Shattered Trust (Colorado Trust 4)

“Is fine.”

Relief gave way to frustration. “You damn near gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” she said in the meekest tone he’d ever heard from her. Now he knew something was definitely wrong.

“It’s almost one in the morning. If nothing’s wrong, then what are you doing up?”

She moved around him and plopped down on the couch. “What part of ‘I can’t sleep’ don’t you understand?”

He stared for a moment. About all he understood at this point was she didn’t seem immediately concerned about anything, and she wore another sexy tank top and shorts like the night before. He sat, careful to keep his distance and not let his bare knee touch hers. Any contact at this point was liable to drive him past the point of no return.

With a deep, silent breath, he strove to think of something—anything—else.

“I owe you an apology,” she said softly. “I should’ve told you about Nate and your grandfather right away.”

Well, there was a change of subject. He waited for all the reasons why she hadn’t, her justification to convince him it wasn’t her fault, but they never came. She left him free to make up his own mind and it didn’t take him long to figure out how he felt.

“I’ve thought about that a lot today. I understand why you didn’t tell me, and I don’t blame you—not anymore, anyway.” He looked over at her. “I’m sorry I got so angry. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“It’s not an easy situation no matter how we look at it.”

“You can say that again.”

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. So much had happened since that first day at the Forrester site. He’d gone in suspecting her in his granddad’s death only to find out the M.A.R most likely indicated her deceased father and if anyone in their family was guilty, it was Nate. His own half-brother.

Definitely a lot to deal with, and yet he couldn’t deny a sense of relief knowing she was innocent.

After a few minutes, she asked, “Are we okay, then?”

He smiled toward the ceiling. “Yeah, we’re good.”

When he felt and heard her move beside him, he started to glance over. Before he knew it, she’d kneeled on the couch, then swung a leg across to straddle his lap while she placed her hands on his shoulders.

He stared into her face, lit by the dim light from the kitchen, and swallowed hard as he brought his hands up to rest on her hips. With effort, he kept from sliding them up underneath the material of her shirt. She leaned forward, pressed her lips to his, and then teased his mouth open with her tongue.

Senses reeling, Justin returned the kiss and gave in to the desire to find out just how soft the skin at her waist was. Big mistake. Once he started touching, he didn’t want to stop. Before he lost complete control of his sanity, he pulled back and waited until she lifted her lashes. The desire in her radiant green eyes nearly undid him right there, but he managed to voice the reason he hesitated. “What about Jordan…?”

She blinked, then gave a low, husky laugh. “Are you seriously telling me that your brother—who’s down the hall with the door closed, passed out, is going to keep this from happening?”

Yeah, it sounded weak to him, too, but respect for her made him willing to wait.

Uncertainty entered her expression. “If you don’t want to…”

He gave a short laugh and lifted his hips up to meet hers. “That should completely answer that question.” He would’ve sworn she blushed as he reluctantly eased back down, but it didn’t go with her aggressive actions of the past few minutes.

“I don’t give a damn about Jordan,” he explained. “But I thought it might bother you.”

She relaxed, opening her knees wider until she rested firmly on top of him. “Does it feel like it bothers me?”

His ability to respond was reduced to a low growl deep in his throat. He surged forward to capture her mouth again. He pushed his hands back under the stretchy tank top, impatient for the feel of her naked skin against his.

Urging her arms up, he stripped her top off. Then he turned his attention to her small, firm breasts, experimenting until he discovered exactly what would elicit the soft moans of pleasure that made him want her all the more.

Marley couldn’t stand it. She fisted her hands in his shirt and dragged it over his head. Immediately, she missed his mouth on her breast, but took the opportunity to do her own exploration. The faint tang of salt on his skin teased her taste buds.

His masculine scent raised her level of arousal, intensifying the throbbing deep inside her. He shifted their positions to lay her on the couch and she felt his fingers at the waistband of her shorts. She lifted her hips so he could remove them, while at the same time, she silently acknowledged her nervousness.

Her heart threatened to beat right from her chest and it amazed her that she’d come out here at all. She’d heard over the years that the first time was painful, but besides the ache inside her, she didn’t see how anything that felt this wonderful could hurt.