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Once inside her room, she leaned against the closed door and let her head bang back in relief. Or maybe punishment for her stupidity. Imagine if she’d walked in on Jordan instead of Justin.
She shook her head as heat burned her cheeks. She didn’t even want to think about it. With longing thoughts of a shower with or without Justin under the hot water, she dressed and went out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee for him and Jordan.
For herself this morning, she felt like tea. Too much caffeine might dislodge her euphoria.
She raised her steaming mug for a sip when Justin walked in. The man looked like her own personal calendar model in boots, worn blue jeans, and a white sleeveless tee shirt—and the dark blond hair tumbling in disarray over his forehead was damp from the shower.
Damn.
Chapter 21
Justin paused as Marley looked at him over the rim of her cup. The soft chestnut curls he’d run his fingers through last night framed her face before falling past her shoulders.
“Good morning.”
Her unrestrained, welcoming smile darn near knocked the breath right out of him as it shot straight to his heart. For a moment it stopped beating. Then it took off at a speed that had him reaching for the counter to steady himself. That low voice of hers stirred his desire all over again with the memory last night. The fact that he’d been the first man to make love to her—the realization of which had rocked him to his core—only intensified the one thought echoing in his head.
She’s mine. He’d never thought himself a possessive man, but suddenly the idea of anyone else touching her was enough to boil his blood.
He realized he had yet to respond to her greeting. He wasn’t sure about speaking without sounding like a complete idiot. They’d known each other less than three weeks, and right now, everything was so jumbled up and twisted inside, it was hard to make sense of it all.
“Morning,” he finally said. Hopefully, his smile conveyed casual as he headed for the coffee pot.
He needed a good strong dose of caffeine to jolt his system back to normal. As he brushed past her, his nerve endings came alive, as if reaching out, wanting to touch and hold her.
Okay, normal as he’d known it looked to be out of the question. Probably forever.
He poured the coffee with a sideways glance to see if he could guage her mood. The pensive look on her face brought a rush of guilt, and he set the pot down before his cup was full.
“Marley…about last night…I’m—”
Her eyes widened, and she backed up a step. “Oh, God, don’t.”
He frowned. “Don’t what?”
“Apologize.”
“I wasn’t going to. I just wanted to say…” He paused, not really sure what he’d been about to say. This was another new feeling for him. He didn’t like it one bit. “Well, that…I…”
“I’m a big girl, Justin.” She drew herself up with a show of dignity as she plunked her mug down. “Just say it.”
He drew in a breath, knowing he couldn’t say what he really wanted to. His primitive, possessive urges would come off sounding caveman-like. Before he could form the right words, she spoke again.
“It was my choice, and I don’t regret it.”
“If I’d known it was your first time—”
“If you’re going to say that you wouldn’t have, then I’m glad you didn’t know.”
Her honesty made him want her all the more. He stepped forward to lightly grasp her arms and looked into her eyes. “I would’ve gone slower—been gentler. I was a little…desperate…last night.” Unable to resist any longer, he pulled her to him and buried his face in her hair. “It kills me that I might have hurt you. I’m sorry.”
He felt her fingers thread through his damp hair at the base of his neck, her short nails scraping his scalp. A shudder coursed through him. She turned her head and her warm breath brushed his ear.
“You can get desperate with me any time you want.”
Her husky voice turned him on like she’d flipped a switch. One quick twist of his head and he captured her mouth. His hips effectively pinned her against the counter. After a long, breathless minute, he asked, “How about right now?”
The strident ring of the phone stilled them both. Her shoulders drooped, and she gave a reluctant smile. “How about later?”
