Protective: Legatum - Book 1

by Sylvian, LuLu M

  Morgan’s eyebrows shot up. Honey knew what she thought it looked like. How could it have been anything else, unless these two weren’t supposed to be kissing each other?

  “Not what it looks like?” Aventine’s voice was sharp as he questioned Julia’s excuse.

  “Roman, please.” Julia sounded aggravated, as if she had had enough of his behavior.

  Morgan steered Honey away as the two engaged in a bickering match.

  “What was that?” Honey asked.

  “I think that was my sister making out with our business competitor. The one she professes to dislike greatly.”

  “Methinks she doth protest too much?” Honey asked.

  “It certainly looks like it. I can’t say I saw that one coming. They’ll make one hell of a power couple if it happens.”

  “You don’t seem terribly upset. I got the impression you didn’t like him.”

  “I don’t like him dancing with you.” Morgan paused and nodded. “Our families have a formal truce. We are partnering on a new venture, so why not an alliance of marriage.”

  “That sounds so medieval.”

  “It does, but if that is the beginnings of something, why not? Julia deserves to be happy. I just never expected it to be him.” Morgan led Honey through a different door into the house.

  Honey followed him through the game room they had been in last night. She began to recognize places, but she still had no idea how to get around in the house. Morgan continued to lead her through hallways and up a flight of stairs. He opened a set of double doors, and they emerged onto a balcony tucked into a corner where one wing of the mansion met the main house. Wrought iron balustrades surrounded them on two sides.

  Honey gasped as she looked at the view. The party continued below them. Spread out in front of them was a vista of rolling golden hills and grape vines. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows. The light made the hills glow.

  “This is gorgeous, Morgan.” She tilted her head to look up into his face. His gaze was on the rolling hills.

  Morgan glanced over at Honey. His glowing eyes reflected the color of the hills. He wrapped his arms around her so that she could lean back against his chest. Honey sighed, happy to relax into Morgan’s strength.

  She turned, lifting her face to kiss him. She pressed her lips to his then Morgan deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue through her lips to fully claim her. He broke the kiss long enough to scoop her into his arms before he began kissing her again. Without breaking their kiss, he nudged the door open enough to let him pass through.

  Honey wrapped her arms around his neck and watched his steady gaze as he carried her down the hall and into her room. He kicked the door shut behind him and placed Honey on the bed.

  “I thought no sneaking off to my room?”

  Morgan began removing his tie. “We’re not sneaking. I’m just not leaving.”

  22

  Honey snuggled into the warm cocoon of Morgan’s embrace. With her eyes closed, she inhaled his warm masculine scent. She lightly stroked the arm around her.

  They’d slept entwined in her double bed. Obviously, a larger bed was not necessary.

  They had made love several times. Morgan had clearly planned for the evening’s activities. They exhausted every condom he had stashed in her bag. She huffed in amusement. She hadn’t even noticed he had done that.

  She was in love with this man, and he said he loved her. It was scary and thrilling. Everything was about to change in her world. As long as she had Morgan, she thought she could handle anything that came her way.

  The smooth even rise and fall of his chest, his breath on her hair, lulled her back to sleep.

  Honey woke to a sharp knock on the door. She didn’t want to move. She was much too comfortable. The knock sounded again.

  Honey unwrapped herself from Morgan’s protective arms and tossed on a dressing gown.

  Jinx stood impatiently on the other side of the door. “Would you let Morgan know he’s expected in the dining room for a meeting at nine.” She turned on her heel and left. She clearly did not approve of having located Morgan in Honey’s room.

  “I heard,” Morgan groaned. He picked up his watch from the side table. “Seven-thirty. That’s enough time for a shower and breakfast.” He sat up. He scooped his shorts from the floor and pulled them on.

  Honey stood with her arms crossed as she watched him pull his slacks on and slip his long arms through his dress shirt sleeves. Morgan tossed the rest of his clothing items over one arm and picked up his shoes.

