"So do I," Jen admitted, proud of the steadiness of her voice when she was feeling overwhelmed with desire for Marsh-again. How much of this could she take? "So, what are you hungry for?"
Marsh ran a slow glance over her body. "Do you want the polite answer or the truth?" His voice was low, sensuous, suggestive.
"The polite answer," she quickly replied, fighting an urge to ask for the truth.
Marsh grinned. "Okay, then I'd like toast and a ham, cheese and tomato omelet, if you have the ingredients."
"I do." Telling herself to grow up and calm down, Jen headed for the fridge. "You can pour the coffee. I'm dying for a cup."
"Can't have that," he said, sounding amused. Opening the door on a cabinet he removed two large mugs and poured the coffee before the water had completely run through.
Ten minutes later they sat down to eat. Fifteen minutes after that they were both finished, not a crumb on their plates. Collecting the dishes, Jen stashed them in the dishwasher. She felt wonderfully full and nervous as hell. She had calmed down somewhat as she cooked and ate, but sitting back down at the table across from Marsh with nothing to occupy herself with but the coffee mug, the queasiness in her stomach started up all over again.
"So, what do you want to do today?"
The sensitized area between her thighs kept Jen from admitting to her desire to crawl back into bed with him and spend the rest of the day there. Instead, she said, "I'm going to finish the wash I started yesterday and then-"
"Don't even think about cleaning the house." Marsh cut her off in a warning tone.
Jen leveled a look at him. "If I had planned to clean the house, Mr. Grainger, I would clean the house," she retorted succinctly. "That's what I get paid to do."
"But I'm the boss, Ms. Dunning, and-"
"After the laundry," Jen said, figuring it was her turn to cut him off, "I'm going to curl up with the romance novel I started the night before last." Jen drew herself up, raised her chin and challenged his authority. "You got a problem with that?"
Marsh shrugged. "No," he said, his tone unconcerned. "It is your day off."
"Damn straight." She walked out of the kitchen and into the laundry room. The sound of his chuckle stalked her across the room, causing a hot shiver up her back to the nape of her neck.
"I'll be in my office," he said, then paused, his voice lowering to a sensual growl. "If you should need me for anything."
Oh, that's so not fair, Jen thought, digging out damp clothing and transferring it into the dryer.
Need him for anything? Jen's body began to heat up in very tender spots. Hell, she needed him for everything.
The very thought brought her to an absolute standstill. What on earth was she thinking? She didn't need anyone, least of all a man who was notorious for his disdain for women.
But Marsh really didn't seem like a man who disdained women. Did he? Or had he just worked his magic on her so completely that she couldn't tell what was real anymore?
Get a grip, she told herself.
Oh, sure, she had enjoyed her romp in bed with him-more than enjoyed it. She had reveled in it. It had been great sex. Well, she assumed it was great because it made her feel great. But that was no reason to lose her sense of reality.
Oh, hell, maybe it was time to take a hike, look for another job, maybe in another state, or even country, because she feared she was way out of her depth with Marshall Grainger.
But...she didn't want to leave. She loved her job. She loved-
No! Her stomach muscles twisted. It felt as if all her muscles twisted. Jen took off at a near run for her apartment.
"Jen?"
She stopped short on the fourth step, her breath catching in her throat at his soft call. "Yes?"
"Is something wrong?" He sounded concerned.
She half turned to look at him, immediately sorry she did so. He stood in the doorway to his office looking so blasted sexy. Somehow, Jen managed a reassuring smile.
"No, what could be wrong?" she asked, thinking, Everything-everything could be wrong.
He frowned. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
How was it that even frowning he looked good enough to eat? She shook her head, trying to shake loose both the highly sexual image that flashed into her mind and the errant thought that went with it.
She inched backward and up one step. "I'm going to get my book. I decided to sit and read in the kitchen while waiting for the laundry to finish." Liar, liar, pants on fire, the tiny voice chided inside her head.
He smiled. She melted inside.
"The romance novel, right?"
"Yes."
"Is it good...the romance story?"
Jen grew stiff. Was there a note of mockery hidden inside his even tone?
"Yes, it is." She slid honey into her voice. "I wouldn't be reading it if it weren't." She raised one eyebrow. "What genre do you read?"
"I don't read fiction," he answered.
"Too bad, you don't know what you're missing."
"I'm a busy man, Jennifer. I have enough to read with business papers and periodicals."
"And what do you do to relax?" she asked, annoyed by his condescension.
This time his smile was slow, sexy, his eyes revealing his thoughts. "I was completely relaxed with you last night."
Jen froze, while the flame roared to life deep inside her. She didn't know what to say, how to respond to him. She certainly wasn't about to admit to the shimmering satisfaction he had given her. The last thing he needed was a booster shot to his ego.
He simply stood there, leaning against the door frame, his hands in his jeans pockets, his eyes hooded, his smile cool, for all appearances totally at ease.
Yeah, thought Jen, like a tiger crouched and ready to spring. Slowly, she backed up another step.
"I think we should get married." His remark startled Jen, even as something sprang to life inside her. She shouldn't have been surprised, of course-a part of her had known this was coming.
For a long moment the silence was complete. Then Jennifer erupted.
"You can't be serious, Marsh!"
"I am. You know I am."
Damn him. How could he be so calm when she felt about ready to fly into pieces? She stood there, shocked speechless, afraid that if she opened her mouth she'd admit the idea of spending every day and night with him for the rest of her life was very tempting.
Lazily, he straightened, moving away from the door, taking a step toward her.
Jen backed up another step.
He kept moving. "Getting married is the perfect solution."
"To what problem?" she asked, taking another step back, grasping the banister when she nearly stumbled.
She never saw him move but suddenly he was there, steadying her by drawing her into the safety of his arms.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes." She gulped air into her body. "I'm fine. You can let me go now."
"I'd rather not."
"Marsh, please." Jen drew another quick breath, which didn't help a bit in slowing her rapid heartbeat. "I need some time, some thinking space. We barely know each other, and certainly not well enough to get married."
"We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other," he said, his arms tightening possessively.
"Marsh, please, you're hurting me." It was a blatant lie. While she was afraid, she wasn't afraid of him. What he was really doing was exciting her to the point where she feared she'd give him anything he asked of her.
"I've never deliberately hurt a woman in my life." His voice was now cold, his expression colder. His arms dropped away from her as he backed down the stairs to the foyer.
Reflexively, Jen reached out a hand, as if to stop his retreat. "Marsh, please." She wet her lips, shivering as she saw his narrowed eyes follow the path of her tongue. "It's too soon. I need time. As I told you before, it's been a long time since I've... Well, I've never experienced anything like what happened last night. It's a lot to process."
His cold expression shifted, giving way to warmth. "We do very well together, Jennifer." He smiled. "During the day and at night."
Jen bit her lip to keep from returning his smile. She was raking her mind for something coherent to say when he saved her from herself.
"Do you want to be courted?"
"Courted?" Jen blinked.
"Yes," he said, dead seriously. "You know, do things together besides sit across the table from each other at mealtimes."
"You mean like going riding and having dinner dates?" she asked.
"Sure, why not?" He smiled. "What do you enjoy doing in your free time besides reading?"