“Okay,” she said, her eyes searching his face. It was hard to say anything else.
Would he miss her? Or was this fledgling romance just too new to survive? She worried her bottom lip, wondering if he would even want her to come back, once distance and time did their damage. Her previous relationships had ended faster than they had begun, with men using her for a few moments of pleasure, then moving on. The last thing she anticipated was for Marshall to be that kind of guy, too. To be hers for only a moment. This time, she had been confident things were different. Colette shivered, suddenly cold despite the heat of his arms.
Alone, but with Marshall.
She could physically sense when her heart began to detach, to distance itself from him. Her protective walls slid into place, locking him out of the heart she had been ready to freely give him.
“I’d better start packing. I’ll leave tomorrow morning,” she said, pushing herself up on one arm. As though sensing the walls coming up, Marshall pulled her back down on the bed.
“Don’t be like that,” he said, tugging on the strands of her hair and bringing her face to his. “This isn’t a goodbye. This is me trying to keep you safe. I care about you.”
“Why does it feel so final?” she asked in a small voice.
“Because we’ve both been used before. This isn’t like that. I don’t want to be apart from you,” he admitted, pressing his lips to hers. “And I don’t think you want to leave me either.” His kiss was warm and demanding, as though he was trying to savor every last ounce of it.
A pool of need began to build within her. Her body missing him before they had even parted. She lifted a leg and draped it over his hip, seeking the pressure, the closeness, the oblivion. His growing need pressed against her center. Suddenly, she wasn’t caring so much about packing. She needed Marshall as much as she needed air.
Marshall gently rolled her over onto her back, their bodies clinging to each other, reluctant to be separated. Lifting himself up on one arm, he took one of her hands and pressed it to his chest. The steady rhythm of his heart sent waves of sensations through her. A powerful response bloomed in her chest, warmth spreading from where they connected.
“You feel that?” he asked.
A nod was all she could give, sadness encroaching, its heavy weight attacking the small glimmer of joy that remained within.
“It’s yours if you want it,” he said softly. “I’m not sure what it’s worth, but take it with you. Then you know I’ll always come back to get it.” His mouth curved into a flirty smile.
Her breath caught in her chest, the admission achingly beautiful in its simplicity and honesty. Could she tell him the same? Tell him that his heart was the greatest thing hecould ever give her? Colette’s mind was a mess of misery and pure happiness. She tilted her hips, pressing them against his erection, and pulled him down, capturing his mouth. Desperate for a distraction, she opened up to him. It would have to last until the next time they would be together. There was no way to anticipate when she would see him again once she left. The stakes were too high; he had too much to lose.
Until then, they had this moment.
A moment when they could belong to each other.
Melding their bodies and sating their unquenchable need.
She would surrender to the sensation, regardless of how fleeting it was.
It was the only way she would survive what was to come.
CHAPTER 42
Home sweet home.
Or at least that was how Colette should be feeling.
Had her apartment always been this noisy? She could hear every flush, every person shuffling around, and having conversations in the hallway. Strangely, it was more unpleasant than she remembered.
As she sorted documents and dug around for the missing files and receipts, calculating payments, and matching them up with past order fulfillments and supply deliveries, the numbers still weren’t adding up. Colette was an intelligent woman, which meant she knew when to ask for help.
Dialing the first person she could think of, she waited for Simone to pick up the phone. She just wanted to run some ideas off on her friend, see if anything made sense.
“What. The. Fuck?” Simone said in an angry tone.
“Don’t get me started,” Colette replied. “I’m calling about something else, please don’t make me talk about it.”
“Do you know how angry I am right now? Roger is beside himself,” her friend explained. She could hear Roger in the background saying something in muffled tones.
“I know,” Simone answered. “We told him not to fuck with you, I swear. He’s a dead man next time I see him.”
“Simmie, he thinks it’s safer this way. He’s not messing around. I have to respect his wishes.”