  Morgan leaned down for a kiss. “Meet you in the breakfast room in half an hour?”Morgan leaned down for a kiss.

  “I don’t know where that is, Morgan.” Honey stated dryly, moving her head to the side not letting him kiss her.

  “Right,” Morgan exhaled through his nose. “Sorry. I will come back for you in half an hour.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I love you. We’ll move you into my rooms tonight. And I’ll make sure you get a proper tour of the house this afternoon.”

  “Morgan, the only door I’ve been through more than once is that one right there. And the only place I know how to get to and from is the bathroom. I am at a distinct disadvantage here, and I really don’t like being woken up by that sneering woman. I just want to be able to get from one place to another without thinking I’m going to get lost and not knowing anyone if I do get lost. It’s annoying, okay.” Her tone was terse.

  “I know it is, sweetheart. And I’ve been lousy about it. But I will fix this. I want you to be comfortable here. It’s really not the labyrinth you think it is.”

  “I’ll talk to Jinx. She’ll make sure you can get around.”

  “No, she won’t. She clearly doesn’t like me. She is being passive-aggressive towards me. She could have told me you were walking JoJo down the aisle yesterday. Instead, she was so cryptic about it. And you didn’t see the look on her face just now. She disapproves of me for having you spend the night in here. It’s my fault you aren’t in your own bed.” Honey felt herself starting to cry. She wiped at her cheek and looked at her wet fingers. “I want you to show me around, not the staff.”

  She sat abruptly on the bed.

  “Ya’ know, five minutes ago I woke up, in love, in your arms, happy. And now I’m feeling very insecure because I don’t know where I am here without you. I am so out of my league, I almost like you better as a poor construction worker. I can’t keep up with this.” Honey gestured indicating everything. “You live in a house with staff.”

  Moran sat, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t say that. Come on. We’ll move your stuff now. You can shower there. I won’t leave you. And I will make sure you know where everything is.”

  Honey sniffed. “Draw me a map?”

  “I’ll draw you a map. I love you. Come on. Throw some clothes on.” Morgan stood and began tossing items into the duffle bag sitting on the side chair. Honey helped him stuff the rest of her belongings in the bag then she followed him down a series of halls.

  Honey was surprised when they entered Morgan’s rooms. The living space was a large open floor plan. Columns and an archway divided the living room from the bedroom area. Honey noted the large king-sized bed. She placed her items on one of the brown leather couches.

  Honey was amazed. “This is bigger than my whole apartment, and it’s inside of a house.”

  Morgan led her into the oversized bath. This was not a bathroom designed for multiple-person use but a spa-like luxury bathroom. A wide counter under a large mirror held only one sink. A large jacuzzi tub occupied one corner. A walk-in shower took over the opposite corner. A half wall protected the toilet from appearing to be in the middle of it all. Morgan leaned into the shower, spinning knobs to start the hot water. “You shower first.” He stood in the doorway and pointed back out towards his living room. “I’ll be in there. Don’t worry. I’m not leaving you alone.” He pointed back out towards his living room.

  “I have a better idea. Why don’t y
ou join me?” Honey teased.

  “That sounds like a beautiful suggestion, but I’m expected down stairs by nine. That won’t happen if I get into that shower with you this morning.”

  *

  Morgan held her hand all the way down to the kitchen. He made it a point to show Honey exactly where they were in relation to other locations in the house. Before they reached the kitchen, he showed her the breakfast room, a separate non-formal dining area where he usually ate his meals when not on the big table in the kitchen.Connie greeted them as they entered the kitchen. “Good morning, Honey, Morgan.” Honey noticed the frenzied activities of the morning before were gone. The kitchen was still bustling, just not frantic. Connie and a couple of assistants were preparing breakfast food in large trays.

  “Breakfast around here is usually whatever you make yourself.” Morgan began explaining. He reached into one of the trays and pulled out a triangle of french toast.

