by Lori Foster
So maybe she’d gotten into some trouble? He wasn’t completely convinced yet. But even if it was true, everyone made mistakes, and being a pregnant, unmarried woman was as good a reason for theft as any he’d ever heard. He didn’t approve, but he did understand. She was still young, only twenty-four, and she’d found herself in a hell of a predicament.
From the sound of it, she’d more than paid for the crime, not only financially, but emotionally, as well. He didn’t blame her for not wanting to own up to it if she was guilty. Few people tended to brag about their bad judgment.
Convinced that he was still in control of things, including his own tumultuous emotions, Morgan walked over to the car and opened the back door. He lifted out her bag then nudged Gabe aside. He pulled her door open and cupped his free hand around her upper arm. Gabe stood there grinning at him, while Jordan and Casey watched with satisfaction.
“C’mon, Malone,” Morgan said. “Sitting out here moping isn’t going to solve anything.”
She smacked her head onto the steering wheel again. “I can’t be this unlucky.”
Morgan hesitated, but he knew damn good and well he’d done the right thing. He’d needed to buy some time to undo the damage he’d inflicted with his insistence that she should leave. Later, she’d thank him. “Rattling your brains won’t help. Come inside and we’ll figure something out.”
She leaned back in the seat and stared at him. “I hope you’re happy now.”
His smile was only fleeting before he wiped it away. “I’m getting there.” He urged her out of the car and kept hold of her arm even as they walked back in. He was pleased that she didn’t pull away from him. That surely showed some small measure of trust, didn’t it?
Unfortunately, something he hadn’t figured on happened: they found Sawyer and Honey smooching in the kitchen, wrapped up together in no more than a sheet.
Morgan halted abruptly when he saw them, which caused Misty to stumble into his side and Jordan to bump into his back. Like dominoes toppling one another, they all ended up crammed into the tiny doorway, gawking.
Misty groaned at the sight of her sister, then turned her face into Morgan’s side. “I’m cursed.”
At her softly spoken words, Honey jerked away from her husband, looked up, then blushed furiously. “Oh, Lord.” She clutched at the sheet, pulling it up to her throat and all but leaving Sawyer buck naked. “It’s barely six-thirty! We thought everyone was still in bed!”
Sawyer grabbed for an edge of the sheet to retain his modesty in front of Misty, then turned to frown at his brothers. “What the hell is going on?” He noticed the suitcase Morgan held, and his expression altered. “You going somewhere, Morgan?”
Standing on tiptoe, Casey attempted to see over Morgan’s shoulder, then stated, “Misty was going to leave, but Morgan stopped her.”
Sawyer glanced at his wife, then blinked at his son. His confusion was amusing, if unfortunate. “Leave where?”
“I don’t know.” Casey gave an elaborate shrug. “Home, I guess, though she said she’s in the middle of moving somewhere and she’d have to tell us where exactly after she got settled. I tried to stop her, Dad, honest, but she was determined—”
Morgan felt Misty tremble and said, “That’s enough, Case.” Then to Sawyer: “Just a misunderstanding. What are you two doing out here? We thought you’d…sleep in…till at least noon.”
Grinning like a rogue, Sawyer announced, “We needed nourishment.”
Honey turned bright pink and elbowed her husband, who grabbed her and kissed her hard on the mouth. Morgan couldn’t help but smile at them. Though Sawyer had fought it hard, he was so crazy in love with Honey, it was fun to watch them.
Morgan wanted a relationship like that. Then he thought of Misty beside him, the exact opposite of her sister, and he scowled.
Jordan shoved his way past the others. “If you two newlyweds want to go back to bed, I’ll bring you a tray in just a few minutes. Coffee and bagels?”
“Perfect.” Sawyer tried to turn Honey around, but she wasn’t budging.
“Misty?” Honey looked oblivious to Sawyer’s efforts. “You were going to leave without telling me?”
