I didn’t wait for her as I got out of my truck. I just headed for the elevator and hoped she followed. When we got to the lobby, I stepped out and cleared my throat. “Um…You can go sit in the conference room. I’ll be in after I talk to the guys.”
“Sure.” She turned and walked away and I bolted. Down in the training area, I found some of the guys working out. I walked right up to Gabe, tapping him on the shoulder. He turned to me with his beat up face and scowled.
“What do you want, fucker?”
“I’ve got a problem.”
“Yeah? So do I. Do you see my face? I didn’t get laid last night because of you. Isa didn’t want ‘to hurt me’.”
“I’ve got bigger issues than your dick.”
“Like what?”
“My dick. It ended up in Morgan last night and now she’s acting all weird.”
He sighed, his shoulders sinking like he was carrying the weight of the world on them. “You already slept with her, so what’s the problem?”
“Fuck if I know. We were here last night and talking about her daughter. She finally realized that she wasn’t going to be able to find her daughter through Wes and she broke down. Being the nice guy that I am, I comforted her. I brought her home with me-”
“Whoa. You brought her home? Why would you do that?”
“Because, it’s not like she had anywhere else to go.”
“Bullshit, you could have sent her to a hotel or a safe house.”
“I could have, but she was upset and I didn’t want to be an asshole.”
“When has that stopped you before?” he asked with a smirk.
“Look, I’m serious. You have to help me. I don’t know what the fuck to do.”
“Why don’t you talk to someone else about this? In case you forgot, I actually had to convince Isa to give me a chance and then to move in with me. You need to talk to someone with the fear.”
“The fear?”
“Yeah, someone who had the fear.” He looked around the room, assessing who was around. “You need Hunter or Ice.” He whistled loudly and then called for both of them. Of course, everyone and their mother followed because they were curious. This was fucking ridiculous.
“Thanks. Now everyone’s gonna give their input.”
“Hey, you need it. I can’t help you on this one.”
Hunter walked up and gave Gabe a chin lift, but kept his distance. Ever since he thought Gabe was hitting on him, he still couldn’t be that close to him without getting skeeved out.
“Chance is having woman problems.” Hunter nodded and all the guys gathered around closer to hear what the situation was. Thank God not everyone was here. I didn’t need that many people up my ass.
“Hit me,” Hunter said.
“Okay, so I slept with Morgan, that stripper that was actually not a stripper, but posing as a stripper to find her daughter.”
“Yeah?”
I cleared my throat, uncomfortable having to say anything. “So, last night she freaked out about her daughter and I comforted her.”
I got smacked on the back of the head and turned to see who it was. “What the fuck was that for, asshole?” Chris was glaring at me with those dark eyes that always freaked me the fuck out. If I was scared of anyone around here, besides Knight, it was Chris. The man just looked like he was always ready to murder someone. Unless he was around Ali and his kids. Then he was all rainbows and kittens.
“We respect women. You don’t try and comfort a woman that lost her daughter with your dick.”
“I didn’t. I was giving her a hug while she cried. I comforted her. Anyway, she didn’t have anywhere to go so I took her home and set her up in my bedroom. I slept in the living room and she came out in the middle of the night and tripped over my feet and the way we landed-”
“Nope,” Ice said, shaking his head. “Don’t even try it. Accidental fucking is mine and you can’t steal it.”
“I didn’t accidentally fuck her. That’s not even a real thing,” I snapped. “We did fuck though and in the morning, she was all draped over me and shit.”
“Yeah, I get it. She stifled you,” Hunter said, nodding, but not really understanding.
“That wasn’t all. I fell back asleep and when I woke up…she was doing stuff.”
“Like, what kind of stuff?” Alec asked. “Kinky stuff?”
“No, like…domestic stuff.” The guys all stared at me. Not one of them understood what I was saying. “She did my laundry. She went grocery shopping and made breakfast. She asked me if she should fold my clothes!”
Eyebrows went up all around me and suddenly, I wasn’t quite the asshole they all thought I was.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Morgan
I SAT IN the conference room waiting for Chance. It had been ten minutes and I wondered if he was ever coming back. Based on the way he acted this morning, I was guessing that he was running for the hills. I’d never seen a man act so strange.
I sat there, drumming my fingers on the table as I waited and got more irritated by the minute. It wasn’t until a woman with two kids and a swollen belly walked past the door and eyed me that I felt someone actually noticed I was here waiting. A minute later, she was back, sans kids, and sat down by me at the table.
“I’m Maggie,” she smiled, waiting for me to introduce myself. She had shrewd eyes, like she was assessing me and trying to figure me out. Was this some sort of test to see if I was trustworthy?
“Morgan.”
Her eyes lit up and she shoved her hand in front of me. “I’m Sebastian’s wife. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
“So, are you waiting for someone to meet with you?”
“Yeah. Chance plopped me down in here, saying he had to go talk with the guys. Whatever that means.”
Her brows furrowed and she cocked her head to the side. “Are you with Chance?”
I blushed and ducked my head. Did sleeping with someone count as being with someone? Not really. “I wouldn’t say that. We’ve…” I struggled to find an appropriate way to say ‘we fuck’. Turns out, there really isn’t a good way to say that.