  “You can cook in here unless there is some big event or I’ve been requested to make a big meal, like today.” Connie continued for him. “You can’t cook in here if I’m too busy. Or if I have decided you aren’t allowed in my kitchen.”

  Morgan chuckled. “Yeah, I was banned for a full year because I ruined a pan.”

  “No, you were banned for setting fire to my kitchen and almost burning down the house.”

  “It wasn’t that bad,” Morgan grumbled playfully.

  “Oh, yes, it was. We had to scrub the walls and ceiling and repaint. Those scorch marks would not come off.”

  Honey laughed at their good-natured banter.

  “Did you miss the big breakfast on the back patio?” Connie asked. “It’s not as grand as yesterday’s. Not as many guests, but we still have a house full of people.”

  “You know I always come into the kitchen first. I don’t go looking for food to be set up.” Morgan snatched another slice of the fried bread and handed it to Honey. “Come on. Let’s go find this food.”

  Morgan led Honey out through the kitchen, past the breakfast room, and through sliding glass doors onto the back patio. This was a different patio than the one Honey remembered. This one was clearly set up for outdoor cooking and dining. The large brick grill looked more like an outdoor kitchen than a simple grill. Foil trays of the food from the kitchen were lined up along the grill buffet style. Connie was right. It wasn’t as elaborate as the day before, but there was plenty of food.

  Several guests sat around with paper plates on their laps enjoying their breakfasts. Honey noticed a few were wearing sunglasses and nursing large mugs of coffee. She expected they might have partied a little too hard the night before.

  After breakfast, Morgan showed Honey how to get from the kitchen to the games room.

  Loud groans and cheers from the group surrounding the large screen television grabbed Honey’s attention. A group of teens played a kinetic video game. A camera on the television sensed the players’ movements and translated them into in-game actions. The game intrigued Honey. It looked like fun.

  She stood watching the competition. She didn’t realize how physically energetic video games had become. Large yellow letters announced game over. The group groaned as a younger boy danced around excited with his win.

  “Want to play? Morgan asked.

  “Sure.”

  The kid who had lost the last game focused on the television screen with a controller in his hand.

  Morgan said behind him. “The lady wants to play. Set her up.”

  “The lady can wait her turn,” the kid said. One of his compatriots started slapping him on the shoulder, making him turn around.

  “Oh, crap. Sorry,” he said when he saw Morgan. “Yeah, she can play my turn.” His focus on Morgan, he handed Honey the control wand.

  “I have no idea what I’m doing,” she admitted to the younger boy she stood next to.

  “It’s easy. You move the way it tells you to move.”

  Honey read the prompts as they were displayed. The premise of the game seemed easy enough. The execution was an entirely different matter. She felt like a marionette with spastic strings as she tried to mimic the movements of the demented rabbit-like creature on the screen. She was breathless with laughter by the time Game Over displayed.

  The boy next to her repeated his victory dance until he caught sight of Morgan. He stopped moving and stared wide-eyed at the taller man. “Sorry” he squeaked, before dropping his controller and backing out of the room.

  “What did you do to that kid?” Honey asked as they left the room.

  “Went a little alpha on him.”

  Honey stopped. “Show me,” she demanded.

  She took a step back when Morgan’s face changed. His eyes blazed gold, his brow grew thicker, cheekbones sharper, teeth a little longer. Morgan flashed an angry menacing visage, then his face returned to normal. Morgan’s handsome chiseled features almost looked soft in comparison.

  “Okay. That’s frightening. You did that to scare him on purpose.”

  “Of course, I did. I have a reputation to uphold. Right now, winning a video game is going to rank that kid among his peers. I didn’t want him to think a victory against someone who has never played that system before is going to count. And I particularity didn’t want him to think winning a game against my girl means anything. Think of it as a stop gap measure, preventative ego maintenance.”

  “Well whatever you want to call it, it’s scary as hell, and I hope to never be on the receiving end of that face.” She placed her palm against his cheek. “I like this face much better.”

