You & Me Make Three: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book Three

by Jeannette Winters

  Morgan moaned as his tongue traced her lips, begging her to open to him. Any strength to resist was overshadowed by the raw need within her. She wanted his kisses, to feel his touch, to feel alive as a woman again. She’d been alone since . . .

  No. I can’t do this. I promised myself. It’s only going to end badly, and I can’t go through that again. It was painful, but she forced herself to put a hand on his chest and gently push him away. His hold on her tightened, then suddenly he released her. The absence of his touch and lips left her feeling empty and filled with yearning. Oh shit, it’s already too late; I want this man.

  He didn’t try to stop her as she opened the bottom drawer of her desk, pulled out her purse, and left him sitting on her desk. She was too flustered to speak to him. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It shouldn’t have happened. How am I going to face him tomorrow and then the next day? All the way home she lectured herself on keeping her distance. Nothing like giving the man mixed signals. Moan with sheer pleasure as he kisses me and then push him away and say nothing when I walk out. If he didn’t have any concerns about me before, I’m sure he’s got them now.

  When she arrived home her mother was just putting the plates on the table.

  “I was beginning to worry you were working late and would miss dinner.”

  Morgan kissed her mother’s cheek. “Mom you don’t know how much I appreciate you staying a bit later tonight. I was worried I was going to need to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Tyler.”

  “Tyler wouldn’t ever complain about that. Sit down for a minute. You look like you’ve had a tough day. Want to talk about it?”

  No way. But I know better than say nothing. Nothing is an admission of guilt. “Starting a new job is always tough, Mom.”

  Her mother, Elisabeth, sat down and patted the chair next to her. “Come on dear. Tell me all about it.”

  Morgan forced a smile and caved in, taking the seat offered. “I am out of my comfort zone; that’s all.”

  “Morgan, you’re brilliant. I’ve never seen you take on a challenge and not exceed everyone’s expectations. So why is this any different?” Elisabeth reached out and covered Morgan’s hands, which had been clamped together nervously on the table.

  She was very close with her mother. They were beyond family, and over the last several years their relationship had grown to best friends. If you can’t share this with a friend, then who can you share it with?

  “Would kissing the owner’s brother on my third day of employment be considered being an overachiever?” Morgan shook her head as she spoke. Even saying it, the words sounded ludicrous. Not the type of behavior anyone would expect from her.

  Elisabeth’s eyes widened, and her mouth gaped open before she burst out laughing. “Well, I guess your day wasn’t boring after all. Since you opened the door, spill the details about how you managed to kiss one of the most eligible bachelors in Boston.”

  How do you know this, Mom? Oh yeah, you follow the gossip columns. You don’t miss much do you? That didn’t mean she was going to tell her mother that Shaun had a girlfriend. Kissing a man who was attached, even if he was just dating, was a shame she was going to have to bear. Of course, it’s a shame that should be shared. How could you even think about kissing me? And how could I kiss you back? Damn, this is going to get complicated. We cannot ever let it happen again. I’ll make that perfectly clear tomorrow.

  Tyler walked into the room like clockwork. He didn’t say a word, just sat in his seat, waiting for dinner.

  Thank you, Tyler, for saving Mommy from a very awkward explanation. “Looks like we will have to finish this another time, Mom.”

  Morgan got up and kissed her son on the top of his head. I’ve missed you, my precious boy.

  Tyler pointed to the dish of spaghetti and meatballs in the center of the table.

  “Use your words, Tyler.”

  It was a reminder that she may need to give him for the rest of his life, but every time he spoke the words touched Morgan’s heart.

  “Mommy, I’m hungry. Time to eat.”

  “Yes, Tyler. Time to eat.”

  She kissed him again on the head before serving his food. He looked up at her and smiled. Love you, Tyler.

  Whatever her day was like, good or bad, coming home to her son made it a perfect night. This is what my life is. And it’s a great life. Remember that. Life is not a romance novel. It’s not happily ever after.

