“I kissed you and made love to you all night,” he said, pacing the kitchen. His blood was boiling as he clenched his fists. “Shit. Normally I’m fine to fuck and girl and leave.”
She flinched, but he continued on anyway.
“Instead of sneaking out in the middle of the night, I held you in my arms. I made you breakfast the next morning and rushed over when you needed me. Is anything about you real?” he asked, glaring at her.
“Everything else is true,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks again. “Do you think I just sleep with every man I meet? I hadn’t even been with a man since I broke up with my ex.”
“I don’t know what to think,” he said, frustrated. “I told you I don’t like liars, and you basically lied the entire time I’ve known you.”
“We just met,” she said weakly.
“We did.”
A beat passed, and for a split second he felt guilty. Morgan was upset and vulnerable, and he was livid. He’d never lay a hand on a woman, but at the moment he wanted to go punch a wall or beat the hell out of someone.
They’d spent enough time together that he knew he was beginning to care for her, as crazy as it seemed. And all that was for nothing, because she wasn’t who he thought. Their entire relationship was based on a lie.
The pasta he was cooking suddenly started to boil over, and he rushed back to the stove. “Shit,” he muttered, turning the burner off.
“Colton,” she pleaded.
“I think you should go.” His voice was cold, but he felt too detached to soften the expression on his face. He didn’t trust himself to say anything else, because he knew he’d just hurt her even more.
Morgan nodded, not saying anything.
She swiped stray tears off her cheeks, and he realized that she was trembling.
He didn’t move from his spot in front of the stove, and she let out a shaky breath. “I’ll see myself out.”
She walked by him, out of his kitchen, and he heard her grabbing her purse from his living room and fumbling with her keys. She was still softly crying, but he didn’t move as the front door opened and then clicked shut behind her.
She was gone.
Chapter 16
“I screwed up,” Morgan said a few nights later, sitting across from Lily at dinner. “Big time.”
“What happened?” Lily asked, taking a sip of her wine. “You haven’t answered any of my texts. Even Brock was starting to get concerned when I couldn’t get a hold of you. He checked in with Jake just to make sure you were okay.”
“I just needed a day or so to process everything. It’s silly,” Morgan muttered, looking down at her food. She’d felt nauseas ever since she’d left Colton’s, which was crazy. They hadn’t “broken up.” They hadn’t even been together for crying out loud. He’d somehow figured out the truth, and she’d left him in his kitchen, stirring a pot of spaghetti.
She burst into tears.
“Oh, sweetie,” Lily said, reaching over and taking her hand. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s Colton,” she confessed.
Lily’s gaze narrowed. “What the hell did he do? I’ll send Brock after him to kick his ass.”
Morgan shrugged helplessly. “It’s more like what did I do.”
“Oh. The whole not telling him you’re Jake’s sister? I told you over the weekend to just come clean. I mean, yeah, he’d be mad, but he’d get over it. He’s a guy. They think with their dicks.”
“No kidding,” Morgan said uneasily.
“You slept with him again.”
“Yes. Well no, actually,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s a long story. But I went over to his place the other night.”
“He does like you,” Lily said with a laugh.
“How would you know?”
Lily took another sip of her wine. “I may have asked Brock if Colton was seeing anyone—just casually mentioned it, don’t worry. He had absolutely no idea I was talking about you.”
“Lily,” Morgan groaned.
“All I know is that he’s really into you. Brock said Colton’s the kind of guy that never sticks around after taking a woman to bed. He bolts the first chance he gets.”
“Well, he couldn’t get me out of his apartment fast enough the other night. I don’t blame him, either. He hates me right now.”
“He doesn’t hate you,” Lily protested.
“Trust me, he totally does. Apparently, his ex was a liar, so it’s a big thing with him. And I didn’t mean to lie—I mean, I know I should’ve just told him who I was. I thought we’d flirt a few minutes, and I’d never see him again though. I wasn’t expecting anything to happen between us.”
“Of course you weren’t,” Lily assured her. “He’ll come around.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Morgan said with a bitter laugh.
“Does Jake know?”
“God no,” Morgan said, shuddering. “I sure the heck didn’t tell him, and I guess Colton didn’t either.”
“See? He was protecting you. If he truly hated you, he probably would’ve gone straight to Jake and told him about it.”
The waitress came over, refreshing their water, and Morgan sighed. It was amazing how she’d felt on top of the world a few days ago and now didn’t have the energy for anything. She had school work to get done, and she and Anna had been on the lookout for the black SUV at school in the mornings and afternoons. It hadn’t shown up again since the evening Colton had been there.
Morgan had a feeling the guy would be back again.
“Look, I still think it’ll work out between you two. I mean, shoot—for Brock to notice that Colton was into you?”
“What did he say?”
“That’s just it,” Lily said with a laugh. “He didn’t. Normally those guys are happy with a little locker room talk, sharing their conquests.”
“Ewww,” Morgan said.
Lily shrugged. “They’re men. Brock doesn’t talk about me with his friends because he respects me.”
