Jordan gave him a mock hurt look and asked in a lowered tone, “Do you ever tell the truth anymore?”
He frowned his indignation but Jordan only smiled.
“It was either that, or you’re damn glad to see me.”
Heat rushed to his face when Justin realized his brother’s reference. He jerked the box free of Jordan’s grasp and lowered it to a respectable level as Jordan’s expression turned serious. “Sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Just load me up,” he growled.
Jordan added another box on top, and Justin turned to carry them to Jordan’s office. Marley stepped into the lobby, her hair smoothed back into place, her chin held high. She looked him in the eye with no hint of regret—thank you—and then passed him to approach Jordan.
Justin paused, unable to help but watch and listen.
“Hi, Jordan.”
“Hey, Marley—so that must be your truck in the lot.”
“Guilty as charged. The scrap metal is mine all right.” She picked up a box.
Jordan stepped forward to take the records from her. “We’ll get them, you don’t have—”
“I work—well, worked construction for almost eleven years. These are nothing, trust me.”
Jordan hesitated, then picked up the last two boxes. As they all continued to his office, he commented, “Quite the first day for you.”
“I’ve put in longer hours on the job site before.” Setting her box down once they were in Jordan’s office, she said, “And the model isn’t going to build itself, so I’ll see you later.”
****
Alone in her office again, Marley breathed a sigh of relief. Though she refused to be intimidated by the circumstances, facing the two of them had been hard. She’d practically thrown herself into Justin’s arms, and Jordan would have to be blind not to know what they’d been doing.
Staring at the model, she only saw Justin. She closed her eyes and imagined his lips on hers again. Felt the tingly sensation in her limbs. No, there’d be no apologies from her. If anything, she wanted more.
With a shake of her head, she gave herself a reality check. She had a job to do and responsibilities to deal with that didn’t include the newly discovered desires of a twenty-seven-year-old virgin.
Maybe what she needed most was a good night’s sleep and then she’d be able to concentrate better tomorrow. Besides, after that amazing kiss, it seemed unlikely she’d get in any more quality work tonight. She began gathering her things together.
“Calling it a day?” Justin asked from the doorway.
She glanced up with a start. “I’ll be in early tomorrow.”
When she slipped on her shoes and started for the door, he fell into step alongside her. “Thanks for all your hard work today.”
She gave him a tired smile. “Thank me when you get the job.”
“I will.”
His low tone sent a shiver down her spine and a rush of anticipation left her short of breath. It grew worse when he followed her into the elevator.
“You’re going home, too?”
He shook his head. “I’ll catch a ride with Jordan. I’m just going to walk you out.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do.” She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand. “You can argue all you want, it won’t make a difference.”
She let go of the automatic protest and watched the numbers on the elevator change. A quick glance in his direction revealed him watching her. She smiled self-consciously. It was nice really, to have someone be concerned about her well-being. If she could put aside his ugly suspicions, he was a nice guy. Someone she could easily—