Constructing the Soul

by Annabella Michaels

  Satisfied with my appearance, I opened the door and smirked when I saw Morgan standing in nearly the exact same spot I’d left him in. He came towards me and put his hands on my hips. I loved how casually he reached for me, as if he couldn’t stand to be near me and not be touching me in some way. It made me feel special, like the connection we felt with each other extended beyond the bedroom. I laid my hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating underneath the white t-shirt he had on.

  “You’re dressed,” he pointed out.

  “Keen observation skills you’ve got there, mister. Perhaps you should’ve been a detective,” I teased.

  “I liked what you were wearing before,” he said, jutting his bottom lip out in an adorable pout.

  “Hmm, I don’t think I was wearing anything the last time I saw you.” I tilted my head up, giving him a coy look.

  “Exactly,” Morgan said in a low voice. His lips brushed gently over mine and I could feel his breath against my face when he spoke. It was hot and smelled minty and my mouth watered with the need to taste him. “Just so you know, I will get even for you teasing me, earlier. Perhaps a spanking is in order.” I gasped when his hands slid down and cupped my butt, pulling me up against him roughly. All my blood rushed to my cock, leaving me hard and dizzy. He gave my lips a quick peck and then started to back up. I tried to grasp his shirt in my hands, but he pulled away with a chuckle.

  “Mom made food for whenever we got up. You hungry?” he asked easily as if he hadn’t just tilted my world on its axis.

  “What?” I shook my head trying to keep up with the quick turn of events.

  “My mom left food for us to eat,” he said slowly, annunciating each word.

  “Um, sure. Just give me a minute. I need a minute,” I repeated lamely. I closed my eyes, willing my erection to go away. That was twice that morning that my cock had been denied and he was angry. “How the hell do you do it?” I whispered angrily.

  “Do what?” he asked innocently.

  “Turn me into an incoherent ball of mush every time. Just when I think I’ve gained the upper hand,” I grumbled. I blew out a long, slow breath.

  My cock finally settled back down although I was sure he was still holding a grudge, but that was okay because so was I. I refused to have sex in Morgan’s parents’ home, but I was really beginning to regret not having a hotel room that we could use. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see him staring at me with a soft expression. I searched my mind for what could’ve put that look on his face and my eyes widened when I recalled my words. I scrambled to think of something to say that would keep him from freaking out, but before I could come up with anything, he reached out and cupped my face in his hands.

  “I’m glad to know I have that effect on you, but you are not the only one. I can barely think straight when you’re around. The way you look, the way you smell, your smile; you drive me wild, Akio.” I slid my hands up around his neck and curled my fingers into his soft hair as he lowered his head and kissed me. I backed away though before we could get too carried away, afraid that one more time and my cock would never forgive me.

  “Come on. Let’s get something to eat.” Morgan took my hand as we walked down the steps, giving it a gentle squeeze. I smiled.

  After a quick lunch, Morgan showed me around his parents’ property. He was right, it was even more beautiful in the daylight. I’d never given much thought to living outside of a city or subdivision, but I had to admit that there was a certain peacefulness that came from being surrounded by nature. I wasn’t an outdoorsman in the least, but even I could appreciate the beauty of walking through the woods and hearing all the animals scurrying about or sitting along the lake and watching a mother duck with her little ducklings trailing behind her. I could almost picture Morgan running around there as a young boy and it brought a smile to my face.

  Morgan and I had stretched out on the soft grass surrounding his parents’ lake. I was using his stomach as a pillow and he was running his fingers through my hair as we stared up at the clouds and talked about anything and everything. The sun was on my face and my head moved up and down each time he breathed in or out and my eyes fluttered closed.

  Fingertips glided gently across my eyebrows, down my nose, and traced the outline of my lips. I opened my eyes and tilted my head to look at Morgan. He was smiling down at me, tiny little crinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. His green eyes shone in the sunlight and his skin looked golden and healthy. He was a beautiful man, both inside and out and I knew without a doubt that I was falling for him, hard.

  I wanted to ask him what it was we were doing, what he wanted to have happen between us, but I was worried about spoiling the time we were sharing and more than a little afraid of what his answer might be so I kept quiet, deciding to just try to live in the moment and enjoy whatever time I had with him.

  “I hated to wake you, you looked so peaceful sleeping there, but we need to get over to the cabin soon,” he explained. I lifted my head off him and glanced around, surprised to see the sun had moved behind the trees.

  “Sorry I fell asleep on you. How long was I out?” I sat up and stretched, a loud yawn escaping me.

  “You obviously needed the rest and you weren’t out that long; only about half an hour.” Morgan sat up beside me and brushed the grass from my back. “Besides, I was outside on a beautiful day with a gorgeous man using me as his pillow. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

  His words made my heart flutter in my chest and I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder. He met my gaze and smiled at me and I answered with a smile of my own. He stood and holding his hand out, helped me to my feet.

  It didn’t take long to drive to the Greene’s cabin and I was shocked by how big and luxurious it was. When Landon had described his family’s cabin, I’d pictured a normal-sized cabin with a few extra rooms for guests. The place in front of me was nothing of the sort. It was about the size of a luxury hotel, but with all the charm and personality one would expect from a home the Greenes owned.

