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“I have a little bit of everything. Ever since I could read, I’ve collected. Some are antiques.” He pointed to a section of the bookshelves where three volumes were held behind glass. “Others are anything from the Iliad from college to research on corporations and my line of work. Sporadically placed picture frames decorated the lower shelves.
He walked over to the bookcases and plucked one thick black-framed box from one of the shelves and flipped it around.
“Oh my God! You were not kidding. Aww. They are the cutest little booties I’ve ever seen—and I mean booties. Your mom even put a tiny boot heel on them.” Blue and green hand-knitted boots were perfectly positioned behind crystal. The love and dedication shone through with every stitch.
She handed the case back.
“And you? I can just see the ten-year-old version of you in her mom’s fancy stilettos and pearls,” he teased, touching the end of her nose with a tap of his finger.
“I was born with a planner in my hand, true, but I had a hell-raiser kind of attitude. I had to grow into stilettos, sundresses, and wedding bells.” No hiding the blush that hit her cheeks. That was one admittance she didn’t verbalize all that often. Hell, at all. “My mom isn’t entirely convinced of my reformation though.” She kicked a heel out and dipped a curtsey. “My college days were filled with wild parties, blue-dyed hair and a nose piercing I no longer have.”
That pulled a warm laugh from him in reply. “I wouldn't mind seeing you with blue hair.”
She shuddered. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen, cowboy.”
“Our parents tend to see past all our smoke and mirrors.”
“Speaking of, how long have you lived here?”
“I was born and raised here. My parents couldn’t take care of a spread this size once my father became ill, so I bought it from them, and they moved closer to town and the hospital.”
“It’s beautiful. It reminds me of my friend's bed and breakfast.”
“Ivy’s?”
As she walked the room and examined the spines of some of the titles she could feel his gaze on her. “Yep. She loves the beach so she has the place decked out in blues, pale peaches, and seashells. Just like you. It’s where my gran is having her birthday party tomorrow night.”
“I remember. It sounds like it will be an event not to miss.”
“Not if my Gran has anything to do with it.” She joined Marshall’s side again.
Juniper smiled and raised to the tips of her toes as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He returned the gesture with a firm embrace of his arms around her. They held that pose for a long moment. His heartbeat a steady rhythm against the palm of her hand where she rested it on his chest. Strong and unfaltering.
A few moments later he pulled back and gazed down at her. “You’re truly a remarkable woman, Juniper Winters.”
She smiled in reply and took his hand as he led the way back to the kitchen.
Sometimes a simple touch was as powerful as two hours of lovemaking. Each feeding different needs.
Human beings needed connection and comfort. As she dozed off last night a moment of clarity took hold after spending nearly every hour of the last two days together. Marshall Blackwood was not hers and she’d do good to keep her heart in her chest and not on her sleeve. But still, she wrapped her fingers around his a little tighter.
Back in the kitchen, she caught sight of the morning newspaper sticking out of his opened briefcase and buried under papers.
“May I?”
“Of course.” He gathered their empty plates and placed them in the sink.
“Billionaire Bad Boy in Need of Bride. As far as headlines go, it’s kinda flashy. I like it. A little late though.” She read the newspaper headline and sighed with a hint of amusement as Marshall groaned.
“So I guess this is what Cole was talking about last night when he stopped in before leaving for the night?” She tapped the paper.
Marshall nodded and gathered their empty plates. “He said he did it before he knew about you. That boy causes all of his problems and about ninety percent of mine. He thought he was doing us all a favor.” Humor filled his eyes and she could tell he loved his brothers no matter what.
“Didn’t peg you as a bad boy. Dirty and kinky, but not a bad boy.”
A flash of unease came over him and she back peddled.
“I’m sorry, did I say something?”
