Designer Genes - The Boyfriend Cut (29 page)

I pushed my arms through my robe sleeves. "What do you mean?"

Jordan looked at me in disbelief. "Seriously, Marli? I can barely zip my jeans." When he tugged his T-shirt over his head, I noticed the top button on his fly still undone. My naïve mind suddenly caught on.

"Oh!"

"Yeah.
Oh,
" he laughed, his cheeks glowing. "My body is doing one hell of a job reminding me that sleeping next to you isn't a good idea."

"Whatever. I happen to think it's the best idea, but remember, I'm not the one who broke through the quilt fortress." I shouldn't have, but I started laughing. Jordan's face transformed through so many shades of red, I couldn't stop.

He pulled his shirt lower, over his body's obvious betrayal. "I'm taking my last shred of dignity and leaving this room before my lust-crazed demons take over. I'll scare up some breakfast while you get dressed.

Throughout breakfast, I fought the urge to giggle. Jordan's cheeks flared a rosy tint whenever our eyes met. He always remained in control and
my
lust-crazed demons enjoyed knowing I caused him to lose a little of that restraint. I placed the last of the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, feeling fingers lightly tickle my ribs and teeth rake my earlobe.

"Where did
Mr. Moral
go?" I teased, turning in his arms. Jordan leaned in, taking a long delicious taste off my mouth. "I lied. I loved waking with you in my arms, Marli."

I returned his kiss, lingering close enough to feel his breath on my cheek. "Not as much as I loved being there
.
" A familiar warmth squiggled through my body. "Damn Program," I mumbled against his mouth after breaking from another intense lip lock.

The mere mention of The Program killed the mood immediately. Jordan pushed away to a respectable distance, "About that. We should be more careful."

"Ugh! Any more careful and shaking hands will be off limits. We can't be the only candidates The Program watches." Jordan's eyes fell. Based on his body posture mirroring the day on the beach, this had something to do with his secret.

"What?" I pressed, feeling a touch of anger prick.

"Nothing."

The pat answer. The one that made me feel inferior, as if I couldn't handle whatever he kept hidden. Maybe he still didn't trust me. Whatever the reason, it awakened the untamed, immature monster I always shoved down.

"Right. Nothing
.
Again." I reached for my keys, only to have his hand wrap my wrist.

"Marli, don't be cross with me. I have to leave in a couple of hours and it's going to be weeks before we see each other again."

I didn't want to spend the time fighting either, but my obstinate alter ego wouldn't let go. "It's the same thing you couldn't tell me before, isn't it? Something to do with The Program?" A nod in acknowledgment. I tapped my foot nervously. "I told you I hate secrets, Jordan."

Unless they're mine.

"I know. I'm sorry, but you have to go with me on this." Jordan pulled me closer, kissing the wrist he held. "I will tell you when I can, okay?" He wiggled his nose against mine and I laughed, surrendering to his playfulness.

"Do you want to come with me to get Muffy?"

"Not even a little. I've got some calls to make, but you have fun." He kissed my pouty mouth. "Hurry back to me."

I'd barely opened the back door open when Jordan called out from the kitchen. "Marli? Some guy just pulled up in a black Lotus—one with Alaska license plates."

Peering over Jordan's shoulder, I watched Doug meander up the front walk.
Alaska
had dropped to the "lower 48" and the thought of facing Doug with Jordan in the same airspace triggered a major panic attack. Breakfast crawled into the back of my throat. I retreated to the laundry room with Jordan on my heels.

"Tell me that's
not
Douglas Peterson."

"I can't do that," I replied.

"You never described Douglas Peterson. I don't mind admitting locking you downstairs and not answering the door are the only rational thoughts in my jealous mind right now."

An idiotic smile suddenly twisted my mouth. "He's not
that
good looking."

"Dammit Marli, this isn't a game to me."

