by TN King
“This is your bedroom,” he said with a large grin, opening the door and ushering her in ahead of him.
She tried to prepare herself for it, taking another deep breath and even blinking slowly as she passed him as if prolonging it would better prepare her for it. The room looked huge inside, easily as big as her entirely brand new apartment- the ceilings stretching so high that she literally had to crane her neck in order to see them. Not that, of course, that had led to them sparing any details ‒ the crown molding the sort that you would expect to see in a mansion rather than a penthouse. Her mouth fell open, words leaving even her mind as she looked over the space.
She hadn’t been expecting all of the pretty blues and purples inside of the room, combined in such a way as to feel soothing rather than startling, even next to the elegance of it all. Velvet blankets were tucked immaculately into the mattress, a gorgeous purple canopy cascading down over the bed that looked fit more for a princess than a waitress. It was startling, really, even after the grandeur of the rest of the suite.
Morgan chuckled again, his expression obviously pleased by her reaction.
She wanted to tell him it wasn’t her fault, or explain just how far out of the ordinary it all was, but he was pushing his fingers under her chin, gently pushing upwards to close her opened mouth.
His grin grew even further, walking away from her, but being sure to hold her gaze on him the whole while that he was. “Just wait,” he promised her, amusement too clear in his voice as he approached a large, double set of doors on the other side of the room. “You haven’t even seen the best part,” he informed her, gesturing her forward as he turned the knobs.
Ellie stepped forward, partly in a daze, wondering what could possibly be even better than what she had already encountered in the suite. She was half expecting to find some Olympic sized tub, or maybe even a golden toilet, but what she found instead made her jaw go slack… again.
It wasn’t a bathroom, but a closet, and not just any closet. It was like some kind of expensive, huge fitting room; with rows and rows of dresses, outfits, shoes, hats, clutches, and even a makeup table at the center. It was like someone had watched Princess Diaries and tried to one-up the princess’s closet. The entire room was just about the same size as the massive bedroom she had just stepped out of. Even the mirrors somehow seemed fancy. “It’s like they put a Macey’s inside of the hotel suite!” she exclaimed, passing him further into the closet and turning on her heel as she tried to take it all in at once.
He grinned at her, focusing on her more than the room that she was so avidly admiring. He tracked her even as she went further into the ‘closet’, her hands just barely running over the hung up fabrics, appalled just as much by the fanciness of the fabrics that she was now staring at. “Yeah,” he said distractedly. “I suppose it does at that,” he muttered, looking around again as if he were just seeing it for the first time.
Her gaze swung back to him, eyebrows furrowing. “Is this where you…” Her voice dropped off, regret filling her chest the moment the question left her lips. She didn’t actually want to know, not really. She didn’t even know what had possessed her to even ask. It was the sort of question that one asked their friend, not their romantic ‒ on intended romantic ‒ counterpart.
“Where I what?” he asked in confusion, obviously thrown off both by her tone of voice and the manner in which she had stopped mid sentence.
Ellie shook her head, refusing to finish it at all. It wouldn’t be good to know, it wasn’t even the kind of thing that was polite for her to be asking.
Morgan surveyed her silently for a few minutes, his head tilting to the side before stepping closer. It was only after observing her for another few moments that he approached her further, tilting his head down and forcing her to connect with his gaze. “Where I take my women?” he finished for her, the end of it rising in question instead of the statement she had feared it might be.
She lifted her gaze slowly up to him. She didn’t want to acknowledge that, yes this was exactly what she was asking. So instead, she just remained silent, lifting her brows up just slightly so she was acknowledging it in some form.
His eyes remained on her, features softening slightly as he surveyed her. “No,” he assured her emphatically. “This is provided for Hunt’s executives. This is the female’s suite,” he explained, waving his hand out around the closet and sweeping it to also encompass the room that they had come from behind him. “It’s not a suite I’ve brought anyone to while on business, or otherwise, with me before,” he promised her solemnly.
He breath filtered out slowly, head nodding as she accepted it. She shouldn’t have asked anyways, even if it made her feel slightly better to hear that he hadn’t. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had though, at least it shouldn’t have. “It isn’t any of my business, really,” she said instead, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. It was less a worry that he might have brought someone here previously than that he would bring someone here after…
Morgan grabbed her hands, piecing his fingers through hers and ducking his head so as to return her gaze to his own. “It is now,” he said with a definitive nod, leaving little room for argument to the proclamation. “Let me say, first, that with you in my life there will be no other women. Or woman. Or any other form of anyone else besides you at all.” It sounded so easy, when he phrased it like that, as if he had no doubts at all.
She couldn’t help that she did though, lifting her eyes to meet his once more willingly and confusion filling her blue eyes. “Why?”
It was Morgan’s turn for confusion, looking puzzled as he stared back at her. “Why what?” he asked slowly.
“Am I enough?” she rushed out, forcing the words out of her mouth before she could chicken out of asking him. “Why do you even want me?” She continued in disbelief. It was still crazy to her that he did period, much less that he would want her over and above other women that he could probably just as easily secure.
