Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
JASPER
Going home with Marsh may be a bad idea, but I’m not sure I care anymore.
Sexual frustration will do that to you.
Marshall’s home is a lot like him. It’s in the Wilson Park neighborhood of Bear Valley. Older homes with beautiful and varied architecture are set off from the street but all face the park the space is named for. His home is cedar shingles and white trim with river stone making up part of the columns at the porch.
I love it immediately, before I am even inside. And then, to make it even better, Marshall pauses at the door leading into his house from his tidy garage.
“Hope you don’t mind dogs,” he says, right before the most beautiful border collie sticks a curious nose out the door as Marshall opens it.
I can feel the smile across my face and hear Marsh laugh. “Guess that answers that,” he says, as the dog comes to me and I at once get on her level for all the dog love she wants to give.
It doesn’t take long before she is rolling over, making me laugh as she clearly tries for more affection. I can feel Marsh’s hot gaze on me.
“Katz loves people,” he says with a smile, and at his voice saying her name, Katz contorts herself off the garage floor and over to him, butting his hand for more attention. He gives it to her until she heads inside, looking back at us as if she is waiting for us to join.
“‘Katz’ as in K-A-T-Z for the famous wiretap case or for the cat pun?” I ask.
Marsh stops for a moment, hand frozen on the door. “No one ever gets that, Jasper. Thank you for validating my sense of humor.” He visibly relaxes as his hand comes off the door. “And for the wiretap case, of course. When we were first married, Keith and I had a terribly ugly fish we named Roy Cohn and the punny pet names sort of stuck after that.”
I follow them in as Marsh lets Katz out to his backyard. There is a wide covered porch, so she doesn’t even have to brave the rain.
“We can take her for a walk after dinner if the rain slacks off. She usually comes to work with me, but the neighbors have a daughter looking to make some money pet-sitting.”
I nod, unsure of what to say. My plans for the evening had been some leftovers in my hotel—the extended stay that is wearing thin. Just being in Marsh’s home makes things way better than the day I had planned.
It’s just so sudden, like we took a turn somewhere.
This is the anonymous stranger from our hookup, not the guy I’ve been working with for the past few weeks.
And it looks good on him.
As good as the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt and the dress pants that stretch across his ass.
“Do you like red or white wine?”
“I like both, depending.”
Marsh smiles, and grabs a bottle, his arms working as he places two glasses on his butcher block island. I know the stemware must be expensive given its simple elegance.
I notice myself caught in his smile, staring at his full Henry-Cavil lips. He catches me, his gaze heating.
“Salut.” He offers, clinking his glass against mine and I respond in kind, taking a drink of the wine.
The flavors burst across my tongue, a swirl of rich grapes with a spicy finish.
I give an appreciative sound as I try to remember everything I learned from a tasting class I took with a friend back in undergrad. Focus on the flavors. Swirl the first sip…something else, but it’s hard when Marsh is staring at me like he is.
“Why am I here, Marsh?” I ask, setting the glass down. I want him to want me, more than I have ever wanted to be desired by someone. I remember what it was like to be on the receiving end of his sexual energy, the focus of it. The kind of feeling that could get addictive very quickly.
Yeah, I watch his eyes track the movements of my mouth as I savor the last of the wine. I want him to want me, but the thing is, I have tremendous respect for Marsh and what he does. These are challenging cases. Soul-breaking in a way. His life’s work is to fight for people who have been harmed by prejudice and ignorance.
I respect him.
And I really hope he’s not about to shatter all that by acting like I owe him a hookup. Or saying something like he did that first day that makes me feel cheap.
That move doesn’t seem like the Marshall I’ve gotten to know, but after my past experiences, I guess it’s what I expect.