by McCoy, SJ
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “Don't tempt me, Meggie. I wanted to let you know what you're getting into. Give you chance to change your mind.”
She took her hand away and reached back down to the front of his pants. He closed his eyes as she stroked him through his jeans. She looked up at him with wide eyes. “That's quite a package you've got in there, Doctor Morgan.”
He smiled. “I just hope you're going to like it.”
She nodded uncertainly. “I like the idea.”
“As long as you can relax, I think you'll like the reality too.” She was still stroking him, making it hard to focus, straining his self-control as well as his pants.
“I'm sure I will.” She smiled up at him now. “It will be a new reality for me though.”
He raised an eyebrow. She wasn't saying....?
She shook her head. “Not completely new. I told you. I have had sex.” Her cheeks were pink, but she carried on. “But only with one person. We weren't very good at it. And he wasn't like you.”
He waited for her to go on. Not wanting to guess what she meant. She looked thoroughly embarrassed, and it didn't seem as if she was going to elaborate. “Wasn't like me how, Meggie?”
She stared up at him for a moment, obviously struggling. She stopped stroking him and brought her hand back up in front of her face. She made a fist, then gave him that naughty, guilty little smile as she held up a crooked pinky finger and wiggled it. “My guess would be that he wasn't even half the man you are.”
Michael had to laugh. She was completely adorable!
She smiled back at him then reached down to touch him again. “I'm not scared though. Nervous maybe, but I trust you. You make me feel good. The things you say, the things you do, you just seem to know how to make me feel good.” She kneaded at him, making him close his eyes and draw in a deep breath. “And I think that with the, err, well...the size of things, you're going to make me feel very, very good.”
He hugged her tight, silently promising her that he would make her feel better than she ever had. She seemed so naïve, and she was putting all her trust in him. He felt a real responsibility, but more than that, a real desire, to be the best she'd ever known. As he nuzzled his face into her hair, he already knew there wasn't much in her past that he had to compete with. What surprised him was the strong possessive surge that rushed through him at the thought of anyone else in her future. He hated the idea. He held her close against his chest, stunned at the realization that he wanted to be her future. He needed to be careful about thinking like that. He had Ethan to consider.
***
Ethan squeezed his arms tight around Michael's neck as he gave him a piggy back up the path to his mom's house.
“Are you going to be okay, Dad? I keep leaving you by yourself.”
Michael grinned. “I'll be fine, little mate. Don't you worry about me. You just make sure you behave for Grandma, okay?”
Ethan hugged him. “I will, Dad. Do you want to stay too? What are you going to do?”
Michael had been wrestling with the idea of telling the little guy about Megan. It was a big deal. He hadn't allowed a woman into their life since he and Kay had divorced. But Megan was different. The whole situation was different. Ethan already knew her, and liked her. Summer Lake was too small for Michael to date her and not have Ethan hear about it somehow. Michael would would hate for him to find out that way, so he made his decision. He turned around and headed back down the path.
Ethan laughed and took hold of his ears, trying to steer him back towards the house. “Dad! You're going the wrong way!”
“I'm not, mate. We're going for a walk, so I can tell you what I'm going to be doing tonight.”
“Cool. What you doing?”
“I'm going out on a date.”
Michael nearly choked as Ethan squeezed his arms tight around his neck. “Seriously? Dad, that's awesome!” He leaned around so he could look Michael in the eye, a big cheeky grin on his face. “At least I think it's awesome. You do mean with a woman, right?”
Michael laughed. “What else would I mean?”
Ethan was laughing too. “Well, you never go out with women. I was starting to wonder if maybe after Mum you decided to turn gay!”
He swung the little guy down to the ground. They were both laughing hard now. “There's nothing wrong with being gay, mate.”
Ethan couldn't stop giggling. “I know. I didn't mean that. It's just that it wouldn't suit you, would it? So come on. Who are you going out with? Is it anyone I know?”
Michael grinned at him. “It is.”
“Aw, Dad! That's not fair. You have to tell me who.”
“Who do you think it might be? Who would you like it to be?”
Ethan pulled a face at him. “I don't know who it could be. It can't be anyone I would like it to be.”
Michael frowned, puzzled. “What do you mean, mate?”
“Well, when we first came here I wanted it to be Auntie Missy. But she's with Dan, and I'm glad, Dan's cool.”
Michael nodded. He could see how the idea of him and Missy together would have appealed to the kid.
“And all your other friends are married, or getting married. Auntie Em is awesome. Auntie Holly is too.” Michael tried to hide a smile as Ethan's cheeks tinged with pink. “And Laura is hot! But she's with Smoke and he's a pilot.”
Michael had to laugh. “But I'm a doctor.”
Ethan shook his head. “Sorry dad, it doesn't have the same cool factor as pilot.”
Michael shrugged. “Fair enough. So you're not even going to guess who it might be?”
Ethan thought about it. “I can't. I can't think of anyone else that you know.”
“Maybe she's someone you don't think I know. Say....someone from the library?”
Ethan's face lit up. “Miss Reid? Oh my God, Dad! Are you going out with Miss Reid? She's more than awesome! But how do you even know her?”
