Nash nodded. “I know that, and I believe you.”
“She called me the next day because I had her key. I picked her up, and we went out for breakfast. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I thought about her the entire night after I had dropped her off. Then seeing her the next morning and all, it made it all those feelings from college resurface. I was determined to ignore it though, but then she . . . well . . . she, ah . . . um . . .”
Nash shot me a dirty look. “For fuck's sake, dude, spit it out.”
“Well, forgive me, Nash, but this isn’t something I think a brother would want to hear.”
His brows pulled in tight. “I can take it.”
My eyes darted over to Tucker, who shrugged. Then I focused back on Nash. “Fine. She said she wanted one night of no-strings-attached sex. A night to have fun with someone she trusted and was attracted to. After the night was over, then we would walk away in the morning and return to being friends.”
Nash’s mouth dropped and his eyes widened in shock. “Morgan said that?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah, and I’m telling you, I turned her down immediately. I mean, at first I thought she was fucking with me, and I might have been playing around with her until I realized she was being serious.”
“Okay, then what happened?”
“I told her no. I mean, deep down I wanted to scream yes.”
Nash made a fist.
“But I told her no. She got upset and told me to forget she’d ever brought it up. A few minutes later, she got up and said she was going to the restroom. But instead she walked out the front door and jumped into an Uber. Two weeks later, we ran into each other again. Same bar. She was upset and spewing bullshit about me not being attracted to her. She stormed out of the bar, and I went after her. Long story short, we ended up at my place.”
Nash groaned and looked away from me.
There were parts of the story I was keeping to myself. It wasn’t anyone’s business what Morgan and I did together. All Nash needed to know was how she had changed me.
“I’ve never in my life experienced a connection with a woman like I have with Morgan. Hell, I felt something for her the first day I met her. She makes me feel things I honestly didn’t think were possible. The woman can drive me to my knees. Or drive me insane. I do and say things with her I would never dream of doing. She makes me confused, and sometimes I can’t even concentrate. I say the stupidest shit. It’s fucked up, dude! Your sister is fucking me up in the head.”
The corner of Nash’s mouth rose slightly in what looked like a smile. “Do you care about her, Blake?”
“Yes. I feel it in here,” I pounded my fist on my chest. “The air around me gets warmer, my heart races faster, and I feel like I need her close by to breathe. Hell, she only has to smile at me, and my knees feel weak.”
Tucker and Nash exchanged a look before Tucker cleared his throat and spoke.
“Dude, I hate to tell you this, but you’re in love.”
I swallowed hard. My heart already knew it. I’d known it since the moment I slid into her the first time we made love. “It’s too soon. Right?”
Nash stood. “I know the real you, dude. I know you’ve played around, but I also know you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. There isn’t anything you wouldn’t do for your friends. So I will trust you with my sister. I don’t know how this will turn out, but I only ask for one thing.”
I stood. “I’ll do anything, Nash.”
“Don’t hurt her.”
His eyes filled with something I hadn’t ever seen before. It wasn’t anger. Or concern. It was trust.
“I won’t hurt her. I swear to God, Nash, I would rather die than hurt her.”
With a nod, he shook my hand.
“Now that I know you two won’t kill each other, I need to check upfront. If you leave, lock up.”
Nash and I nodded as we both watched Tucker leave his office. When the door shut, Nash faced me. A serious look on his face.
“I need to tell you something, and I didn’t want to say it in front of Tucker.”
“Okay.”
Nash pulled in a deep breath then exhaled. “Mike told Morgan he cheated on her in his suicide note. What she doesn’t know is that he has a son with the woman he cheated on her with.”
My entire body swayed as he stepped back and looked into my eyes.
For once in my life, I didn’t have a damn thing to say.
Nash hit me on the shoulder. “You’re not asking me, but I’m giving you some advice. I’m headed over to Morgan’s house in the morning to pick up Kaelynn. If I were you, I’d be right behind me.”
I nodded.
Nash smiled, and a part of me felt guilty as hell. He was letting me off too easy. I needed to be punished more, suffer more. But that wasn’t the way Nash Barrett rolled. Placing his hand on my shoulder, he gave it a squeeze and said, “Now, let’s go get drunk.”
Before we could even walk out into the bar, Nash’s phone rang.
“Hey, how’s girls’ night?”
His smiled dropped, and he looked at me. “We’re on our way.”
My heart felt like it went to my throat as I waited for him to hang up.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as he hung up.
“Kaelynn said Morgan is running a fever. She checked it a few minutes ago and it was a hundred. Then Morgan suddenly got super tired. She just checked it again; it’s a hundred and three.”
Remembering that Nash had told us once Morgan hated hospitals, I said, “I’ll call my father and have him meet us there,” I said.
If anything happened to Morgan, I wasn’t sure what I would do.
THE NEXT MORNING, I moaned as I rolled over and attempted to get up. My body felt heavy and ached all over. I was freezing, but I was drenched in sweat.
“Don’t move.”
I froze at the sound of his voice. Then I opened my eyes and saw Blake.
