Her knees wobbled. She stopped breathing.
Dwayne’s mouth covered hers. His arms captured her, the hand at the back of her neck strong and warm. He crushed her against his strong body, tilted his head, and teased her lips open with his tongue. Sliding his free hand down her back, he pressed her hips against his pelvis.
Oh, my. Oh. My.
Twenty-seven years old and she’d never been kissed like this. She should struggle, push him away.
He relaxed his mouth but didn’t move his lips from hers. “I want you in my bed, Danaher.”
Marla gasped when a hot flush zipped from her hips to her ears then all the way to her toes. “No, Dwayne, we can’t.”
“Like hell we can’t.” He slid his hands up her arms, stepped back, and gazed into her eyes. Without another word he grabbed his jacket from the peg on the wall.
“But…where are you going?” Was he quitting? He couldn’t quit. She didn’t want him to quit.
“I’m gonna knock off early. I’ve got some personal business to take care of in Simi Valley. Mostly I need to get away from you.” He stepped through the door just as Cluny McPherson mounted the first step.
“But, Dwayne, we…”
Instead of answering, he shook his head, held up his arm, and dangled the keys to his truck. “I’m outta here.”
The protest died on her tingling lips as she watched him climb inside the truck. The engine roared to life and he backed out, turned, and drove away.
“Everything okay here?” Cluny set a faucet and a couple of chrome fixtures on Dwayne’s worktable.
How long had she stood there with her mouth hanging open? The mouth still telegraphing shocks through her body from the pressure of his lips on hers? She took a ragged breath and absently brushed at her blouse. “I don’t know.”
She reached across the table to her laptop, snapped the cover shut, and shoved it in her bag. Without another word to Cluny, she hurried to her car, started the engine, and drove onto the main road heading for town.
Ten minutes later, she sat in her car, in her office parking lot, hands gripping the steering wheel. She’d turned the engine off, but with the windows raised, the car quickly grew uncomfortably warm. She had no recollection of the drive. Finally, she opened the door, gathered her things and went inside, still dazed.
“Hi Marla.” The receptionist smiled and handed her several slips of paper. “You have messages, and Ted wants to talk to you.”
An absent, “Thanks,” and she continued to the desk in a far corner. She’d asked for that location away from the traffic pattern of the busy office. She spread the messages on the desktop in order of time received. Decided none of them were particularly urgent and sat down to stare out the window.
“I doubt she has a leg to stand on, but first, Mr. Dempsey, I need to consult with my clerk. I want him to check Wyoming divorce statutes to make sure there’s no loophole your wife can use for leverage.”
“Ex-wife.”
“Yes, of course.” The busy lawyer stood. “There’s no need to take more of your time this morning. All your paperwork is in order.” He tapped the file Dwayne had provided. “I’ll call you as soon we’ve completed a thorough review. If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact me.”
Dwayne shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”
“It was my pleasure to meet with you.” He rounded his desk and opened the door. “You may leave your retainer with my secretary.”
Dwayne smiled to himself. At least the man hadn’t charged him for the initial consultation. He had a good feeling about him, and he’d come highly recommended by his local business attorney.
All he wanted now was to get Francine out of the picture, finish Marla’s damn building, and move on to his next project. What the hell had he been thinking when he kissed her? Sure, he’d like to sleep with her, but then what?
He could see no good outcome in pursuing a relationship with her. Now was not the time to start something he couldn’t finish. What kind of man would he be to hook up with Marla Danaher without considering how his actions affected her?
That damn woman invaded his thoughts day and night.
“Marla? Got a minute?” Ted’s voice called from the door of his office.
She mentally slapped herself. Get back on track, kiddo, you’ve got a living to earn. “Sure, I’ll be right there.”
She took a minute to look at the messages again, arrange her desk, take a deep breath, and straighten her clothing before following him through the door.
“What’s up, Ted?”
“Close the door.”
Now what? “That sounds ominous.”
He laughed. “No, I don’t want the staff to hear what I’m talking to you about before I get your take on it.” He indicated a chair. “Sit. You know that Cartwright property on the edge of town? I heard through some sources I trust that the old man is finally planning to sell out.”
“Wow. That is news. His family’s owned that property for over a hundred years. There was nobody in this valley except for a few nomadic Indian tribes before the Cartwright’s came to run cattle on their original Mexican land grant.”
Endless possibilities on how the land could be developed bounced around her brain. “It hasn’t been used for anything except movie locations for the past forty years. Most production companies have moved to Canada for their location filming. Are you going after the listing?”
“Not exactly.” He tilted his chair back and steepled his fingers. “Think about this. I’m forming a consortium of investors to buy the property and develop it. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I want you in the group.”
Ted was right, this could be the one she’d been waiting for, her big step to financial security. Marla’s heart sank. The timing couldn’t be worse.
“Holy goats, there’s nothing more I want than
