Authors: Tawna Fenske
Will stepped back as Marley skidded into the foyer looking disheveled and frantic and so beautiful Will’s throat ached. She tripped over the giant pink rabbit’s leg, but caught herself before Will could reach for her. Her cheeks looked beard burned, and she’d pulled her T-shirt on backwards, but at least she was wearing one.
She definitely wasn’t wearing a bra.
Will turned toward the bedroom to find his shirt, but changed his mind as Marley gripped the knob and yanked open the door.
“Curtis,” she breathed. “What are you doing?”
The kneeling man blinked up at her, and Will resisted the urge to make a dozen smartass suggestions what a man might be doing on bended knee with a diamond ring in one outstretched hand. It was pretty damn obvious what Curtis was up to. The question was why.
“Marley,” Curtis said, thrusting the ring at her in case she’d missed it. “I love you. I miss you. I traded up to get an extra half-carat for you. What do you say, Marley?”
“I think I’m going to throw up.”
Judging from Curtis’s expression, it wasn’t the answer he’d hoped for. Will kinda felt for the guy. He reached out to offer him a hand up, but Curtis turned and frowned.
“Who are you?”
Will withdrew his hand and shrugged. “Bicycle repair guy?”
Curtis narrowed his eyes. “You work without a shirt?”
“It’s an extra ten bucks if I work without pants.”
Curtis turned back to Marley, effectively dismissing Will as irrelevant. Will couldn’t really blame the guy. He stole a glimpse at Marley, who wore a mortified expression and a faint love bite just below her right earlobe.
She glanced at Will and two spots of color appeared on her cheeks.
“Um, so—” she began.
Both men waited, but apparently that was as far as Marley had gotten with her planned retort.
At the sound of toenails clicking across hardwood, Will turned to see Magoo trotting through the foyer with one ear flopped over his blue eye. Spotting the figure kneeling on the doorstep, Magoo put an extra spring in his step and bounded toward Curtis.
Will saw it happening even before Magoo hoisted himself onto Curtis’s thigh and twitched his stub-tail with pleasure.
“Magoo, no!” Marley snapped, nudging her dog with her bare foot. “Stop it!”
Magoo began to gyrate, holding Curtis’s leg in an amorous grip as his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth.
“Stop!” Marley hissed, nudging him harder this time.
Magoo quickened his rhythm.
Curtis frowned down at the shaggy animal with distaste. “What the—”
“Magoo!” Marley stooped down and grabbed her dog around the middle. She tried to pull him back, but Magoo clenched his front paws around Curtis’s leg and gave a whimper of sexual frustration.
Will could relate.
“Let go, Magoo!” Marley leaned down further, squeezing her dog under one arm and prying his paws loose with her free hand. Her T-shirt rode up in back, making it obvious she hadn’t bothered donning panties beneath her flimsy cotton shorts. Will forced himself not to stare as he took two big steps back.
“How about I give you three lovebirds a minute alone?” Will said. “I’ll just head back out to the garage to, uh, tighten some bolts.”
He retreated slowly, stealing one more glance over his shoulder before he reached the garage door. Curtis was still on one knee, and Marley held Magoo in a death grip with both hands. Magoo looked disappointed, while Marley wore the same frozen expression she’d had since opening the door.
Will stepped into the garage and hesitated, wanting to stay within earshot. Curtis certainly didn’t look dangerous, though the size of that rock in the engagement ring could make it a formidable weapon if need be. The guy’s intentions didn’t seem malicious, but Will figured it was wise to stay within earshot.
That proved easier than expected. Though Marley’s father’s condo was clearly well-constructed, it was evident the builders had scrimped on doors. Either that, or the voices on the other side had risen to a level that permeated solid hickory.
Will heard the sound of a door closing, followed by a soft whimper suggesting Magoo had been locked in a bedroom. He leaned closer, listening for the sound of Marley’s footsteps.
“Please get up, Curtis,” she said. “I’d prefer to have this conversation with both of us upright.”
“Marley, what’s going on here?”
“We ended our engagement, Curtis. No offense, but what’s going on here isn’t your business.”
