Bending the Rules: Breaking the Rules #2

by Lewis, L. K.

  Chapter 12

  Adrian

  I’m not sure why I’m so nervous for my date with Morgan tonight. We’ve been on countless dates before. I think it might be that before I thought we would be together forever and that I had nothing to lose and all the time in the world.

  I know that’s not the case tonight. I’m on thin ice here, trying to find my way across. I know I have to be careful with Morgan as she’s just getting over being burned so badly by Drake. I think the flowers were a nice touch. Morgan seemed a bit reserved around me yesterday, but warmed a bit after I left the single lily on her desk with a little note, just as Lana suggested. Her bouquet of flowers arrived on time, and as I was in the shower getting ready for our date, Morgan sent me a quick text thanking me and letting me know she was looking forward to our time together as well.

  As I walk to Morgan’s door I’m filled with a strange anxiety I’ve never felt before. My life has always gone according to plan. The two curveballs that ever been thrown in my twenty-five years of existence have been Morgan breaking up with me, and my father’s heart attack. The only two people I’ve truly worried about losing in my life are Morgan and my father, and I almost lost them both. I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve been given the chance to have them back and am not prepared to lose them anytime soon.

  I knock on Morgan’s door and am surprised that she answers right away.

  “Hello, beautiful,” I say as I enter her apartment. “You look absolutely gorgeous tonight,” I say as I plaster on a smile and suppress my nerves.

  “Thanks, I wasn’t sure what to wear, so I went with something a little…conservative. I didn’t want to be overdressed. You look nice too, by the way,” Morgan says.

  “You look perfect, Morgan. I thought we would try out the new Italian place a few blocks up. It’s a little chilly out but still a nice night out for a stroll, are you up for it?” I ask, noting that she is in a dress but her black leather boots don’t have a heel so she should be fine for walking I hope.

  “That sounds perfect. I absolutely love Italian. I love it so much actually that I have no self-control when it comes to eating it and I’m normally too full when I leave the restaurant, so a walk home after dinner sounds lovely. Let me grab a hat and mittens really fast and we can head out,” Morgan says before grabbing what she needs from her hallway closet.

  The walk over to the restaurant was a little quieter than I expected as we both tried to get our nervousness out of our systems. We have just settled into our seats when the waiter comes to take our drink order.

  “There is a nice Sangiovese on the menu if you’d like to share a bottle,” I offer to Morgan.

  “I’m actually trying to skip alcohol during the week if that’s okay with you. Perhaps we can have a bottle of Pellegrino and some lemon wedges?”

  I nod in agreement and the waiter leaves to get us our sparkling water.

  “I hope that’s okay, feel free to order some wine for yourself if you’d like. I just noticed that I’ve put on a few pounds so I’m going without alcohol during the week to try to cut calories. Plus I really want dessert so I’m trying to be good. I guess that’s not what you are supposed to say on a date, but I thought I’d explain since it’s a little weird,” Morgan explains.

  “I think you look absolutely perfect, Morgan. If anything I’d say you could stand to gain a few pounds. You lost weight while you were traveling. I’d hate to have you forgo dessert though. I know how much you love it, and the online reviews of this placed raved about their gelato.”

  “Mmm. That sounds good. Even when it’s the end of November and we face a chilly walk home, gelato sounds delicious.”

  “No worries, I’ll just have to hold you close on the way home and keep you warm,” I say with a wink, and a small smile creeps over Morgan’s face. I feel myself relaxing a bit more.

  Dinner is going well. I can tell Morgan has relaxed a bit and is smiling more and engaging in conversation, but she still seems reserved. I want her to enjoy the time she spends with me, but don’t want to push it either.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” I ask, trying to pull Morgan from the internal thought she’s having.

  “I’m sorry. I think I’m a bit distracted this evening. I’m having a nice time with you, Adrian, but I think I have a lot on my mind. Please forgive me if I’m being rude,” she says.

  “Morgan, you aren’t being rude. I’m enjoying my time with you as well. There is no pressure here this evening, I just want to spend some time with you in a more intimate setting. I’ve let you know how I feel about you, although I don’t expect you to return those feelings anytime soon. I hope sometime you will though, and that spending time together without work or other things in there to interfere might help us to get back to where we were a few years ago,” I say, trying to segue into a conversation more geared to us.

  “I don’t know what to say, Adrian. I feel so humbled by your feelings for me and I’m so appreciative of them. Of you. I’m sorry I can’t reciprocate your feelings right now, but please know that I care for you. I have a lot to focus on in order to get my life plan back on track, and until that happens I don’t think it’s a good idea if we see each other. I’m sorry,” Morgan says, and I feel a pit form in my stomach.

  “I completely appreciate your need to focus on your future right now. I understand your need for independence as you get yourself back on track, that’s why I told you I don’t expect anything from you. I love you, Morgan. I want to be here for you and offer my love and support as you go through this. I want to give that to you always,” I say.

