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  Marley looked away from the enticing sight of his shoulders straining the fabric of his shirt, only to catch Bonnie watching, too. She noticed the blonde turn the same admiring look toward Jordan.

  Her gaze followed Bonnie’s and she had to admit, the Blake brothers were nice to look at. Married or not, Marley couldn’t fault Bonnie for enjoying the scenery—especially when the scenery carried pizza.

  As her stomach growled, Marley looked at her watch, amazed to see it was after one-thirty. The others dropped what they were doing and advanced on Jordan and the food.

  “Wait,” he protested, holding the two large boxes out of reach. “Who’s got my tip?”

  “Don’t spit into the wind,” Justin said. “Now hand it over.”

  Marley smiled to herself as the rest of them laughed. Justin managed to get control of the food, but when he started back toward the table, she shook her head.

  “You come anywhere near here with those, and I’ll deck you.”

  He stopped short. His glance at the model showed he understood her reasoning, but his look challenged her.

  “Do it,” Jordan urged with a grin.

  “She would, too.” Justin wisely switched direction, carrying the pizza into his office to set it on his conference table. Bonnie offered to grab sodas and when she returned, they all sat down to eat.

  Jordan kept them laughing, confirming what Marley’d already guessed, he was the easygoing one of the two. Justin joked, too, but she sensed he took things much more seriously. She liked that about him, liked that they had that in common.

  As quick as the thought registered, she shoved it away. The man thought she’d had an affair with his father, for God’s sake. No way in hell should she like him or be glad they had a single thing in common.

  She finished her first piece of pizza, and though still hungry, she didn’t have time to waste. Tossing her napkin in the garbage, she stood to leave.

  “You’re done?” Justin asked with surprise.

  “There’s only so much time in the day.”

  Vince shoved the rest of his piece of pizza in his mouth and started to stand. Marley waved him back down.

  “Take your time, please. I’ve got a few things to figure out before we can continue anyway.”

  “You’re sure?” He glanced back at the food.

  She smiled. “Positive.”

  Justin finished his second slice, wiped his hands, and though he wouldn’t have minded more, he stood to follow Marley. Jordan caught his gaze and one corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Justin just shook his head and walked away.

  Why did his brother have to be so damn perceptive? Okay, fine, he’d admit it. He wanted her. But the scary thing was, he really liked her—even when she was bossy and domineering. Yet she was still a suspect in his grandfather’s death, and she hadn’t bothered to deny any type of unethical relationship with his father, either.

  He couldn’t see it any longer. After working with her up close and personal, he couldn’t even begin to imagine it…but it would’ve been nice to hear it from her. Not to mention, hand in hand with the Blake family motto “appearances are everything” came the knowledge that appearances could be very deceiving.

  She glanced over when he joined her by the table. Across from him, Jordan stepped up to see the project, and Marley directed a smile at him. Justin held back the evil glare he wanted to give his brother.

  “Thanks for lunch,” Marley said.

  “No problem,” Jordan replied. “I was looking for Bonnie earlier and saw you all so engrossed, so I figured I’d help out the best way I could.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take Bonnie away from her desk.”

  “I can find my own staples,” Jordan assured her.

  “I heard that,” Bonnie called from Justin’s office.

  Marley grinned. Justin smiled, too, even though he wanted to take his fist and ram it into his flirting brother’s face. He saw movement from the corner of his eye and looked over to see his father entering the office. Great.

  “Good afternoon.”

  Marley turned at Dale’s greeting, a wide smile on her face. Justin’s unwelcome jealousy made a lightning swift transfer. He watched his father approach with his chest all puffed out, as if he were the man in charge. Talk about deceiving appearances.

  “Hi, Dale.” Marley’s tone was familiar and warm enough to further heat up Justin’s resentment.

  “I’m glad to see my sons have come to their senses.” Dale extended a hand to her. “Welcome to the office.”

  Marley’s hesitation before accepting his father’s hand was barely perceptible, but Justin caught it. She had the same expression on her face as she’d worn in the bar the other night—polite and pleasant and perfectly normal for anyone who hadn’t witnessed her sincere interaction with the men on the job site. Not the expression of a woman who’d been intimate with the man she was touching.

  Despite the fact that only seconds before she’d greeted his father like a well-known friend, Justin recognized her discomfort and was confused. Unless she was just uncomfortable in front of him and his brother?

  She pulled back from the handshake at the point that it was almost rude, and Justin saw Jordan toss him a quick look.

  He ignored his brother, and Dale didn’t notice much of anything except his own hot air.

  “I look forward to working with you. Your father would be proud.”

  “I hope so,” Marley said.

  The mention of her father seemed to ease her tension and Justin wondered if he’d imagined the earlier moment. No, because Jordan had seen it too. Could it be there was more than business between Marley and their father? Justin didn’t even want to think about it anymore.

  Dale spoke again. “He would, I’m sure of it. What’d Nate have to say, by the way? This puts the two of you one step closer to your dream.”

  Justin noticed two things simultaneously; a shadow passed over Marley’s face at the mention of her brother, and he heard an odd note in his father’s question.