“I think we made a mistake.”
“What?”
“I want to give us another shot. I’ve been talking with your dad, and—”
“This isn’t 1850,” Marley said. “No modern woman wants a marriage proposal that contains the phrase, ‘I’ve been talking with your dad.’”
“Just look at the ring. The stone is much larger, and if you look right here—”
“I don’t want to look right there, Curtis. And I don’t want a bigger ring. I just want to go our separate ways like we agreed.”
“Marley, be reasonable.”
Will shook his head in sympathy. Being married had taught him many things, not the least of which was never to argue using the phrase,
“Be reasonable.”
It was Curtis’s turn to learn.
“Ouch, Marley! Cut it out!”
“You don’t just show up on my doorstep after a month and start ordering me to be reasonable!”
“Marley, put down the stuffed animal. Why do you have that thing, anyway?”
“It was a
gift
.”
“Ouch! Cut it out.”
The beating must have subsided, because there was a momentary lapse of silence on the other side of the door. Will stepped closer, not wanting to miss anything.
“We were supposed to get married, Curtis.
Married
! And instead you threw me over for a corner office and granite counters in your kitchen. Who
does
that?”
“I’m sorry, Marley. You’re right. Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said before you left. About not putting jobs and possessions and material things before the other person. I think I get it now, and I have a proposal. Besides
the
proposal, I mean. And I want to take care of you.”
“I want to take care of
myself
,” she said.
“Come back to Portland. I’m making enough now that you won’t have to work. I can get rid of my condo, and we can get a nice, smaller house in one of the suburbs. Beaverton, maybe. Or Tigard? Come on, Marley, what do you say?”
Marley didn’t say anything. Not for a long time. Will frowned at the door, unnerved by the silence. Then he heard the thud of bare feet darting across the wood floor. He jumped back from the garage door, expecting her to come barreling out with a lecture on eavesdropping. Instead, he heard a door slam, and the distinct sound of Marley making good on her earlier promise to throw up.
Will frowned at the door, waiting to hear Curtis come to her rescue. He heard the thud of male footsteps crossing the foyer, followed by the sound of the other man’s voice.
“Marley, if we could just sit down and discuss this like adults—”
Fuck
this
, Will muttered, and he pushed back through the garage door into the foyer. He headed straight for the kitchen, where he reached into the cupboard and pulled down two glasses. He filled one with tap water before pulling Marley’s pitcher from the fridge and filling the other with blueberry iced tea.
“Excuse me!” Curtis yelled, stepping forward as Will approached the bathroom door. “We’re trying to have an adult conversation here—”
“No you aren’t,” Will said calmly, moving around Curtis. “You’re badgering her by calling her unreasonable and bullying her to do what you want, and she’s trying to keep from getting puke in her hair. If that’s an adult conversation, I’ll stick with juvenile ones. Marley?” he called through the door. He didn’t wait for a response. “I’m setting a glass of water and a glass of tea beside the door, and I’m going to escort your friend to his car now. If that’s not okay, knock twice on the floor and shove your panties under the door.”
There was a brief silence, and Will wondered for an instant if he’d overstepped. Then he heard a sound that was either a sob or a giggle. Maybe both.
“Thank you, Will.” Her voice was faint, but not shaky.
Will turned and looked at Curtis. “Shall we?”
Curtis sneered. “You’re a boy toy. Nothing more. Bicycle repairman? She’ll have her fun with you and move on in a week. You’re nothing serious.”
“That’s printed on my business cards. Ready for me to escort you to your car?”
Curtis shook his head and brushed past Will, deliberately bumping him with his shoulder. Will bit back the urge to bump him harder as he turned and followed the other man to the door.
“Have a nice drive,” Will called cheerfully.
Curtis slammed the door, and Will flipped the lock behind him, pausing to wave as Curtis stomped toward his Mercedes. Curtis waved back, though only with one finger. Will shrugged it off, thinking it must be frustrating to go through life feeling threatened by the false bravado and obscene hand gestures of other men.