There was no mistaking her hurt, and although Morgan wouldn’t have put Misty through such an ordeal, he decided it was probably best to get it all out in the open at once. The sooner Misty got through it, the sooner she could understand that she didn’t need to leave.
He was surprised and pleased when he felt Misty’s hand slip into his, and he squeezed her fingers tight, then answered for her. “Well, she’s not going anywhere right now because her car won’t start. You don’t have to worry.”
Honey’s brows shot up. “Her car won’t start?” She sent a suspicious look at Gabe. “Did you tamper with her car like you did mine?”
Gabe straightened from his sleepy, slouched position and crossed his heart with dramatic flair. “Never touched it. Hell, I just got up. I’m not awake enough to be playing with engines.”
Jordan spoke before Honey could turn her cannons on him. “Same here. I didn’t even know she was planning to leave until I saw her with her suitcase.”
Misty stared at her sister, and Morgan could feel her tensing. “They tampered with your car?”
Honey shrugged. “I wanted to leave, because I thought I was intruding and putting them all in danger. But they weren’t worried, and they thought it’d be better if I stayed here with them. They knew I couldn’t very well leave without transportation, so they kept my car disabled. I thought Gabe was fixing it for me, but instead he was making sure it wouldn’t run if I tried to sneak off.” Honey smiled at her husband, then added, “Their intentions were good, so I forgave them.”
Misty pulled her hand away and slowly turned to glare at Morgan. Her eyes were dark with accusation and anger. “Did you ..?”
Shrugging, he said, “You didn’t exactly leave me a lot of choice.”
Her gasp was so loud she sounded as if someone had pinched her. She drew back her arm and slugged him in the stomach, gasped again, then shook her hand and glared at him. “How dare you!”
He tried to rub the sting out of her hand, but she held it protectively away from him. Morgan frowned at that. “You wouldn’t listen,” he said by way of explanation. He was more than a little aware of their rapt audience, but saw no way around it. Damn it, she was Honey’s sister, and she’d been preparing to slip off without a job, without money….
He’d never heard a woman growl so ferociously before. Everyone was frozen, silent. Misty looked as if she might hit him again, then thought better of it. Her expression was angry but resolute. “Fine. I’m calling a cab. He can take me to the bus station.”
Morgan glared at her. “Don’t push me, Malone.”
“You’ve done all the pushing, you—you…!”
“Bastard?” he supplied helpfully.
She growled again. “Fix my car!”
“No.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
Sawyer, ever the diplomat, cleared his throat. “Uh, Morgan…”
Still matching Misty glare for glare, Morgan shook his head. “She can’t leave, Sawyer, all right?”
“Why?”
Gabe spoke. “If she’s that set on going—”
“I’d prefer she stay, too,” Jordan added, “but—”
Morgan closed his eyes, trying to think of some way around the problems. Nothing too promising presented itself. When he met Misty’s gaze this time, he knew she could read his purpose.
“Don’t you do it, Morgan,” she warned.
He touched her cheek and gave her a small, regretful smile. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Then he turned to everyone else and announced, “I don’t want her to go, because she’s pregnant.”
The reaction wasn’t quite what he’d expected. Honey’s mouth fell open, Gabe and Jordan both became mute, Casey’s neck turned red, and Sawyer leaned on the counter with a sigh, holding tight to his share of the sheet.
&nbs
p; Misty went ahead and hit him again. He took hold of her hands before she hurt herself. This time she didn’t pull away, but chose instead to stare at him with evil intent. He supposed she’d rather look at him than face everyone else. If he could have thought of a way to spare her, he would have.
Then Morgan realized no one was looking at Misty. They were all staring at him—with accusation. It was almost too funny for words.
“I’m not the father,” he said dryly. “Hell, I’ve only known her a couple of weeks, if you’ll recall.”
Sawyer coughed. “That’s actually quite long enough.”
“In this case, it wasn’t!”
Everyone relaxed visibly. Honey said to Morgan, “Well, of course she can’t leave, you’re right about that. Hang on to her until I get back, okay?” Then she took off like a shot, dragging Sawyer along with her, given that they shared the sheet and he didn’t want to be left bare-assed.