“Am I dreaming?” I asked, feeling like my head was lost in a cloud somewhere in the sky. I had to be dreaming. Last I remembered I was on the sofa with Kaelynn, eating ice cream.
“Kaelynn called last night and said you started to feel bad and you had a fever that was going up. Naturally Nash raced over here to check on you. Then he made Kaelynn leave, but not before he had her drink some vitamin-B immunity drink. My father and I stuck around to take care of you.”
“Take care of me? Your father?” I asked, trying to swallow. My hand came up to my throat, and I rubbed it. “My throat hurts.”
“You also have a fever.”
I shot up in bed, then gasped as the entire room spun.
“Hey, hey, don’t do that. Lie back down, princess.”
“Kaelynn!”
“She’ll be fine.”
“But if I have a fever?”
“My dad checked her out and told her what to do if she started to feel bad. Your fever climbed all night. Do you not remember any of that?”
I looked up at him, trying to make my memory work.
“I don’t remember anything. Your father was here?”
He smiled. “Yeah, he was. Sucks you don’t remember meeting him for the first time.”
Closing my eyes, I let out another groan. “I didn’t say anything to him, did I?”
He laughed. “No. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone come down with the flu as fast as you did.”
My phone buzzed on the side table, and I reached for it.
Oh my gosh . . . My entire body ached.
“It’s Rich.”
I wasn’t positive, but I was pretty sure I heard a growl come from Blake.
Rich: I think I’m getting the flu. I hope you got the flu shot.
My eyes hurt like hell, but I managed to text him back.
Me: I’m in bed, feeling like crap.
He texted back instantly.
Rich: Dammit! You got me sick!
I dropped the phone to the bed and closed my eyes.
“My head hurts
. My everything hurts.”
Blake took my temperature.
“Your fever is at a hundred and three. Let’s get you into a bath to try to bring it down.”
We stared at one another for a few moments. “I don’t think I can move. I feel like death.”
I was positive I looked like it too.
He pushed a strand piece of hair back, then used the back of his cool hand to feel my forehead, then ran it slowly down my cheek.
“That feels like heaven.”
“I hate that you’re not feeling good, princess.”
There was no doubt he meant every word he said.
“I’m so tired.”
Blake stood. “I’ll run the bath.”
The next thing I remembered was feeling someone lift me and carry me through my bedroom. At least, I thought I was in my bedroom. Cool water hit my body, instantly making the heat go away. Then I felt a cool washcloth on my forehead. Over my neck and chest. Water gently pouring down my body.
“Morgan, baby, can you look at me?”
I opened my eyes and scanned the room. Instead of turning on the overhead light, he’d lit candles. If I hadn’t felt so bad, I would say it looked romantic.
“I didn’t want the harsh light to hurt your headache, so I used candles.”
Staring into his deep brown eyes, I tried to say something, but I didn’t have the energy to talk. Instead, I relaxed in the water for a few minutes and let him run a cool washcloth over my body until I started to tremble.
“Are you cold, princess?” Blake asked.
I nodded.
“Let’s get you back to bed then,” he said. Reaching down to help me out of the tub, he wrapped me in a towel. The cold air had me shivering even more, and I had to sit down. Blake helped me to the floor, and I closed my eyes. Next thing I knew, I felt a warm blanket being wrapped around my body. Then the feeling of being rocked had me opening my eyes.
“Blake,” I whispered as he carried me in his arms.
“I’ve got you, princess. I’ve got you.”
When I felt my head hit the pillow, I let out a sigh.
“Don’t leave me, Blake.”
Tingles raced down my spine, and they had nothing to do with the flu. It was Blake’s touch. His lips pressing against my forehead.
“I swear I’ll never leave you.”
Smiling, I felt myself drift off to sleep. My dreams were filled with sunsets and long walks. Blake making love to me on what felt like a cloud floating in the sky. It felt like my dreams went on for days. Then I heard a baby crying. I walked from room to room down a long hallway, opening door after door. The pull of that baby drew me closer and closer. I had to find her. She had the answers I was looking for. The answers I needed. When I got to the last door, Blake stood in front of me.
“Don’t. Let it go, Morgan. Please let it go.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Let what go? Blake, there is a baby crying. She needs me!”
Throwing the door open, I rushed into the room and stopped at the sight before me. My entire body shook, and I covered my mouth to hold back my cries.
Jerking up, I let out a scream. Strong hands were around me in an instant, pulling me to a hard, warm body.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m here, Morgan.”
My hand came up to Blake’s chest. The feel of his cool skin and the sound of his voice soothed me at once. I squeezed my eyes shut again before the onslaught of tears hit me full force.
“I’ve got you, Morgan. I’m here.”
I was acutely aware of the fact that being in Blake’s arms and hearing his voice calmed me.
“Bad dream?” he asked, his lips pressing a kiss to my brow.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
His question lingered in my mind for a moment or two. Did I want to talk about it? For someone who made a living attempting to get people to express their feelings, I sucked at following my own advice.
“Maybe you want to paint?” he asked, causing me to pull back and look at him.