  “Actually, I haven’t talked to him in a few days,” Marley admitted, reaching for a ruler on the side of the model board. Justin heard a note of worry in her voice.

  “Everything okay?” Dale asked. “He didn’t leave town or something, did he?”

  “No,” Marley said with a quick glance up. “He wouldn’t do that.”

  What kind of a question is that? Justin thought. God, he hoped Jordan caught this, too.

  “He’s just taking some time to himself, that’s all. He’ll be happy when I tell him,” Marley assured his father stiffly. Justin didn’t buy her explanation. What was the deal with Nate?

  Dale nodded. “I’m sure he will. Well, I’ve got a meeting at two-thirty, so I’ll see you later.”

  After Dale left, Vince and Bonnie returned to work on the model.

  “I’ve got some papers that need your signature,” Jordan said to Justin.

  “I’ll be back in a bit,” Justin told Marley before following his brother across the hall to his office.

  “That was strange,” Jordan said when he’d closed the door.

  “What?” Justin asked, just to be sure.

  “The whole thing. She was nice when she first saw Dad, then couldn’t let go of his hand fast enough. Maybe you were right about the affair.”

  Justin’s jaw clenched when Jordan voiced his own suspicion. He didn’t want to be right about that.

  “And what’s up with her brother? She seemed upset when Dad mentioned him.”

  “She fired Nate last Friday.”

  “The day before you fired her?” Jordan asked with a lift of his brow.

  “Yeah, but after what she said, I get the impression she hasn’t seen him since.”

  “Seems a bit odd he disappears right after we show up.”

  Justin nodded in agreement. “Dad’s question was odd, too. Why would he ask if Nate left town when all she said was that she hadn’t talked to him in awhile? I’ll try to bring
it up while we’re working.”

  “Good idea,” Jordan said. “Don’t forget, they’re still the only Wades connected to Granddad besides their dead father.”

  Chapter 11

  Marley straightened and stretched her arms in front of her. A groan threatened from the aches in her neck, shoulders and lower back. She wasn’t used to bending over a table all day long. She didn’t need to look at her watch to know it was late; the bright orange sun disappearing below the horizon and her complaining stomach confirmed the advanced time.

  Vince and Bonnie had deserted her two hours ago and Justin had run downstairs a few minutes ago for the Chinese food he’d ordered for their dinner. The moment of solitude was welcome. With so much going on, it was hard to think. The job, Nate missing in action, the attraction she couldn’t deny for Justin. Actually, she should be grateful not to have the time to think about Nate, because Dale’s questions had reignited her concern.

  Then Justin had returned and dominated her attention. Throughout the afternoon, she’d had to redirect her gaze countless times. Thank God he hadn’t caught her staring, though. That would have been humiliating.

  She looked at the model and estimated if she put in another twelve to fifteen hour day tomorrow, by presentation time on Thursday, it might be ready to go.

  No, no might about it, she’d make sure it was. She sighed with a smile. She’d always hoped for something like this, but never imagined it could happen this fast.

  Easy, Mar, it’s not built yet.

  “Hope you’re hungry.”

  She spun away from the window to see Justin walk through her office into his, carrying the bag of food. Her stomach growled as she took a seat at his conference table with him and accepted a take-out container and chopsticks. Hoping he hadn’t heard, she dug into her dish, unable to hold back an appreciative moan.

  He smiled before taking his first bite. They ate in silence until he commented, “It’s so quiet at this time of night. No one else around, no phones, the dimmed lights…”

  She looked around, aware for the first time that they might be the only two left in the building. It didn’t alarm her in the least. She’d been alone with him before. If anything, it heightened a sudden feeling of intimacy.

  “Granddad used to work late, and he’d let me and Jordan play in the halls. We could run around and make all the noise we wanted. Actually do what we wanted. It was the one place I didn’t have to worry about appearances. After awhile, Jordan stopped coming, but I loved the solitude and freedom.”

  Marley’s heart melted for a little boy who sounded like he’d faced all kinds of constraints and craved the opportunity to be himself. “You miss your grandfather?”

  He focused his gaze inside his half-empty container of food. “Yeah, I do, even though he resented me working for a different company and we weren’t as close the last few years.”

  “I know what you mean. I miss my dad a lot, but when he was alive, we barely spoke.”

  “Anyone else besides your brother?”

  She shook her head, staring at her own food.

  “Everything okay with Nate?”

  She stuck her chopsticks into the noodles and set the container down, her appetite gone. “I sure wish I knew. I haven’t seen him since Friday morning, and he hasn’t returned any of my calls to his cell.”

  “Did you call his friends or check some of the places you know he goes?”

  “I did, but no one’s seen or heard from him. I hoped he’d understand what I had to do, but he’s been so different since Dad died. So angry about the accident.”

  Justin stilled, his expression serious. “A lot of people feel that way, Marley—like maybe there was something that could’ve prevented it. If they’d only done this different, or paid closer attention to that, maybe that person would still be alive today.”

  She stared at his tight expression, all the darker for the faint shadow of a beard that had grown throughout the day. Anger resonated in his tone, and she noticed his hand clenched around his chopsticks. Her chest constricted at his obvious pain.

