“Not. Now.” My voice was stern, and they both backed off.
“What’s going on?” Nash asked.
Pushing past the three, I said, “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Blake had yet to see me, and he seemed to be playing the part of Raine’s doting boyfriend well. At least, I thought he was playing a part. Maybe it was more wishful thinking on my part. First Rose. Now Raine. I honestly didn’t know why I was surprised. Maybe I was his little project.
When he pulled out Raine’s seat for her to sit, I watched them closely. Raine lifted her face for a kiss, and Blake hesitated. Then he smiled and kissed her cheek. I didn’t want to let myself believe it was an act like my father thought, but I felt a sense of relief when he didn’t kiss her on the lips.
Rich pulled my chair out, and I sat down. When he sat down next to me, he leaned in. “Tell me you didn’t, Morgan.”
Reaching for the glass of wine, I drank half of it before I answered. “I did.”
He groaned next to me. “A onetime thing?”
I shook my head.
“Shit. Nash doesn’t know?”
“No.”
It was then that Blake looked over at our table and our gazes met. He smiled, then he slid his glance over to Rich, and his smile faded.
“Oh great. He thinks I’m your date.”
“Then let him think it,” I said, trying to ignore the sickness in my stomach.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Morgan.”
Turning to look at him, I grinned. Chewing on my lower lip, I replied, “I know, but it was a no-strings arrangement.”
“Then why do you both look miserable? And why does he look like he wants to rip my damn head off now?” he asked in a hushed voice.
I shrugged. “I was confused and told him I needed time. He either changed his mind or is angry with me.”
Rich took a drink of his wine. Blake still watched us, but I tried to keep my eyes anywhere but on him. It was just my luck that my seat provided a direct sightline to his table and him.
“I’m going to go with angry. I’m a man, and I know that look. I’ve given guys that look. He is telling me to back the fuck off his girl.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked at Rich. “Seriously? I doubt it.”
“Yes, seriously. We told your entire family we were here as friends, but as far as that man is concerned, we’re here together.”
“You have a girlfriend!”
“He doesn’t know that.”
Glancing back over to Blake, I felt my chest squeeze with jealousy that Raine was sitting next to Blake. Feeling his presence so close to her. That should have been me. He should have been sitting next to me.
“Better watch out, Morgan. I think you’re falling in love,” Rich whispered against my ear.
I felt Kaelynn hit me on the side of my leg. Not daring to look at Blake, I turned and looked at Kaelynn. She was fuming.
“I don’t know what is going on, but Nash will catch on with the way you’re staring over there. You’re swooning over Blake and sending Raine daggers at the same time.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Really? And Rick leaning over whispering in your ear? You’re supposed to be here as friends,” she hissed.
She was right. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I felt like a fool. Why was I trying to make Blake jealous? He didn’t care if I was here on a date. He’d probably blown me off because he had already had plans to be here with Raine. Suddenly, I felt like an idiot, and not just a fool.
My stomach turned again. I couldn’t do this. I needed air. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts and figure all this out.
“Excuse me, I need to go to the ladies’ room.”
Kaelynn went to stand, but I placed my hand on her shoulder.
“Alone. Please, Kaelynn, not now.”
I stood, and Rich, my brother, and father all stood. I forced a smile. “Just going to the powder room. Excuse me.”
I navigated my way through the tables, lost and confused. I stopped a waiter. “Excuse me, where is the ladies’ room?”
“Out that door and down the hall. Second door on the left.”
“Thank you,” I replied, picking up my dress so I could walk faster. The moment I pushed open the doors to the hallway and stepped out of the ballroom, I drew in a deep breath. Quickly making my way to the restroom, I threw the door open and went right to the sink. With both hands on the cold porcelain, I took in a few deep breaths. Then I looked up at myself in the mirror.
“Who are you anymore, Morgan?” I whispered to the stranger in the mirror.