The teasing stopped when I realized how serious Jordan had become. "I never said it was. Calm down." He pressed my body to the wall and leaned in to kiss me, or I should say, mark his territory, when the doorbell chimed. "Jordan, knock it off." I headed for the door with him following close enough to qualify as my shadow.

I opened the front door and my lungs seized. Doug stood there, runway-model handsome and I understood why Jordan's jealous heart came close to having a fatal attack.

"Doug!"

Without hesitation, he gathered me in his arms, his luscious lips taking mine. The front door slammed behind us.

Jordan hooked a proprietary arm around my neck and extended his hand. "Jordan Mason, Marli's
assigned
match."

I swear a shift in atmospheric pressure occurred when Doug shook Jordan's hand and they exchanged a heated glare. The "testosterone box" surrounding me stole my air supply. I broke from Jordan's chokehold and Doug immediately claimed my hand.

His tone edged in an icy bitterness rivaling the glaciers he'd left behind. "I believe Marli's status remains 'unclaimed' as of this morning's posting."

Doug's hand slid up my cheek. "You worried me disappearing so suddenly, although I understand why. I tried to reach you, but you never returned my calls. Since I was already headed to Princeton to see my sister, I decided to stop by."

His thumb stroked the outside of my ear and I rolled my shoulder to knock his hand away. My stony gaze in disgust met with a tight-lipped smirk in return.

Jordan threw his arm roughly around my shoulder. "A trip to New Jersey within days of Marli leaving you? How convenient…and unbelievable. You drove thousands of miles to see if Marli survived her grandmother's funeral?"

Gently, I pushed Jordan's arm down, but he snagged my waist. Doug casually moved to my other side, his thumb drawing a line down my other arm, a hot trail following beneath my skin.

"She didn't
leave
me, and I don't expect anything from you
.
"

Meanwhile, Jordan's fingers edged under the hem of my shirt and slid a torturous tickle along the small of my back, my body leaning into his deft touch.

"Well, as you can see, Marli's fine and I'm sure your sister is waiting. So. Leave."

Frustrated with Jordan's rudeness and irritated they both made my hormones scream, I stepped away. "No more touching, got it? None. Zip. From either of you."

Anger clouded Jordan's expression. "Hands off, friend
.
Marli doesn't belong to you."

Actually, I did—a thought becoming more annoying each time it flashed into my head. Ninety days. I belonged to both of them for what would prove to be three very long months.

A cocky smirk pulled Doug's mouth. "Nor is she yours…
friend.
"

"No more!" I shouted.

"Marli Davis?" Some stranger crept unaware into our presence, halting our argument.

"What!" I snapped, exasperated, immediately remorseful when the innocent bystander jumped back. "Sorry. I'm Marli Davis."

He reached his leather-gloved hand into the attaché slung across his chest, retrieving, almost in slow motion, the catalyst to either end the power war circling me, or start another catastrophic event. He handed me a
red
envelope.

"Have a nice day," he offered, a most oxymoronic statement given the situation.

Impermeable silence surrounded our threesome, all eyes obsessed with the shiny plastic dangling from my fingertips.

"I need to get Muffy." My legs were rubber by the time I climbed into Rick's truck. Once around the corner, I dialed Brittany. "Help. I'm in deep trouble."

When I arrived back at the house, I pulled close to the back door to prevent Muffy from escaping. She bounded through the back door, her tail whipping excitedly at the discovery of company
.

Jordan and Doug sat at opposite ends of the table, with Brittany in between. Muffy headed straight for Jordan with all the force of a racehorse. She knocked one of the kitchen chairs off kilter, which Doug caught. He cowered in the corner trying, unsuccessfully, to look inconspicuous by holding the chair in front of him.

"Sorry guys. I have absolutely no control over her." I unhooked the leash and hung it back on the peg in the pantry. I handed a dog biscuit to Doug. "Place this on your palm and let her take it from your open hand. You'll be her friend for life."

Jordan glowered, but there wasn't time to react. Muffy saw the dog treat in Doug's hand. I remained close and Doug's arm slipped around my waist, holding me while Muffy eagerly devoured the biscuit.