  Morgan placed his hand against hers and turned into her hand, kissing her palm.

  “Carolyn was telling me they are always in competition,” Honey said tilting her head back towards the game room.

  Morgan nodded. “Always. Especially the younger ones. They are continually trying to prove themselves. When they go off to college, it will be about grades, scholarships they don’t need, and school rankings. Once they graduate, they typically let their job status be the competitive ranking. The ones you don’t see competing are either submissive and they don’t really care or they are very dominant and don’t feel the need to compete.”

  “So, you weren’t one of the competitive ones?”

  “Are you kidding? I was in the middle of it all. Constantly, trying to top the kid next to me. Being dominant as a kid has more to do with self-esteem and ego than actual dominance. Not feeling the need to compete to show your strength doesn’t automatically translate into being a strong adult. It helps, but it’s no guarantee.”

  Remi wheeled toward them. “There you are, Morgan. You are expected in the dining room.”

  Honey looked at Morgan, a moment of panic crossed her face.

  “Miss Gould, I understand you like art.” Remi began. “While Morgan is in his meeting, I thought I would show you the family’s art collection.”

  “Go on,” Morgan said. “Remi won’t let you get lost. And he’s right. I think you’ll find our collection interesting. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

  Morgan leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear before turning and disappearing behind a set of large wood doors.

  *

  Morgan closed the dining room doors behind him. He felt like he was segregating his life into time with Honey and everything else. He needed to find balance. He needed to start letting Honey into the rest of his life. That or take her and run away and give it all up. That was an intriguing thought. Definitely, something he could reasonably consider. Turn around right now, go grab Honey and whisk her away from it all. He would definitely be able to spend his time focusing on what was important.

  Honey. She had become vital to his very breath, and he wasn’t sure he had made that clear to her yet.

  He blinked and focused on the others in the room. This looked like a war council. His gaze slid from Julia to Shane to Joe. Everyone’s face was grim. Not a smile in the bunch. Dante wasn’t happy, but he
looked more like he had yet to go to bed from last night’s revelries.

  “Are we waiting on anyone else?” Morgan asked.

  The consensus in the room was they were all present.

  Morgan pulled out the chair closest to him and sat. Julia slid over a handwritten agenda. Take it from Julia to have even an impromptu meeting organized. Morgan looked over the list. Nodding to himself.

  “All right. Fill me in.”

  Shane nodded to Julia, confirming he was first up on the agenda. “Cyan del Fuego has been more than cooperative. Del Fuegos have taken lead on the entire Lazarus investigation. At this point, we’re providing them support.”

  Morgan nodded. “Do we have a solid connection between Lazarus and the gents who picked me up?”

  “Nothing we could prove in court, but it’s him.”

  “Speaking of court,” Dante groaned. “Those documents from Cyan Group are pretty damaging for your friend Maplecourt. I’ve already identified the offshore account he’s been siphoning funds into. I just need to connect a few dots, then we can hand him over to Cyan with incontestable evidence.”

  “Good,” Morgan growled. “Anything else you found out about him? Anything?”

  “Give you a reason to eviscerate him before handing his carcass over to Cyan del Fuego?” Dante’s eyebrows lifted above his sunglasses.

  “Exactly.”

  With a scoff, Dante slid a file across the table to Morgan. “These are old, but I thought you might want to see them. They will make you angry. They certainly pissed me off, and I’m not in love with the girl.”

  Morgan opened the folder to a stack of color photographs. Honey, the wind whipping her hair, looked sad, dejected. Walking next to her, a glaring Bryce Maplecourt.

  “The guy who took these recognized her and thought he could sell them for one of those where are they now articles. He didn’t.”

  Morgan slowly sorted through the photos. Honey and Maplecourt were arguing. The progression of images laid out the events like a storyboard. The last few shots were of Maplecourt hitting Honey. Morgan crushed the last image in his fist. It showed Honey cowering before raised fists seconds before they would hit her.