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  Through the morning, after he’d snarled at a few of his co-workers, everyone began to avoid him, even Marley. Fine with him. She was the last person he wanted to talk to. It didn’t help that every time he glanced in her direction he thought about that kiss in the trailer yesterday, remembered her refreshing, perfume-free scent and the feel of her soft lips under his, instead of picturing her at the shop with his dad.

  By eleven-thirty, he decided the best course of action was to stop looking at her. Easier said than done as Nate’s blue pickup pulled onto the lot and Marley marched past where Justin and Chuck reviewed the blueprints.

  “I sure don’t envy her position right now,” Chuck muttered.

  Justin watched Marley catch Nate’s arm before he made it past the bumper of his truck. “How is it she’s the boss and not you?” he asked the older man without taking his eyes off the unfolding action.

  From the corner of his eye he saw Chuck look at him before answering. “Marley’s been with Hunter longer than any of us.”

  That surprised Justin. “How long have you worked here?”

  “Almost ten years.”

  Ten years? Marley didn’t look to be a day over twenty-five. “Surely your experience made you more qualified.”

  “All I’ve got is a high school diploma,” Chuck stated matter-of-factly. “Marley started working with her Dad when she was sixteen, worked her way through college and graduated just last month with a degree in business and a Master’s in architecture.”

  Justin did the math and decided she had to be twenty-six or twenty-seven. He also knew she had to have worked hard to get to where she was today, especially in a male-dominated field. He wondered if she’d been favored as the former general contractor’s daughter, but quickly discarded the thought. The men gave her too much respect for that.

  Guilt rushed forward for having ordered her termination, but he tamped it down. Anything she was up to with his father didn’t deserve sympathy. So what if he’d grown to like her over the past couple days? Now he viewed her in an entirely different light. A certain measure of his respect still remained, but it was altered now. Cheapened.

  That’s when it hit him, what he couldn’t put his finger on earlier. He was disappointed in her for having anything to do with his father…and, damn it, he was disappointed in the fact that he wouldn’t get to kiss her again.

  The fact that he still wanted to pissed him off.

  ****

  If everyone weren’t watching right now, Marley would’ve smacked Nate upside the head the way her father used to when he did something stupid. The way he’d been acting lately, though, she wouldn’t put it past Nate to turn around and deck her.

  She forced the confrontation at the bumper of his truck. “I warned you.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  She shook her head but kept her gaze steady.

  “Don’t do this, Mar. You need me and you know it.”

  She did need him, but if she didn’t set a precedent, her job would be on the line. Most of the guys were young, with the exception of Chuck. This was her test to see how she could handle being the boss, and damned if she’d fail because Nate thought he could play the family card.

  “I’ll give you a good recommendation, but other than—”

  He jammed the heel of his hand against the side of his truck, making her flinch.

  “Screw your recommendation, Mar, and screw you.”

  She cringed as he yanked the door of his truck open. “Nate—”

  He didn’t even look at her as he slammed the door shut and punched the truck into gear. Marley jumped out of the way and watched him speed away, leaving her in a billowing cloud of dust.

  She wanted to cry. She never cried, yet for the second time in as many days she felt tears sting her eyes. She refused to let them fall as she returned to the framed wall where she’d been working. Nate had made his own bed. She’d given him more warnings than she could count.

  She couldn’t help but glance at Justin on her way past, but he didn’t meet her gaze. She knew why, too. He hadn’t spoken to her, or even looked at her since he’d kissed her. She knew regret when she saw it. He was making sure she didn’t get any foolish notions that it’d happen again.

  Well, the conceited jerk didn’t know anything. If he did, he’d know she didn’t want him to kiss her again. She wanted things back the way they’d been before he’d turned her world upside down with his dominating, opinionated, natural aura of authority that made the others listen without question.

  He certainly wasn’t like anyone she’d worked with before. He acted like a boss, not an employee. Like Dad. In that one way, Justin reminded her of him.