He stepped into her again, wrapping his arms up around her once more and pulling her close to him. “Because I realized something Ellie,” he said seriously, his grey gaze centered on her and only her.
Her breath caught, trying to control that emotion that was trying to work its way up and out of her throat. “W-what?” she stumbled out, fighting lowering her gaze off of his in awkward discomfort.
“There is only one Ellie White in the world,” he whispered, his grey gaze so intense that it seemed to sear into hers, warming her every molecule with its heat. “And I will do whatever it takes to ensure that she’s mine.” His voice lowered further, carrying some sort of deep promise within the words.
Ellie felt stunned. Like she’d just walked into a solid brick wall. He really thought she was that special? That she was some sort of rare person? Why? She liked the answers he was giving her, specifically the part where he said that he wanted her to be his, but his answers only provided her with more questions concerning them. She was just an everyday, run of the mill girl. She didn’t do anything special. She was attractive enough, but so were any number of other women in the world. She had nothing that she could possibly think of that set her so far apart from anyone else.
His eyes roamed her face deliberately, landing on her lips and pausing, the grey in his eyes near molten once more. With a sigh he tore them off of them, lifting his gaze back to hers almost sheepishly as he removed his arms and stepped back. “Now, it’s been a long day, what with moving and organizing before travel. And despite the short flight you’ll probably still experience some sort of jet lag,” he informed her, somewhat apologetically. “So, if you wish take a bath or shower, I’d suggest you do so now… well… when I leave that is,” he said laughingly, fixing her with another indecent smile. “And then you can climb into your canopy bed.”
Ellie smiled up at him, her teeth flashing with a bright smile. “It’s a princess bed,” she acknowledged with a giggle. “That was the first thing I thought.”
Morgan�
�s eyebrows rose, his body half turning so he could look back at the bed in question. “Well, it’s plenty appropriate for you to sleep in then,” he told her, looking back to her with a large grin. It was sweet, the way that he was looking at her in that moment, his face boyishly excited, like a kid who’d found the perfect compliment. He half-stepped back to her, keeping his arms to himself this time as he lowered his face, and his mouth, to hers in order to give her a sweet kiss.
It was devoid of all of the frantic rush that had come from the few that had happened previously today, his lips slow and soft against hers until she felt like he was trying to coax her up and off of the floor. She shifted, wrapping her arms around his neck, and gave herself over to the soft waves of emotion that seemed to be inspired from him. Like warm waves against sun-warmed skin, it washed over her.
Morgan’s tongue never breached her lips though, nor did he even try to get her to allow it to. He softened the kiss even further, slowing it into soft pecks that quickly became shorter before he pulled back. “Temptation Ellie,” he warned against her mouth as he pulled completely back, his grey eyes even darker again. His pupils looked dilated, each shift of his body away from hers seeming even tenser than the last.
She nodded in understanding. It had been slow, soft, and sweet- but still she knew if it had progressed much further she would’ve been trying to climb him like a tree. She sighed, both disappointed in her own self and her self control.
He stared at her for another long minute, seemingly pulling himself together, and shaking his head as if to better clear it. “So,” he said, clearing his throat before continuing, “In the morning a woman will be here for you. She’s the fashion consultant that I told you about. She’s going to help you get ready for the ball, advise you on what else you can do along with the dress. Just know that you’re free to disagree if you want. Above all else, I want you to be comfortable, and she will too. She’s the best in her business,” he assured her, lips twitching slightly.
Ellie blinked, her mind honing in on only part of what he said. The rest seemed like it was being told to her through some kind of fog. “A what?” she asked in confusion. “You mean you hired someone to give me a makeover?” Her chest tightened. There was no world where that sounded like a good thing. Did that mean he thought she really wasn’t good enough to be seen with as is, just like she had secretly suspected the whole time?
He looked at her in a sort of puzzled way, his eyes widening as he caught up to what she was really asking. “No,” he said forcefully. “No, sweetness.” He stepped closer to her again, his fingers brushing against the underside of her chin fondly. “Not a makeover, remember? We talked about this because of you being worried. Just to help you with choosing the shoes, doing your hair, you know… to make you more comfortable like I said. She’ll answer any questions you have, pamper you even. That way you’re not having to stress about any of it.” His hand fell, both hands shifting then so he could wrap his fingers gently about her arms. “I like you the way that you are now,” he said lowly. “In fact, I forbade her from using very much makeup at all, unless you ask for it. I like the way that your skin glows on its own. I don’t feel like you, or she, should feel pressed to cake any extra amount on just to fit in with the women that go there. They need it. You don’t.”
Ellie paused, her heart constricting in her chest. She felt bad for getting the wrong idea again, and it made her feel stupid that she had. However, his words were… amazing, warming her through to her core. She was sure that he was being biased with his commentary on the other women needing it, but she was also sure that he sounded so sincere that she would feel guilty for not at least trying to take him at his word now. “Okay,” she said softly, nodding her head to acknowledge him, and at a loss for what else to say along with it.
He smiled, stepping away and moving as if he were planning on leaving the room right then. But then he paused, turning back to her and looking at her in question. “Do you have your phone?” he asked suddenly.