Michael laughed. “You got it, mate. I'm going out with Miss Reid. I met her at the resort this weekend.”
“And you didn't tell me? When's she coming over to ours?”
Michael stared at him. He hadn't even thought about that yet. He knew Ethan liked Megan, but hadn't known what his reaction might be to his dad going out with her.
“I dunno yet, mate. We'll have to see how it goes.”
Ethan scowled at him. “How can it go anywhere if we don't get to hang out with her?”
“Well, I kind of thought maybe I should hang out with her first, you know?”
“That's not fair! What about me?”
Michael wrapped his arms around the little guy and hugged him tight. “It's all about you, mate! I just don't want you getting used to hanging out with her if it's not going to work out between me and her.”
“Well, that's dumb!”
Michael bit back a smile. Ethan was obviously pissed off at him. “Why's it dumb? I thought it was the smart move.”
“How can it be smart? I should get to hang out with her from the beginning. Especially if you think it might not work out. It's not fair that I don't get to hang out with her before you mess it up.”
Michael laughed. “I'm not planning on messing it up. I'm trying to protect you, not leave you out.”
Ethan scowled up at him. “She likes me. We get on great.”
Wow! Michael hadn't even thought of that angle. “It's not that. I know she likes you. She already told me how great you are.”
That made him smile again. “Good. So next time, she can come to ours, right?”
Michael thought about it. “We'll see. I'll ask her.”
Ethan grinned now. “Okay. We'd better get in to Grandma's then, so you can get going. You don't want to be late. Chicks don't like it when you're late.”
“How do you know that?”
Ethan waggled his eyebrows. “You're not the only one who's not gay, Dad.”
Michael laughed out loud. “We need to talk about this.”
Etha
n was already heading up to the house. “We will, but not now. You need to get a wriggle on.”
“Not just yet I don't. I'm not seeing her till later and I want to say hi to Uncle Gabe before I go anyway.”
Ethan ran ahead, around to the back of the house. Michael caught up with him as he let himself into the kitchen.
“Dad's going out on date!” he shouted.
As usual Michael’s parents were in the kitchen. His dad was seated in his armchair in the corner while his mom was baking. Gabe was sitting at the huge table, and laughed as Ethan burst in.
“And I take it you're happy about it?” he asked.
Ethan nodded vigorously. “I am.” He shot Michael a cheeky grin. “As long as he doesn't mess it up. Grandma, Grandma!” He ran over and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Dad's going out with Miss Reid. Isn't that cool?”
Watching his mom smile down at his son as she hugged him back, Michael knew for certain that coming back to the lake had been the right decision. This was where he belonged. It was so good for Ethan to have the kind of family life he'd never known before.
“I think it's very cool!” said his mom. “And you don't mind?” As she asked Ethan, she raised an eyebrow at Michael. He'd told her he wasn't going to say anything yet.
“Like I said, long as he doesn't mess it up!”
Michael smiled at his mom. “I thought I should check with Ethan that it was okay.”
She nodded, then looked at the boy. “Have a little faith in your father. He's not going to mess it up. He's going to have a very nice evening, with a very nice lady.”
Gabe was grinning at him. “So who is this Miss Reid?”
His dad piped up from the corner. “She's the librarian.” He grinned at Gabe. “Wears glasses and her hair tied up in a bun.”
Gabe laughed and gave Michael a knowing look. “She does, does she?”
Michael waggled his eyebrows at him. “Yep!”
His mom shook her head at them. “Don't you need to get going, angel? You don't want to be late.”
Ethan came and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Told you, Dad. You don't want to be late. You should go. Grandma and I have work to do anyway.”
Michael hugged him tight. “Okay, mate. You be good. I'll see you tomorrow.”
Gabe followed him out. “All right, Michael. Explain it to me. The first time you tell the kid you're going out with a woman, and she's a librarian? That doesn't sound like your type.” He gave a dirty laugh. “Apart from the bit where she lets her hair down and takes her glasses off before she gets naked for you. What's the score?”
Michael laughed. “Typical that you go right to the standard sexual fantasy. If only mom knew how far from an angel you really are.”
Gabe shrugged. “Hey, I'm not the only one. She might have named us after angels, but that's as far as it goes. So come on, tell me about this chick. What's so special about her that you're finally telling Ethan that you're dating?”
Michael stared at him. What was so special about her? He was sure that if he tried to explain it his brother, of all people, would not understand.
Gabe looked at him with a mixture of shock and excitement on his face. “Damn, Michael! I'm guessing she's really special.”
“What makes you say that?”
“The fact that you look uncomfortable, that you're trying to figure out what to say, that you're not making wisecracks, or bragging. This is serious, isn't it?”
Michael took a deep breath. “I don't know Gabe. You're right. She's not my type. She really is a librarian. But I don't know...I only met her at last weekend, but she's gotten to me.”
Gabe nodded. “Watch yourself, little brother.”
“What do you mean?”
“You sound like you did when you first met Kay.” He put a hand on Michael’s shoulder. “You fell hard and fast for that one, and she certainly wasn't the right one, was she?”