  And now, that damn kiss had changed her way of thinking about Justin. She found herself wondering about him at the oddest moments. What he liked and disliked, where he lived, if he had a sense of humor—though thus far she wasn’t holding her breath on that one.

  She stopped dead in her tracks. What was she doing? This wasn’t her; she didn’t spend time thinking about a guy who so obviously didn’t want anything to do with her. She didn’t spend time thinking about men, period! Unless it was the brother she’d just fired.

  She forced Justin and Nate from her mind and concentrated on work. By the time five o’clock rolled around, she was relatively satisfied with her success and felt more like herself again.

  “Hey, Marley,” Tom hollered from his truck as she reached for the door of the trailer. “We’re stopping at Joe’s for a beer, you comin’?”

  Heaven help her, she looked right at Justin. Thank God his head had already disappeared into his Jeep. Was he going? She hoped…not. Repeat, not. Because not only could she actually use a drink right now, but after what’d happened, and Tom’s friendly invite, she couldn’t say no. For appearances sake, one beer wouldn’t hurt anything.

  That was the one way she wasn’t like her father.

  ****

  Marley walked into the bar and saw Tom and Warren right away. She groaned at the sight of Warren’s wife, Bonnie, and another woman who sat with them. A cute, petite blonde with curls, Bonnie was the exact opposite of her equally petite, brunette friend, whose long, straight hair perfectly complimented her olive skin and exotic eyes. They were both dressed in what Marley would guess to be the latest fashion. Then again, since she never paid attention to fashion, she really couldn’t say for sure.

  Bonnie was very nice, and maybe so was her friend, but next to the two of them Marley felt like a drab giraffe. She didn’t need this. The thought of having to endure ‘girl-talk’ made her head hurt. No one had spotted her yet, so she turned around to leave.

  And ran smack into Justin.

  “Whoa.” He reached out and steadied her, then let go. “Leaving already?”

  “I—um—I was looking for you…guys.” She’d just noticed Chuck behind Justin.

  Justin’s brows rose. Yeah, the excuse had come out a bit weak, but thankfully he didn’t call her on it.

  “You found us.” Chuck said with an oblivious grin. Marley focused her attention on him. At least he was smiling.

  “What are you drinking?” she asked. “I’ve got the first round.”

  “Whatever’s on tap, Mar, thanks.” Chuck stepped past them as he spotted the others.

  Justin hadn’t answered yet. She looked back to find him watching her. She cleared her throat and straightened her spine. “What would you like?”

  A subtle change in the color of his hazel eyes, a shifting of gold to brown, made her heart pound.

  “Beer’s fine.”

  “Great, I’ll be right back.”

  Marley hurried to the bar and ordered three beers and a second round for the rest of the group. The bartender promised he’d bring them over, and she reluctantly made her way to the table.

  Confusion turned her stomach. Justin had avoided her since the kiss, but just a moment ago, she’d gotten the strangest feeling from him. He’d looked kind of intentful again. Worse, she
had no clue how to act, or what to say, and felt dumber than a box of rocks. For the first time ever, she almost wished she knew how to be a girl.

  Almost.

  At the table, Bonnie introduced her friend, Isabel, who’d already captured Tom and Felipe’s attention. And no wonder, Marley thought with disgust as she eyed the woman’s skin-tight, barely-there top and low-rise jeans that exposed her flat stomach and navel ring.

  After a few minutes, though, she had to concede Isabel was as nice as Bonnie. Unfortunately, Marley didn’t have much to contribute to their conversation about last Saturday’s evening at Club 9, so instead she joined the heated discussion of the virtues of various Bronco draft picks and whether or not the NFL team would make it to the playoffs this year.

  She ignored the fact that Justin remained silent. It was no concern of hers if he wasn’t having a good time—she hadn’t even wanted him to show up. She didn’t care how his day had gone and certainly didn’t want to ask about the large dark stain she’d noticed on the front of his jeans when he first arrived at the job site that morning.

  When Chuck ordered a second round of drinks, Marley decided one more wouldn’t hurt. But first she needed a trip to the bathroom.

