I couldn’t take it anymore. I wrapped my arms around her, her face fitting into the curve of my shoulder. I rested my chin on the top of her head. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to prove to you that you can trust me. That you’re the only woman I think about. That I won’t just walk away.”
“I’m scared to try with you,” she admitted.
“I’m scared too. I’m worried I’ll mess it up. But I’ll try like hell not to. I want to be with you, Morgan. Only you.” I held her tight. “Just you.”
“You’ll break my heart, Lucas,” she whispered, her face pressed into my shirt.
I kissed the top of her head. “No, Morgan, I’m pretty sure you’ll break mine.”
I realized I was okay with that. And I longed for the pain.
Morgan
The pictures of us were everywhere.
We’d even made the bigger national publications.
They knew my name now.
Morgan Carter, Lucas Bradley’s American sweetheart, they called me. Maybe I should be flattered.
Mostly I felt the need to hide under the biggest rock and never come out again.
“God, you’re everywhere,” Hayley said, holding out the article in The Sun for me to see. There was a rather clear picture of Lucas and me kissing in Spitalfield’s. Another had us holding each other inside the club. Another of us kissing in the booth in the VIP section. I hadn’t realized so many people were taking pictures of us.
“You sure look cozy.” Hayley sipped her tea while reading the article. “It seems they’ve already learned quite a bit about you. They have a lot in here. The town in Virginia where you’re from. Your mum’s name. The fact that you’re on a Tier 2 Visa. Damn, how do they get this information? I thought that stuff was confidential.”
“This is just great. Now everyone knows my entire history. I’ve always wanted people knowing every detail of life,” I said sarcastically.
Hayley closed the newspaper and left it on my desk. “So are you dating Lucas now? It definitely looks that way.”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
“Oh, I know what that smile means. You’re in love,” Hayley joked, pointing at me.
“I’m not in love. Don’t be silly. But yes, I guess you could say we’re dating.” It was weird admitting that. But after our weekend in London, there was no doubt we were together.
Lucas surprised me. He was attentive. Affectionate. He went above and beyond to ensure I had a great time. He suffered through an exhaustive tour of The Tower of London. We couldn’t go to Westminster Abbey as it was Sunday but we spent hours walking up the South Bank, going over Westminster Bridge, eating lunch in St. James’ Park, watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. He let me be the crazed tourist taking a million pictures and freaking out over everything.
I had felt like an idiot after my meltdown at the club. I was sure he’d realize I was too much trouble. Why bother with a woman that required effort when he could hook up with anyone he wanted, without the tears in a public restroom.
But for some reason he wanted me.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
Today, however, the realities of dating an upcoming footballer became startlingly clear. My face all over the gossip sites took me aback. Details about where I had grown up, where I went to college were there for anyone to read. And the only reason anyone would care is because of who I was sleeping with.
Lucas Bradley. Darling of Chester.
Well, I had said I wanted a new adventure, I had sure gotten one.
“I can’t believe I have a friend dating Lucas Bradley.” Hayley shook her head. “Be prepared for your entire life to change.”
I picked up the newspaper on my desk. “I think it already has.”
“That’s nothing, love. WAGs are huge news. Particularly when they’re pretty Americans.” Hayley winked at me.
My phone rang on my desk. “Maybe it’s Lucas,” Hayley joked.
“Shut up,” I chuckled as I picked up the phone.
“Pardon?” my boss said on the other end.
Shit, he’d heard that.
“No, not you, I’m sorry Mr. Richardson, what can I do for you?” I scowled at Hayley who tried not to laugh.
“I’ve been waiting on your budget numbers since last week. I need to go to the CTO with the projections for this project. We’ve had some setbacks with getting approval, so we need to show that it’s financially viable.”
“I thought the project was a go ahead. That’s why you hired me.” Hayley was listening to my end of the conversation with a concerned look on her face.
“I hired you because at the time the project was seen as necessary for the business. Between you and me there’s talks of a buyout so the big wigs are looking to trim fat. We have to make sure your project isn’t one of them.”
His news hit me with the force of a freight train. Was he telling me I might not have a job soon?
I had uprooted my entire life to move to another country. They couldn’t just cut me loose so quickly. Could they?
“How’s Lucas doing? It was really nice seeing him in the office the other day. Will he be coming by again?” Peter asked but I barely heard him.
My ears were still ringing with the realization that my job was by no means secure.
“Excuse me?” I asked weakly.
“Lucas Bradley. You are dating him right?”
“Yes. I am.” It felt supremely wrong to discuss my dating life with my boss.
“That’s nice,” Mr. Richardson responded with enough awkwardness for both of us.
“I’ll get those budget numbers over to you as soon as possible,” I said.
“Please do. The sooner the better.” Peter hung up without saying goodbye.
“Dear god, what did he say?” Hayley asked.
I looked around to make sure we couldn’t be overheard. “Did you know there’s talk about the company being bought out?”
Hayley’s eyes widened. “No! Did Peter tell you that? Why would he tell you that?”
“Because there’s a chance the Tempo project I was hired to manage may not get off the ground. Which means I would be out of work. Which means my Visa would be cancelled. Which means I’d have to move back to America.”