“So, how often does this happen?”
“The fucking?” I slapped a hand over my mouth as her head bent back and she roared with laughter.
“Oh my gosh. Yeah, I think you’re right for Chance.”
“Um…right for Chance? I’m not interested in anything with Chance. I’m just trying to find my daughter and he was there,” I shrugged.
“See? That right there proves that you’re the one for Chance. Mr. ‘I don’t do relationships’.”
“Neither do I. At least not until I find my daughter.”
“Sebastian told me about that. Is there anything I can do to help? I used to be a reporter. I have lots of contacts.” My ears perked up at that and she noticed. “So, what were you supposed to meet about today?”
“Well, I was looking for The Broker for information, but I ended up in a well for it. Now I’m just trying to find some scrap of information that can help me. I had this huge breakdown last night about it, but that’s not going to help me get her back. Chance has been so good to me, so, well that’s kind of why I was so confused this morning.”
“What happened this morning?” she asked eagerly. I could see why she was a reporter. I had known her all of five minutes and I wanted to spill all my secrets to her. She was just so easy to talk to. And that pregnant belly really tricked me into thinking she was just a sweet housewife, but I had a feeling she was anything but.
“Well, after he took me home, he was so nice. He gave up his room and let me sleep in his bed. Then when I got up in the middle of the night, I tripped over him and we ended up having sex. It just really helped me take my mind off Payton and kind of reset my mind. So, I wanted to thank him. I went to make breakfast, but there was literally nothing in the fridge. And then I noticed that he had clothes everywhere, so I threw them in the laundry. I mean, I couldn’t just stand ar
ound waiting for him to wake up, so I made myself useful. After I had the laundry in, I went to the store and picked up some groceries to make him a nice breakfast, but apparently that was the wrong thing to do because I took his truck and that’s like some kind of offense punishable by death. You should have seen his face.”
“Oh, I bet. These men are very sensitive about their trucks. Just do yourself a favor and don’t bring it up in front of anyone, especially Sinner. His poor truck got wrecked right after he got it.”
“It’s a vehicle. How can men be so attached to it?”
“Because, the size of the truck equates to the size of the dick.”
“Really?” She nodded like she couldn’t believe it either. “Well, he was weird about breakfast and then when I took his laundry out of the dryer and held it out to him, he just looked at me like I was insane. So, I figured he wanted me to fold his laundry too. So, I asked him and he snapped at me and then did this weird walk where he wouldn’t turn his back to me. It’s like he thought I was going to attack him. And then he was quiet the whole way here and acted like he didn’t know me.”
She started laughing, but I didn’t understand it.
“What? What’s so funny?”
She started laughing harder, unable to stop as tears ran down her face. I wished she would stop laughing and clue me the fuck in. I slammed my hand down on the table and she finally reined in the laughter.
“I’m sorry, it’s just so funny. He’s gonna get so much shit from the guys.”
“For what? I don’t understand any of it.”
She leaned forward, patting my hand with hers. “He thinks you’re trying to basically wife him.”
“Wife him? What does that even mean?”
“Like, move in. Take over the role of the wife in the house. You cooked breakfast. You did laundry. You offered to fold it,” she laughed.
My eyes went wide as it dawned on me how he took my thank you. I burst out laughing along with Maggie and couldn’t stop. “Why would he assume that I was trying to get together with him? I’ve never given him any ideas that was what I was looking for.”
“It doesn’t matter. Men are so suspicious. You can’t do anything without one of them thinking you’re trying to get something out of them.”
“So, what? He’s with the guys trying to figure out how to deal with me?”
“Basically. I swear, these men don’t have a brain between them when it comes to women.”
“Why wouldn’t he just talk to me about it?”
“Why don’t men stop and ask for directions?” she shot back. It was so very true.
“If he had asked, I would have just explained that I was trying to thank him. In fact, I think I did say that.”
“It doesn’t matter. They see our mouths moving and they just tune everything out. It’s not about what you say, it’s about what you do.”
“No, that can’t be it. Every time I tried to show my ex how I was feeling, he said that I had to be more specific; that he wasn’t a mind reader.”
“Well, that’s because they can’t make up their minds about what they actually think. Men always think that we’re complicated, but really, they’re the ones that are so damn confusing. They have basically three needs, right?”
“Food, sex, work.”
“Right. So, everything is supposed to fit into one of those categories. Everything else doesn’t mean jack shit to them, or so they say. However, if you ask a man if he can fix the steps on the porch, he’ll say that he’ll get to it later. Then, when it doesn’t get fixed and you hire someone to do it, he complains that he could have done it if you had just told him you needed it done right away.”
“But you shouldn’t have to clarify that broken steps need to be fixed,” I agreed.
“Exactly, but men say they can’t read minds and you should have been more specific.”
“Okay, well that fits into the work category. Simple. It’s one of their basic needs.”
“Ah, but it’s not. See, there are many more needs that they have, but refuse to acknowledge or they’re actually subcategories of the main categories. It’s a very complicated system. I’d have to draw you a diagram.”