Michael frowned. He hated feeling as though Gabe was the wise one and he was just the clown who needed his perfect big brother to look out for him. More than that, though, he hated Megan being compared to Kay. All the warning signs had been there with Kay from the beginning. It was his fault he'd ignored them. Megan was nothing like her. “It's not like that, Gabe. Megan's not like that. She's sweet and shy and smart.”
Gabe raised an eyebrow. “And hot, right?”
Michael nodded slowly. “Hottest little lady I ever met, but you wouldn't know it.”
Gabe looked puzzled. “What the hell does that mean? She's either hot or she isn't.”
“She is, but she hides it. Dad wasn't joking. She really does tie her hair up and wear big glasses. Most of the time she hides herself in jeans and sweatshirts. But damn, Gabe! Underneath all those clothes, she's hiding this hot little self. She's driving me nuts!”
“So get your ass over there, and get her out of all those clothes. Figure out if it's just curiosity that's driving you.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “It's not, mate. I already know that. You don't think I'd have said anything to Ethan otherwise do you?”
“That's true. Just watch yourself, okay? I'm not sure I like the sound of this.”
“Why?”
“I don't know. I guess I'm worried life here is going to be too small for you. I'd hate to see you get saddled with a small-time, small-town girl too.”
Michael thought about it. He shook his head. “Nah. It's not like that.”
Gabe gave him a hard stare. “I hope not. Bear it in mind though, okay? Keep your options open. Don't be led astray by that big head of yours.”
Michael had to laugh at that. “Thanks, Gabe. I'd better get going for now though.”
“Yeah, see ya.”
Chapter Eleven
Megan paced the kitchen nervously. Ollie sat in the corner watching her, his head cocked to one side.
“What am I doing, Ollie-bug?” she asked him.
There was still half an hour before Michael was supposed to arrive and she couldn't sit still, or even think straight. She kept getting little shivers of anticipation, goosebumps running down her back when she thought about what tonight would be like. While she was returning books to the shelves this afternoon, she’d worked out that it had been over two years since she'd had sex. Most of the time she tried not to think about Adrian at all. He wasn't a bad man. But being with him had been a bad time for her. The worst time of her life. She shuddered, and absently reached down to pet Ollie. He put a paw on her leg and nudged his head against her. How could it be that a dog she'd only known for a few months showed her more love and support than her own parents had? She hugged him then stood up and gave herself a little shake. That was all in the past. Tonight was the present, her new life, here in Summer Lake. Here she had Ollie, she liked her job, she was making friends—and she had Michael.
What did that mean though? Did she really have Michael? He'd said he wanted to keep seeing her. Tonight for sure, she was going to 'have' him, but what would it mean going forward? She didn't know and didn't need to know. For the first time in her life, she was in a good place surrounded by good people. She was just going to make the most of every moment. She smiled as another shiver ran through her. She was looking forward to every moment of this evening—and tonight. Michael was going to spend the night with her. She was looking forward to sleeping next to him all night almost as much as she was looking forward to what they were going to do before they went to sleep. She was nervous, no denying it. He was sooo big! But she was longing for him too. Her body hadn't stopped aching for him since he'd left last night. He'd made her feel so good, and she knew tonight he would make her feel even better.
Her phone rang bringing her back to reality, back to the kitchen, when all her thoughts had been in the bedroom.
“Hey Kenzie!”
“Hey, little sis. How are you?”
“I'm great thanks. I can't talk for long though. Michael's on his way over.”
“Oh. You're seeing him again then?”
“Well don't go getting carried away. You're not exactly known for choosing wisely when it comes to men, are you?”
Ouch! Megan stared at the phone. “I'm going to ignore that you said that. What's wrong?”
“Why do you think there's something wrong?”
“Because you wouldn't be so mean otherwise.”
Kenzie was quiet for a moment. “Yeah. I'm sorry Megan. It hasn't been the best day. I'm not trying to be mean though. It's just that I worry about you. After Adrian, I'd hate to see you get hurt again. I wish you'd come here. I've told you, we could find you a man.”
Megan frowned. She did not want to move to Nashville at all. Even less so, now that she was making friends and seeing Michael. “I've already found a man! And I really like him. Can't you just be happy for me?”
“Not without knowing what you're getting yourself into, no. I'm sorry, but I do worry. I'd rather you were here with me.”
Megan was frustrated now. She was supposed to be happy and excited, looking forward to her evening, and here was Kenzie putting a damper on things. “There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine. Michael is wonderful and he's nothing like Adrian.” She couldn't help smiling as she said it. “If you're so worried about me, why don't you come here? You can meet Michael, meet my friends, and see just how well I'm doing here.” A thought occurred to her. “Maybe you could even move here? If you want to be with me, you come live here. I don't want to come there.”
Kenzie laughed. “You're in a tiny dead-end town, Megan. What the hell would I do there?”
“Well, what are you doing there?” Megan could have kicked herself as soon as she said it. But it was true. Kenzie didn't appear to be doing anything. She kept talking about auditions, but nothing ever came of them.
Kenzie was quiet for a long time.
“I'm sorry, Kenz.”
“No, don't be. You're right. I'm starting to wonder what the hell I'm doing here myself.” Megan hated that she sounded so sad and defeated.