Built Strong (The Middleton Hotels Series Book 3)

by C. M. Steele

  “I hear a but coming on,” he grumbled.

  “She doesn’t have a degree in design or anything. She works for the company and we’re her first project.”

  “Oh…” he paused. “Well, without thinking about your dick and how many babies you want, how is her work?”

  “Like I said, it’s fucking great. It’s perfect. When I saw the designs, I didn’t know they were hers and neither did she.” I went on to tell him about how the sister switched the content with Morgan’s designs instead of the shit they gave us the first time.

  “I trust you, bro. If not, I would have just sent one of the VPs to look at it.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t because she’s mine,” I growled.

  “Ha, well, Garrett is single.”

  “Don’t make me choke your ass over the phone. Or better yet, spill the beans to Harley.”

  “Fine, you win, but don’t fuck this up.”

  “I won’t.” I hung up with him and made a pit stop for coffee at the diner. Then I had the truck towed. She wasn’t going to need it much longer anyway. Man, I was on fucking cloud nine. After the meeting, I was going to make some quick shopping trips. I couldn’t stop smiling like a fool. Thankfully, it was a conference call and not an actual meeting. My staff would think I’d lost my mind.

  Chapter 8

  Morgan

  “Morgan,” Megan shouted, making me dart out of bed. What was she doing here? Shit. I wasn’t ready to have this conversation with her without Julian by my side. She was going to think I was a fool.

  “Morgan,” she shouted, getting closer to my room. I ran and slipped on a pair of panties and a quick tank, then wrapped my robe around me.

  “Give me a sec, Meg,” I called out, completely out of breath. She didn’t wait and walked straight into my bedroom.

  “What the fuck, Morgan? Was that the guy from the Middleton Corporation?”

  “Who?” I asked, pretending to be confused, but I was an awful liar.

  “Um. The guy who you obviously slept with that just left.”

  “That was Julian Middleton.”

  “Oh my God. Are you serious? You gave him your cookie for the contract?”

  “No,” I denied. It wasn’t for that at all.

  “How could you be so naïve, Morgan? Did you tell him the truth?”

  “Yes. So what?”

  “So what? Morgan, did he promise you the contract was still going to happen?”

  “Yes, he loved my designs that you slipped into the file.”

  “Were you on the phone with him as he left?”

  “No, I’ve been laying down.”

  “Sweetie, I need to tell you something. As he was pulling out of the driveway, I heard him tell someone on the phone that he loved them.” I felt my heart fall into my gut. That couldn’t be. I looked at my sister and knew she wasn’t lying. She had no reason to. The tears fell with my next breath. I felt the walls closing in around me. This wasn’t happening. How could he? How stupid could I be?

  “I need to get out of here,” I sobbed.

  “Okay, get dressed and we’ll head over to the studio. I can make us some coffee. Then we can tell the fucker he can take his deal and shove it.”

  “No, you can’t do that. Despite what happened between he and I, there’s no way you should lose out. That money is more than we could ever dream about. I can’t change this, so let’s just do what we’re paid to and get the job done.”

  “Sweetie,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around me. “We’ll get you through this.”

  We walked to her car that was parked on the road because she hated driveways. “Where’s your truck?”

  “Shit, I left it at the diner in Reese. It wouldn’t start and that’s why he gave me a ride home.”

  “Well, I’ll call Buddy and have him pick it up and tow it to his garage.”

  “Thanks, Meg.”

  “I love you, Morgan. I’m sorry you’ve had a hard lesson to learn. Men suck, that’s obvious, but at least we still have each other. And I’ll nail this bastard to the wall by his nuts if he tries to back out of the deal.”

  “God, I don’t even want to see him again,” I confessed. It wasn’t true, but I didn’t know if I could handle the hurt. This project was bigger and more important than my feelings. Megan sacrificed the world for me. She gave me a chance to show my skills and trusted me and I let her down. Still, she was here, comforting me like always.