  “Thank you for your love and support, Adrian. That means more to me than you will ever know. I know you don’t expect me to return your feelings, but I also feel guilty that I don’t.”

  “I can’t make you love me, Morgan, but I can be there for you as you continue to go through something hard in your life. All I’m asking for is time with you, because that is what makes me happy. You are such a beautiful woman. You are so smart, and I love your charm and sassy wit. You deserve someone in your life who appreciates you and just wants to be there for you. I want to be that person. I know you hold out hope that Drake is coming back, and if that is what will make you happy I want that for you too. Until that day comes, and by now I doubt it will, I would love it if you would let me be the person who makes you happy,” I say as a solemn silence surrounds our table.

  We sit in silence for a few minutes while finishing our entrées. After the table is cleared our server presents us the dessert menus and Morgan’s face lights up. She orders a decaf cappuccino and a scoop of pistachio gelato, and I do the same.

  Deep in thought for a moment, Morgan takes a deep breath, meeting my eyes before she starts talking. “Okay, I’ve had a moment to think about how I want to explain how I’m feeling. I’m not always the most articulate person and sometimes it just takes a bit for me to figure out the best way to explain myself.”

  “You have my full attention, beautiful, go ahead,” I say with a sincere smile, encouraging her to put it all on the table. The more information she gives me, the easier it will be for me to figure out how to convince her to be mine.

  After another deep breath Morgan continues, “I’m dealing with a lot right now. More than anyone could even comprehend. I love that you want to spend time with me. I’m flattered at how much you care about me. I’d love to have your support as I figure out the direction my life is going in and I of course would love to spend time with you as well. We have to stop talking about Drake though. And we have to stop talking about you and me in a romantic way. Of course I’m sad about losing Drake but I’ll never get past the constant pain I feel if he is brought up in every damn conversation I have. I also know you don’t want to pressure me, but talking about a romantic relationship with me does make me feel pressured. If it’s going to happen it needs to happen organically.

  “I never meant to run into you and split your eye open six years ago, but I did, and look what hap
pened. A dinner invitation to thank me for helping you out was just the start of four amazing years with you. I have never regretted our relationship. I’ve only looked back on it with fondness. I can guarantee you, Adrian, that if we are meant to be it will happen. I know it seems like fate has stepped in and brought us back together at such a perfect time in our lives. But let’s just leave us up to fate. Let’s spend time together like you said and see where it goes,” Morgan finishes with a huff. It’s adorable to watch how worked up she can get when she is genuinely speaking from the heart.

  “God, I love your sass,” I say with a smile before continuing. “I’m down with just hanging out with you, Morgan. To be honest, I don’t want to talk about Drake either. I just want you to know I’m here for you and support you and how you are feeling. I won’t bring us up again either. You’re right, if it’s meant to happen for us it will. For now, let’s just enjoy the rest of our evening,” I say as our server brings our gelato and coffee.

  “Cold gelato and hot cappuccino, I guess I wasn’t really thinking about that combo when I ordered, huh?” Morgan teases, clearly wanting to move on and enjoy the remainder of our evening as well.

  “That’s what I was thinking, but I wasn’t going to say anything,” I say with a wink.

  The rest of our date is easy and relaxed. Taking “relationship talk” off the table seemed to put Morgan at ease. On the walk back to Morgan’s apartment we reminisce about great times we had together. It felt nice to go back to that time when we were so happy and I could finally see that Morgan was looking at me like we could have potential.

  As we get to her door I can see that Morgan is getting nervous about the end of the date kiss. I think about shying away but then decide that if we’re going to move forward we need to have some intimacy to see if those feelings are there or not. I know they are there for me; I’ve been a walking hard-on all night just thinking about how sexy she looks in her dress and remembering what she looks like with said dress on my floor.

  Morgan quickly thanks me for a lovely meal and tries to duck her head down and quickly escape into her apartment. I quickly wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her close to me, and with the other hand tip her chin up so I can look into her eyes.

  “I believe I promised you a nice kiss goodnight,” I say with a smile before gently pressing my lips to hers.

  I pull back slightly, unwrapping my arm from her waist, and slide both hands behind her head, tangling her hair between my fingers. “That was nice enough,” I say before kissing her again, this time crashing my lips to hers. Morgan parts her lips slightly and I take the opportunity to slip my tongue into her mouth, reminding myself of how sweet she tastes.

  Morgan is breathless when she pulls back and I simply smile and wish her pleasant dreams as I open the door for her and watch her slip into her apartment. I have a shit eating grin splattered all over my face as I walk down to my car. We may have started off slowly but this date brought us closer than I thought it would, and now I’m feeling more confident than ever that my plan will work and she’ll be mine again by New Year.

  Morgan

  Lying here in bed thinking about our date tonight I sort of feel numb. Our walk home from the restaurant was by far the best part of the evening. Reminiscing about old times and funny moments that we shared made me feel closer to Adrian than I have since our paths crossed again many months ago. I can’t lie to myself and deny that there was a spark there because there definitely was, but it’s nothing compared to the magnetic pull I feel towards Drake. There is a torch buried so deep inside me that burns for Drake, and I don’t think anything or anyone will ever extinguish it.