After another few moments of staring at myself, I laughed. “You asked for this. You said no strings. You ran from him. Told him you would call and didn’t.”
I stood taller, drew in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. “Suck it up, and get over it. For whatever reason, he didn’t text you back this morning. You need to stop acting like a weak fool. Go out there, stop acting like Rich is your boyfriend, and let Blake know you are a strong, confident woman. If Raine is who he wants, then fine.”
With a few deep breaths and vows I would not look at Blake for the rest of the evening, I readied myself to go back into the ballroom. I knew my last affirmation was a lie. I wouldn’t be fine if Blake was really with Raine, but I would never let him see it.
Staring at myself, I laughed. I had fallen in love with Blake and then messed it up because I hadn’t been upfront with him about my feelings.
I leaned in closer. “Did you really go to school for counseling? Ugh.”
Pinching my cheeks to give them more color, I turned on my heels and headed out of the bathroom.
I didn’t take but two steps before I felt someone grab my arm and pull me into an empty room. I went to scream, but a strong hand went over my mouth. He pushed me against the door once it closed and placed his mouth to my ear. I knew who it was by the way my body reacted to him.
Blake.
MORGAN’S EYES WIDENED in surprise as she looked up at me. My body trembled being so close to her. I tried to ignore the way this woman made me feel, but seeing her with Rich nearly had me going insane.
“Are you back with him?”
Her eyes went even wider.
“Are you sleeping with him?”
She placed her hands on my chest and pushed me away as hard as she could.
I dropped my hand from her mouth and took a step back. I rubbed the back of my neck and cursed.
Holy shit. What in the hell am I doing? I basically just kidnapped her and pulled her into a closet.
“Fuck. I’m sorry I lost control like that.”
“What in the hell is wrong with you, Blake?” Morgan spat out. Anger laced her words.
I turned and paced as I glanced around the small room. It was the janitor’s closet, filled with mops, brooms, and miscellaneous cleaning supplies.
“What’s wrong with me? Let me see, I have a long list. Should I start at the top? You’re the therapist; you tell me, Morgan.”
“You’re not making any sense.” She opened the door, but I pushed it shut.
“From the moment I saw you, I haven’t been able to catch my goddamn breath.”
She swallowed hard and leaned against the door.
“I wasn’t looking for anyone. My heart was a damn cold stone, and I was ready to accept that. Then you came stumbling into my world and turned everything upside down. Twice. Now all I can do is think about you. What are you doing? Who are you with? Are you lonely? Do you need me in your arms as much as I need you in mine?”
“What?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I can’t even close my eyes without seeing your smile. Lying in bed I smell that cocoa butter or whatever it is you wear, and I wish like hell I knew what it was so I could buy some.”
She shook her head as her expression grew more confused.
“You said you needed time. You would call me. I’ve been waiting, and I can’t wait anymore, Morgan
.”
Placing my hands on either side of her head, I leaned closer to her. Her chest rose and fell to what felt like the same rhythm of my heartbeat.
“Has he touched you since we were together?”
Her mouth fell open in surprise, then it slammed shut, and anger filled her eyes. “Has she?”
I laughed. “It’s a fucking ruse, Morgan. Raine doesn’t have the balls to tell her parents the guy she’d been dating was married. We’re friends, that’s all.”
A look passed over her face. Relief maybe? Joy in knowing I wasn’t really with Raine? God, how I hoped that was what I was seeing.
“I need to get back out there, Blake.”
Lifting my hand to her face, I cupped it gently. “Are you with him? Has he touched you?”
My other hand landed on her hip, gently squeezing it. Her breath caught, and I could practically smell her desire for me.
“Does he touch you like I do?”
My lips gently moved over her neck, causing her to tremble.
Moving my hand down, I slowly lifted her satin dress.
“Did he tell you how seeing you in this dress instantly made him hard?”
“Blake,” she gasped, grabbing on my arms.
“All I can think about is turning you around and fucking you. Showing you who this body belongs to.”