  Chapter 9

  Julian

  I got out of the meeting and ran around town looking for a ring. It didn’t take long for me to find one that I thought suited my little beauty. My head was so wrapped up in her and us that I’d forgotten to get her number. I drove up to the house with the orchids that matched the new bedspread I bought to replace the stained one, and a ring so we could spend the rest of our years staining hundreds more.

  I rang the doorbell like twenty times, but she didn’t answer. The door was locked and I was tempted to break the damn thing down. She was supposed to be waiting for me. Then I thought about her sister coming by. She probably needed her for something.

  Immediately, I called the studio. “Is Morgan there?” I asked as soon as Megan answered.

  “Who is this?” a snotty voice on the other end said.

  “Julian Middleton,” I stated.

  “Then no, she’s not.” She hung up the phone. What the fuck happened? Rage filled me and I wanted answers. Did her sister talk her out of being with me? Was she an idiot? They were still under contract for the remodel interior designs.

  I got to the studio in two minutes, driving like an asshole. It was a decent size place, and the ‘open sign’ was still in the window. They hadn’t expected me so I wasn’t stopped at the door. The woman from this morning was standing there with her arms crossed looking at me like I was a stupid bastard. She was pissing me off by keeping me from Morgan.

  “Mr. Middleton. Morgan will no longer be handling the contract, I will take over,” she stated.

  “Then it’s canceled. You didn’t hold up on your end, and with that attitude, you’ve made that decision easy. I’ll hire someone else. Now where is Morgan?” I asked, looking around the room for her. It was mostly open space with a small conference room and an office.

  She inched closer, anger in her eyes. “What do you care? You just used her anyway. Get out of here before I call the police.”

  “Listen, Ms. Strong, if you don’t tell me where Morgan is, I will look for her my damn self.” I was in her face. Never in my life had I ever disrespected a woman like this, but I won’t be kept from Morgan.

  “No, you won’t. Please leave, Mr. Middleton,” Morgan said, coming down the stairs with her face covered in pink tear stains. I moved right past her sister, wanting nothing but to find out what I did to make her cry. “I thought you said it wasn’t about the contract.”

  She backed up a step, but I wasn’t going to let her get away. “This isn’t. I don’t know what the fuck happened from the moment I walked out the door until this nut got to you, but I’ve hurried as fast as I could to get to you only to see you covered in tears and your bulldog trying to guard you.”

  “What about your other woman?” Megan hissed. I arched my brow and slowly turned my head to her, ready to bite her fucking head off. The look I gave her had her inching back as well. She was annoying the fuck out of me.

  “Ms. Strong, one more word from you and I swear when your sister and I get married you won’t be welcome.” She gasped but didn’t say a word. I turned back to Morgan. “What’s she talking about?”

  Once she steadied her breathing, she answered, “She said she heard you tell someone you loved them this morning as you were leaving.”

  I looked between the two women, then chuckled hard as fuck, shaking my head.

  “I don’t see anything funny about it,” Morgan snapped.

  “You might. I left your house this morning feeling like nothing could stop me. Smiling like a fool, I called my brother t
o thank him for you. That’s who I said I love you to. I told you last night there wasn’t anyone else and there’s never been. I wasn’t lying. Look,” I said, pulling out my phone and call log. “Here, look at the first call of the day. What does that say?”

  “Jake,” she said, ducking her head in shame.

  “He even asked if I was blind when I gave the project to you after knowing the truth. I told him you were talented. He trusts me enough to believe in you. I told him there was something in the water out here or that the hotel was our lucky charm. Listen, Morgan, I know we don’t know each other that well, but I need you to trust me. I have no intention of letting you go, ever. I told you that last night, right?” She nodded. “I want to marry you,” I confessed.

  “You’re nuts.”

  “I also believe I told you that yesterday and even blamed you for making me that way. I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one. Even if you hadn’t let me stay with you last night, I would still be running to you after work.” She tucked her head down, refusing to look at me. I cupped her jaw and lifted her eyes to me. “Tell me you don’t want this. I can’t let you go, so I’ll spend more time trying to convince you. I’m not leaving until you tell me that this isn’t over between us.”

