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His hands were on her waist and had her hoisted up before she could protest.
Hot, claiming lips took hers in a hot kiss and she fell into it much like she did back on the plane. Fire sparked to life and she wrapped her arms around his neck, then her legs around his waist.
“First, thanks for not selling me out back there.” He began, breaking their kiss. He gestured in the direction of the boardroom with a jerk of his head.
Juniper should grab her planner, small suitcase she’d packed for the short trip and take the first flight back home. Instead, she couldn’t peel herself out of his arms.
Her head said help the man, while her heart swooned as he looked down at her. Worn from a long day and a little wrinkled from their extracurricular fun. She was sure she didn’t look much better, but the bulge nestled between her legs told her he was ready for another round. She brushed the back of her knuckles over a dusting of bristles covering his previously clean-shaven jawline.
Silly heart. Swooning for the crooked Texan. Because that’s what he was. Dirty, underhanded, and the sexiest man she’d ever seen with a five o’clock shadow.
HA! What did her heart know? Not a damn thing, that’s what, and why she stuck to her list. But for the love of all things to do with her heat, she couldn’t recall a single item on that piece of paper the longer his eyes held her captive and made her think of white lace and wedding bells.
Except for the spankings. Her ass still burned from the delicious feel of his hands slapping her ass.
“That could have gotten awkward fast in there.” Marshall, oblivious to her inner turmoil, continued on.
She slid from his hold and put a few feet between them. She slammed her eyes shut and pressed a finger to the center of her forehead where a burst of pain took root.
Marshall took first one of her hands then her other and pressed them against his chest, holding her in place. Might as well have put cuffs on her. She truly was his captive. By her own stupid heart because at the very moment, it swelled with pure... what?
Don’t you go there, Juniper?
Delusional, that’s what her problem boiled down to.
Love only meant lust, she reprimanded herself.
Why did she even go there? She knew it wasn’t true. No one could love someone in a few days. Could they? Nah. Love had no business here. Not now. Maybe not ever.
“Earth to Juniper.”
“Huh? I’m sorry. What?”
“I said, thanks for not feeding me to the sharks.”
She fell back into a nearby chair and played with the last bit of nail left on her right hand when Marshall released his hold.
She took in his calm demeanor. Relaxed shoulders, long easy strides back to his side of the office. The tiny creases at the edges of his eyes even eased. Marshall looked totally relaxed. Happy even, or at least content.
Juniper sucked in a cooling breath and focused on something else.
Like the plane, his office echoed wealth and success with a flourish of class she admired. Not flashy, simply good taste in décor.
Several dark leather chairs and one large sofa were arranged strategically around the room to create a welcoming vibe and contrasted the light carpet. She craved to kick off her heels and relax her arches. A large deeply polished wood desk was pushed back near the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a spectacular view of Houston’s skyline. Granted she could only see the sides of the desk due to the amount of paperwork taking up the majority of real estate.
“I can’t marry you, Marshall. You’ve gotta understand. What would my family say? My father? Gran would say run with it, but I’m not her. I have rules.”
That had him turning on his heel to face her.
“Rules. Now that’s interesting. I never pegged you for being a by-the-book kind of person. Not after the last couple of hours we’ve spent together.”
With a heavy sigh, she took another swing at getting some control over her emotions.
“Sex doesn’t need rules, just safe words at times,” she said with a wink. “I’m not really a rules kinda person. Well, only when it comes to the romance department. You know, finding that Mr. right. Now for that, I have so many rules my best friend thinks I’m off my hinges, but I swear by my system.”
“A Mr. Right system? Maybe I need one of those systems for a Mrs. Right?” He shrugged. “I’m not too sure about that.” She heard what he was saying but the way his eyes glittered with amusement and a banked interest shone through, she didn’t buy what he was trying to sell. He was a romantic at heart, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
“It’s true, or at least in my line of work I have to believe. I can’t imagine trying to send people off and one not believing there’s that right person for everyone. Don’t you believe there’s that special someone out there for everyone?”
