ShatteredTrust_w5401 Page 4
Not even her dad the day she’d fallen off a ladder and broken her arm on her sixth birthday.
Tears overflowed her bottom lashes. She squeezed her eyes tight. The harder she fought them, the faster they fell. A single sob escaped. Justin’s arms tightened and his hand pressed her head to his shoulder. She didn’t resist even though moisture soon dampened his tee shirt.
It didn’t last long; she wouldn’t let it. After a steadying breath, she pulled her arms from where they’d ended up wrapped around his lean, solid waist. She was afraid to look up.
His hand lifted to her cheek and his thumb skimmed the moist skin. “It’s okay to be shook up, Marley. Nobody’s invincible. No one expects you to be.”
“I expect me to be.” She raised her hands to wipe her face, pushing his away in the process.
“It’s too much.”
She finally looked at him. “If the men out there see any sign of weakness from me, all their respect will be gone.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that. Just like any you might have had is, I’m sure.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yeah, sure.” She would’ve turned away, but he caught her arm.
“There’s not many people I respect more than I’ve come to respect you in the past few days.”
She met his gaze and saw the truth of his words. The jittery feeling that had taken up residence in her stomach since the day she met him went on full alert. Only now she couldn’t fool herself that it was because of the job. It was all him.
She lowered her lashes to break eye contact. “Thank you.”
His mouth caught her attention as one corner lifted in the beginning of a smile. It was a damn fine mouth to go along with his damn fine body. How would it feel on hers? She’d only been kissed a handful of times. Dating had never been important to her, and she’d never been curious. Until now.
He took a step closer. She realized she’d been staring at his mouth and jerked her attention up. His expression changed. He looked…intentful. Was that even a word? She wasn’t so sure—she’d have to look it up some—oh, hell! Now she was babbling in her mind.
“Something about you got my attention from the moment we met.”
That struck her as funny. “Would that have been my bra?”
Justin grinned. “There was that. But it was only half as intriguing as the woman wearing it.”
She rolled her eyes to combat the unfamiliar thrill his words evoked.
He lifted a hand to rest on her shoulder. Gave a gentle squeeze. “Everything okay now?”
She nodded as his thumb skimmed the pulse at the base of her throat. When his touch returned to rest over the throbbing point, she felt a steady increase and knew he did too.
Curiosity killed the cat, Marley.
Cats have nine lives.
His head lowered toward hers. His gaze dropped to her mouth. The first brush of his warm lips against hers made her sway closer. She closed her eyes and lifted her chin for a better connection. When she braced one hand on his chest for support, she was shocked to feel his heart thundering beneath her palm.
His other arm slid over her hip and around her waist to pull her against him. The nerve endings in her entire body came alive, overwhelming her with unfamiliar sensations. She suddenly felt as if she’d had one too many beers on a sweltering summer night.
Then his mouth opened on hers. His hot, wet tongue slid along the seam of her lips before pushing through to her teeth. It startled her. It excited her.
Okay, so her handful of kisses had been back in the fifth grade, when a half-second peck on the lips during spin the bottle was a major deal.
This was a major deal!
No, Marley, kissing an employee is a major deal.
She jerked her head away and pushed against his chest with both hands. He let go, allowing her to take a quick step back to put some space between them. She had no idea what to say and while trying to come up with something, she raised a hand to her lips. They felt as if they’d been shot with a jolt of electricity.
Realizing he watched her, she dropped her hand to rest on the back of the desk chair.
Buck up, Marley. You didn’t get this far by acting like a woman.
“I think it’s time you get back to work.”
Justin paused at her cool, collected tone. The adrenaline coursing through his veins was similar to the rush he got when he used to rock climb with his brother. Back when he didn’t know the true meaning of accidents and what they could do to your life.
He wanted to stay, wanted to pull her against him for another taste to wipe away everything else.
But she was right. He needed to leave. Before he did something even more idiotic than the boss kissing his employee. She might not know about that, but he did. At least she’d had the sense to stop it. He strode across the trailer and reached for the doorknob.
“My father was killed the day he put in the lumber order for the rafters.”
His fingers tightened on the metal in his palm.
“I’m not trying to make excuses,” she continued. “I should’ve remembered to call in the new measurements. I just want you to know, under normal circumstances I’d never have made such a rookie mistake.”
Rookie mistake. His exact thought from earlier. Unnerved, he faced her and instantly wished he hadn’t. Moisture brightened her eyes again, only this time she contained the tears.
“It’s an honest mistake, Marley, anyone could’ve made it. Don’t beat yourself up.” He cringed inside. He’d been ready to fire her for it—still might have to.
She shook her head. “Except now it’s going to drain more money out of my already strained budget.”
The moment the words were out, Justin saw she hadn’t meant to reveal so much. Her mouth thinned with annoyance.
“I just wanted to, well, I guess I’d like you to know that I—”
A knock at the door cut her off, and Justin swung it open at her silent indication. Chuck pulled up short when he saw Justin. “Wondered where you’d gotten to.” He glanced at Marley. “Am I interrupting?”