She lifted her chin as she placed her hand on my chest. “It belongs to me.”
My mouth quirked up into a smirk. “Fuck yes, it does. And it turns me on more than you will ever know. The thought of another man touching you makes me want to kick his ass.”
Her tongue slipped between those pink lips, wetting them before I pressed my mouth to hers.
It took prodding with my tongue before she let me in. When she did, her hand moved up, and she slipped her fingers into my hair, tugging hard to deepen the kiss. It was hungry and needy at first, then it slowed and we both moaned. Morgan pulled back, panting for air.
“He’s only here as a friend. He has a girlfriend who knows he is with me tonight. I tried to text you this morning and ask you to come with me tonight, but you never replied.”
I placed my hand on the door and cursed. “I went caving this morning and lost my phone.”
Her eyes lit up, then she saw the bump on my forehead. She reached up and touched it, causing me to wince.
“What happened?” she asked.
“When I was in high school . . . something terrible happened. I had a lot of anger to deal with, and my therapist suggested I go caving. It’s been an outlet for me when I’m dealing with guilt, hurt . . . anger.”
She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I acted like a stupid fool when I saw the text, and—”
I placed my finger to her lips. “It doesn’t matter. Did you mean it? You wanted me to come with you tonight?”
Morgan grinned. “Yes. I don’t want to keep what I feel for you a secret anymore.”
With a sigh of relief, I whispered, “Thank fuck.”
Her eyes met mine, and I could see she wanted me as much as I wanted her.
I pressed my mouth to hers. “I want you, Morgan. Right now.”
“No. No, we can’t,” she panted between kisses.
“Yes, we can,” I growled as I dropped to my knees. I lifted her dress and moaned when I saw the thin satin panties. Lifting her leg, I placed it over my shoulder. I slid the thin fabric to the side and kissed what was mine.
“Oh my God!” Morgan whimpered. “We . . . oh . . . yes. Wait. Stop. No, don’t stop,” she said between breaths.
Her fingers went to my hair, pulling my head closer to her has she rocked her hips against my tongue. I smiled as I licked and sucked her, slowly slipping a finger inside her.
“Blake, it feels so good,” she softly cried out.
Lifting my gaze, I watched her play with her nipple from the outside of her dress and nearly came in my pants.
“I’m going to come. Yes!” She clamped her hand over her mouth to keep her moans from being heard outside of the closet.
Once she stopped shaking, I stood.
“Turn around. Put your hands on the door.”
She did what I asked. I undid my dress pants and took out my cock. Rubbing it over her wetness, I tried to remember how to breathe. Her panties were still on and pushed to the side. As my cock slid inside her, I nearly lost it. This had to be one of the hottest experiences of my life.
“Oh Blake,” she whimpered as I pushed in fast and hard.
“I can’t make love to you, Morgan. I need it fast and hard.”
“Yes. Please. More.”
Grabbing her hips, I moved in and out of her. She angled her hips as she looked over her shoulder at me. When she bit down on her lip, I knew she was about to come again.
“Come with me, Morgan. I can’t hold . . . off . . . fuck.”
She closed her eyes, and I felt her tighten around me as I lost myself inside her. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, still buried inside her, both of us gasping for air as we held our hands pressed to the door.
Pulling out of her, I reached for a towel and wiped myself off, then dropped to clean her.
Her breathing was still rapid, and her body trembled.
“What are we doing, Blake? We just fucked in a damn cleaning closet while my whole family is sitting in the other room.”
Standing, I looked at her, feeling like a complete asshole for taking what I wanted, not even thinking of her.
“I’m sorry, Morgan. When I’m around you, I can’t think straight. When I saw him with you . . . I nearly jumped the tables to pound his face in.”
A tear slipped from her eye and trailed down her cheek, making me feel like someone had punched me in the gut.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I feel the same way when it comes to you. I saw you with Raine, and I went crazy for a minute.”