  Shaun resisted the urge to grab her wrist and pull her back into his arms. When he went down to her office, it wasn’t with the intention of kissing her. It was to gather information Bennett was reluctant to get for him. Tasting her sweet lips hadn’t been on my list, but damn it should’ve been.

  Watching the sway of her hips as she scurried down the hall to escape him didn’t help to cool him off any. She may have stopped the kiss, but it wasn’t because she wasn’t enjoying it. He felt her passion, her desire for him. It was something else that made her pull away so abruptly. Maybe she has a boyfriend. Or she’s married.

  He ran his hand through his hair and stood up. Answers weren’t going to come to him. He needed to go get them. If Bennett wasn’t willing to help, then he was going to take the initiative to seek them out himself.

  He pulled out his cell phone and called for the limo. He wasn’t sure where to start, but he’d never given up on anything he wanted before. Right now he wanted to know everything there was to know about Morgan.

  While waiting for the car to arrive, his phone rang. Dean. The call didn’t come as any surprise, as the family still kept him at a distance when it came to business affairs. Maybe someday they’ll understand.

  Shaun tried to assist his family with financial advice, but they never wanted to hear it. He understood why. They all felt the wrath of their father, but Shaun had mastered the art of persuasion at a young age. It didn’t mean his father loved him or even respected him, but it meant he’d been able to talk his way out of things a bit better than the rest of his siblings. In that household, that was enough to raise a red flag.

  He didn’t blame them for not trusting him. Most people thought he was kissing his father’s ass. The truth was all these years he knew to keep his enemies close. And his enemy was his father, James Henderson. So he had worked closely with their father at Poly-Shyn. Not because he loved the man, and surely not because their father had any love or respect for Shaun. Someone had to keep a close eye on him. Over the years, Shaun had caught wind of their father’s manipulating ways to continue to hurt the family. It hadn’t been easy, sometimes taking the hit himself, but he’d always been able to put a stop to it. They might not ever know what he’d done, or even believed it, but he had the emotional scars to prove it. And you checking up on me, Dean, is proof this family still doesn’t trust me. And probably never will.

  “Hope you’re not calling to talk about flowers or dresses because I’ll disconnect the call quickly.”

  Dean laughed. “You have no idea what this trip is like. I’d rather be thrown into the lions’ pit and need to negotiate my way out. Really, how many shades of purple can there be?”

  “I’ll pass on that.”

  “For now, Shaun. Someday this will be you.” Dean laughed again.

  I can guarantee that will never be me. He wasn’t about to get back on the topic of a few days ago. Why the family all of a sudden thought he needed someone in his life was beyond him. If they wanted to play matchmaker, they could do it with Logan or Alex. His sister, on the other hand . . . he wasn’t sure there ever would be anyone good enough for her. Actually, I know there won’t be.

  “Was there something else you wanted to talk about?”

  “Yes. I received the contact for the deal in Florida.”

  Shaun knew exactly which one that was. He’d reviewed it and given it back to Donald himself the first day. “Good, I told Brittany-Lynn to make sure to send it once it was typed up for final signature.”

  “Yeah. The changes you made were right o
n. Good call, Shaun. Thanks.”

  Changes? I didn’t approve any changes. If I didn’t then who the hell did? Shaun had no idea what Dean was talking about. That document was prepared exactly as Dean had instructed. Since Dean was pleased, mentioning that tidbit of information didn’t seem important. It doesn’t matter that you liked them; I’m more worried that someone broke protocol and made changes to what should’ve been a final document. Are they testing the waters to see if it would go unnoticed until they make their move on something much bigger? That is something Dad would’ve done. It’s impossible to be him, so who then? Digging into who made the changes was going to be a top priority in the morning. Things like this sometimes take time and manpower. He had both. This wasn’t going to be overlooked. Not while I’m around.