  “This is really remarkable,” I said as I took in the colorful flower gardens that outlined most of the property and the breathtaking view of the Great Smoky Mountains in the distance. “No wonder Caleb and Landon each wanted to have their weddings here.”

  “Yeah. When I was a kid, I used to think this place was magical because of the way it made me feel when I was here. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized it was the people that owned it that made it so special,” Morgan told me fondly.

  We hadn’t even made it out of the truck before we had family and friends descending upon us. I recognized many of them since I knew all of Landon’s side of the family already, but Morgan took the time to introduce me to his other aunts, uncles, and more cousins than I could keep track of. They were a loud family, each person trying to talk over the next, but I could tell how much they all loved each other and I immediately felt like I belonged.

  Morgan led me around the back of the house and up the steps to an enormous wooden deck. From there I was able to see out further, to the trees and a creek that ran along the back of the property.

  “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

  “Just a water, please,” I answered. Morgan dug around in a cooler on the deck and handed me an icy cold bottle, keeping one for himself.

  “There you two are!” I whipped around when I heard Landon’s voice and smiled. Micah was with him and he had his arm draped over Landon’s shoulders as they walked out of the house and towards us. “I was starting to get worried when I hadn’t heard from either of you.”

  “Meaning, he wanted me to send out a search party,” Micah whispered loudly out of the side of his mouth. Landon scowled at his fiancé, elbowing him in the stomach, but Micah never even flinched. He was an ex-Navy SEAL and he was about as tough as they came.

  “What? It’s true,” Micah said with a laugh.

  “Yes, but you don’t have to tell them everything,” Landon said, r
olling his eyes.

  “I haven’t told them everything. I never said a word about what you and I got up to last night…” Landon quickly covered Micah’s mouth with his hand and we all laughed as Micah grabbed his wrist and removed the hand easily. “I won’t say a word, no matter how epic it was,” he promised.

  “It really was epic, wasn’t it?” he whispered and the way he looked at his fiancé reminded me of one of those cartoon characters with the hearts spinning around their head. I cleared my throat and Landon turned his attention back to us.

  “Anyway, then I talked to Aunt Susie who said that you two rode here together. When did you decide to do that?” Landon asked. I glanced over at Morgan who shrugged his shoulders as he took a sip of water.

  “It was for the environment,” I told Landon lamely before I could think through my response. Landon and Micah both looked completely confused while Morgan choked on the water he’d been drinking. It served him right for leaving me to answer on my own. He was still gasping for air when the door opened and Kathy and Rick Greene walked out, followed by a man and a woman I knew immediately had to be Morgan’s parents.

  Susie’s face lit up when she saw Morgan and she ran to him. I smiled as he hugged her tightly. She was laughing and wiping tears at the same time as she stepped back to give Jeff a chance to hug his son. Morgan was smiling as he clapped his dad on the back and then he turned so that he could introduce me to his parents. I held out my hand, but they each ignored it as they took turns hugging me. I laughed as I was then passed on to Rick and Kathy Greene, but I was already used to their hugs. The Greenes were a very affectionate family and apparently, that extended beyond just their immediate family.

  We made small talk and I found myself feeling very relaxed around Morgan’s parents. They were kind, funny, and I liked them immediately. Morgan was the spitting image of his father, while Susie was shorter, with long, wavy blond hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile. Landon’s siblings and their significant others joined us and before long, talk turned to the wedding. I glanced around, only half listening and when my eyes landed on Morgan, I was surprised to see him staring at me. He winked at me and mouthed the words, “Told you so.” I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face. Pleased that his parents seemed to like me just as he’d predicted.

  After a while, everyone got busy preparing dinner. Rick and Jeff manned the grill while the rest of us helped carry the food out to the tables that were lined up on the deck. Once it was ready, everyone began filling their plates and gathered in small groups to eat. I was surprised to find that the meat was cooked perfectly instead of being burned beyond recognition. I chuckled as I wondered if Morgan’s dad would be willing to teach my dad how to grill. Morgan gave me a questioning look, but I just waved him off.

  It was dark out by the time we finished eating, visiting, and cleaning everything up for the next day. The rest of the family headed off to their various homes, hotels, and bedrooms inside the cabin for the night while Landon’s siblings, their spouses, Morgan and I walked to where the guys had put together a bonfire near the woods at the back of the property. Chairs sat here and there around the area and Landon’s brothers-in-law set down the cooler of beer they’d been carrying.

  Carter’s husband, Ryan, started the fire while Caleb turned on a radio then everyone grabbed a drink and settled in. It wasn’t long before our laughter rang out through the night air as I listened to them share story after story from their childhoods.

  “So, how’s married life, Ryan? You sick of my brother yet?” Caleb asked. He was sitting across from me, snuggled up on Giovanni’s lap. He grinned mischievously at his twin, Carter stuck his tongue out at him in return.

  “Not yet, but give it a couple more months and ask me again,” Ryan joked. Everyone laughed as Carter pretended to be wounded by his husband’s words.

