“Listen, are you sure you’re up for this?”
She glanced at me. “Of course. I can’t wait to meet your family.”
“You know it’s gonna be loud and chaotic and...”
“I know.” She touched my arm with a sweet smile.
“My parents don’t have a whole lot of money. Their place is kind of small and it gets stuffy and...”
“Sean.” Her voice was soft. “I know I’m going to love it. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah.” I grinned, squeezing her leg.
About an hour later, we pulled up to my family home. I watched Morgan as she took it in. I couldn’t help that familiar touch of embarrassment when I looked at the tiny box house.
A high-pitched scream came from the front door. Morgan flinched when she saw two little girls racing down the stairs, being chased by three boys roaring like lions. Their screams continued as they shot around the side of the house.
I winced. She laughed.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I reached for the door handle. “Christmas Day here is like surviving an atomic bomb.”
We got out of the car, pulling out the dessert Morgan had prepared the night before, along with a few bottles of wine and a hoard of gifts. It would have taken me several trips if Kip and Morris hadn’t rushed out of the house to help me. Morgan smiled as Kip kissed her cheek. He wiggled his eyebrows at me after she’d walked past.
I threw him a dry glare and passed him a box of gifts. He just laughed at me, whistling as he turned back for the house.
“Uncle Sean! Uncle Sean’s here!” The announcement from Helena’s twin girls sent a ripple effect through the house, and as soon as I stepped in the front door, Morgan and I were engulfed. Her father and grandmother arriving a few minutes after us didn’t help. We must have been trapped in the tiny front entrance for nearly twenty minutes, saying hellos and giving introductions. Finally we made it to the Christmas tree in the corner of the crowded living room and placed our presents down. Morgan was quickly whipped away from me and it took me nearly forty minutes to search through the house and find her again.
She was in the kitchen, one of Mama’s frilly aprons wrapped around her waist. It was just the two of them, which seemed like some miracle. Usually the kitchen was bustling, but by the serious tone of the conversation, I was guessing Mama had kicked everybody else out.
“I think she’s lying.” Morgan shook her head sadly as she placed her phone back into her purse. “And I really don’t know what to do.”
“Now, child, don’t you worry. She just breakin’ free, is all.”
I leaned against the doorframe, smiling, as my mother rubbed her wrinkled hand down Morgan’s back.
“But Jody didn’t even sound sick. I don’t think she has the flu. If she did, she’d be begging me to come down and take care of her.”
“Hey, she called you back, didn’t she? That has to count for somethin’.”
Morgan frowned, reaching for the carrots Mama was holding out to her. She took the peeler in the other hand and sat down on the high kitchen stool, getting to work. “Yeah, I guess so. I just hate that her friends have become more important than family. We only have each other.”
“Her friends will never replace you. She just stretchin’ out those wings of hers. Believe me, I’ve had five babies, and they all done it to me. Going through some dumb, wild phase. It’s like a rite of passage or somethin’. The worst was Sean and that stupid Abigail girl. Lord, help me! I lost too much sleep over that one. You see this grey right here?” She tipped her head. “That’s Sean’s doin’.”
I rolled my eyes while Morgan snickered. She caught me standing there, her eyes softening with a smile.
“Are you okay?” I mouthed.
She nodded.
“Hopefully the ride won’t last too long and then she be back. You don’t have to worry, now.” Mama patted my girlfriend’s shoulder and walked to the refrigerator.
“Jody going wild scares me.” Morgan cringed.
“You have to trust her. She’s a big girl; she’s just testin’ the limits. You said she’s got some new boyfriend. What’s the bet she just wanted to spend a little quality time with him, but didn’t want to hurt your feelings?”
“I don’t like that I haven’t met him.”
Her eyes bulged as she turned to face my girlfriend, her hand planted on her hip. “Girl, I only just meetin’ you and you been with my boy for near four months now. This just payback, is what it is.” She flicked her hand in the air, her nose rising with that indignant sniff of hers.
Morgan chuckled. “I’m sorry. We just have to keep things quiet.”
“Not from me, you don’t.” Mama pointed a finger at her.
“Come on, Mama, leave her be.” I stepped into the room.
“Oh don’t you get me started on you.” She threw a dishtowel at me. “Dry those dishes.” Her head flicked in the direction of the sink, and I moved toward it with a sigh, running my fingers down Morgan’s arm as I passed her.
“Sorry,” I whispered in her ear.
She grinned and shook her head.
“You keepin’ this golden beauty from me,” Mama muttered. “Not trustin’ me to protect my babies. Like I would say anything to anybody.”
I rolled my eyes, snickering at Mama’s diatribe. She did this all the time. Muttered out her complaints until she was done. You had to go with it. If she didn’t get it all out of her system now, she’d just bring it up again later.
Morgan and I worked in silence, throwing each other winks and smiles until Mama was good and done. Florence and Kip flounced in at one point but were barked straight back out again. They giggled their way into the living room as I collected up the last dish and ran the towel around it.
“But you here now.” Mama’s voice finally perked up. She turned and slid her arm across Morgan’s shoulder, pressing her salt-and-pepper curls against her head. “And I’m lovin’ you.”
Morgan chuckled, while I breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing how much Mama’s approval meant to me. She’d never warmed to Abigail, had actually been quite open about it. The one time we’d gone out to dinner with my folks, it’d ended with icy goodbyes and big eye bulges from my mother. I could only imagine the muttering poor Pop had endured on the ride home.