“I’m pretty sure Colton lost all respect for me. It’s silly, because I barely even know him. I feel like I got dumped by my boyfriend or something, and we weren’t even together. And as for not telling Jake? Well, he probably just didn’t want to get his ass kicked.”
Lily giggled. “Look, I love your brother, but come on. I think Colton could easily stand his own.”
“Hey, it doesn’t matter. I don’t plan on seeing him again, and I’m sure he’ll be steering clear of Jake’s house while I’m still there.”
“Any prospects?”
“I’ve been scouting the papers for apartments I like. I’ll probably just get a small studio, but I need to save enough for first and last month’s rent, plus some extra. Jake’s letting me live with him rent free to save up, so I’m totally taking advantage of that.”
“Good for you. And I know you’ll be out of there before you know it, making love to Colton in your brand new place.”
Morgan flushed, and Lily laughed. “You like him—I know you do. And I really do have a feeling everything will work out in the end.”
***
Morgan pulled into the driveway later that night, frowning. Drinks and dinner with her bestie had been fun but still not enough to put her out of the funk she’d been in. Even Jake had noticed she hadn’t been herself the other night—not that she’d explained anything to him.
She grabbed her purse and began to get out of her car, pausing as her phone buzzed with a text. Her heart pounded in her chest as Colton’s name flashed on the screen.
I meant to get this to you the other night.
Her phone buzzed again, and she saw the information of the guy from the parking lot. Of course. Colton wasn’t texting her to talk or see her, he was just providing some basic police information. He probably wouldn’t even have bothered if there weren’t kids involved. Heaven’s knew he wasn’t the least bit concerned about her anymore.
She’d rushed out of his apartment, tears streaming down her chee
ks, and he hadn’t even bothered to see if she was okay.
Morgan knew that she’d blown it. Big time. And the worst part was that it had been entirely preventable. She should’ve just told him she was Jake’s sister. They wouldn’t have slept together, that much was for certain, but she also wouldn’t be heartbroken at the moment either.
This was exactly why she didn’t go around sleeping with men she’d just met. It meant more to her than it did to them, and she was the one who’d end up burned.
She ground her teeth together, wondering if she should even bother replying. Her heart raced in her chest, and she decided it was now or never. Thumbing a quick response, she pressed “send” before she could regret it.
Thanks. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.
She stared at her phone for a moment, wondering if he’d respond. Why should he? Colton was pissed at her and only did this because he was a cop.
Her phone buzzed again, much to her surprise.
You should’ve just told me the truth.
Tears filled her eyes, and she stuffed her phone back into her bag, not even caring if he had anything else to say. Yeah, she should’ve. But that was over and done with now.
She slammed her car door shut and stormed into the house.
“Whoa. Who got on your bad side today?” Jake asked with a chuckle. He was in his gear, ready to head out soon for the night shift.
“I just had a long day,” she muttered, putting her things down.
“I thought you went out with Lily?” he asked, quirking his brow.
“Well yeah, I did, but it’s something else. Just never mind. It’s not anything worth worrying about.”
“It’s a guy, isn’t it?”
She flushed and spun around to look at her brother. Jake chuffed out a laugh. “It’s always a guy, sis. Relationships are trouble. That’s why I don’t seriously date anyone.”
“How classy,” Morgan said sarcastically.
“What? I’m young—youngish I guess you could say.”
Morgan rolled her eyes. “Mom and Dad were married with two kids by the time they were your age.”
“And look how that worked out.”
“I turned out very nicely, thank you very much.”
Jake snorted. “The marriage didn’t last, and we had a deadbeat dad. I’m not getting involved seriously with a woman or getting married anytime soon.”
“There’re lots of women around here that would love to date you.”
“I met that new family that moved in down the street—single mom with two kids?”
“Just your type,” Morgan teased.
“I’ll admit that she’s gorgeous. Too much baggage for me though.”
Morgan shrugged. “Maybe we’re destined to be roommates forever—only kidding,” she said, catching the expression on his face. “I’ll be out of here soon.”
“Hey, take your time,” Jake assured her. “Save up so you get a decent place. I don’t mind you staying in the spare bedroom.”
“I’ve got a pile of papers to grade.”
“And I’ve got to get to work,” Jake said, glancing at the clock. He whistled, and Shadow came running in from the other room.
“Hey boy!” Morgan said, pausing to pet him before they left.
“Only a few more weeks on the night shift, and then I’ll be back to my regular schedule.”
“That’ll be good for you. I can’t imagine working nights all the time—that would totally throw me off.”
“You’re telling me. It’s messing up my dating game, too,” Jake said.
Shaking her head, Morgan walked down the hall and called goodbye to her brother. She flopped down on her bed, letting her purse and tote bag full of papers fall to the ground.
Her phone buzzed, and she saw Lily had sent her a quick text. Narrowing her eyes, she was surprised to see one more text from Colton as well.
If that guy shows up at your school again, call me.