  “I don’t want you to go, Julian. I’m sorry. I should have asked.”

  “Well, seeing as we didn’t have each other’s numbers. it would have been pretty hard. I’m not mad that you believed it. We’re so new and she’s your sister,” I muttered that last bit out. A pain in the ass sister, but one with good intentions.

  “I’m so sorry, Morgan. I really am. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. It’s just…” Megan paused, trying to admit she hurt Morgan for nothing.

  “You thought that I was being taken advantage of. I know, Meg. You’ve been my protector and best friend. I didn’t mean to ruin the big deal for you, Meg.”

  “You didn’t ruin it,” I replied. If anyone would have killed the deal it was her sister, but fuck, I wasn’t going to let this get in the way of her showcasing her talent.

  “But you just said-”

  “I know what I said. If you’re not doing the project, then no one else here will. I want your designs. They are great and deserve to shine in a Middleton Hotel.”

  “Mr. Middleton.” I turned to Megan who was wiping tears from her eyes. I didn’t mean to make her cry. My mother would be pissed at me for sure. Hell, my dad would be furious. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to look out for Morgan.”

  “She told me you’ve been there for her through the toughest time in your lives. I understand that. I would be on my brother if I heard his now wife tell someone she loved them. I can’t say I’m pleased with her tears and I hope nothing like this ever happens again, but I get where you were coming from. It was wrong for me to even step through that door last night. Ethically, I fucked up, but hell if I regret it.” My eyes were back on Morgan and I pulled her down off the step and into my arms. “Marry me.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, looking at me, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

  “And no more tears, unless they’re happy ones. My parents would rip me a new one if I made you cry.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them,” she said, looking at me with the smile I missed all morning.

  Oh, she had no idea how soon that would be. They were chomping at the bit to meet her. “They can’t wait to meet you either.”

  “You told them?” She gasped.

  “Well, actually, Jake’s got a big mouth, but his isn’t the one I’m interested in.” I slammed my lips against hers, kissing her for the hundredth time since we met. I couldn’t believe that I’d gone from hello to madly in love with a beautiful stranger in less than a day, but that was the Middleton way.

  Chapter 10

  Julian

  I stared at her through the crowded room. It was her first staff meeting at Middleton Corp. in our Dallas office. She sat at the end of the table and I was so proud of her. We were getting married tomorrow, but we wanted to introduce her to the staff before then. Since we never had our own in-house design team, she was going to lead the way.

  “Welcome everyone,” I addressed the crowd. “Thank you all for coming today. We’ve decided that adding a new department to the Middleton Hotels would be a smart move. As many of you are aware, I will be getting married tomorrow to that beautiful woman over there. Please stand, Morgan.”

  All eyes moved to her, and her face turned a sweet shade of pink. “I met that beauty while looking for an interior designer for our new hotels up in Reese. I fell for her on the spot and loved her designs, so why not snag both her and her work?” The room erupted in chuckles while Morgan rolled her eyes. “We will be hiring from within, if you wish to join her team, but it will be a small one. Applications and such will be available in two weeks when we return from our honeymoon.” I couldn’t stop smiling as I focused my eyes on her. She was standing proudly and with a level of sophistication that belied her age.

  Joseph took over for me when I paused a bit too long. “Don’t mind him, he’s got the Middleton syndrome. I had that three months ago.”

  “Had?” Rachael, his wife, asked with a scowl.

  “I meant-”

  “Uh-oh, someone’s in trouble,” Jacob teased. “So as they were saying, there will be some changes that will be miniscule in the long run, but we thought as you are all a part of the Middleton Hotels family that you should all be aware. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day and have a good one. You’re all free to go back to work.” They all started to get up when he added, “And as a gift to all of you, tomorrow the offices will be closed as we celebrate another wedding. Enjoy.” The crowd clapped and cheered, many stopping to welcome Morgan before walking out the door.