  “Once I have your signed copy I’ll get it submitted for processing.”

  “Next time you make a change, make a note on it. It was just luck that I caught this one.”

  Open your damn eyes, Dean. Get your head back in business where it needs to be. But until you do, I’ve got this. Going forward he was going to need all contracts sent to him first, and he would forward them to Brittany-Lynn. Dean finally had turned Poly-Shyn around. A huge screw-up on a contract could tank everything Dean had done to bring Poly-Shyn back on top, and that made them a target.

  “You’ve got it.”

  Shaun entered the limo, and instead of looking into Morgan’s past tonight as he had expected to, he needed to do some different digging.

  He called Bennett. He might not want to assist with Morgan, but he knew he’d work with a mystery. Whoever was messing with the contracts needed to be stopped before any damage was done.

  “What do you need now, Shaun?”

  “Hope you’re still local, because I need you back at Poly-Shyn.”

  “Not more girl problems, I hope,” Bennett teased.

  Shaun was not in the mood for any of his shit today. Can’t this man just take a fucking order and do it? How did he make it all those years in the Marines with smart ass remarks?

  Shaun was tempted to see who else could be pulled in, but Bennett was very familiar with the history of Poly-Shyn and probably still had all the background checks on the employees. He was the logical choice.

  Bennett told Shaun to email him a copy of the contract that had been changed, and he would start digging into it.

  “I’ve kept my ears close to the ground for the past several months, Shaun. Whatever is going on doesn’t seem to intend harm to the company. Give me until sometime next week, and I’ll let you know what I find.

  So much for having a turnaround time of a few seconds. “I was hoping to have an answer before Dean and Tessa return.”

  “If I thought there was even the slightest risk, I’d have my men there now.”

  Shaun had no choice but to trust Bennett’s expertise. Not only did he come highly recommended by their brother Brice, but he’d saved Tessa’s and Dean’s lives. Got to cut a man like that some slack. But he better have some answers next week.

  “If you’re wrong—”

  “I’m not.”

  He disconnected the call. Shaun liked to be in control so he could predict the outcome. Having to rely on another person was foreign to him. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do some digging himself while waiting.

  Morgan, you’re going to have to wait. But trust me, I won’t forget about you.

  Chapter Five

  “Zoey, I’m telling you, something is going on. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “Shaun, we all still look over our shoulders thinking we see a shadow approaching. But we can’t live our lives like that forever.”

  He knew she wanted to get back to a normal life. That was why he was so diligent in keeping an eye open. He’d failed to see the threat Tim was. He’d dropped the ball, thinking things had changed, but the reality was there would always be haters lurking, maybe not violent ones, but they were there. That was why all these years he’d stayed so close to Poly-Shyn. But when needed most, he’d shut himself off. He told himself it was because he was so busy with work, but that wasn’t the truth. He really thought once their father had died no one else could hurt them to the extent he had. How wrong I was. I’ll never make that mistake again.

  “If it means protecting the family, then that’s what we need to do. Don’t trust anyone.”

  He could see she hated hearing those words. Their childhood had been horrendous, and now he was telling her their adult life wasn’t going to be any happier. Hate me if you must. As long as you’re safe, I don’t care.

  “That’s easy for you to say, Shaun. You like keeping your distance from everyone. But some of us are tired of living that way. Look at Brice and Dean. If they can find happiness out of all the craziness we grew up with, then why not me? Why not you?”

  Because I spent too many years working close with Dad, trying to read him, understand him, get into his psyche so far that I’m not sure I can get him out of mine. No one deserves to be exposed to that level of madness. It should’ve died with him, but I feel as though he’s infected me with his bitterness and hate.

  “Zoey, you’ll find someone someday.” He’ll just have to pass my interrogation first.

  She slumped into the couch in the office. “I don’t know. Lately, I don’t have an inclination to date. Well, there is one, but I don’t think he’s interested.”