“Okay, so if it’s a subcategory, why wouldn’t it get done?”
“Because it falls into that protective category, which every man here has in spades. Now, if you had fallen down the stairs and broken your arm, that step would have been fixed in five minutes. If you were pregnant, you wouldn’t be able to walk down the stairs by yourself. But, if you are perfectly healthy, that protective category has a little leeway.”
“Um…so I get what you’re saying, but I’m confused about how it fits into my situations with Chance.”
“To put it simply, last night, you were distraught and it kicked in his protective instincts. Then, this morning, you were this regular woman that was in his house and you didn’t fall into any of his categories.”
“But I made him breakfast,” I said stupidly.
“Yes, but it was after sex and that went into another subcategory.”
“Which one is that?”
“The morning after category. Every man has a way to deal with the morning after. Obviously, Chance has a specific way to deal with women he sleeps with and you threw him off. He didn’t know how to deal with you, let alone open his mouth and talk to you about it.”
“So, what do I do now?”
“Well, you can either ignore it and let it blow over or you can fuck with him.”
“While fucking with him would be fun, I have bigger things to worry about than his after morning freak-out.”
“Great!” She slapped her hands on the table energetically. “Are you ready to go find out some information?”
“About what?”
“Your daughter. I still have contacts and Pittsburgh is only an hour away. Come on, we’re burning daylight!”
She practically jumped out of her chair, which was amazing to me considering she looked like she was at least six months pregnant. I got up quickly and followed her out. If no one else was going to come in here and get to work with me, I would go with the one person that really seemed excited to help at the moment.
I followed her into the elevator and watched as she gave the same hand print, eye sensor crap that Chance had. When we got to the garage and stepped out, she grabbed my hand and immediately started pulling me to the left like her pants were on fire.
“Hey, why are we practically running?”
“Freckles! Stop right there!”
I turned to see a man running after us. Maggie looked behind us and started waddling faster toward a truck that was still quite a good distance away. The man caught up to us in no time, running ahead until he was stopped right in front of us. He was such a handsome man, hot actually. Handsome was such an understatement for this man. His eyes were so amazing that I actually thought I might get lost in them. But he most definitely wasn’t her husband.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m just taking Morgan for a drive.”
“No, you’re not. Morgan is supposed to be meeting with Cap this morning. In fact, she’s supposed to be in there in just a few minutes.”
I watched the two of them bicker back and forth like a married couple. It was really strange. Maggie got right in his face, pushing her belly into him. “Sinner, don’t make me do it.”
“Don’t you dare,” he warned. “Cara stays out of this.”
I watched as her eyes misted over and she cradled one hand in the other. “Sinner, please. You know how difficult it’s been for me since that night. I have this reminder every day that seeps into my dreams at night. I just need to feel alive, like myself again.”
His face softened and he pulled her into his embrace, running his hand up and down her back as he rested his chin on top of her head. “I wish I could have stopped those assholes. I would have done anything to keep you from having to go through that.”
“I know,” she sniffled.
/> He sighed and pulled back, wiping the tears from her face. “Come on, I’ll drive you wherever you need to go.”
He took her hand and turned for the truck. She looked over her shoulder and winked at me and motioned for me to follow. I had no idea what that was all about, but I definitely needed lessons from her in whatever manipulation tactics she used.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sniper
“WAIT, SO SHE just started cleaning your house, like some psycho?” Hunter asked in confusion.
“Yeah.” My eyes were practically bulging from my head as I talked to the guys about this. It was just insane and made me feel like I was losing my mind. “Do you know how fucking disturbing it is to wake up to a woman doing your laundry and cooking you breakfast?”
“It’s called a wife,” Chris shot back.
“To you it is, but I don’t have a fucking wife.”
“Maybe she’s applying for the job,” Gabe laughed.
“This is serious,” I said as I got in his face. “She’s upstairs right now and we’re gonna spend all day together trying to find her kid. Then she’s gonna come home with me and sleep in my bed and use my fucking hypoallergenic pillow. What the hell am I supposed to do while she takes over my house?”
“Buy another pillow?” Chris suggested.
I took a deep breath, trying not to unleash my anger. These guys thought everything was so simple now that they were all married and had a different set of problems. I was trying to avoid that altogether.
“I can’t have her walking around my house, cooking and cleaning. She’ll think she can stay.”
“Are you planning to kick her out?” Alec asked.
“No, of course not. I’m not a total asshole.”
“Then why do you care if she cooks and cleans for you?”
“Because, those things lead to a certain comfort level. Then, she’s fighting with me about where things go and trying to change the way I do shit in my own fucking house. Just ask Ice. He went through it with Lindsey.”
Ice looked around the training center and then leaned in, whispering quietly to all of us. “Look, between us, she did do that and now nothing in my life is the way it should be. My tools aren’t where they should be. My kitchen cabinets are all rearranged. I can’t even put my fucking toothbrush on the side of the sink that I want to. And every fucking time I piss her off, she has to bring up something about bed bugs. It’s a fucking pain in the ass, but if you ask me in front of her, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I love everything she’s done to rearrange my house and it makes everything so much better.”
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