  She exited the stall as Bonnie and Isabel walked in, and groaned under her breath.

  “Hi, Marley.” Bonnie’s perky voice echoed in the relative quiet of the restroom.

  Marley offered a stiff smile on her way to the sink to wash, wishing they’d go into the stalls so she could escape. Instead they parked themselves in front of the mirror and started refreshing their make-up, chatting non-stop.

  “Justin’s pretty hot,” Isabel commented as she leaned close to apply her lipstick. Marley glanced up at the woman’s reflection in the mirror and was surprised to see the woman watching her. After their gazes met for a brief second, Isabel redirected hers to the image of her lips. She pursed them as she capped her lipstick.

  “He sure is,” Bonnie agreed. She held her mascara and leaned her butt against the sink as Marley shut off the water and reached for a paper towel.

  “You know, Marley, with your coloring, this shade would look awesome on you.”

  Marley regarded the tube of lipstick Isabel held out as if it were a live electrical wire.

  “Give it a try,” Bonnie urged.

  Their expectant expressions started a flutter of anxiety in Marley’s chest. The same feeling she got when picking out dress clothes with a sales woman hovering nearby. Hoping she didn’t look clueless, she took the lipstick and turned toward the mirror.

  Having watched Isabel a moment ago, she applied it with a minimum of insecurity, then stared at herself. Her lips looked bigger—fuller. Was that a good thing?

  “Here, blot it.” Bonnie handed her a tissue. “You were right, Isabel, it looks great. Now for mascara.”

  Before Marley could protest, Bonnie lifted her hand and the wand came straight at her eye.

  She leaned back in alarm. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Just a little to frame your eyes. God, I’d kill for that color.”

  Marley felt Isabel’s hands working the tie from her hair, then a brush being pulled through the thick length that fell halfway down her back.

  “Natural curls,” Isabel lamented. “You’re so lucky.”

  Marley grimaced. She’d always cursed her hair. Thick as could be, but so fine and slippery, stray strands were forever escaping anything she confined it with. If it weren’t easier to just pull it back in a ponytail or tie it in a knot, she’d have cut it all off years ago.

  Bonnie undid the top two buttons of Marley’s work shirt, then untucked it from her jeans. She undid a few bottom buttons before tying the tail ends at her waist. When Marley saw the bare skin of her stomach, she finally stepped back out of reach. Isabel stared at her and Marley wondered if she’d sprouted horns. Her chest tightened.

  “I can’t wait to see his face,” Isabel said.

  Bonnie nodded. “Me neither. Marley, you’ve got to let us go ahead of you so we can watch.”

  “Who’s face?” she asked, facing the mirror.

  Her reflection stared back with amazement. She looked like one of those women she always felt so dowdy around. How was that possible with just a little bit of make-up?

  She opened her mouth to repeat her question, then realized Bonnie and Isabel were on their way out. Oh, shit. She didn’t want to walk up to the table like this all by herself. She hurried after them, nervously tugging the knotted tails of her shirt lower.

  Chapter 6

  Justin lifted his beer, but the glass never made it to his lips. Bonnie and Isabel had just rejoined them, and right behind was—

  Marley?

  Damn. He’d been right, only she didn’t need a dress. And instead of traffic, she’d stopped conversation. Dead silence reigned around the table as the men stared at her.

  Her chestnut hair flowed freely over her shoulders and down her back. Overhead lights caught blonde highlights lightened by her days in the sun. During the short week he’d been at the job site, he’d never seen anything other than a ponytail. Judging by the looks on their faces, neither had the others.

  His gaze settled on her lips, now a muted shade of burgundy. He fought the urge to head straight over and taste them again by forcing his gaze down. That’s when he noticed her shirt had been rendered…sexy. Buttons had been undone, revealing the graceful line of her neck, and knotted shirttails showed off her flat stomach and the curve of her hips.

