Her large blue eyes connected with his, and suddenly, his chest felt lighter.
Though they had only spent a short time apart, it had been too long.
He had gotten used to seeing her almost every day in the weeks they had worked together. Going without her for even a day was suddenly too much.
“Hey, Marshall,” she said breathily, her mouth curving into a small smile.
“Hey, Colette,” Marshall returned, rubbing the back of his neck. He acknowledged Simone and Roger with a nod, attempting to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks. It wasn’t his fault that her presence had this effect on him.
“Um, I feel like you guys need a minute,” Simone said, tugging on Roger’s arm. “There are way too many blushes happening here at the moment.”
“I was just going to tell Colette about how we brought the cat to the vet for a check-up,” Roger said, eyes on Simone. She raised a brow, and he seemed to comprehend her silent communication. “But it can wait. Spoiler, our baby Regina George is in perfect health.” Roger grinned, proud of his cat as though it was his own child.
“Good to hear,” Marshall said, taking hold of Colette’s arm and pulling her down the hallway. Heedless of the eyes that were on them, he didn’t stop walking until they were alone in the office with the door closed. There was too much space betweenthem; he couldn’t stand it. Anchoring his leg between hers, he pushed her against the wall.
Offering no resistance, Colette pulled his head down, an offering of comfort he had been craving. Nuzzling the base of her neck, he inhaled. His heartbeat quieted, the dull buzz of the crowd disappeared, and he breathed the sweet solace only she could provide.
“Is it weird that I missed you this much?” he said, the words mumbled in her ear.
Her lips drifted close to his cheek and Marshall shivered.
“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered. “How are you doing?”
Marshall didn’t have a good answer to that question. He was angry, confused, still in shock… nothing made sense. Overnight, his place of refuge had become a crime scene. Everyone was a suspect, and he had no way of figuring out who to trust.
If Jack was murdered, Marshall’s entire world would be tipped upside down.
“I’m surviving,” he admitted. “I’m used to things being predictable around here, steady. Suddenly, it’s like I’m untethered. Just floating away without my anchor.”
Cupping his face with her hands, Colette pulled his face up to meet her gaze.
“You won’t drift away as long as I’m here. Just hold on to me,” she spoke in a quiet voice. Closing the distance between them, he pressed his lips against hers, his shoulders dropping in a sigh.
If only that were true.
“Thanks.” His thoughts were dark. Haunted. How could he hold on to Colette when keeping her here might put her in danger?
“I mean it. Don’t hesitate to come to me if you need me. Anytime. I’ll be here,” she said, stroking his cheek with hersilken palm. “You have a key to my place, don’t you? I’ve been locking my doors.”
“Finally, you listen to me,” he said with a smirk. “Yeah, I’ve got a key.”
Marshall closed his eyes and exhaled.
He fantasized about having Colette so close he could always reach for her.
Dreamed that none of this had ever happened and that they could just live in their love bubble a little bit longer.
As quickly as they came, his dreams were dashed. Reality was brutal.
He had to face the truth that his friend was dead.
If they discovered Jack had been murdered, there would be a pall hanging over all of them, especially if the murderer was hiding at Rosebud Ranch.
CHAPTER 37
Don’t hesitate to come to me if you need me.
Marshall shivered as the words ran over his skin like silk. Was he brave enough to go visit Colette right now? He sure as hell wasn’t falling back asleep anytime soon. With his head resting in his palm, he stretched out his other arm to reach for his phone by the bed. It was three in the morning, still too early to start work and certainly too early to visit Colette. Marshall’s gaze touched the ceiling, drenched in darkness. The sleeping snores of his dog came from beneath the mattress, where Hank liked to sleep every night. Scrubbing a hand over his face, Marshall debated between rolling over and trying to sleep for another hour or giving up. He fluffed the blankets around him as he rolled over on his side.
