kisses across his breastbone. “Tons of them.”
“If you get bored with this, feel free to play connect-the-dots.”
“Don’t let me get bored,” she said. “I have a Sharpie in my pocket, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
“We’d better get rid of your pockets then,” Will said, tucking his fingers into the waistband of her shorts.
He slid down her body, moving his mouth down to her naval. He dipped his tongue into it, then circled back up with a hot trail of kisses leading to her ribs. He started to move down again, gripping her waistband with both hands now. Marley raised her hips, inviting him to go ahead and disrobe her.
Will smiled and met her eyes. “This may be the wrong time to ask, but do you have any—”
“Condoms?”
“I was going to say Grey Poupon, but condoms would be handy, too.”
Marley nodded. “Medicine cabinet in the guest bath. Should I go grab one?”
“Allow me,” Will said, sliding off her. Marley’s flesh screamed in frustration, craving his touch again. “I’ll be fast.”
“Not the best thing to say before sex,” she called after him.
He laughed as she watched his bare back retreat, admiring the spray of freckles across his shoulders and the small tattoo of an hourglass between his shoulder blades. She’d have to ask him about that later. Much later. Right now, all she wanted was to kick off her shorts, dig her nails into Will’s back, and—
Ding-dong!
Marley frowned and looked at her watch. It was after nine on a Sunday night. What the hell?
Ding-dong!
“Marley?” Will called from the hallway. “You want me to get the door?”
Marley frowned and reached for her T-shirt, not bothering with the bra. At this hour, it wasn’t likely a salesman. Her dad wouldn’t knock. Maybe she’d left the hose on and a neighbor was stopping by to let her know?
“I’ll be right out,” Marley called, tugging the shirt over her head. “Would you mind glancing out the window to see who it is?”
She heard the shuffling of feet in the hallway and pictured Will peering through the etched glass panel to the right of the door. He was quiet for a moment, and Marley stopped rustling clothing and listened.
“Will?” she called. “Is it a salesman?”
“That depends. Do salesmen usually kneel on the welcome mat when they’re peddling rings?”
Marley leapt off the bed, her ankles tangling in her own discarded bra as she scrambled for the door with her gut clenched in a knot of dread.
Chapter 11
Will stepped back as Marley skidded into the foyer looking disheveled and frantic and so beautiful Will’s throat ached. She tripped over the giant pink rabbit’s leg, but caught herself before Will could reach for her. Her cheeks looked beard burned, and she’d pulled her T-shirt on backwards, but at least she was wearing one.
She definitely wasn’t wearing a bra.
Will turned toward the bedroom to find his shirt, but changed his mind as Marley gripped the knob and yanked open the door.
“Curtis,” she breathed. “What are you doing?”
The kneeling man blinked up at her, and Will resisted the urge to make a dozen smartass suggestions what a man might be doing on bended knee with a diamond ring in one outstretched hand. It was pretty damn obvious what Curtis was up to. The question was why.
“Marley,” Curtis said, thrusting the ring at her in case she’d missed it. “I love you. I miss you. I traded up to get an extra half-carat for you. What do you say, Marley?”
“I think I’m going to throw up.”
Judging from Curtis’s expression, it wasn’t the answer he’d hoped for. Will kinda felt for the guy. He reached out to offer him a hand up, but Curtis turned and frowned.
“Who are you?”
Will withdrew his hand and shrugged. “Bicycle repair guy?”
Curtis narrowed his eyes. “You work without a shirt?”
“It’s an extra ten bucks if I work without pants.”
Curtis turned back to Marley, effectively dismissing Will as irrelevant. Will couldn’t really blame the guy. He stole a glimpse at Marley, who wore a mortified expression and a faint love bite just below her right earlobe.
She glanced at Will and two spots of color appeared on her cheeks.
“Um, so—” she began.
Both men waited, but apparently that was as far as Marley had gotten with her planned retort.
