by Alexa Davis
“You said Terrance would be back soon, right? So, I can speak to him?” He wanted to check that his friend really was at home, not locked up somewhere. Luckily because I didn’t have pain killers being pumped into my system, my brain was firing on all cylinders.
“Yep, that’s right. I can give him a call if you like, to see when he’s coming back in...”
“Oh my God, Braxton, you’re awake!” At that exact moment, relief flooded my chest as I heard Terrance’s voice ringing out from behind me. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I went home to get showered, and Emily said she was coming in. I must’ve fallen asleep.” He was speaking so quickly that he kept tripping over his words, which made Braxton attempt laughter. “Oh God, I’m an idiot. I’m just so glad you’re awake.”
I automatically took a step backwards as Terrance raced to be by his friend’s side. I didn’t want to be in the way of their moment.
“Actually, I’ve been okay, boss. Morgan has been taking such good care of me.”
Terrance turned to look at me with shining grateful eyes. “Thank you so much for doing that. I really appreciate the fact that you have been there for Braxton.”
“Oh don’t worry, it’s no trouble.” I felt embarrassed by the focused attention, a little overwhelmed by the happy look on his face. “I don’t mind. Maybe I should just...get out of here now.”
I knew that they needed a moment alone, and to be honest, I was quite look forward to getting back home myself. I was getting tired as the night of work finally caught up with me.
“Yeah, sure, and thanks again.”
As I backed towards the door Braxton gave me a knowing wink, which made me burst into a smile. He was a great guy, definitely not a criminal. I felt bad for even assuming that. He was just a nice person who looked after his employer and friend well.
While I backed into the hallway, I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. There was so much that could’ve gone wrong. Terrance could’ve ended up locked up, or in more trouble, Braxton might not have pulled through... It was only now that all that stuff hadn’t happened I felt ready to admit to myself how scared I was about it all.
“Wait, Morgan.” I jumped as Terrance’s hand wrapped around my arm. “Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night? Or maybe make you something at my place? I feel like I’ve been neglecting you since all this mess happened, which was never what I wanted to do.”
My heart warmed, and Braxton’s kind words about his friend flowed back into my mind. Terrance seemed to really be a good guy, and I needed to give him a chance. At dinner, I would tell him everything – nothing would get in the way of me getting the truth out this time. He deserved to know, and I needed a rest from the way this was all making me feel. I desperately wanted to get this massive secret off my chest. “Yes, that sounds lovely.”
With that, Terrance leaned in and kissed me lightly on the cheek, showing me his softer, gentle side – the side of him I really adored – then he clicked the door shut behind him to be with his friend.
On my way out of the hospital, another person grabbed onto me stopping me from leaving. “Hey, Morgan, what’s going on? What are you doing here?” Nickie asked with concern in her eyes. “You look really exhausted.”
I sighed deeply, realizing that I wasn’t going to get the rest that I so desperately needed quite yet. I needed to catch my friend up on everything that was happening... although the slightly edited version. I couldn’t tell her the truth just yet. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Nickie, I was just terrified of being overheard.
“Terrance and his friend got in the way of a gang shoot out,” I told her in a near whisper. The more I could keep a secret, the better.
“Oh my God, so they are criminals?” I couldn’t blame Nickie for jumping to the same conclusions as me.
“No, it isn’t like that at all. It was just one of those things. Anyway, his friend is alright now, but he was in a medically induced coma, so I offered to sit with him while Terrance popped back home.” She gave me a warning look, which I instantly felt compelled to dispel. “It’s okay, honestly; trust me.”
“Have you told him yet?” She slung her hands on her hips, knowing that this was the kicker. If I really felt okay about everything then he would know about the pregnancy.
“I’m telling him tomorrow at dinner, so time will tell how this is going to turn out. Now, I need to get home. You’re right, I’m absolutely exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Yeah sure.” She gave me her genuine smile. “And, I’ll let you know if anything happens, alright? Just...take care of yourself; you know I care about you.”
“I know, and I appreciate it.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Terrance
Thursday
“Do you need anything?” My tone was panicked. I still hadn’t quite recovered from the fact that Braxton was in here. I wasn’t sure I’d be the same again until he was out of the hospital and back home where he belonged. “Water, food, meds, fluffed pillow...”
“Will you give it a rest?” Braxton chuckled as a response – clearly he found my freak out amusing. Once all of this was over, I probably wouldn’t hear the end of it. “I’m fine – let’s always assume that I’m fine unless I say otherwise. I’m looking forward to Emily coming in since I missed her last time she was here. I feel bad, though; what we have is a bit too new to be suffering through this.”
“She’s a good girl,” I replied gravely. “She’s really nice. I like her a lot. She’s a good one, and I think you should keep her.” I had only had to meet her a couple of times to know that she was right for him.
“Oh, trust me, I will.” He moved himself up straighter, wincing less with the pain now, which was a good sign that he was on the way up, and he gave me a slightly bemused look. “Which reminds me, what’s going on with you and Morgan these days?”