He returned to the hallway outside the bathroom, where the two glasses on the floor had vanished. The door was closed, so Will knocked softly. “Marley? You okay?”
She didn’t reply right away, and Will was torn between retreating to offer her privacy and breaking down the door to make sure she was all right. He was saved the trouble when Marley flipped the lock and opened the door.
“Hey,” she said, giving him a faint smile. Her face was pale and a little greenish, and several wisps of hair were plastered against her cheeks.
But she still looked lovely, and Will fought the urge to take her in his arms.
Instead, he cleared his throat. “The next time you utter the phrase, ‘I’m going to throw up,’ remind me to take you seriously.”
Marley laughed—a weak laugh, but still a laugh. “I never joke about vomit.”
“Very wise. Bodily function humor is the lowest form of comedy.”
“I thought that was puns.”
“Puns about bodily functions are even lower. It’s like hitting rock bottom and starting to dig.”
“I’ll try to remember that.” Marley turned and picked up the glass of tea off the bathroom counter. She held it up in a mock toast before taking a sip. “Thanks for this.” She took a bigger gulp. Lowering the glass, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She smiled again, a little stronger this time. “This isn’t really how I imagined the rest of this evening going.”
“No? When I set out to seduce you, all I could think was
I
sure
hope
we
cap
off
this
evening
with
a
stomach
flu
and
an
unwelcome
marriage
proposal
.”
“Probably not a stomach flu. That happens sometimes when I get really uncomfortable. Or when I eat dairy. Maybe I put too much butter in the pasta.”
“And you accused me of having a poor coping mechanism in awkward situations.”
She took another sip of tea. “Point well made. Look, Will—”
“Say no more. You want to take your clothes off and pick up where we left off? I’ll go grab the condoms.”
She put a hand on his chest to stop him, even though he’d made no move to head anywhere. Then she looked at her palm pressed against his bare chest and did a funny little shudder. She drew her hand back, and Will felt the chilly absence of her heat.
“Very funny,” she said, tucking her hand behind her back as though he’d burned it. “Under the circumstances, how about we call it a night?”
“Under the circumstances, I’m inclined to agree.” He bent and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Not that I don’t find you irresistibly beautiful even after you’ve been praying to the porcelain gods.”
“Thank you. I just—” Marley took a shuddery breath and one step back. “I know we keep agreeing it’s a really dumb idea for us to get involved, and then somehow we end up groping each other anyway.”
“Funny the way that works.”
She smiled, but inched back another half-step. “Seriously, Will. I’m trying to move on with my life. In a different direction, I mean.”
Will raised one eyebrow and tilted his head toward the door. “I can assure you I’m a different direction from a guy who believes an extra half-carat is the key to getting in your pants.”
“Be that as it may, you’re my supervisor and there are rules, and I can’t afford to lose this job—”
Will pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her and giving him the urge to kiss her all at once. “I know,” he said. “I get it. Dumb idea, unethical, complicated, probably illegal in several states. Don’t worry about it. Won’t happen again.”
“Really?”
Will studied her eyes, not sure whether her tone was hopeful or disappointed. Maybe a little of both.
He nodded and took a step back. “From now on, I’m keeping my hands—and the rest of my body—completely off you.”
Wise
decision
, his conscience insisted.
The
last
thing
you
need
is
another
unpredictable
female
you
can’t trust.
He watched her blink slowly, then swallow. Her expression was still unreadable, but Will thought he saw a flicker of hurt in her eyes.
“Good,” Marley said. “Hands off. That’s good.”
Will shrugged. “Unless you beg me to do otherwise. Gotta leave the door open, right?”
Before she could say anything, he reached for the knob and yanked open the front door, stepping out into the cool night air with Marley staring dumbstruck after him.
***
The next morning, Marley woke to a pounding in her head.
At least she thought it was in her head. It took her a minute to realize it was the front door.
Remembering Will’s comment about leaving the door open, Marley yanked on a robe and padded to the front of the condo, not sure whether to feel dread or delight at the prospect of seeing him again so soon. Magoo trotted along behind her, running his wet nose into the back of her bare calf as she stopped to check her hair in the hallway mirror.