As I continued talking, excited to get out all the information I’d found, Marshall looked at me and I could see something changing in his eyes. He was starting to look more relaxed and I perhaps detected a sense of relief. Then a smile came to his face that stopped me dead in my tracks.
“You look so beautiful when you talk business. I can see your passion for it and have no reason to doubt what you’re saying, Becca. Excellent work. Now, I suggest we get back to sleep for the few hours of relaxation time we have remaining before another busy day starts.”
I didn’t really know what to say. Obviously I had loved hearing that I looked beautiful talking business with him and that my passion clearly showed through. However, I was once again surprised at how quickly he could go from one thing to the next. As soon as he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me, I didn’t mind his sudden change. His embrace was inviting and it made me feel so good, like he was protecting me the same way I wanted to protect him. At that moment, I didn’t feel a sexual urge between us, but a connection between two people who needed to feel wanted…two people who had experienced such pain that getting back to the level of trust and love we both desired, was a struggle we needed to lean on each other for.
Surprisingly, I fell back asleep easily. I really wasn’t sure if Marshall did or not because my back was to him as he held me tightly in his arms, resting his chin on my shoulder. Our bodies were molded together and he held me so close like he didn’t want to let go. Truthfully, I didn’t want him to either.
Chapter 11
Morning came and I was shocked to see that Marshall was still in bed next to me, waking up right along with me. I looked at him and smiled, trying to assess what his mood may be after realizing that I knew his secret last night. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I saw relief in his eyes and that made me happy. I wanted nothing besides the best for him.
“Good morning,” I said, smiling. Oh my God. I want to reach over and kiss him so badly right now.
“And good morning to you. I guess I was tired this morning,” Marshall said, sitting up and swinging his legs over to the edge of the bed. He turned his head and looked at me. “Thank you for the information last night. I’m sorry I hadn’t allowed you to share it earlier.”
“I’m glad I’ve been able to find out what I have so far. I’ll keep working on it. I’m sure there’s more,” I said. I was already getting in business mode. If the merger was what was causing Marshall stress and having to relieve those painful memories in his dreams, then I wanted to be the one to help alleviate that. I just couldn’t stand the thought of him suffering from a selfish woman’s behavior. It didn’t matter to me that she was on drugs or whatever. She made deliberate choices that negatively impacted him. It angered me.
“I trust you. You’ve actually proven to be quite invaluable to me,” Marshall said. I smiled, knowing that those words didn’t come easily to him and trust certainly didn’t either.
“Thank you. That means a lot,” I replied. “Do you have a busy day?”
“Pretty busy and actually starting pretty soon,” Marshall said. He sprung up and started to prepare for his day.
“Hopefully it all goes your way,” I said. “If anyone can make that happen, it’s you.”
“Really?” Marshall asked. He turned to look at me and I saw sparks in his eyes. I instantly melted, feeling like he’d just looked right through me and into my mind, seeing what I had been picturing us doing.
“Really,” I replied. I tried to sound confident, but for some reason my stomach had butterflies in it. I felt myself getting wet just thinking about what may be going through Marshall’s mind. It was easy to do since I had seen him in action before. Try as I might to suppress my desire for him, I wanted him. My body was craving his touch. I had been very patient, but it was wearing thin.
For the first time that I could recall, Marshall let out a carefree and happy laugh. It sounded magnificent and I hoped that I could get him to do that more often. He had such a serious life and deserved to be more relaxed on occasion. He worked so hard, after all.
“Well, I’m not sure when I’ll be back around today. Since I’m running late I didn’t even get the breakfast order yet, but I’ll do that right now. I’ll probably have to grab something when I get to my meeting.”
“Hopefully it’s good. Nobody can eat a bigger breakfast than you, Marshall.”
“Yes, I do like to ensure I have enough energy for whatever my day brings me,” he said, winking at me. I felt like a piece of ice melting in the hot noon sun—just a puddle of mush from his look.
Twenty minutes later, Marshall was gone and I took a quick shower and then got to work. I was eager to uncover as much information as I could as quickly as I could. Time was ticking away on this merger’s deadline and if Marshall was going to back out of it without repercussions he needed to have a lot of reasons to do so. That would save him both time and money from expensive legal battles, a certain last measure if there was the right motive.
Again, the time flew by as I went further and further into my work.
I’d been in the middle of reading through some financial statements for Silver Fern Productions when I was startled by the door to the hotel room opening up. I looked up and saw Marshall standing there, holding a big box. It was only about 11:30, which was pretty early for him to be back from his morning meetings.
“Hi, something cancel?” I asked.
“Just a little change of plans,” Marshall said. He was grinning madly, definitely showing that he was up to something in which he was taking absolute delight in. “Follow me,” he added. He walked into the bedroom and I followed without bothering to ask why.
Marshall set the box down on the bed and started taking off his business suit. He was so reassured as he changed in front of me, not at all shy about stripping down in front of people. He took off his jacket, then his tie, and his white shirt until he was bare. He had a smoking hot body that practically screamed out to me to touch it…here, there, and everywhere! I was leaning against the door of the bedroom and realized that I was staring at him contently. While my inner voice told me I should be embarrassed, I really wasn’t at all. Marshall was just in his boxer’s now and I hoped those would be coming off next. I hadn’t forgotten about that beautifully endowed cock he sported under them. My stare must have aroused him slightly because I could tell he was hard. Could this be the moment I had been waiting for?