To Jen's surprise they didn't step directly into the penthouse but into a spacious lobby. Still moving her with him, he crossed the lobby to the only door visible. He drew out another card to open the door.
Pushing the door open, Marsh swept out his arm, inviting her inside.
"Step into my parlor," Jen murmured, catching her breath as she entered. What she could see of the place was absolutely elegant.
"You consider yourself the fly?" Marsh said in reference to her quote, amusement woven through his voice.
"And you the spider," Jen said, shrugging out from beneath his cloak and handing it to him.
"Is that the way you think of me?" Although his voice was even, she caught the slight edge to it.
Jen turned to meet his steely gaze.
"No, not at all," she answered without hesitation. "I was being a smart-mouth."
Some of the glitter faded from his eyes. "Are you afraid of me, Jen?"
"Of course not." She protested the very idea. "Why should..." She paused, holding his steady gaze, changing her tune. "Do I have reason to be afraid, Marsh?"
Smiling, he shook his head. "No, Jennifer, you don't. If you'll recall, I asked you to marry me."
She glanced away. "I do remember."
"I'm still waiting for an answer."
Jen moved into the room, over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view of the city lights from the top of the building gave her an altogether different perception of it than from the street.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, speaking more to herself than to him.
"Yes." He came up behind her, sliding one arm around her waist. "And I'm still waiting for an answer."
She closed her eyes. "Marsh, I just don't know. I...I..."
"Don't," he murmured. This time his lips brushed her ear, bringing a flutter to her chest and heat flooding to parts south. "I can wait for your answer, at least to that question. But I need to know if you'll stay with me here tonight, Jennifer." His voice was warm, rich, deep-she could feel it vibrating through her down to her toes.
"Yes, Marsh," she answered against her will. "I will stay with you tonight."
Applying light pressure to her waist, he drew her closer. "Now, for the price of one kiss-a scorcher, mind you-I'll give you the guided tour of the apartment. Deal?" He grinned.
"Deal," she echoed, leaning into him and bringing her hands up to cradle his face, drawing him to her.
His mouth gently touched hers. But Jen was having none of it. He had said a scorcher, and that was what he was going to get.
She nipped at his bottom lip before taking his mouth with her own in a silent demand. Marsh was quick to comply, taking over the kiss with the expertise of experienced mastery.
A low groan deep in her throat, Jen melted into him, returning his kiss with all the passion she'd been unable to express since she'd left Marsh a day ago. His tongue invaded. She met the attack with a thrust of her own. It was wonderful, exciting, nearly overwhelming.
But it was not enough. She wanted more, much more, and from the sensation of him pressing against her belly, she had no doubt he felt the same.
Finally, needing more air, she eased back a few inches to gaze into his eyes.
"Can we put off the grand tour until tomorrow?" she asked between quickly drawn breaths. "I need to be naked and in bed with you."
"Now you're talking." Sweeping her up into his arms, Marsh strode from the living room into his bedroom. It was dimly lit by the lights in buildings outside. All Jen noticed was that the room was large...and his bed took up the majority of space.
She began working on the buttons of his shirt. He already had her blouse on the floor. Within moments their clothing lay scattered around the bed, decorating the carpet. Marsh had his teeth clamped on the corner of a silver package he had removed from his trouser pocket before dropping his pants to the floor. She could see he wanted to be inside her as much as she wanted him there.
Tossing back the bedcovers, and once again lifting her, he settled her in the center of the bed and stretched his long length beside her. His skin felt like warm silk over long tight muscles.
Jen already felt hot and desperate with need for him. The feel of him moving over her, on top of her, shattered the last of her swiftly fading inhibitions. Moaning, she moved restlessly against him, parting her legs in invitation.
His reaction was swift. Grasping her hips, he dragged her into full contact with his steel-hard erection.
She shuddered in anticipation.
Jen braced her hands on his chest but suddenly he was gone. She murmured a protest but swallowed it when she opened her eyes to see him applying the condom.
"Let's be smart this time," he said.
Jen was surprised but too desperate to have him inside her to say anything. Lifting her hips again, he moved into her, sheathing himself deeply within her heat.
"Yes," she whispered, closing her eyes again. Then, "Oh, yes," as he began to rotate his hips, delving deeper, deeper into her body.
Jen had never believed the stories told by women about crying out when reaching climax. She became a believer moments later, calling his name in a hoarse voice she barely recognized as her own as her body appeared to shatter into a million pieces.
Marsh's cry echoed her own. Head thrown back, tendons straining in his neck, he stiffened an instant before wrapping his arms around her. Jen was drawing shaky breaths into her depleted body when Marsh, still buried deep inside her, gently lowered his tension-taut body against hers, his indrawn breath as raw as her own.
"Marsh?" Jen forced out his name between gulps for oxygen. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," he answered, his warm breath tickling her ear. "But for a moment there, I felt certain I had died."
"Yeah," she echoed. "Me, too."
"Wanna try it again?"
Jen expelled a breath in a burst of laughter. "Are you kidding? I can barely breathe." She hesitated a mere instant before adding, "Give me a second."
"Okay," he said, nipping at the soft skin beneath her chin.
Jen slid from under him and made her way to the bathroom. Finding a light switch, she flipped it, stifling a gasp of appreciation at the opulence of the room. There was a lot of marble, swirls of dark chocolate and white, and a huge tub with all kinds of gadgets she was tempted to play with. A long wooden-slatted bench sat next to a walk-in shower stall along one wall. On the facing wall, an even longer vanity cabinet with two sinks and an array of interesting-looking bottles and jars and candles was set below a mirror in exact proportion to the cabinet.
For a moment, Jen was sorely tempted to jump into the shower stall for a quick sluice over her sweaty skin. But she decided she'd much rather get back to Marsh as fast as she could.
Her eyes widened as she came back to the bed and saw one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever seen in her life. Marsh, buck naked and rock hard...again.
She took advantage of the moment to admire his fantastic body as he opened another package and put the condom on.
Ready for him, Jen curled her arms around his neck, sighing with contentment as he settled himself in the cradle between her thighs.
"How could you have..." She didn't know how to finish asking how he had revived so quickly.
Marsh just smiled at her and said, "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you are the sexiest thing I've ever seen, Jen."
Jen would have thought that the second time the pace would be slower, easier. And it might have been, if she had allowed Marsh to set the pace. But Jen shocked herself with her need, her hunger, touching him, tasting him everywhere. Within moments he was inside her again, taking, giving, demanding, pleading. It was too fast, too intense, too hot and over much too soon.
Marsh barely grunted before collapsing on top of her, harsh breaths bathing the curve of her neck, sending delicious shivers up her spine. And though his voice was little more than a whisper, she heard what he said.
"Jennifer, Jennifer...you are one amazing woman."
"I know," she said in the best demure tone she could manage, a satisfied smile curving her well-kissed mouth.
Lifting his body onto his forearms, Marsh threw back his head and roared with laughter. He was still laughing when his mouth came crashing down again on hers, his tongue diving deep, claiming her as his own.
"I adore you," he said, when he was forced to break away to breathe. "Marry me."
Jen ached at his words. She wanted to confess that she couldn't marry him, because he adored her but didn't love her. But something stopped her from telling Marsh the truth-she simply couldn't do it. "I told you, Marsh. I must have more time to think about it."