Oh shit. I’d have to move back to America.
I felt panicked, which was odd given that only a couple of weeks ago the idea of moving home would have seemed like a blessing.
Hayley patted my arm. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Peter is a lot of doom and gloom most of the time; don’t take him at his word. You’ll be just fine.”
“Right. Just fine.” I chewed on the inside of my lip. “I should get these numbers crunched then.”
“Alright, darling, crunch those numbers. I’ll come by later for a cuppa.”
I nodded, pulling up the spreadsheets I had been agonizing over for days.
I had only been working for ten minutes when my phone buzzed in my purse. I had remembered to turn down the ringer.
“Who is it? Is it Lucas?” Mark asked, peeking over the divide between our desks.
I frowned at him. Why was it any of his business who called me? And why was he asking me about it? I didn’t realize he was so rude.
But it seemed as soon as I lifted my phone to my ear, I had everyone’s attention. It was weird.
“Hello?” I asked quietly, heading towards the front door. I stepped outside and even though it was noisy, it was better than having a dozen people waiting to see who was calling me.
“Hi.” His soft voice in my ear made me instantly smile.
“Hi.”
I felt as though everyone walking by me was listening to our conversation. Being with Lucas was making me incredibly paranoid.
“I know you’re at work but I wanted to see if you could come over this evening. I’d like to make you tea.”
“You want to make me tea? Is your tea special or something?” I joked.
“Sorry, let
me speak yank. I want to make you dinner. Does that work for you?”
“So wait, tea is dinner? But I thought tea was a drink. Can’t you just call it meal I eat in the evening so we’re all clear?”
“Dear god, okay, so we’ll call it dinner from here on out. Happy?” Lucas chuckled.
“No. I think I like tea. We can stick with that,” I said.
“You’re so confusing sometimes,” he complained good-naturedly.
“It’s why you like me.” I swore everyone was staring at me. I was getting a complex.
“One of the reasons anyway,” Lucas replied. “So tea? My house? Say eight? I’m finished with training at seven.”
“That sounds nice. Do I need to bring anything? Dessert? Wine? A flame thrower?”
“A flame thrower? What kind of tea are you expecting?” Lucas asked. I could hear people talking in the background. “Okay love, I’ve got to go. So I’ll see you at eight. I’ll send a car to bring to you my house.”
“You don’t need to send a car. I can get there myself,” I argued. Though I appreciated how he wanted to look after me, I didn’t want to set a precedent of him taking over my life, including how I got from A to B.
“I know you can get here on your own. I trust your capabilities, but indulge me, Morgan. I’d like to know you will get here safely.”
“And some horrible thing will befall me if I try to get there on my own?” I snickered.
“Okay, fine. I’ll text you my address and you can get there all on your own,” he huffed.
“A car is fine. I appreciate it. Otherwise I have to use the bus and I’d prefer not to do that.”
Lucas let out a sigh. “You’re a pain in the arse.”
“Yep. Get used to it.”
NO WAY WAS this his house.
My childhood home could fit inside three times over.
I stood outside for a while, staring up at it, feeling totally inferior.
Then the front door opened. “Are you going to stand out here all night? Should Lucas bring your tea outside so you can eat on the pavement?”
Anna, Lucas’ sister stood in the doorway, looking amused.
“Sorry. I was drooling over your house. The topiaries are particularly impressive.” I hurried up the path, clutching the bottle of white wine I had picked up at the newsagent, which I’ve discovered since I had moved to the UK is a fabulous store that sells a little of everything.
I had gotten stuck at work late. I had planned to run down to the grocery store to pick up a decent white wine but in the end had to make do with the seven pound bottle they had on special.
I handed her the wine as I walked in the door. “It probably tastes like battery acid, I’m warning you.”
Anna looked at the label. “Yummy. Should go perfectly with the burnt fish Lucas is trying to cook.”
The smell of burning food was thick and it wasn’t pleasant.
“What’s he making?” I asked, hanging my coat up in the hallway closet. I tried to gawk as I took in the large entryway. A wide staircase stood just in front of me leading to the second floor. A large living room sat off to the right and even had a grand piano perched on a raised platform in front of the bay window. Did Lucas actually play it or was it there for show?
“He was trying to make baked salmon I think. But who really knows. I’ve tried to talk him into ordering a pizza but he’s being stubborn.” Anna headed down the hallway when she stopped and turned back to me. “I’m not sure what you’ve done to my brother to turn him into this strange domestic creature, but I kind of like it. He’s horribly miserable at it and it’s funny as hell.”
I could hear the sound of pans crashing followed by a string of colorful curse words. Anna and made our way into a brightly lit kitchen.
“Jesus,” I breathed as I looked around. It was the kitchen of my dreams. It was an open floor plan with all the state of the art appliances and a breakfast nook with glass French doors that led out onto a stone patio with a grill and comfy seating.
Lucas stood at the stove, a platter of what looked like burnt potatoes on the floor at his feet. He was sucking on his thumb. He didn’t look happy.