  Shaun raised a brow. Zoey had never spoken of a man before. At least, not in a very long time. If there was someone coming around now, he needed to know. “Who is it? What’s his name? How did you meet?”

  She let out a long sigh. “Let’s see how to put it. Oh yeah, none of your business. I’m your big sister, remember? My job to take care of you. Not the other way around.”

  Enjoy it. But I’ll find out. I have resources. Just another thing to put on Bennett’s list. “Okay, so we have an understanding. You stop asking about Morgan, and I’ll stay out of your personal life.”

  The grin on her face wasn’t convincing. She was up to something. If he weren’t so concerned about who was playing with the Poly-Shyn contracts, he’d push the subject with her even further.

  “So what are you planning on doing? Dean is coming back Monday. There is no reason for you to stay on. You can go back to your office, run your own business.”

  “I spoke to Dean briefly earlier this morning. He doesn’t believe there’s an issue, but he agreed an added pair of eyes here for the short-term would be beneficial. The vacant office next to Dean’s will be set up this weekend. I’ll be working from there until further notice.”

  Her eyes widened with disbelief then softened to her usual happy self. “Good. That means when I show up for my unexpected lunch dates, I can drag you along with Dean. I wonder how many other brothers I can get to move their offices here?” She was tapping her chin as though her mind was already plotting.

  “I’m not here to play, Zoey,” he said in a firm voice, but she ignored him as expected.

  “Not Logan as he needs to stay close to the hospital. But Alex could and probably should move here. Have you seen his office? It looks like something from a sci-fi movie. There’s nothing inviting about it. I told him he needs a leather couch so when he gets bored he can take a nap. You’d think he could’ve found some humor in that, but for once, he didn’t crack a smile.” She looked off into the distance in deep thought. “I think I’d better go and check on him when I’m done with you.”

  Please go now. I’m sure he needs your “help” more than I do. “Good, tell him I said hello.”

  She gave him a look saying she didn’t appreciate him kicking her out of the office. “You’re lucky I want to miss the Friday night rush-hour traffic. I’m surprised you haven’t already left. Are you hanging around in hopes of seeing Morgan again?”

  He shot her a warning look. She raised her hands in surrender, but her laughter said she’d won.

  “Good night, Zoey. Now go home and remember what I said.
Keep your eyes open.”

  She nodded and walked over to where he sat; leaning forward she gave him a huge hug. What the heck? I don’t do hugs. You know that. Is there something you’re not telling me, Zoey? When he looked into her eyes, he saw a hint of sadness he’d not seen before. Had it been there all along, and he was too damned absorbed in his own shit to notice?

  “Zoey, is everything okay?” His voice was clearly filled with concern. But he didn’t care. This was his sister and what affected her, affected him.

  “Tired I guess; I haven’t been sleeping very well lately.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve been getting these headaches. Must be stress. You’re right. It’s time to go home.”

  When she let go of him, he grabbed her hand and asked, “Do you want me to drive you?”

  Zoey laughed, but he could tell it was forced. “You’re not going to cramp my style by hovering over me on a Friday night. Good try.”

  Shaun waited until she left his office then picked up the phone and dialed his brother Logan.

  “What’s up Shaun?”

  “Do me a favor. Stop in and check on Zoey this weekend. Don’t tell her I asked.”

  There was a slight pause then Logan asked, “Shaun, what’s going on? You don’t sound yourself at all.”

  “Just do it, Logan. It might be nothing, but just do it.”

  “Will do.”

  He hung up the phone but now was more stressed than before. Keep an eye on Poly-Shyn, and an eye on Zoey and the rest of the family, and which eye is supposed to watch Morgan? I guess I’ll have to work on her on the weekends. Like this weekend.

  He buzzed Brittany-Lynn. “Get me Morgan’s home address.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I don’t need Bennett to do this. I’m a great judge of character. All I’ll need to do is see her five minutes in her own environment, and I’ll have my answer.