Gabe sat down at the table and relaxed, at his leisure. “All this excitement has made me hungry. Jordan, if you’re fixing breakfast, make some for me, too.”
Jordan nodded and began pulling out pans. “Might as well skip the bagels and go for pancakes. Casey, Misty? Either of you hungry?”
Casey glanced at Misty, then pulled out his chair. “I’m always hungry. You know that.”
Misty’s eyes were wide, as if she’d been prepared for an entirely different response to his statement, maybe something more dramatic than an offer of breakfast. Did she think he and his brothers were ogres? Morgan almost smiled at her. Had she expected to be stoned? To receive a good dose of condemnation? He chucked her chin, then said gently, “Didn’t I tell you it’d be all right?”
Misty didn’t bother answering. She looked like she’d turned to stone. Morgan held her gaze, trying to think of some way to smooth things over with her. “I don’t suppose you’ll believe me when I tell you that wasn’t intentional?”
Her eyes darkened to navy and her lips firmed.
“Okay, the car part was,” he admitted, just to rile her. He couldn’t bear seeing her look so lost. “And I admit I got Jordan and Gabe and Casey out of bed.”
She mumbled under her breath, no doubt something insulting, but he just pretended he hadn’t heard her. “I swear, I had no idea our newlyweds would be up. And I didn’t plan to let the cat out of the bag about your pregnancy, either.”
Her expression remained murderous.
Leaning close, crowding her against the cabinets so his brothers couldn’t see her or hear him, Morgan whispered, “I have no intention of sharing your other secrets, so you can rest easy on that score, okay?” They were so close, her scent filled him with every breath he took. He braced his hands beside her hips on the counter; she braced her hands on his chest. She didn’t quite push him away, and he saw her lips part. It amazed him the effect they had on each other. Even when she was likely thinking of ways to bring him low, she still responded to him. When they did finally come together—and he was certain it would happen sooner or later—he could only imagine how explosive it would be.
His heart thundered. “Misty?” She slowly looked up and met his gaze. “There’s no reason for anyone to know about the rest unless you want to tell them, okay?”
Misty shivered, but before she could answer Honey came whipping into the room in her robe and skidded to a halt when she saw Morgan’s nose practically in Misty’s ear. “Hey, now, none of that. Get away from her, Morgan. I want to talk to my sister without you trying to intimidate either of us.”
Morgan slowly straightened, wondering what Misty was thinking, if she’d believed him. “I’ve never intimidated you, Honey.”
“Not for lack of trying.” She caught Misty’s arm and pulled her aside.
Morgan lifted the suitcase. “I’ll just take this back to her room.”
Misty shook her head to refuse him, while Honey gave him her sweetest smile. “Thank you, Morgan. Misty and I will be in the family room, talking.”
“I’ll call you when breakfast is ready,” Jordan said, and Misty seemed unaware of the concern in his tone.
After the sisters left, Morgan felt both his brothers watching him. He turned to glare at them. “What?”
“Not a thing.”
“Didn’t say a word.”
Casey made a show of studying a bird outside the kitchen window.
“Damn irritants,” Morgan muttered. He lifted the suitcase and carried it out of the room. He knew his brothers each had at least a dozen questions, wondering what he was doing mixed up in the middle of Misty Malone’s affairs, and why he was the only one privy to her startling news. But he wasn’t about to betray her trust any more than he already had. They could just go on wondering.
When Morgan got to the room Misty had been using, he found the bed neatly made and everything very tidy. He pictured her sleeping in that bed last night, or rather, not sleeping. Just worrying. He’d told her she should leave, and this morning she’d been crying.
His stomach cramped and he idly rubbed his hand over it, but the ache continued. He could easily imagine what she’d been thinking, how she’d felt—how he’d made her feel—and he hated it. She probably hadn’t slept at all last night, worrying about what she’d do, worrying about finding a job and about the baby.