Confusion filled her at this question. “Right here,” she said honestly, lifting her small purse up to acknowledge that she was still following the addendum to it that he had asked of her on gifting it to her.
Morgan smiled. “Keep it with you,” he demanded, voice softening at the end. “That way… if you need anything, no matter what time, you can call my number.” His eyes were gentle again, hand resting on the knob of the door for him to leave through.
“Okay, Morgan,” she said softly, watching his hesitation and wishing against everything else that she could tell him not to go, that she could ask him to stay. She wanted him to, she knew they both did. But she also knew it would be better for the both of them that they didn’t. They were taking this slow. To jump right back into bed, without knowing the time was right, was to risk possibly ruining what they were trying to forge here and now. “Good night,” she finally said instead, her hand pressing into the softness of her lower abdomen.
He nodded once, giving her one last lingering look, and left through the door.
Ellie waited, watching the door long after he left, absorbing his absence. She already regretted his decision, and still, she knew it was for the best. She allowed herself to miss him for a few more moments, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she turned back around to face the room again.
Ellie looked around, her round eyes taking it all in again. “Oh. My. God,” she breathed out, each word more emphatically surprised than the last. She couldn’t help it, couldn’t help staring at all of it as she reviewed the conversation they just had. He’d suggested a bath or shower, and she couldn’t help focusing on that. Yes, a bath! It sounded wonderful, more than even. She shifted, looking around for an extra set of doors. Ones he hadn’t taken her through and she hadn’t seen inside of. She assumed it would be the bathroom. She opened them, stepping in and stopping almost the exact instant she got to see.
“What the fu…” Her words died off slowly, gaze rotating around the space. It was just as large in scale as the rest of the suite. In one corner stood a large shower, large enough to have fit ten of her, with multiple shower heads from all sides. The marble was just as pretty as that lining the entryway. Two large sinks with pretty wrought iron spigots, and a large counter that stretched longer than the one at the diner. That was more than enough to be impressive, but her eyes couldn’t help stopping on what lay in the center. A large garden tub, easily the size of a small swimming pool, multiple spigots on either end apparently necessary just for filling it up. “Oh, hell yeah!”
Ellie barely waited to start excitedly tugging her clothes off, barely pausing in order to bend and start the water up in order to fill it. “Thank you Morgan,” she breathed enthused, jumping in order to better assist herself in escaping her jeans. It was like in those movies where a large group of people managed to bathe together. It certainly seemed as if she could do laps in it.
She grinned, forcing her bra off of herself as she stared, wondering if it was possible for her to dive in. She almost immediately dismissed it, shaking her head. “No more bad ideas Ellie,” she said aloud with a small laugh. “Just enjoy your bath fit for a goddess,” she jokingly chastised herself, stepping over the ledge of the tub and into the perfectly adjusted water. Oh. She was certainly going to enjoy it. She only had to walk so far before she could lay back, actually floating in the warm water. “It’s a pool!” she called out, still laughing, as she splashed around.
Morgan
He’d never had to work so hard at forcing himself to leave a room as he had to then. It took more effort than he liked to admit, walking out of Ellie’s suite and down the hall to his own. He was showing her that he had restraint, proving to her that he could abide by the rules she had asked him to follow in order to make up for the mistake he had made with her. But he was barely holding it together here, it became harder and harder each day. Damn, she just got more and more beautiful by the minute. And now? Now he felt unbearably protective. The instincts had
kicked in during the plane ride, refusing to let up the whole way here.
Now, punching in the numbers to his own suite, Morgan remembered the image that he had conjured up upon pulling her from the fire and catching sight of her face that first time. A porcelain doll. He had compared her to one. With her fair skin, ideal features, and prettily expressive eyes. She fit the bill, but he couldn’t help sighing upon thinking so again. Like she needed his protection… What? You’re supposed to be her knight in shining armor or some shit? The very idea was ludicrous. Certainly, the shining armor part, he was anything but shining. Tarnished armor maybe. He felt stupid considering himself in that light at all, but he also knew he couldn’t seem to help it. It was just the way she affected him.
He sighed again, passing through the door of his suite and immediately going to divest himself of his tie, suit jacket, and shoes. Leaving a messy trail of garments behind him as he headed towards his suite’s shower. He couldn’t help himself when it came to her, apparently in all manner of ways.
He wanted this trip to be perfect for her, an actual reset of their relationship, and if that meant protecting her from himself if he had to. Which was why he had left her so abruptly just now. He didn’t trust himself, not with his emotions concerning her. He couldn’t trust his self-control, couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t have, given the opportunity, strip her bare then and there and had his way with her on the bed… or the floor… or in that huge tub he knew was in that monstrous bathroom. He wanted her far too much to allow himself to be overtaken by his lust, or even their combined lust, before she was ready.
He’d been so consumed by his thoughts that he didn’t realize the water was ready until the steam from it began to hit him, jolting back to reality and stepping into the hot shower slowly. Of course, the shower being hot didn’t seem to help with his throbbing hard cock at all. Not that he thought that anything could—it had remained in the same state for the past four hours. All due to her. All due to his insatiable lust concerning her.