“We’re finished.”
Justin gave a curt nod and stepped outside.
“Justin.”
He caught the doorjamb and leaned back in. “Yeah?”
“Thank you. For earlier and for, um, everything.”
His gaze locked with hers. He recognized the thank you was for the rafter—and the rest? Well, the rest was for something else. The color in her cheeks told him that.
He smiled briefly. “Anytime,” he said, telling himself he only referred to saving her life.
****
Justin hit the speed dial for Jordan’s cell phone as he shifted his Jeep into second and continued the winding drive down the mountain roads into Boulder.
Jordan answered on the third ring. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“I’m not going to make it tonight.” He made sure to speak loud enough for his words to carry to the hands-free set and be heard over the sound of his cranky old engine. “We had quite the day out here and I have some things to take care of.”
“No problem, that frees me up for something tonight, too.”
Justin gave a snort of laughter. “Brunette or blonde?”
“Neither, idiot. I work, too.”
Justin’s gaze shifted from the road to the phone, as if he could see Jordan through it. Sore subject all of a sudden? What the hell was that about? “Just a joke, man, just a joke.”
“Sorry. This financial stuff is something else. You’ve got it easy.”
“Yeah? I almost got killed by a half ton of falling lumber today. I win.”
“What the hell happened?”
“Faulty cable.” Justin glanced in the rearview mirror. “At least I hope that’s all it was.”
“Are you kidding me? If there’s a chance you could be killed out there, I don’t think—”
“Jordan, accidents happen all the time on job sites. I run the same risks every day in Toronto.”
“Bullshit. When’s the last time you had an accident on one of your sites?”
Justin’s hands tightened on the wheel. Of course, Jordan didn’t know. No one knew the real truth except him and Granddad. And Granddad was dead now. He didn’t want to think about it—about his own rookie mistake that had cost Greg Johnson his life almost ten years ago.
It was the reason why, as the boss on his own sites, he put safety above all else. “Look, I didn’t call to talk about this. You still at the office?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I need you to look up Marley Wade’s home address for me.”
There was a moment of silence. “Why do you want your boss’s home address?”
“Technically, I’m her boss.”
“Doesn’t answer my question.”
“She runs in minutes before work, and she’s always wearing a business suit that she immediately changes out of.” Ugly ones and no shoes. “Since she’s the only one who currently matches the note in Granddad’s hand, I’m going to follow her in the morning and see what’s up.”
“Good idea. I’ll text you the address.”
“Thanks. One more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll need your car—she knows my Jeep.”
****
Justin drove past the small cabin-like log house at 621 Ridge Road to figure out where he could park unseen, then flipped Jordan’s Lexus around and settled in. It was almost six a.m. and the sun’s rays reflected in his rearview mirror as it began its daily climb.
Marley’s truck sat in the drive, Nate’s right alongside it.
The door opened as he poured his first cup of coffee from his thermos. Marley exited the house with a briefcase in one hand and a pair of shoes in the other. Even as he pulled his baseball cap lower over his face, his brows rose at her outfit.
Her choice of clothes didn’t come close to doing the body underneath justice. A lime-green skirt hung on her hips and the plain white blouse she’d paired it with was shapeless. Man, why did she hide underneath such unflattering clothes? In the right curve-hugging-cut-down-to-there dress, she’d stop traffic.
She backed out of her driveway and Justin swore when she almost collided with a passing car. The driver laid on the horn, and Marley slammed on her brakes, her head jerking from the sudden stop. After a guilty, apologetic wave to her near-victim, he saw her double-check the road before speeding off.
Justin pulled out behind her, but kept his distance. She was an impatient driver, inching forward at each intersection, her brake lights flashing like a radio tower warning light, until the signal turned green. Then she shot on to the next one, weaving in and out of traffic.
He began to worry he’d lose her when she made a quick right turn into the parking lot of a local coffee shop not far from Hunter Construction’s office headquarters.
He was familiar with the shop, having had coffee with his Granddad at the corner table many times growing up. He felt a pang of grief knowing the man who’d inspired him to make it on his own would never sit there again. He owed it to his Granddad to find out what really happened and save the company he’d worked so hard to build. Hunter Construction was a legend that needed to live on.
He directed his attention back to Marley as her legs swung from the truck. She slipped on a pair of high-heeled shoes before touching ground on the sidewalk. Used to seeing her stride confidently across the job site in her steel-toed work boots, her slower steps surprised him.
Through the glass windows, he watched her order, and then cross the shop to sit at a table in the corner. She must be meeting someone. With her first sip of coffee, Justin saw it was too hot by the way she pulled the cup away and immediately raised her fingers to her lips. He sipped from the thermos cup and watched her fidget with her plastic ware. Then she ripped a napkin into little pieces while glancing at her watch every fifteen seconds.