  “You keep on talking like that, it’s fine, but just look out because in a couple of months, we’ll be on tour and I might just get the idea to call you out on stage in the middle of a show and serenade you in front of thousands of people,” Carter threatened through narrowed eyes. He knew that his sexy husband did not share his love for the limelight.

  “I’d like to change my answer,” Ryan told Caleb quickly. “Being married to your brother is the stuff dreams are made of. I wake up to the sounds of birds singing and the sun shining every day,” he added, laying it on extra thick.

  “That’s right, assholes. Being married to me is a gift from God and don’t you forget it,” Carter declared, looking around the fire at each of us.

  It was quiet for just a beat and then we all roared with laughter. Well, all except Carter who folded his arms over his chest and pretended to pout. Ryan had his arm around the back of Carter’s chair and he used it to pull Carter closer to him. He whispered something in Carter’s ear and Carter’s pout turned into a satisfied smile. He tilted his head and kissed his husband.

  I smiled as I watched the happy couple. We all knew that the men were crazy about each other and that there were no other people in the world more perfectly suited for each other than the two of them. They had been lucky enough to find the one person they were meant to be with. My eyes swept over the couples surrounding the fire. It was a rare and wondrous thing when a person was able to find their soulmate, but each of the couples there that night had done exactly that. Well, everyone with the exception of me and Morgan.

  I turned to where he was sitting beside me and once again, found his eyes fixed on me. One half of his face was in shadow, but the other was lit up by the glow of the fire. The look in his eyes was serious as if he had been trying to work through a difficult puzzle, but then it softened as he saw me looking back at him and he smiled. Morgan’s smile had a way of warming me more than the fire had and I felt it all the way to my toes.

  My thoughts turned to the night we had spent together, the way it felt as he slid inside me, our sweat-slickened bodies moving in a perfectly synchronized rhythm. Morgan’s jaw clenched and the look in his eyes turned to liquid fire and I knew that he was having the same thoughts as me. My heartbeat quickened as that wonderful electrical charge that I’d come to associate with only Morgan, sprung to life and arced between us, connecting us in a way that wasn’t meant for anyone else.

  “Oh, God! Would you two knock it off already?” I jumped at the sound of Caleb’s voice and we quickly turned to look across the fire.

  I was worried that everyone around us had somehow been able to see the thoughts between Morgan and myself, but instead I saw Caleb groaning and covering his face as Carter and Ryan continued to make out. Everyone laughed because they knew that the twins were able to feel the strong emotions of each other and that Caleb was getting some pretty strong vibes from his brother, likely caused from the passion between Carter and Ryan.

  We hung out for another hour, just talking and laughing until Micah stood and announced that he was going to take Landon to bed one last time before he was a married man. The party broke up after that and everyone began walking back towards the house. We all exchanged hugs and then Morgan and I climbed into his truck.

  It had been a fun evening, full of good food, laughter, and amazing friends, which was exactly what Landon and Micah had asked for in place of a more traditional bachelor party. Before we’d even made it to the end of the driveway, Morgan was reaching for my hand and twining our fingers together.

  “Are you tired?” Morgan asked as he drove.

  “No. I’m not tired at all after the nap I took earlier.”

  “Do you mind if we take a little drive then?” He glanced over at me with a hopeful smile, his face lit up by the lights of the dashboard. He was so handsome that it literally took my breath away sometimes.

  “I don’t mind at all,” I told him and really, what other answer was there? I could be dying and I’d still go with him anywhere.

  He turned at the next stop sign and the truck began making its way up a steep and winding road. The radio
played some country song softly in the background and Morgan’s thumb rubbed back and forth over my hand as he held it.

  I hadn’t seen any other cars since we’d turned onto that road and I was beginning to wonder where he was taking me when he suddenly stopped and began backing into a narrow cut in the trees. I wasn’t sure what he was doing since the area he was backing into wasn’t even a road. He parked the truck and then looked at me with a broad smile.

  “Come on, I want to show you something,” he said excitedly.

  Morgan opened his door and climbed out and I waited as he ran around to my side and opened the door for me. It was funny how in the short amount of time I’d known him, I’d already begun to expect those chivalrous gestures from him. It was nice and I wondered why no other guy I’d gone out with had ever taken the time to do those things for me. I knew some guys might get upset if their date opened doors for them, thinking the man they were with saw them as weak or too soft, but I knew that it was Morgan’s way of showing me respect and care and I felt valued and cherished when he did it.

  I jumped down from the truck and smiled up at him. I didn’t know what he was up to, but his excitement was contagious. He took my hand and led me to the back of the truck and I gasped as I saw the sight before me. The trees had opened up and I was standing in a clearing, on the side of a mountain.

  He let go of my hand and I could hear him doing something with his truck, but I couldn’t be bothered to see what because I was too busy taking in the spectacular view. The sky was full of stars and the moon shone bright, allowing me to see for miles. The surrounding mountains jutted up to the sky at varying intervals and below us was a town, all lit up and looking like it belonged on a postcard.

  “This is amazing!” I said over my shoulder. “How did you even find this place?”