Closing her eyes, she suddenly burst into tears. She’d really messed up with him, over something so stupid, too. She should’ve just said when they’d met who she really was. Instead she’d gone to dinner with him, had sex with him, let him hold her in his arms all night.
He was a nice guy and attractive as hell.
No wonder he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her anymore.
Chapter 17
“What’s with you?” Brock asked Colton a few nights later as they worked out at the local gym. Grunts from other gym goers and clanks from the equipment filled the air around them, and Colton barely even noticed as a gorgeous woman walked by in tight spandex.
“Nothing’s with me,” Colton muttered, punching the bag over and over again. It felt good to work out some of his anger and frustration. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he was still mad as hell. He should’ve been getting ready for an amazing weekend, not feeling like he got dicked around by yet another woman.
“Uh-huh,” Brock said. “You’re just beating the shit out of that for no reason. And that chick that walked by was fucking gorgeous.”
“You’ve got a girlfriend,” Colton pointed out. “Fiancée, actually.”
“Not for me, asshole. For you. You need a woman in your life, stat. You’ve been in a bad mood for days.”
Colton muttered to himself, sweat dripping down his face. “I don’t need a woman. I can’t even trust the women I do know.”
Brock chuckled. “What the hell happened? The woman you were seeing cheated on you or something?”
“Fuck no,” Colton spat out, stepping aside so Brock could have a turn.
“This is the girl from last weekend, right? The one you wouldn’t tell me about?”
Colton bit out a curse. “Yeah, the same girl. And there’s nothing to tell.”
“Right. That’s why you look like you’re ready to kill someone. Did she dump you or something?”
“It’s a long story. Just forget about it.”
Brock shook his head, awareness suddenly crossing his face. “Lily said Morgan’s been upset this week, too. Something about a guy.”
“Fuck,” Colton muttered.
“Holy shit. Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Jake’s sister?”
“Because we’re not dating, and like I said, there’s nothing to tell.”
Brock smirked, his eyes sparking with amusement. “Does Jake know about this? Morgan was never really my type, but I sure the hell knew to stay away from her.”
“No, he doesn’t know. And I’d prefer to keep it that way. The reason I’m pissed is because she let me think she was his roommate, all right? Morgan didn’t tell me that Jake was her brother.”
Brock howled with laughter, and a few people looked over at them. “God damn, you are pussy whipped. The way you’ve been sulking and moping all week? You’ve got it bad! And why the hell would she mention Jake? She probably knew you wouldn’t look at her twice.”
“I’m not sulking. Good God. And she should’ve mentioned it because I literally asked who she was.”
“Just come clean to Jake if that’s what you’re worried about. If Morgan’s into you, too, what the hell would he care?”
“That’s the whole damn problem—she didn’t tell me. She lied about it.”
“This is about your ex, right? That crazy bitch that stole from you. It’s not exactly the same thing. From my standpoint, it sounds like she liked you and wanted a shot. This is the chick you were burning up the sheets with, right? It sounds like you were into her, too.”
Colton grabbed a towel, wiping the sweat off his brow. “I don’t think I can handle dating another liar.”
“So don’t date her then, just fuck her.”
“Asshole,” Colton muttered. “I’m not a complete dick.”
“You wouldn’t be in this mess if you weren’t thinking with your dick, am I right?” Brock laughed.
“Fuck you,” Colton said, stalking off.
“You know I’m right!” Brock shouted after him.
Colton shook his head, going right to the locker room. Maybe he’d jog around the neighborhood later or something. He needed to get out of this damn gym and get some fresh air. He hadn’t heard from Morgan again, not that he’d expected to.
He’d practically thrown her out of his apartment earlier this week. Maybe not in the literal sense, but he’d needed her gone. Wasn’t it just perfect that he couldn’t get her out of his head?
He was worried about her. Worried about the man that had shown up at her school. Worried about her safety. Seeing her tears had slayed him, and he began to wonder if he had been too harsh. He’d been so fixated on her lie, that he’d seen red.
Blowing out a breath, he headed toward the showers. Maybe some ice-cold water would cool him off and calm the blood pulsing through his veins.
And the guilt he was currently feeling about the way he’d treated Morgan?
That wasn’t something he wanted to think about at all.
Chapter 18
Morgan padded into the kitchen on Saturday morning, putting on a pot of strong coffee. Jake wasn’t home yet, but she knew he’d be here shortly.
Her mind briefly flickered to last Saturday—waking up with Colton’s arms around her. Having breakfast together. Making love the entire night. Last weekend was a hell of a lot better than this one, that much was for sure.
She heard Jake’s car in the garage, and a moment later, Shadow came bounding in. She bent down to say hello, swiping at the silly tears running down her cheeks. She needed to pull herself together before Jake walked in.
Standing back up, she poured herself a cup of coffee, taking a sip as Jake walked in.
“You’re up early,” he observed. “Big Saturday plans?”
“Yep, I’ve got to head into school today.”
Jake poured himself a glass of orange juice and quirked a brow. “On a Saturday? I was envisioning something a little more exciting than that.”
Be Mine Tonight (Line of Duty Book 2) Page 10