Chapter 46
Marshall’s boner was seriously scrambling her brain right now.
“Can’t you unlock that door any faster?” he whined.
Well, she could probably do it if his hands weren’t running up and down her thighs and his obvious arousal pressing against her behind.
“Marshall, please, give me a minute,” she whimpered, leaning back into his chest and brushing up against the warm wall of his muscles. “What is wrong with this fucking key?” Colette let out a high-pitched growl and moaned when the key finally slid into the lock.
“Get…inside…” Marshall pressed his palm on the door above her shoulder and pushed it open as the lock released.
Colette gave a triumphant sigh, but there was hardly time to react.
His hands moved everywhere, seeking, groping, curling into the delicate fabric of her dress.
Her foot slipped, and she lost her balance, falling into the wall as he pressed deeper, his teeth nipping her bottom lip as he curled a hand into her hair and tipped her face to close the distance between them.
Though their connection wasn’t exactly a secret, the longing they had kept in check all night bubbled to the surface.
Each brush of his tongue against hers fed a hunger she had been suppressing during their time apart.
Desperate and seeking something to hold on to, she smoothed her palm along his hip, reaching to caress the firm flesh of his ass.
Damn, she had missed every single part of him.
She swallowed his groan as she explored and squeezed and teased the planes of his body.
“You’d better cut that out,” he warned, his voice thick and gravelly.
“What are you gonna do if I don’t?” she breathed against his mouth.
“I’m probably gonna come before we even reach the bedroom. Right there, on your shoe.” He pointed down.
Pulling her mouth away, she tilted her lips up to one side and raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound so bad.” Returning that gentle tug on his lip he had so generously given her moments ago. Marshall captured her mouth with a groan and pulled her close.
The gown scraped against her skin as Colette dug her hands into the fabric and hiked it up around her waist. The delicious pressure of his erection against her core sent ripples of pleasure throughout her body.
She wasn’t sure how they had ended up dry humping in the vestibule of her apartment, but she was certain it had something to do with spending a week apart.
It could also have something to do with the way her body hummed when she was in his presence, a constant tug of yearning pulling her toward him.
She was powerless to stop it. At that moment, she hated her underwear, his pants and everything that was separating them.
“Marshall,” she breathed against his cheek.
His face hovered over hers, warm breaths ragged against her mouth.
Her body melted into his, wanton and desperate. Lonely and aching.
“What are we doing here?” The words came reluctantly out of her mouth, afraid to know the answer.
“I think it’s called foreplay,” he mumbled against her neck, rocking against her and ratcheting up that throb in her lower belly.
Her body trembled as she responded to each movement.
She wanted him so badly, yet reality came and doused her with an ice-cold bucket of doubt.
A gasp awfully similar to a sob wrenched from her throat. Was she strong enough to do this?
They would have fun tonight…and then what?
Eyes closed, Colette shook her head to clear her thoughts. “No, I mean, are we hooking up here? I don’t want to be a bummer, but you sent me away.”
His frantic movements stilled. Slowly pulling away from where he was exploring every inch of her neck, leaving a trail of kisses cooling in his wake.
The loss of his warmth a dagger to her heart, she wound her fists around his lapels to bring him closer. His lips were pressed together as he absorbed her words.
“You’re right. I’m sorry… I don’t want to mess with you.” His voice was laden with sadness. The way his brows drew together, she knew what he was thinking.
The last thing he wanted was for her to feel used.
He didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past.
But that wasn’t what she was afraid of.
She held back her words, desperate to figure out how they could have everything. The reality was, if she was in the city and he was going back to the ranch, they would have tonight and not much else. They couldn’t build a life on hope; reality would always come knock down its walls.
“I can promise you, it wouldn’t be just this once,” he said, pushing a tendril of hair behind her ear. “You know I’d keep coming back over and over again for you. I can’t stay away.”
Her gaze faltered, not wanting to look into his eyes and see the bleakness, the loneliness echoed inside her. “You can’t do it forever, Marshall. You said it yourself how much you hate being here. How could I ask you to keep coming back?”
Avoiding the question, he pressed his lips against hers in an achingly tender kiss.
“I can’t picture a future without you. I promise you, I’m working on it.”
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he looked down.
Ignoring the sound, he brought his lips back to hers, demanding.
She gave in to the embrace, wanting to melt into him and forget any of the logical thoughts that were plaguing her.
It was hard to argue when he admitted to seeing her in his future, because her visions were the same.
His mouth traveled along the surface of her cheek, down the side of her neck, his warm breath tickling her clavicle.
The buzzing sound stopped and then started up right away again.
“Should you answer that?” she breathed, not really wanting to be disturbed by the real world. Again.
He grunted in protest and straightened, pulling his phone out of his pocket with a huff. “I don’t recognize the number,” he said. He tilted his head, as though a thought occurred to him, and answered, “Hello?”
Itchy and suddenly very aware of how uncomfortable her dress was after a long night, Colette tiptoed to her room to divest herself of the gown.
Marshall’s mumbled words floated toward her in the small apartment, and she did her best not to eavesdrop.
The caller must have been known to him, since he didn’t hang up.
Gazing longingly at her sweats on the pink chair in the corner of her bedroom, she wondered if she should pose seductively on the bed as she waited for him, or opt for comfort, in case whatever had interrupted them needed to be discussed.
Her decision was made when he strolled into the room, stopping in his tracks as he took in her pale pink bra and underwear set.
“Fuck,” he groaned. “This is gonna kill me.”
“What, what happened?” Colette asked, closing the distance between them. Gathering her up in his arms, he squeezed her in a way that made her heart bleed. He held her as though bracing himself to say goodbye. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready.
“I’m sorry. I have to go,” he said, his green eyes searching hers. “I have a lead, and I need to follow where it goes. This might mean we put an end to all this once and for all.”
“Let me come with you,” she pleaded. “I can help.” Grasping at the crisp cotton of his dress shirt, her brows drew together as she gazed up at him. The idea of him doing this alone sent tremors of fear down her spine.
“I can’t put you at risk like that,” he said, cupping her face with his hands and pressing his lips to hers. “You’re safer here. Let me do this. For the ranch. For us.”
Squeezing her eyelids together, she nodded, painfully aware that he was pulling away. “Tell me where you’re going and what you’re doing. I want to know you’re safe.”
“I will. I’ll let you know when I arrive at the ranch.
I’ll be meeting Agnes’s daughter first thing in the morning.
She was nervous on the phone, so I have to go while she’s willing to talk to me.
” Colette watched him prepare to leave, her body chilled by his sudden absence.
He turned as he opened the apartment door.
“Oh? Tell me more about Agnes,” Colette asked. All she knew was that the woman left the ranch finances in a mess and had retired abruptly. Colette understood why this lead needed to be investigated.
“I want more information about what happened to her,” Marshall explained, curling his palms around her shoulders to pull her close.
“Do you have any suspicions about her?” She wrapped her hands around his neck, willing him to kiss her one more time before they parted. “How can her daughter help you?”
“I need to find out why Agnes retired so suddenly. If what I suspect is correct, I’m not sure she retired at all. Her sudden parting may have more serious implications.”