Marley Girl was expecting someone, all right, and she was damn nervous about it. Interview for a new job? Not dressed like that, he hoped. A married lover, perhaps? Not dressed like that, either. Besides, his gut told him she wasn’t the type; respect was too important to her.
More likely she was meeting a friend, or maybe a boyfriend she was about to break up with. Or maybe a new guy she really liked. He frowned at that possibility and then told himself he didn’t care.
A silver Bentley glided behind the Lexus and eased into a parking space a few cars down. Justin’s frown deepened.
“Well, hello, Dad,” he whispered into the silence of the vehicle. “What are you doing here this early in the morning?”
He sat up straighter in the car as his father entered the shop, bought a coffee and a muffin, and walked directly toward Marley’s table.
“Oh no you don’t,” Justin warned.
Oh, yes he did. Worse, Marley gave his father a wide, welcoming smile. As if she knew him. As if she were happy to see him. When he sat, his father covered her hand with his and let it linger. Justin noted she didn’t pull away until she took a sip of coffee a moment later.
He felt ready to explode. How dare she!
Whoa…no, how dare he!
That’s why he was angry, because his father was having an affair. He reached for his cell, then remembered he’d stuck it in his pocket when he’d switched vehicles with Jordan. He lifted his hips to dig into his jeans and promptly spilled coffee in his crotch.
“Shit!” He made a frantic grab for the cup and held it up. More liquid dripped onto his leg as he reached over into the glove box for some napkins. He came up empty.
Curses filled the car. Justin opened the door and dumped what was left in his cup onto the asphalt. Then he stripped off his sweatshirt and used it to soak up what he could of the drenched material between his legs and under his ass.
Muttering all the while, he retrieved his phone and punched the speed dial for Jordan’s number.
His brother answered on the fifth ring. “Yeah.”
“I want her fired.”
Chapter 5
“What? Who? What time is it?”
“Marley Wade,” Justin bit out. “I want her gone. She’s done for, you hear me?”
“The woman I danced with at the club last night heard you,” Jordan groaned.
Justin made a sound of disgust. “You’re as bad as Dad.”
“Wait a minute, those are fighting words and at…six twenty-three?” The sound of rustling sheets accompanied his brother’s annoyed voice. “Justin, you don’t call people at six twenty-three in the morning. They’re still sleeping.”
“Well get your ass up.”
“Hey, you want to crow with the roosters, be my guest. But leave me out of it.”
“She’s having an affair.”
“So? I don’t care. Why do you?”
“With Dad.”
“What?”
“She’s sleeping with Dad! You know, what you did with the chick from the club last night?”
“I didn’t sleep with anyone last night,” Jordan growled. “I meant you were hollering so damn loud that she probably heard you all the way across town.”
Justin clamped his jaw tight to keep his anger in check.
The sound of a drawer slamming sounded through the phone. “What’d you do, follow them to some hotel?”
“No, I’m at that coffee shop down on Cypress.”
“Did you see them kissing?”
“No.”
“Well, what are they doing?”
“Having coffee, but—”
“Wait. Are you telling me you’ve deduced this whole affair from a simple cup of java?” Jordan asked.
“No, I—” Justin paused. Damn it. He kinda had.
“You know, she does work for us. Did it ever occur to you that they could be meeting for business?”
Justin thought about that angle and realized it certainly made more sense. Relief flowed through him. Until something else occurred to him and his anger spiked all over again. “What if they’
re working together? What if Dad’s up to something? He was really pissed off at the reading of Granddad’s will.”
He’d been angry enough that he’d made a complete fool of himself. That was something Dale Blake the Third never did. Appearances were everything to the entire Blake family. Yet when the lawyer had read the will, Dale had ranted and raved about the old bastard getting his revenge. Then he’d looked at their mother and said in a furious voice, “I never said a single word, Diana. And you know I could have.”
“Not here,” their mother had snapped.
“Hmmm,” Jordan said, bringing Justin back to the present. “Now that theory doesn’t sound so farfetched.”
“Damn right it doesn’t. Either way, she’s gone. Type up the paperwork today and have it delivered to her house tomorrow.”
“Me?” Jordan asked in surprise.
“Yes, you. Bonnie’s married to one of the guys on Marley’s team. She’s kept quiet about us so far, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday.”
“I know. I’ll clean out her office after work so she’ll have no reason to return to the site. Right about now, I don’t trust Dad any more than he trusted Granddad, and if Marley’s working with him, I certainly don’t trust her either.”
****
Justin barely had time to switch vehicles at Jordan’s apartment again before rushing to work. He wished he could change his stained jeans, and Jordan was going to freak over the coffee stain on the seat of his Lexus, but in the grand scheme of things, they both had more important things to worry about.
Marley and his dad. He still couldn’t believe it. He pounded his fist on the steering wheel as he turned onto the highway. But there was more than his anger over them conspiring together. He just couldn’t define it.
He shifted into first as he pulled into the job site, no closer to figuring out what bothered him most than when he’d first seen them together. He slammed his door closed when he saw Marley exit her trailer in her work clothes. On time, damn her.