I couldn’t stop the big grin from forming on my face at the thought of the wonderful Morgan. My heart flew as her image filled my mind. She was a good girl, too...the best, actually. I was lucky to have her.
“Oh she’s great. I’m going to make her dinner tonight and I’m really looking forward to hanging out with her again. It’ll be even better without this whole mess hanging over my head.” As time rolled on, my paranoia was beginning to subside. It was done now. The nightmare was over. Now it was time to finally start living again.
Braxton grabbed hold of my hand and stared so intensely into my eyes that it actually took me back for a second. I didn’t know how to take the gaze he was giving me; it made me feel all cold and weird inside.
“You know, Morgan has stuck with you through all of this. She’s gone above and beyond. She’s sat with me for hours on end. She really in wonderful. Don’t you forget that.”
“No, I... I won’t.” This had to be the meds talking, he was acting so strange. I knew how amazing Morgan was. I thought that I’d made it obvious that I had no intention of wrecking things with her.
“It’s okay, I know how good she is. I’ll be a good boy, I promise. There’s no need to worry about me screwing around – ever since I met her I’ve been like a changed man.” I didn’t need to spell it out for Braxton to know that my player days were over. I just didn’t have any interest for any other women, and I couldn’t see that desire coming back any time soon.
He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say more, before snapping it shut again. I considered pursuing it to see what it was, but something stopped me.
Despite the fact that he looked a lot better, it was obvious he was still suffering. His pale skin, the sickly green tinge to his cheeks, the way he just looked drained... It didn’t spell anything good. I hated seeing him that way knowing that it was all because of me, so guilt silenced me.
“Knock, knock.” I spun around to see Emily standing there with shining eyes, staring down at my best friend with utter adoration. “Oh my God, Braxton, I can’t believe you’re okay. I’ve been so worr
ied about you. I’ve missed you so much, you have no idea.”
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, too, babe.” Braxton’s eyes welled up, which instantly excluded me. Not that I minded – he needed and seriously deserved this.
As Emily raced to his side to embrace him wholly, I backed my way out of the room. I’d had my emotional time with him, now it was Emily’s turn. She really did care for him, and they had something great going on. It was wonderful to see, and I was grateful to her for caring enough.
Braxton was right, it was new between them. She could easily have turned her back on him, especially since I hadn’t exactly told her the whole truth about everything. When she found out, I really hoped that she understood and forgave me.
As I walked out of the hospital, I felt much more content about things. Despite all the horribleness that had happened, at least we’d both survived it; at least were both going to be okay in the end. Braxton had Emily now, and I had a great night ahead of me with Morgan to look forward to.
I tugged out my phone, too keen to wait. I had to send her just one message to confirm our plans. I typed with a massive smile on my face.
‘Looking forward to later, I’ll pick you up at eight. We can have dinner at my place, if that’s okay?’
The phone pinged back, almost a second later with a message returned. The speed of the reply made me think that Morgan was waiting for it.
‘I’m looking forward to it, and that’s absolutely fine. I will see you then.’
Tonight was the start of a brand new, amazing era in my life...
***
“Did you actually cook this?” Morgan was astonished as I took her inside my apartment to see the food already on plates. To be honest, I’d been hoping to trick her into believing that I’d made this all by myself, but of course there was no getting past her sharp mind.
“No,” I admitted with a sly smirk. I shrugged as I spoke. I would’ve confessed anyway. “I ordered in. I just hoped you wouldn’t notice.”
“Well, it looks great anyway.”
At least she wasn’t annoyed by my trickery – if anything she looked amused by the whole thing, which was the perfect reaction as far as I was concerned. After all I’d been through recently, what I needed was a fun night to help me get over everything properly. “Take a seat, ma’am, and I will bring your food over to you. What would you like to drink?”
“Oh...” she started to look a little awkward and I wasn’t sure why. “Could I have a soda again? I’m just a little tired and I don’t want to pass out on you.”
“Of course.” I wasn’t up for alcohol myself, anyway, so that made things much easier. Ever since Braxton was injured, I wanted to keep a steady head. I just hated any sense of being out of control, however small that was. Hopefully, that would subside sooner or later. “That sounds great to me. I have cola, is that okay?”
“That sounds perfect, thank you.”
We ate in a comfortable silence for a few moments, both giving one another loving looks. I could tell that things were different between us; it wasn’t just lust in our gazes now, there was something so much deeper. I enjoyed having something new and exciting to explore, and these feeling were the most thrilling of them all. I wanted to work out just how deep they ran.
Maybe with all the drama behind me, I could actually see a future ahead of me. Before, I had roadblocks around me. I wouldn’t let anyone in because I didn’t ever want to love anyone else. All the family members that I’d ever loved before had left me – even if it wasn’t necessarily their fault – and I couldn’t stand that to happen again.
Now, bad things had happened. Braxton had been harmed, and he was still here. I’d been distant with Morgan, unintentionally of course, and she was still around. Maybe now my luck was about to change.
“This is nice, isn’t it?” I announced smilingly as the happiness flooded me. “It’s so much better to finally be able to relax. I couldn’t tell you before, but I was always a little afraid something bad might happen when you were with me.”