He smiled and played with a curl that had fallen out of my bun. “Blake, we need to talk to each other and be open. If we do this, it has to be exclusive. No fake dates, no ex-boyfriends posing as dates.”
I kissed her neck. “I’m okay with that.”
“We have something between us. I don’t think either of us can argue with that. I don’t know what it is, but I have feelings for you I’ve never experienced before. I mean, look at us. We get around each other and the next thing you know we’re fucking in the janitor’s closet.”
“I’m sorry I lost control.”
Her hand came up to my cheek. “We both wanted that. I think we both needed it.”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you.”
I touched my forehead to hers, then jerked when the pain raced through my head. “Ouch, shit.”
She raised up and kissed the bump gently.
“What do we do now? I can’t let Raine down.”
“I understand. Let’s go back out there and finish this night up. Then we need to talk.”
Nodding, I leaned down and kissed her again. The kiss deepened, and Morgan pulled away and smiled.
The door opened, and she was gone before I could say another word.
I waited thirty minutes after Morgan left before I went back into the ballroom. With a grin, I sat down and looked around the table. “I’m sorry about that. A client in Japan needed to have me sign off on something before they could move forward.”
Raine smiled, knowing I was lying my ass off. I had missed most of dinner. Everyone was on their desserts as I ate the roasted chicken and vegetables. I glanced over to Morgan’s table twice. Both times she was talking to someone sitting across from her. Rich caught my gaze once and gave me a look that said I needed to stop staring at Morgan. He had watched me like a hawk when I stood and pretended to take a phone call, leaving through the same door Morgan had gone out of.
When the damn dinner was finally over and everyone was saying their goodbyes, I slowly guided Raine toward the exit. I watched as Morgan hugged her entire family goodbye. Kaelynn
whispered something into Morgan’s ear, making her nod. Then Rich placed his hand on her lower back and guided her out of the room. She must have felt me staring at her, because as they stepped out of the room, she looked back. The second our eyes met, she smiled. I returned the smile and rubbed my hand over my chest, feeling that familiar flutter that happened each time Morgan entered or left a room.
“You want to tell me what is going on with you and my sister?”
The sound of Nash’s voice made everything in the room go silent. Without looking at him, I replied, “Not here. Can I meet you at Sedotto in thirty minutes?” I asked, turning to look at him.
He nodded, then smirked. “If you figure it’s a safe place for whatever it is you are about to tell me, you’re wrong. I’ll probably want to hit you no matter where we go.”
“You probably will.”
MY PHONE BUZZED in my clutch purse, but I ignored it.
“Morgan, do you want to talk about it? I mean, I’m almost positive I was not the only person to notice you and Blake leaving at the same time. I will give the guy props for waiting so long to come back.”
“What do you mean?”
He laughed. “Your brother leaned over and asked me what was going on with you two. He said neither of y’all could keep your eyes off each other. You both suck at this, you know?”
I looked at him, shocked. “Was it that obvious?”
“To those who love and care about you? Yes. Not to mention that when you walked back into the room, you had clearly been thoroughly kissed.”
Groaning, I dropped my head back on the seat.
“To everyone else, no. Your father’s comment alerted Nash, though.”
“How in the world does my father know?”
He shrugged. “I have a feeling Nash knows. Or Kaelynn.”
“Kaelynn!” I shouted, opening my clutch and digging my phone out. I stopped when I saw three missed calls from her.
“Oh no. Kaelynn tried to call me. Three times.”
I hit play and put it on speakerphone.
“Morgan, you need to call me back. I know how your father knows. Your father saw you leaving the hotel on Saturday and then saw Blake leaving not long after. He said he didn’t have to put much together when Blake asked about you this evening and you looked ready to be sick when you thought he was with Raine. Then Blake nearly passed out when he saw you. He said something about how beautiful you looked. You two really suck at this! Nash figured it out not long after. That little rendezvous the two of you pulled was not smart.”
Adore Me Page 11