  I’m not sure if it’s the pregnancy hormones that I now recognize flowing through me, or the memory lane I traveled down this evening with Adrian, but as I lie here trying to will my tired body to fall asleep, I can’t keep myself from thinking about Drake.

  I close my eyes and run my hands over my body, acknowledging my now fuller breasts as I feel an ache between my legs. How have I been so preoccupied that I didn’t even notice these changes in my body? My hands continue to travel south over the small bump I can feel forming. The bump that is holding the precious miracle that is carrying someone that was created by the love I share with Drake. I can’t speak of our love in the past tense because right now it is ever present. I am still very much in this fight.

  My hands continue their downward path, massaging my inner thighs as one hand makes its way back up, massaging my clit to soothe the ache. My mind drifts back to Drake. It always somehow goes back to Drake. To his beautiful smile and his gorgeous big brown eyes, to the way my heart skips a beat every time he walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around me as he kisses and nibbles my neck and shoulders.

  “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Drake would whisper in my ear as he turned me around, his lips meeting mine. Sometimes the kisses would grow harder and more desperate, sometimes they would remain gentle and loving. More often than not though, they would end up with us panting heavily in my bed or his while we came down from our release.

  Thinking of the many ways his heavenly skillset in the bedroom would bring me to orgasm, I quickly find my own release. I slow my breathing and sink further into my bed, while letting memories of my past become dreams about my future.

  Chapter 13

  Drake

  I have never really been into holidays like some people. I don’t have fond memories of our family around the table enjoying a beautiful meal, or mornings opening presents under the tree. My father has never been someone to spend quality time with the family, and while my mother was alive, she was usually more sad around the holidays and I spent a majority of my time trying to console her.

  The first year after my dad married Gloria, she did try to have big Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. My dad spent the entire day on Thanksgiving watching football. He even went so far as demanding we eat dinner in the theater room so he could watch the game on the big screen even though the dining room table was set.

  It was pretty much the same thing on Christmas. A few weeks before Christmas Day, I remember hearing my dad and Gloria arguing in my dad’s office about gifts, and hearing him say, “Just take my damn credit card, get whatever you want and have it gift wrapped. I’m too busy to deal with that shit.” I guess Gloria took his attitude and ran with it, because come Christmas Morning I had never seen so many gifts under one tree, but my dad and Gloria were in such foul moods we didn’t even open a single one.

  Sitting in my office today makes me wish I had more of a holiday tradition to cling to. It may be Thanksgiving in the States, but here in Zurich it’s just another Thursday. I’m sure it would have been okay to take the day off, but without anyone else to celebrate it with it’s kind of pointless. There are a few Americans here on staff, but I don’t think any of them need to spend their day off with their boss.

  I keep thinking of Morgan today, wondering if she is spending the day with Adrian and his family as well as hers. I had been so looking forward to spending the holidays with Morgan. Of course if I hadn’t become CEO yet we would have had to figure out our own celebrations, just the two of us, but I would have found a way to make it special. I could have attempted to cook a turkey for us complete with all of the traditional fixings, at Christmas I could arrange a sleigh ride through the park and hold her close under a blanket, on New Year’s Eve I could draw her a bath and lounge in the warm bubbles with her while drinking champagne as we count down to midnight.

  As I sit here alone at my desk I start to think about Morgan and how even though I will be alone throughout the holidays this year, my hard work and dedication to this company is about to pay off and I’ll have many more years to celebrate with her in the future. I just have to stick it out a few more months. I start to pack my things to head out for the day and a ding sound from my computer alerts me to the two new emails I have just received. The first one is from Grace, my father’s assistant, wishing me a
happy Thanksgiving and notifying me that she has arranged for a turkey dinner to be delivered to my apartment promptly at seven this evening. I reply to her and thank her for her thoughtfulness and wish her a happy Thanksgiving as well. The second email almost brings tears to my eyes as hope fills my heart that I will indeed have many happy holidays with the love of my life in the years to come. It’s simply stated, but it says it all:

  From: Morgan Lane

  Subject: Feeling thankful

  Date: November 28, 2013 10:14

  To: Drake Baylor Jr.

  Dear Drake,

  Today and always… I am thankful for you.

  I love you.

  Always,

  Morgan

  I close my computer for the day, tidy my desk and leave my office feeling thankful, full of love, and for the first time ever, excited to eat a Thanksgiving dinner.

  Morgan

  I have no idea where this last month has gone. It’s as if I fell asleep and woke up in late December! I can’t believe how Christmas has come so soon. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with my family and the Thompsons feeling thankful for my renewed energy as I started my second trimester, and for the clean bill of health my OB/GYN has given me and my baby.

  “Morgan, that’s the fifth baggy sweater you’ve bought today. You have to stop. Your body is way too hot to dress like the Mayor of Frumpville,” Amanda says to me while finishing up some last minute holiday shopping.