“Yeah, I could tell something was up... I just assumed that you were in the Mafia.”
She said that with such a deadpan expression that I actually burst out into unexpected laughter. “Oh my God, you did not. You’re lying – you have to be.”
“I did. I really did. But now I can see that was stupid. There’s no chance that you’re tough enough.” She smirked under her eyelashes, giving me a cheeky look that melted my heart.
“Hey! I could be in the Mafia... Actually, why am I arguing this? Of course I couldn’t be; you’re right. I am tough enough, but I couldn’t be bothered to actually go out there and commit crimes.”
“Oh well, that’s fair enough! A wannabe criminal who can’t be bothered. Perfect.”
As we both burst into laughter, I felt my chest swell with Braxton’s words. He might have said them under the influence of medication, but he was right. There weren’t many women who would’ve stuck around with everything that had happened. She really was special. There was a chance that she was the one.
God, I never thought I’d be the guy with “the one,” but ever since Morgan had crashed into my life, everything had changed. All I wanted was to be around her, I felt protective and possessive of her, and she made my life brighter and better.
Maybe I was deeper into this that I thought I was. Maybe I was in the hole so deep that there was no clawing my way back out.
By the time we’d finished eating, I could see that something had changed in Morgan’s mood. Her face looked a little defeated, like she was tired of life, like she had a heavy weight hanging over her shoulders. I didn’t like that. I wanted to fun Morgan back. I felt utterly terrified that she might be thinking twice about us, after all. If she went home now, I had the horrible feeling that things would be done for good between us.
“Shall we put some music on?” I jumped up from my chair, my heart racing in my chest. I needed to pull this night back from the brink – I couldn’t realize how important Morgan was to me, just to lose her.
“Sure, sounds nice.”
I flicked the CD on, and smooth jazz burst from the speakers. I grabbed Morgan and tugged her over to the couch. She still looked a little sad, so without thinking anymore, I pulled her towards me and ran kisses all over her neck. I needed the mood to come back into the room. I wanted that chemistry. Morgan didn’t seem too into it at first, but she quickly relented, and her head lolled to one side. Her eyes fell closed and she groaned a little with excitement.
“I really think you’re incredible,” I whispered, letting my breath fall over her skin. “You’re so amazing.”
“Yeah, I think the same about you,” she gasped, desire getting the better of her. Morgan’s passion affected me, and I began to feel excited, too. There was something about this woman that would always have me turned on. “I’m so glad that everything worked out okay and you’re still here.”
Yeah, me, too. So, so much.
Chapter Thirty
Morgan
Thursday
I wasn’t supposed to be losing myself to Terrance again. I should have been finally telling him the truth about our baby, but it was hard. I would do it. I’d find the strength somewhere...but for now this felt easier. It felt amazing, like it was the right thing to do. As his lips explored my neck, I felt the excitement in me grow. I could barely stand it, he was driving me crazy.
Terrance eventually pushed me back until I was lying across his couch, and I fell back willingly. My body was buzzing with the thrill that he had coursing through my veins, and that came from the shared looks we had over the dinner table, as much as his mouth all over me. His eyes were filled with a deeper emotion; it seemed that we were on the same page with that one...which only made it even more inexplicable that I couldn’t seem to find the right words. It should’ve been easy...
Once Terrance’s mouth found mine, and his tongue snaked between my lips, I lost myself completely to the passion. Everyt
hing else could come much later, the only thing that mattered right now was the way this incredible man was making me feel. His soft lips made my heart beat hard, his calloused fingers brushing my smooth skin felt wonderful, and the thick steel I could feel against my leg heated up my desire further.
Then I felt the material from my top slide up my chest, tickling me in the best way possible. My hypersensitive skin went wild; it boiled and burned. Any minute now, the perspiration would start and I’d be sticky all over.
“So beautiful,” Terrance panted, while running his fingers over my black, silky bra. “You really are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
The negative voice in my brain instantly wanted to disagree with him, to insist that he’d probably been with the most gorgeous women in the world, so there was nothing special for him to notice about me, but I didn’t. Instead, I soaked up the confidence like a sponge, enjoying the way that made me feel.
As the strap of my bra was tugged to one side and Terrance’s teeth nipped my shoulder, I got a weird shudder up and down my spine. It was a weird pleasure and pain combination that I surprisingly liked. It made my back arch and my legs shudder. I didn’t even notice the rest of my bra being pulled from my body until he had those teeth on my nipple.
“Oh God,” I shrieked. “Oh wow, that feels...” I didn’t know how to finish that sentence because I wasn’t quite sure how it felt.
Instead, I took my passion out in my fingers by yanking off his top too. I could feel the burning from his skin; he was as fired up as me, and I needed to feel that. I needed every inch of him close to me, I wanted to feel Terrance’s body pressed up against mine, and I wanted him inside me just so that our bodies would become one.
I needed him because I was turned on, but I also needed him because I wanted us as together as we could possibly be. I didn’t like the idea that this whole mess could’ve taken another turn – a bad turn where I could’ve lost him. Terrance could’ve died and that only highlighted my feelings for him.
