“Yeah, I totally get that,” Amy said, her eyes widening at the person who walked through the door. “Hey, check out the guy that just came in.”
Thea’s gaze swung to the door and landed on Morgan Reed.
“Men don’t get much more magnetic than that,” Amy said coyly. “Let me get those beers, Thea.”
Morgan walked up and smiled at Amy, who was smiling back. “Big crowd as usual. Any drunks I need to handle?”
“It’s still early. Hi, handsome. Welcome back,” Amy said, winking as she moved away to deliver the beers.
Morgan looked at Thea. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself. I thought you weren’t coming back until October?” Thea asked, the question tightening her throat with nervous tension.
Morgan shrugged. “I changed my mind.” He looked around the restaurant. “Which guy is the one you’re dating? I want to have a little talk with him.”
“It was dinner and a movie, not a date-date. How is any of that your business?” Thea asked, coming through the break in the bar.
She didn’t like Brad all that much, but she couldn’t let Morgan harangue him.
“Do you want the answer to why it’s my business right now in the middle of the dinner rush?” Morgan asked.
Thea shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d believe it anyway, but you can give it a shot.”
Morgan moved toward her and Thea stepped back.
“No,” she said. “Just tell me. No physical stuff.”
“Yes, physical stuff,” Morgan said, laughing and reaching out to pull her into his arms. “I’ve missed you like hell. I don’t really care who knows. Now come here. I need to touch you.”
“Missed me?” Thea repeated with a snort of disbelief, stepping away and keeping her distance. “You didn’t even call. Not once. It’s been four weeks.”
“I had a lot to get done. I didn’t trust myself to do the right thing and not come rushing back here,” Morgan told her.
“Well, you know—I don’t trust you either. I never have,” Thea said sarcastically.
“Yeah, I guess that’s going to take some time to fix, but once we’re married I think it will be easier to convince you that I’m a basically good guy. Althea, I’ve missed you something awful. I’ve even missed arguing with you,” Morgan said firmly, finally getting a hold on her and tugging her hard against him.
He held her struggling in his arms, even when most of the customers stopped eating to watch.
“Now kiss me hello.”
“I don’t think so. I’m busy. There are a lot of customers—I. . .” The rest of her protest ended with Morgan’s insistent mouth on hers. Her arms had a mind of their own as they wrapped around him.
Then there was nothing more important than his mouth on hers.
When Morgan finally let Thea go, her face was pink.
“God, I love you, lady. Marry me,” he demanded, hearing the restaurant go completely silent as everyone waited to see what Thea would say.
Morgan couldn’t help laughing as Thea snorted. They would probably fight about every decision for the rest of their lives, but he would learn to soothe her.
“What is it with you Reed men? You think that ill-timed, embarrassing, public proposal is going make me swoon at your feet and say yes in gratitude?” Thea demanded hotly. “I’m working here, Morgan. Talk to me about this later.”
Morgan thought about that for a moment as Thea tugged, trying to free herself from his grip.
“Okay. You’re right. I have lousy timing,” he agreed, laughing at her struggles. “Hire me back to work here until you decide. I know the women in your family have to get your mind straight before you see logic and reason. I’m willing to wait—at least for a little while.”
“Hire you back?” Thea exclaimed. “Why?”
“I quit my job and moved to Sedona so I could be with you. I did get a part-time job today, but I’m severely underemployed at the moment,” he said on a laugh.
“Morgan,” Thea said, her voice quivering. “You quit your job in Nevada?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Don’t be sad. It was the right thing to do.”
Thea was going to cry. She felt the tears welling up and swallowed several times to push them back. She felt people looking at her, but there was nothing she could do.
“Go help Pete in the kitchen. We’ll talk about this later,” she said finally.
“Okay. Tell me you love me first,” Morgan demanded.
Thea closed her eyes and shook her head in consternation. “You make me so mad sometimes. Don’t be stupid. Of course I love you. I’ve loved you all along.”
“I thought as much, but you never said. Since I’m staying, I needed to hear it. You have any ketchup at your house? I think I’ll grab a fresh bottle from the pantry just in case you’re out,” Morgan said, feeling Thea’s hand smack him in the chest as the restaurant laughed.
No one knew what it was about, but they laughed at his obvious teasing and Thea’s pink face.
He looked around at the crowd. “Sorry to interrupt your dinner. I really missed her.”
“Go,” Thea said, pushing on Morgan with a strong hand.
Feeling everyone’s gaze on them had her face growing hotter.
At the sight of her color change, Morgan leaned into Thea and her delectable mouth again, barely able to restrain himself even with the audience.
“I love you, Althea. I’m never leaving again,” Morgan promised.
“Good to hear. I love you, too,” Thea said, biting her lip, her throat tight. She wanted to cry with happiness and relief. It would have to wait until later. “Now go to the kitchen. You’re embarrassing me and our customers.
The laughter and applause started quietly, building as Morgan headed to the kitchen doors, where Pete was grinning.
Chapter 20
“A few months ago he asked me to marry him. Now today, Tom was your best man. Men are so fickle,” Thea said, joking.
“Not my father,” Morgan joked back. “He’s very faithful. Women just have to wait their turn.”
Thea rolled her eyes. “Well, he and Lydia will be married in October. There will be weeping in nursing homes and hospitals throughout Sedona.”