  “You’re speaking from experience?”

  He blinked at her soft question, but whatever it was, he put it aside and his face cleared. “Everyone has things in life they wish they could’ve done differently. It’s no big deal. So my dad’s met Nate, too?”

  She hesitated at the quick change of subject, then answered, “No, but we’ve talked about him. You know, when we were getting cozy over coffee at six-fifteen in the morning.”

  His gaze met hers. The question in his eyes did not need to be spoken out loud. She resented the fact that he’d even think she would knowingly have an affair with a married man and at the same time wanted to erase the possibility from his mind. Pride kept her mouth shut as she glanced at her watch to see the hour hand after nine. “I’d better get back in there.”

  Justin silently gathered the leftovers and headed to the fridge in the corner.

  Marley stood in front of the model table, considering where to continue while rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. Pressing her fingers into her muscles, she rotated her head in a circle to ease the soreness.

  At the sound of Justin’s footsteps, she dropped her arm and waited for him to step up to the table alongside her. Instead, his warm hands settled on her shoulders. She stiffened.

  “Relax,” he coaxed. “You must be tired.”

  His fingers kneaded her aching muscles. She didn’t speak as he continued to rub along her shoulders, her neck, and the base of her scalp. She knew she should stop him, but it felt too good.

  The only massage she’d ever gotten was the occasional knuckle rub from Nate, and judging by Justin’s performance, her brother didn’t know what the hell he was doing.

  ****

  Justin knew exactly what he was doing. Problem was, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. It didn’t matter about the arguments, he was her boss. He didn’t know the extent of her involvement with his father, she still might be the key to the mystery surrounding his grandfather’s death…and a couple others he could come up with if he tried.

  But he didn’t want to try. He wanted to touch—even if only for a back rub.

  Unintentionally, he’d let his emotions show a moment ago. She’d given him understanding and compassion. The brief physical relief he could offer paled by comparison.

  Another soft sound vibrated in the air. She swayed and leaned back against his chest. He closed his eyes, letting the sensation of her hair against his cheek intertwine with the scent of her. He wanted nothing more than to turn her into his arms and kiss the mouth he’d been taking orders from all day.

  She turned to face him of her own accord, her hair catching on the stubble covering his chin. The silky strands dragged across his lips in a sensual caress. He raised his hand to her forehead and pulled the silken strands free by running his fingers down the side of her face before brushing them behind her ear.

  Desire combined with a hint of caution in her green eyes. He longed to crush her close. Instead, he slid his hand to the back of her neck and gently urged her forward. Her gaze searched his for a moment before she complied, her hands rising to his shoulders as her eyelids drifted shut.

  The first touch of her warm lips strained his control. When he slid his tongue along her bottom lip and she opened to him, it simply vaporized. He pulled her against him with his free arm, connecting their bodies from hips to lips as his tongue swept inside to explore her mouth.

  Her response was slow at first, as if she were savoring the experience. Justin had no patience for savoring as passion swirled inside him, boiling his blood and urging him deeper.

  She pulled back, but he followed and moments later she returned his kiss with equal enthusiasm. She was so much more than he’d imagined, giving as much as he took. He’d almost expected to battle her for command, had anticipated the fight, but this thrilled him more.

  He began to walk her backward toward her desk when the distant ding of the ele
vator pierced his conscious. Reality set in when he heard his brother’s voice echo in the executive lobby.

  “Justin? You still here?”

  Marley tore away. Justin swore under his breath as he took in her mussed hair, glistening lips and increased breathing. Without looking away from the beautiful sight, he raised his voice to carry to his brother. “What do you want?”

  “A little help would be nice,” came the irritated reply.

  Justin ran his hands through his hair and abruptly left the room. Jordan piled box after box off the elevator, and Justin stopped at the doors.

  “What the hell is all this?”

  Jordan shoved a box into his arms. “Financial records from the past two years.” He held on even after Justin had secured the cardboard. “Marley’s still here?”

  Justin didn’t bat an eye as he replied, “We’re working.”

  Jordan gave him a mock hurt look and asked in a lowered tone, “Do you ever tell the truth anymore?”

  He frowned his indignation but Jordan only smiled.

  “It was either that, or you’re damn glad to see me.”

  Heat rushed to his face when Justin realized his brother’s reference. He jerked the box free of Jordan’s grasp and lowered it to a respectable level as Jordan’s expression turned serious. “Sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Just load me up,” he growled.

  Jordan added another box on top, and Justin turned to carry them to Jordan’s office. Marley stepped into the lobby, her hair smoothed back into place, her chin held high. She looked him in the eye with no hint of regret—thank you—and then passed him to approach Jordan.

  Justin paused, unable to help but watch and listen.

  “Hi, Jordan.”

  “Hey, Marley—so that must be your truck in the lot.”

  “Guilty as charged. The scrap metal is mine all right.” She picked up a box.

  Jordan stepped forward to take the records from her. “We’ll get them, you don’t have—”

  “I work—well, worked construction for almost eleven years. These are nothing, trust me.”

  Jordan hesitated, then picked up the last two boxes. As they all continued to his office, he commented, “Quite the first day for you.”