  Justin realized he was having a physical reaction about the same time Marley swiped up her beer and downed half of it in a few gulps. Damn if watching her swallow didn’t intensify the sudden throb in his groin. He was thankful for the shadow of the table. At the moment, it covered more than just the coffee stain on his jeans.

  Bonnie’s delighted laugh broke the spell. “Warren, honey, dance with me,” she called above the noise of the bar.

  Warren finally looked away from Marley and led his wife out onto the dance floor. Felipe invited a grinning Isabel to join them, and as they left, Chuck launched back into the discussion they’d been having.

  Justin noted Tom’s reluctance to look away from Marley and it annoyed him even though he knew it was none of his business. Over the next half hour or so, he began to pick up on a few other things. Previously, Marley had passionately participated in the conversation, but now she remained quiet. Neither did the guys try to draw her in or provoke her like earlier.

  She also drank more. That surprised him since he was almost positive she’d been leaving when she ran into him earlier. He’d figured she’d stay for one drink, then head out.

  Just about the time he wondered why he’d stayed, he looked back over at her. Her gaze bounced away, and he realized she’d been watching him. His pulse kicked. She downed the remainder of what he thought to be beer three. Or was it four?

  Despite his best efforts and an adamant reminder of her meeting with his father at the coffee shop that morning, Justin’s gaze drifted south again.

  He blinked when he saw she’d untied the knot at her waist and her shirttails now covered not only her stomach, but the top of her thighs as well. Her hand hovered near her throat, and when she lowered it, he saw the button closest to the vee of her slight cleavage had been recaptured in its hole. He tilted his head a bit as he watched her from the corner of his eye. A few minutes later, her hand rose and another button met its fate. One corner of his mouth twitched.

  Marley Wade was uncomfortable.

  Her unease took care of any lingering doubts he might have had about her and his father being physically involved. She was definitely not the type to have a casual fling with a married man. Sympathy swelled for her discomfort, but he squelched the response during a trip to the bathroom. He needed to ignore the way she made him feel. Ignore her. On the way back to the table, he looked around but didn’t see her tall form or chestnut curls anywhere.

  “Where’s Marley?” he asked.

 
; Chuck lifted his beer. “She called it a night. Said she’d see everyone on Monday.”

  Justin looked toward the door with slight alarm. “Did anyone call her a cab?”

  Judging from the blank looks he received, he was the only one who’d noticed how much she’d had to drink in the hour they’d been there. With a muttered curse, he hurried out to the parking lot. Relief washed over him at the sight of her truck.

  He’d only taken half a dozen steps when he heard her raised voice behind him. Justin spun around and took in the scene. Marley pressed against the side of the building, trapped by some son-of-a-bitch who was about to wish he’d stayed inside.

  “Come on sweet thing, let me have a little taste.”

  “What part of NO don’t you understand?” she snapped.

  Justin’s fists clenched in preparation as he moved forward. “Is there a problem here?”

  The guy stepped back and turned his head toward Justin. Before he could utter a single word, Marley sucker-punched him from the right. Impressed that she’d put her shoulder into it, Justin moved aside. The guy stumbled backward and his foot caught on a crack in the sidewalk, dumping him on his ass.

  “No problem,” Marley said calmly. She shook her hand. Grimaced down at it, and then turned her gaze to the dark-haired man on the ground.

  Holding his jaw, the guy started to sit up. Justin stepped forward. “I wouldn’t get up just yet if I were you.”

  “No one asked you,” the man growled.

  Justin placed his boot against his chest and forced him back down. Marley grabbed Justin’s arm. “Let him up.”

  Justin frowned. “Why?”

  “Let him up.” She sounded like she wanted to punch him and glared at him until he removed his foot. When the guy finally rose to his feet, Marley took a step forward. His reflexive flinch made Justin smile in spite of his annoyance.

  “No means no, understand, Jerk-off?”

  “Yeah,” the guy mumbled with a glance at Justin.

  Marley’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

  “Sorry.”

  Her chin lifted. “I thought so.” She shoved past both of them, headed for her truck with a long, confident stride.