  I approached her but waited until everyone left before pulling her into my arms. “Hi, beautiful,” I said. “You handled yourself very well. I know it’s a bit nerve wracking.”

  “Thank you, I’m still shaking.” I grabbed her hands and they were a bit shaky still.

  “You’ve got this,” Jake said.

  “Thanks, Jacob,” she said, smiling at him. A twinge of jealousy hit me, but I knew better than that.

  “You and the girls are doing the finishing touches for the wedding this afternoon. Will I get to see you before tomorrow?”

  “Nope,” she replied, shaking her head.

  “Then, boys, please excuse us. I need to have a private talk with our new hire,” I said with a wink.

  She slapped my chest with a mock look of horror. “You perverted, old man. I’m going to report you to HR,” she teased.

  “Let’s see if we can come to an agreement that keeps them out of this,” I whispered in her ear.

  “I saw you have a very nice sofa in your office to discuss the matter on,” she whispered back, making me hard as fucking hell.

  “Time to test the soundproofing in there,” I muttered to my brothers, who laughed their asses off because both of their wives had visited their offices several times before.

  Chapter 11

  Morgan

  We were married at his parents’ estate with the help of his mother, Harley, Rachael, and Megan. Despite his threats to her, Megan was more than welcome in our world. He offered for her to join us at the company, but with the earnings from the deal with them she was able to hire more people and stay in Oregon. Her services would be needed in the area and something told me that there was more to her and Buddy than she was letting on. He also came to the wedding and his eyes were only trained to her. Everything was put together nicely with the colors I had always loved, a subtle silver and lavender spread around the tables. It was something you’d see in a bridal magazine, and photos were taken to illustrate Strong Designs’ talents.

  I had to speak with my sister before Julian pulled me in for our first dance. She was talking to Joseph and Rachael when I walked up to her. I gave them all a smile. “Meg, can I talk to you for a moment?”

 
“Sure.” I took her hand and led her into the pool house.

  “What’s up?” she asked, but I didn’t speak. I hugged her close to me. I knew it wasn’t goodbye, but I was going to miss my best friend.

  “I’m going to miss you, too, Morgan,” she chuckled.

  “Thank you for everything. I’m so happy. I know that you had your reservations at the beginning, but I love him and know the man is a tad bit obsessed with me.”

  “Ha. That’s putting it mildly. I’m sure he is on the hunt to find his missing bride,” she remarked, looking out the side window. “Yep, there he is, looking like a mad man. It’s cute.”

  “Thanks, I think so.”

  “We’ll see each other soon,” she reminded me as I wiped my tears away.

  “And you’re going to tell me about you and Buddy,” I said, raising my brows with my jaw taut. There was something going on between them, but I have no idea how long it has been like that.

  “There’s nothing going on with us and his name is Gabriel.”

  “Whatever. Next time I see you, you better tell me the truth,” I threatened her. The door slammed open to see my husband staring at me. The look of panic on his face was instantly replaced with that devious look of lust. I knew something dirty was running through his mind.

  “Hurry before I come in there and lock the world out,” he growled, his eyes roaming my body. I shivered and pondered kicking my sister out and dragging him in here.

  “No, no. Keep it in your pants, cowboy,” Meg said, grabbing my hand and rushing me out of the dark pool house.

  “Thank you, Megan. I don’t want to miss dancing with my bride in front of everyone.”

  “I love you, Morgan,” she said.

  “Love you back, Meg,” I tossed out just as the DJ called for us to start our first dance.

  “You look wonderful. I don’t know if I’ve told you that enough today,” Julian whispered in my ear as he twirled us around the dance floor, openly admiring my dress. I had gotten my wedding dress at a store in town and it spoke to me. It had a tight bodice with lace straps that pushed my breasts up and a large round skirt, reminding me of something Mae West would have worn. The added touch was in the silver and lavender in ribbons at the bottom