“I told you that you had over estimated your cooking abilities,” Alan Cole said from his perch on a bar stool at the island. He was sipping on a beer and laughing his ass off.
“And I told you to shut the hell up or you can fuck off,” Lucas growled.
Anna winked at me. “He’s been in a right mood all evening. Cooking clearly stresses him out.”
Lucas looked my way and his frown faded and a smile lit up his whole face. “Hey,” he said. It was only one word but there was so much in those three letters. A level of intimacy that I could scarce believe.
“Hey,” I said back.
“Are you guys going to stand there eye fucking all night because it would be much more interesting if you did actual fucking. That I could get into. You won’t even know I’m here,” Alan spoke up, giving me a lecherous grin.
Anna smacked him on the back of the head. “You’re disgusting. Has anyone ever told you that?”
Alan grabbed her hand and held it, palm flat, against his chest. “All the time, love.” I noticed that Anna’s face flushed a pretty red and she didn’t pull away from him.
Hmm. I wondered if Lucas saw the way Alan and Anna looked at each other. There was a whole lot of heat in that stare.
Anna cleared her throat after a minute and disengaged her hand from Alan’s hold. Alan briefly appeared disappointed. And then he watched Lucas’ sister as she walked to the refrigerator and got out a bottle of wine. But he didn’t watch her in the way of most men, appraising her body. His eyes were almost tender as he followed her around the room.
I sincerely doubted Lucas had any idea that his best friend was in love with his sister. Knowing what I did about the man I was now seeing, I didn’t think he’d take that very well.
Anna poured two glasses of wine and handed me one. “Thanks,” I said.
“Have a seat,” Lucas instructed, pulling a stool out for me to sit on. He leaned down and kissed me sweetly on the mouth. “You look beautiful,” he whispered into my ear, making me shiver.
“And you look like you’re about to blow a gasket,” I observed.
Lucas got a broom and dustpan from the closet and started sweeping up potatoes. “It looks like we’ll be ordering take away after all,” he grumbled.
“I told you to do that in the first place,” Anna piped up, sitting down beside me. Alan scooted his stool closer once the pretty brunette was seated.
“Good, because I wasn’t going to touch that fish stuff you were making,” Alan joked.
Lucas threw a potato at Alan and he batted it away before it hit his face.
“Morgan, it’s nice seeing you again, love.” Alan leaned across Anna to kiss my cheek. I was pretty sure he used it as an excuse to rub himself against Anna’s boobs. She didn’t seem to mind though.
“Nice to see you too under more sober circumstances,” I replied and he clinked his glass with mine.
“I will say, how you and Lucas met won’t make for a great story to tell your grandkids,” Anna added. Alan howled with laughter at the look of abject horror on mine and Lucas’ faces.
“So we’re not talking grandkids yet?” Anna asked innocently.
Lucas pointed at her with a look of warning. “You promised you wouldn’t start shit tonight, Anna.”
Anna gave me a look of wide-eyed innocence. “I never start shit. Don’t listen to him, Morgan.”
Lucas came over to put his arm around me, kissing the top of my head in a sweet gesture. “I’m sorry, I really wanted to make you a nice dinner. Then these two jackals jumped in and completely distracted me.”
“It’s okay, I wasn’t expecting Michelin star dining. I’m cool with pizza.” I snuggled into his chest, enjoying the heat of him.
“So you two crazy kids, how was London? I saw the pictures.” Alan waggled his eyebrows.
“
It was pretty awesome. I’d never been to London before,” I told him, ignoring the jab about the paparazzi photographs. I ran my hand along the chain of the heart necklace Lucas had gotten for me. I had made sure to wear it.
“That’s a really interesting necklace,” Anna commented, leaning in to get a better look. “Where did you get it?”
“Lucas bought it for me actually?”
Anna’s eyebrows rose dramatically. “Lucas bought it for you? Seriously?”
I laughed. “Seriously.”
“Wow, I’ve never known Luke to buy jewelry for anyone. Mum included. Well, well, well.” She seemed pleased.
“The markets were amazing. And the streets. And the noise. I loved every bit of it,” I said, steering the conversation back to our time in London.
“I love London. I’m hoping to go to medical school there,” Anna told me, sipping on her wine.
“You’re going to medical school? That’s amazing,” I said, genuinely impressed.
“Anna’s the smart one in the family,” Lucas said with obvious pride.
Alan frowned. “You want to go to medical school in London? I thought you were looking at schools in Manchester and Birmingham. London is so far away.”
“And the best schools are there,” Lucas added. “I’m not sure why it should matter to you where Anna goes.” He leveled him with a look that told me Lucas wasn’t as ignorant of Alan and Anna as I had thought.
“We’ll see. It really depends on my grades. I won’t be holding my breath.” Anna waved away the comments.
“What kind of medicine are you planning to study?” I asked her.
“Sports medicine. Then maybe I can spend more time with this idiot,” Anna poked her brother who grinned at her. Their relationship was wonderful to see. They clearly cared a lot about each other. Having grown up as an only child I had often longed for a sibling I could be close to. Anna and Lucas had that. I envied them a bit.
The Beautiful Game (Man of the Match Book 1) Page 24