“Paint?”
Blake shrugged. “If you can’t talk about it, maybe you should paint it.”
I smiled, flexing my fingers through the small bit of dark hair on his broad chest. How could this man know me so well already? It was like he had a window into my heart and soul. It should scare me, but it made my insides melt with happiness.
“Maybe. Later. My head is pounding.”
The back of his hand went to my forehead. “Let me go grab water and more medicine and check your temperature.”
It was then I noticed I was naked.
“I’m not wearing anything.”
His brows waggled a few times, and he winked. “I didn’t bother with dressing you after your last bath. It was easier getting you in and out to help control your fever.”
“My last bath? You gave me more than one?”
Blake nodded. “Doctor’s orders.”
“Doctor?” I asked.
“My dad, remember?”
He pushed a thermometer into my mouth and smiled.
I wanted to ask him more about his father, but he gave me a stern look.
Once it beeped, he pulled it out and looked at it. Then he smiled.
“Are you feeling any better? Your temperature finally broke.”
The tenderness in his actions made my heart swell, and another rush of tingles swept down my spine.
“I guess. I can’t believe how fast that hit me. What day is it?”
“It’s about two o’clock Saturday morning. Friday night. However you want to look at it.”
I gasped. “I lost two days! My clients.”
“Have all been called. You told me your password Thursday, and I got on to your laptop and calendar. I called everyone and told them you had the flu. I’m just glad you had no one scheduled Thursday morning.”
When I attempted to move, my entire body ached. “Ugh, I feel like crap.”
He kissed me again before sliding off the bed and adjusting the sheet back over me. “Well, you don’t look like it. Even sick, you’re stunning. Let me go get some soup heated up for you. Be right back, princess.”
I couldn’t ignore the way my heart raced, and it had nothing to do with the flu.
AS I WALKED out of Morgan’s bedroom, I took a deep breath.
Her fever had broken. Thank God.
The last few days had scared the living shit out of me a few times, even though everyone kept telling me not to worry. It was only the flu. Since when did the flu knock you out for hours and make you incoherent? I had even called my father to come over again when Morgan’s fever got too high. I’d never been so happy in my life to have a doctor for a parent.
I pulled up Nash’s number. I knew it was late, but he had made me promise him I’d call when she woke up and her fever had broken.
“Hello? Blake?” His voice sounded tired and scared.
“She’s awake and talking. Her fever has broken.”
“Thank fuck. How is she feeling?”
“Seems okay. Weak and maybe a little achy. She’s in the restroom now.”
“Make sure she gets lots of liquids, and maybe some of that soup I brought by earlier. Do you want me to head over so you can go home?”
“No. I’d rather stay here and I’ll make sure she gets some fluids into her. You don’t want to risk getting sick and taking something to Kaelynn.”
He was silent on the other line for a few moments.
“Nash, I’ve got this.”
“I know you do. It’s just weird. I mean, it’s my sister, and you’re all . . .”
I narrowed my eyes at the soup I was heating in the pan. “I’m what?”
“Acting all . . . boyfriend-like.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Is that your problem? That I’m being attentive to your sister?”
“It’s not a problem at all. It’s just . . . weird.”
“Well, if that’s all, I need to make sure
she’s okay. She’s up and moving around.”
“Call me if she needs anything.”
“I will. Night, Nash.”
I hung up, placed my phone on the island, and made my way to Morgan.
“Do you want to be in the living room for a bit? A change of scenery?”
She stared at me, a confused look on her beautiful face.
“Um . . .”
“I’ve already got the couch set up for you.”
Smiling, she nodded. I walked up to her and reached down, lifting her into my arms. I figured she would complain, but the trip to the bathroom must have zapped all the energy out of her.
After I placed her on the sofa, I pulled the blanket off the back and draped it over her. Morgan glanced up at me, and I was so happy to finally see color in her face. Reaching down, I ran my fingertips gently over her cheek. When she inhaled a quick breath, I felt my chest flutter.
I needed to stop before I did something stupid like kiss her. I grabbed her water from the coffee table and handed it to her with some medicine. “Here, take some Tylenol and drink water, princess.”
Morgan did as I asked, then giggled when her stomach growled.
I smiled, and she pulled the blanket up to her chin. “I guess I’m hungry.”
“How about some soup? Nash dropped some off earlier this morning. Well, yesterday morning.”
Before I left, she reached for my hand, drawing me to a stop. “Wait. I was sort of hoping we could talk first.”
“Now? Why don’t we wait until you’re feeling better?” I asked, both scared shitless and excited. What did she want to talk about?
She shook my head. “No. I want to talk now. Please, Blake. The last time I even remember speaking to you was in the closet.”
Sitting back down, I took her hand in mine and kissed the back. With a smirk, I said, “That was fun.”
We both smiled at one another. I could tell just the effort to smile took something out of her.
“What happened with you and Nash? Did you tell him about us?”
“Yes. I told him almost everything,” I answered with a wink. “Some things are for you and me only.”
Her already pink cheeks darkened.
“How did he take it?”
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