"She's huge! You didn't give an accurate description of Muffy in Alaska."

"Marli's not very good with
descriptions,
" Jordan snarled.

Moving to neutral territory across the room, I filled a bowl of water for Muffy and assessed the mood. Jordan's body remained folded in hard angles and he refused to look at me, his gaze fixed beyond the window. What seemed strange was how Doug assessed Jordan.

Brit cleared her throat, her eyes darting toward the stairs. I concocted a lame excuse about needing to return a sweater I borrowed and dragged her to my room. I'd barely shut the bedroom door when she clenched my shoulders in a death grip.

"I nearly died when I got here and found them arguing on your front porch. I'm glad I saw the pod, or I'd never known the other guy was Doug." Her eyes brightened, "Marli, he's so cute!"

"Trust me, the 'packaging' is misleading." She gave me a funny look, but I didn't have time for details and pulled her to the window seat, away from the door so no one could hear us talking."Later. Right now I need to know what you heard."

"Something about Jordan messing with your phone? Oh! And some 'freeze'?"

"A ninety-day hold," I said, stiffly. Brittany looked puzzled. "Jordan and Doug both put a three month hold on me through The Program. Jordan has priority because he filed his claim first. Neither of them has told me. I found out from Chuck."

"What are you going to do?"

"I haven't decided—if I even have a choice. They both promised not to pressure me, but apparently, they lied. Well, actually Doug warned me he wanted to claim me in Alaska."

"You're joking."

"Wish I was. Brit, I'm so frustrated and I hate that Jordan keeps doing stuff behind my back."

"But if he hadn't done this, sounds like you might have ended up Doug's assigned mate. It's obvious Jordan doesn't want to lose you."

The muffled sound of raised voices sent both of us to the top of stairs, where we ducked in the shadows to eavesdrop. Doug's voice boomed and what he said caught me off guard.

"You think who you are entitles you to special privileges!"

Jordan yelled back in defense."I do not! I did what I had to because I care about Marli and won't risk losing her to anyone, especially you, Peterson."

"
Care
? Is that what you call this? I think
control
better describes your actions. I wonder how Marli would feel about your idea of devotion if she knew how much you interfered in her life. The minute she said she tried to contact me, I knew you were the reason she couldn't."

"Peterson, Marli is my assignee. You and 'daddy' need to back off."

"Do you really want to drag
fathers
into this, Mason? I'd bet my life your match to Marli wasn't by random selection."

Fear wrapped my body in an icy tendril with Doug's statement. Another unknown. A big one.

Brit leaned close to whisper. "What are they talking about?" There wasn't time to answer when Jordan's voice threatened to bring down the roof.

"At least my motives are legit. I doubt you can make the same claim. Do you honestly think I'd let Marli go without a fight? Never! My own brother's tried and failed!"

Doug got in Jordan's face. "Don't get too comfortable on that high horse. This is far from over and her lips tell me I'm still being considered."

"You're so damn arrogant, Peterson, and delusional if you think
you
have any chance. I outrank you genetically, remember?"

Doug shoved Jordan. "They're only numbers. Nothing's proven, yet. You're no expert, especially about Marli. It's not like it really matters."

Jordan pushed back. "Check again,
loser
. It matters. Besides, she's already said—"

Damn! Jordan had no right discussing my personal feelings with Doug. I stormed down the stairs, having no idea what to say, but needing to stop Jordan's rant.

"Stop this!" I screeched. "Sit." I commanded. Muffy immediately dropped her butt and I fought back the smile, not wanting to lose my edge. "I have some questions that need answering, although I'm not sure either of you is capable of being honest."

"Ouch," Brittany muttered, walking between them to a chair across the room.

Doug settled into the easy chair and Jordan perched on the arm of the sofa. I drew a couple of deep breaths, summoning bravery. My legs felt like strings blowing in the wind and I grabbed the edge of the credenza for support, then turned Jordan's direction.