He chuckled and the sound seemed to go right through her.
He took another sip, keeping his eyes on her. "I feel I might have offended you with my...business proposal."
Jen nearly spit out her wine. "Is that what that was?"
He nodded. "It was. I'm a businessman, Jen. When I see something that looks like a good, smart opportunity, I take it."
Her heart skittered a little at the idea of being "taken" by Marsh. By the glint in his eye, she could tell that was exactly what he wanted her to be thinking.
"But like I said, I'm sorry if I offended you."
Jen couldn't help but wonder, as she sat there looking at the gorgeous Marsh Grainger, how many other women he had presented with his "business" proposal. But then, how many women could a man possibly meet if he spent all his time at home, in his house?
"Why do you hide out in your home instead of working in your office in Dallas?"
For a moment-a long moment-she was certain he had no intention of answering her. In fact, she was steeling herself for a rebuke.
"I get more done that way."
Jen was a little startled at his blunt admittance. A tiny frown tugging her brows together, she asked, "You can get more work done alone than you can surrounded by people to assist you?"
He nodded, tipping the glass to finish off his drink. "I do have people-too many people-around me to assist. I prefer the quiet of my office at the house. On the other hand-"
He was interrupted by their server asking if he could get something else for them.
"No, thank you, just the check," Marsh said, his gaze steady on Jen's face. "Are you going to finish your wine?"
"No." Jen shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "I'm driving."
Turning from her, he took care of the check. Then he circled the table to hold her chair for her.
"You were saying," Jen prompted him as soon as they were back outside. As they walked, the crowds had to go around them-it didn't hurt that Marsh was such an imposing, intimidating man.
"On the other hand," he said, strolling beside her, unaware of the impatient looks of some of the people having to skirt around them. "There are times I have to go into Dallas or Houston for important meetings."
"As you did the weekend I started working for you," she recalled aloud.
He hesitated, a half smile shadowing his lips for an instant. "Yes," he said, his tone wry.
Now, what was that all about? The man was certainly an enigma. If she thought about everything that had happened between them in one day, it practically made her head spin. First a kiss, then...a proposal.
A proposal was serious business. Was she seriously considering it?
"Hello, Jennifer." Marsh's softened voice drew her from introspection. "We're here."
Here? Where? Blinking herself back from the realm of Marsh's hot kiss and the proposal to the present, Jen was startled to find herself standing next to her car. Now, how in the world had he known where she had parked?
"How did you..."
"I looked."
"You looked?" She stared at him in amazement. "All the places to park around here, and you not only looked for my car, you spotted it?"
Marsh shrugged. "It's pretty hard to miss an old, dusty white Caddy, even at dusk."
Although Jen took offense at his description of the vehicle she loved, she let it slide for the moment. "Okay, so where did you park?"
"Back there a few blocks. You wait here while I go get it and I'll follow you home."
"I know the way home, Marsh," she said.
"I know you do," he replied. "But I'm still following you back to the ranch, so you wait here. That's an order, Jennifer. I can't have you disappearing on me-we're not quite done talking yet. And we need some privacy to do it."
And with that, he just turned and walked away.
Six
Jen was fuming. Certain smoke was rising from her ears, she stared after Marsh. Who the hell did he think he was?
Well, yeah, he was her boss-he was boss to a lot of people, she reluctantly conceded-but that didn't give him the right to issue orders to her on a date. Sighing, she nevertheless slid behind the wheel of the Caddy like a good and obedient employee.
Anger seared through her.
Her day had been a whirlwind, starting with their ride. There was the kiss, and the perplexing and-if she was being totally honest with herself-rather flattering proposal. She had enjoyed their ride to the stream. She had enjoyed the horses. She had even enjoyed Marsh's kiss.
Who was she kidding? She hadn't just enjoyed his kiss, she had melted into it, and wanted more when it was over...only to hear him tell her it had been a test.
A test! As if that were not bad enough, he proceeded to ask her to have sex with him to make certain they would be good together in bed. And if it so happened they were compatible as lovers, he then would marry her, simply because he considered her good wife and mother material, mother being the most important role as he needed an heir to inherit his vast wealth and would prefer two children. Like royalty, she supposed-an heir and a spare.
She'd been thinking about that proposal all day. But damned if now, after their first date, she wasn't quite sure how she felt.
Especially since he'd just ordered her around.
Jen didn't realize she was gritting her teeth until she heard the sound of a horn and glanced at the side mirror to see Marsh pulled up alongside the car parked behind her. Starting the engine, she eased out onto the street and drove ahead of him.
He stayed on her tail, as if their bumpers were locked, all the way back to the ranch. Jen had the whole drive to work up a full head of angry steam at the way he had again managed to confuse, excite and befuddle her all in one day.
She tried to untangle the emotions in her head. How did she feel about Marsh? She had enjoyed having dinner with him-he had been good company. The conversation they had engaged in had been amusing.
So, what was she really fuming about?
Jen knew full well what she was really fuming about-her growing attraction to a man who wanted to give her a compatibility test. But it was so much easier to tell herself she was annoyed by his arrogant demand that she wait for him to follow her back to the ranch.
It was as good an excuse as anything else she could come up with on the spur of the moment.
As Jen drove past the two stone pillars on either side of the road to the house, she thrust her arm out the window in a wave and gave a quick honk of the horn in greeting to the guard, as she had been doing every time she left or returned to the ranch. The guard gave a honk and flashed his lights in response.
Watching for it, she noticed neither Marsh nor the guard acknowledged one another.
She was not surprised; she imagined he saw no reason to greet his employees every time he left or returned to the property. He paid his people very well-Jen knew because she cut the checks, her own included. She presumed he figured that was acknowledgement enough. And it had been, for her. Until he'd broken their delicate truce with that kiss.
And that proposal.
Suddenly tired, Jen pulled into the space Marsh had allotted her in the garage and killed the engine. Marsh pulled into the slot next to her. A deflated sigh whispered through her lips as she got out of the car and walked to the trunk to retrieve her shopping bag.
"Let me help you with that," he said, plucking the Victoria's Secret bag from her fingers. If he only knew what's in that bag, she thought.
He trailed her through the doors and up the stairs to her apartment. As she never locked the door, she walked right inside and turned to relieve him of the bag.
Marsh was right behind her and closed the door with a quiet but definite click.
Jen arched her brows in question.
"Aren't you going to offer me a reward for carrying your bag?" he asked.
"Reward?" Her brows lowered while her eyes narrowed. "What sort of reward?"
He almost smiled.
He'd been smiling all day. She wondered if it had hurt his lips, then chided herself for the snide thought.
"Coffee, wine, something stronger?"
"Something stronger, huh?" Jen asked in a wry tone. "You wouldn't be thinking of getting me tipsy, would you?"
Marsh made it all the way to a real smile this time. "Not at all, coffee will be fine. The last thing I want is for your mind to be cloudy when I take you to bed."
His response stopped her cold. Well, not exactly-while it gave her chills on the surface of her skin, it ignited a blaze inside her.
She was silent for a moment, staring into the heat burning in the depths of his eyes. Coming to her senses, she said, "Excuse me?"