A baby, a little person that would look like Misty, with dark hair and big blue eyes…He smiled at the thought, then caught himself and scowled.
What kind of job could a woman with a record get? He didn’t know the terms of her probation—he’d have to ask her about that—but he knew it wouldn’t sit well with an employer, especially not when she’d supposedly stolen from the last guy who’d hired her. Would she be able to earn enough to take care of herself and a baby?
She was certainly stubborn enough to make it work somehow, but she had a hard road ahead of her. And that route wasn’t even necessary.
Morgan considered things for a moment, then came to some decisions. He opened her suitcase, emptied it on the bed, took the case to his room and shoved it under his bed. If she wanted to try sneaking out again, he wouldn’t make it easy for her. At least until he knew she had a decent plan. Then, he told himself, he’d let her go.
He also intended to do a little investigating. Getting the details of the theft wouldn’t be hard, and then he’d make his own conclusions.
He felt like a warlord, holding her against her will, but damn it, it was only stubborn pride that had her wanting to leave in the first place. That and his big mouth. He had the feeling if he hadn’t asked her about leaving, if he hadn’t pushed her, she’d have stayed on for a while, using the time to make new plans. She had a lot to deal with, and until he’d started harassing her, she’d probably seen this as an ideal situation, a place to regroup and be with her sister without anyone knowing what had happened.
Except that she’d told him everything. He took immense satisfaction in that small success, discarding the fact that he’d bullied the information out of her. Misty wouldn’t have told him if she hadn’t trusted him at least a little.
He remembered stories of her father that Honey had shared. That man wasn’t one to coddle or offer comfort, so Morgan had no doubt she hadn’t even tried going to him for help. According to Honey, neither of them was overly close to the man, and with good reason.
Everything would work out, he was certain of it.
On his way to the kitchen Morgan passed the family room and was brought up short by a disgruntled, “He hates me.”
Morgan stalled, his heart jumping, his muscles pulled tight. He waited, eavesdropping like a maiden aunt to hear what Honey would say in reply.
Her soft voice was soothing, just as Morgan had known it would be. “Morgan doesn’t hate you, Misty. He kept you here because that’s just how they all are. They’re a little on the gallant side, and Morgan wants to protect you.”
There was a rough, disbelieving laugh. “Right. If you say so.”
Morgan could tell she didn’t believe her sister and
he pulled his hands into fists. Even his toes cramped. Hate her? Hell, no. What he felt was as far from hatred as it could get, and a whole lot steamier than that cold emotion. He wanted to devour her, to make love to her for a week so he could get her out of his system.
He hated the effect she had on him, but he didn’t hate her.
“I do say so,” Honey insisted. “I know them all better than you do.”
“It doesn’t matter what Morgan thinks or how he feels about me, Honey. The point is, I didn’t mean to intrude on you. The last thing you need right now is to start worrying about me.”
“There, you see? I won’t worry as long as you’re around so I can see you’re doing okay. Morgan probably knew that, too.”
Morgan lifted his brows. Sounded good enough to him, though thoughts of Honey hadn’t much entered into his mind while he was trying to think of ways to keep Misty around.
“But…” Misty floundered, then insisted, “I need to get back to work. I can’t just stay here indefinitely.”
Morgan hustled through the doorway before Misty could convince Honey that she should leave. He surveyed both women cozied up on the couch, and Misty’s eyes widened in alarm.
There was no way for him to reassure her right now, so he didn’t bother trying. He’d already given her his word that he wouldn’t tell about her stint with the law. It wouldn’t hurt her to trust him just a bit.
He got right to the point. “I heard you mention your job.”
“Morgan.” Her tone said she’d kill him if he said one more word.
The threat didn’t worry him. After all, the woman had hurt her hand just smacking him in the stomach. And she had shared her secrets with him, which he chose to see as a sign of trust whether she realized it or not. “I have a solution.”
Misty moaned again. He noticed she’d been doing a lot of that lately.
Undaunted, he held up his hands and pronounced, “You’re going to come to work for me.”