She laid her head on Morgan’s chest as he laughed, still having trouble believing she could be so happy.
“I was glad Ryan could come back for the wedding,” Thea said quietly. “I hope things work out for him soon.”
“Yeah—I’m just glad we got this room tonight. Only strangers heard you screaming earlier. Seriously, I wasn’t looking forward to facing Ryan across the breakfast table. I like him now,” Morgan teased, running a light hand down her back as she laughed at him.
“Althea Carmichael Reed. I like the way your name sounds. Don’t you?” he asked.
“You don’t mind I kept Angus’ name too?” Thea asked, a little worried he would feel hurt.
Morgan shook his head against the pillow. “No, baby. I know it simplifies legal matters, and I don’t mind sharing you with your family.”
“My children like you, Morgan,” Thea told him, kissing his chest.
“I like them too,” Morgan told her. “We had an interesting talk after you went to sleep last night.”
“I thought you went to Gerald’s,” Thea said.
“I did, but after I let your children grill me for hours. I didn’t mind. They love you. They wanted to know what kind of man was marrying their mother. I’m sorry now that I insisted on getting married before they had time to get used to me,” Morgan said.
“They’re adults with their own lives. I’ve never thought it was their place to look after me. I suppose that may change in time,” Thea said, closing her eyes and thinking of Delilah.
“If anything happens, I will gladly take care of you,” Morgan told her.
Thea rose above him on her hands and knees. “It’s not easy to do that for a person,” she said softly.
“Love will help me find a way,” Morgan said, bringing his hand to
her cheek. “I love you.”
Thea turned her face into his palm for a hot kiss. “Enough morbid thoughts on our wedding night. I have a gift for you.”
Thea bent and kissed the center of his chest dragging lips and the tip of her tongue across his belly to his navel.
“Your hot mouth travelling over me is my favorite gift of all time,” Morgan said, as her mouth moved lower.
“Well, I’ve been saving something special for tonight,” she said, laughing at his heartbeat speeding up.
“Thea.” Morgan called her name as her soft lips went across each of his thighs and then returned to kiss his growing erection. “I didn’t have this much fun when I was half my age.”
“Listen carefully, Morgan Reed. I know it’s hard to do right now, but try,” she told him, loving his reaction to her.
“Hard is exactly what it is. You should have shared your confessions before you started kissing below the waist,” Morgan teased. “Most of the blood has already left my brain.”
Thea shook her head. “Sorry. It took me awhile—I guess I was trying to find the courage.”
“Courage? For what, honey?” Morgan asked, smiling in the semi-dark.
“To share a deep, dark secret I’ve only ever shared with one other person, so listen up. It takes four tablespoons of vanilla, two tablespoons almond extract, and six tablespoons of peppermint per ten gallons,” Thea said, kissing a trail downward again.
“What? What is that?” Morgan asked, laughing at her silly words and moaning at what she was doing. “You’re not making it easy to concentrate here.”
“I can’t believe you’re laughing. It’s something really important that I decided to trust you with,” Thea chastised, her voice and tone indicating how serious it was despite what she was doing.
Morgan’s eyes flew open, even when her mouth closed over him and her teeth scraped every nerve ending to life.
“My God—Thea!” He pulled her off him and up to where he could look into her face.
“Is that what I think it is? The secret recipe for iced tea?” Morgan asked.
Thea nodded and laughed at Morgan’s awed expression.
Morgan hugged her fiercely in gratitude for the proof that Thea trusted him. “I love you so much, lady.”
“I love you too,” Thea said, breaking free of his hold and laughing as she went back to kissing her way down her husband’s body.
### ### ###
Note From Author:
If you enjoyed this ebook, please consider leaving a positive review or rating on the site where you purchased it. Reader reviews help my books continue to be valued by distributors/resellers and help new readers make decisions about reading them. I value each and every reader who takes the time to do this and invite you all to join me on my Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads for more discussions and fun.
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~ Donna McDonald
Other books by this author
Dating A Cougar
Book One of the Never Too Late Series
Available Now
Dating Dr. Notorious
Book Two of the Never Too Late Series
Available Now
Dating A Saint
Book Three of the Never Too Late Series
Available Now
Dating A Metro Man
Book Four of the Never Too Late Series
Available Now
Carved In Stone
Book One of the Art of Love Series
Available Now
Created In Fire
Book Two of the Art of Love Series
Available Now
Captured In Ink
Book Three of the Art of Love Series
Available Now
Commissioned In White
Book Four of the Art of Love Series
Coming Dec 2011
Excerpts available on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/donnajanemcdonald
Look in Notes
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Website: http://www.donnamcdonaldauthor.com
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About the Author
Donna McDonald has been a writer all her life and managed to complete her first novel in August of 2010. Her idea of success is to be on an airplane and see a fellow passenger reading one of her stories. If the person is laughing or smiling, she will consider it a bonus.
She lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her fiancée, Bruce.
Her work history covers everything from housekeeper to business owner to college English instructor. It also includes an eighteen year stint as a technical writer, publications planner, and information architect in the corporate world. Her current career goal is to be a prolific, multi-published author for the rest of her life and write stories readers will love to read. She thinks a little travel and adventure would be nice, too.
The Right Thing Page 19