At the sound of toenails clicking across hardwood, Will turned to see Magoo trotting through the foyer with one ear flopped over his blue eye. Spotting the figure kneeling on the doorstep, Magoo put an extra spring in his step and bounded toward Curtis.
Will saw it happening even before Magoo hoisted himself onto Curtis’s thigh and twitched his stub-tail with pleasure.
“Magoo, no!” Marley snapped, nudging her dog with her bare foot. “Stop it!”
Magoo began to gyrate, holding Curtis’s leg in an amorous grip as his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth.
“Stop!” Marley hissed, nudging him harder this time.
Magoo quickened his rhythm.
Curtis frowned down at the shaggy animal with distaste. “What the—”
“Magoo!” Marley stooped down and grabbed her dog around the middle. She tried to pull him back, but Magoo clenched his front paws around Curtis’s leg and gave a whimper of sexual frustration.
Will could relate.
“Let go, Magoo!” Marley leaned down further, squeezing her dog under one arm and prying his paws loose with her free hand. Her T-shirt rode up in back, making it obvious she hadn’t bothered donning panties beneath her flimsy cotton shorts. Will forced himself not to stare as he took two big steps back.
“How about I give you three lovebirds a minute alone?” Will said. “I’ll just head back out to the garage to, uh, tighten some bolts.”
He retreated slowly, stealing one more glance over his shoulder before he reached the garage door. Curtis was still on one knee, and Marley held Magoo in a death grip with both hands. Magoo looked disappointed, while Marley wore the same frozen expression she’d had since opening the door.
Will stepped into the garage and hesitated, wanting to stay within earshot. Curtis certainly didn’t look dangerous, though the size of that rock in the engagement ring could make it a formidable weapon if need be. The guy’s intentions didn’t seem malicious, but Will figured it was wise to stay within earshot.
That proved easier than expected. Though Marley’s father’s condo was clearly well-constructed, it was evident the builders had scrimped on doors. Either that, or the voices on the other side had risen to a level that permeated solid hickory.
Will heard the sound of a door closing, followed by a soft whimper suggesting Magoo had been locked in a bedroom. He leaned closer, listening for the sound of Marley’s footsteps.
“Please get up, Curtis,” she said. “I’d prefer to have this conversation with both of us upright.”
/> “Marley, what’s going on here?”
“We ended our engagement, Curtis. No offense, but what’s going on here isn’t your business.”
“I think we made a mistake.”
“What?”
“I want to give us another shot. I’ve been talking with your dad, and—”
“This isn’t 1850,” Marley said. “No modern woman wants a marriage proposal that contains the phrase, ‘I’ve been talking with your dad.’”
“Just look at the ring. The stone is much larger, and if you look right here—”
“I don’t want to look right there, Curtis. And I don’t want a bigger ring. I just want to go our separate ways like we agreed.”
“Marley, be reasonable.”
Will shook his head in sympathy. Being married had taught him many things, not the least of which was never to argue using the phrase, “Be reasonable.”
It was Curtis’s turn to learn.
“Ouch, Marley! Cut it out!”
“You don’t just show up on my doorstep after a month and start ordering me to be reasonable!”
“Marley, put down the stuffed animal. Why do you have that thing, anyway?”
“It was a gift.”
“Ouch! Cut it out.”
The beating must have subsided, because there was a momentary lapse of silence on the other side of the door. Will stepped closer, not wanting to miss anything.
“We were supposed to get married, Curtis. Married! And instead you threw me over for a corner office and granite counters in your kitchen. Who does that?”
“I’m sorry, Marley. You’re right. Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said before you left. About not putting jobs and possessions and material things before the other person. I think I get it now, and I have a proposal. Besides the proposal, I mean. And I want to take care of you.”
“I want to take care of myself,” she said.
“Come back to Portland. I’m making enough now that you won’t have to work. I can get rid of my condo, and we can get a nice, smaller house in one of the suburbs. Beaverton, maybe. Or Tigard? Come on, Marley, what do you say?”