I knew she’d like Morgan, though. Who wouldn’t?
I hung the dishtowel on its hook and leaned against the kitchen counter, smiling at the two most precious women in my life.
All the battles and angst Morgan and I were facing from work, and her sister, suddenly didn’t seem important. I had her now and was going to cherish every moment we got together...even if I did have to share her with my family. I grinned, remembering the jar of chocolate sauce sitting next to her bed. Yeah, this was going to be the best Christmas Day I’d ever had.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
MORGAN
The alarm clock beeped incessantly, its cruel squeak making me wince. I knew the only way to get it to stop squawking at me was to reach over and hit snooze, but I couldn’t make my body move.
A low groan from the other side of the bed made me smile, and a dark, muscly arm stretched over my body, solving all my problems with a simple tap. I ran my fingers over his chocolate complexion and captured his arm against my chest, turning to face him.
I loved his body—long, lean, hard muscles covered in cocoa skin that was good enough to eat.
Sean’s eyes were still closed, his wide lips relaxed. I grinned before leaning forward and running my tongue over them. They twitched with a smile. Sean’s broad nose wrinkled as he squeezed his eyes shut, and then I got a shot of blue, aimed right at me, turning my insides to mush.
“Good morning.”
“The only good thing about this morning is the view.” He lifted the sheet and scanned my naked body, a rumble of appreciation stirring in his throat.
I snickered and shuffled toward him, running my hands up his back and pressing our bodies together. Sean was
practically living at my house now. The rest of December had been very low-key and consisted of sleeping, reading, playing board games, watching movies, and lots and lots of sex.
I grinned. Since the noisiest, happiest Christmas Day of my life, I’d been living in heaven, but now our break was over, and all the worries I’d hid myself away from were still there waiting for me, including my ongoing struggles with Jody.
I frowned. Our FaceTime calls had dwindled down to text messages and very quick hellos. Thankfully she got over her so-called flu but was now super busy with school and never really had time to chat. A spark had died in her eyes, and as hard as I’d tried, she would not tell me more about her boyfriend, or any of her friends for that matter. Part of me worried that she was in some kind of abusive relationship. If that were the case, I’d be flying to Arizona and killing him. I was tempted to fly to Tucson and just surprise her anyway, but with work once again crazy, I just didn’t have the time.
The alarm started beeping again and we both groaned.
Sean’s hands were gliding up my thighs, his large palm cupping my butt and giving it a little squeeze.
I wrapped my leg around him and pressed my lips into his neck.
“The things I’m gonna do to you tonight,” I murmured.
“Hmmmm.” His lips found mine, his warm tongue waking up every sense in my body. If only we had time now.
Sean rolled me onto my back, pressing himself against me as he slapped my clock quiet. I ground my hips against him...maybe we did have time...but then Sean jerked away from me, rising onto his elbows.
“Tonight.”
“Yeah.” I ran my nails lightly down his back, giving him a seductive smile.
His eyes warmed with fire before crinkling with regret.
“What?”
“It’s Saturday, right?
“Yeah, I think so.” I cringed, trying to remember why this weekend was important.
“I’m out tonight. Damn, I forgot. It’ll be a really late one, too.” He sat away from me, rubbing a large hand over his beautiful face and pinching his nose.
“The charity dinner.” It was hard to keep the disappointment from my voice.
“Yeah.” He winced. “Travis said it’ll be good promo for the show.”
“Lisa told me.” I pulled the sheet back over me and propped myself up on one elbow, frowning as the day’s events flashed through my mind. I’d no doubt be collecting a tux and shining shoes.
“Who’s going again?” I rubbed my temple.
“Travis and his wife, and I’m pretty sure Quinn and Trudy are going. Con and his girlfriend.” He shook his head. “I can’t remember who else. Maybe Isabella and Dean?”
“So partners were invited then?” I asked casually enough, picking at the bed sheet as I did it. When I’d asked Lisa a few weeks ago, she’d said she was pretty sure it was just cast going.
Sean’s breath caught in his throat, and I looked up to catch his blue gaze.
“You know I’d love to take you, baby, but that’s not an option right now.”
I spun the promise ring on my finger, reminding myself not to get into this again. No matter how hard I tried, this discussion seemed to pop up time and again. Sean’s quiet persuasion always shut me up. His logic was sound...I just wished it didn’t hurt so much.
His lips skimmed my shoulder as he went into persuasion mode.
“We gotta get up,” I murmured, trying to ignore his tongue, which was blazing a trail up my neck.
He nibbled my earlobe. “You know if we showered together, we’d save time.”
I smirked.
“I’m just tryin’ be practical, baby. That’s all.”
With a chuckle, I pushed him off me and slid out of bed, throwing a demure look over my shoulder before beckoning him toward the bathroom. He jumped up and reached me before I was at the bathroom door, slathering kisses over my shoulders while running his hands between my legs.
My knees turned to jelly as I flicked on the shower, gripping the wall to give me support as Sean worked his magic, making the world turn fuzzy. Waves of pleasure rolled through my body as the small shower box filled with my cries of ecstasy.
When my limbs were a shaking mess, he spun me around and plastered me against the wall, diving inside me as the water rained over us.
It was easy to forget my malaise when I had the world’s sexiest man sending me over the edge like this. I gripped the back of his neck, closing my eyes against the hot spray and trying to focus solely on the pleasure coursing through my body. But my mind was a cruel trickster, and in spite of my current state, I couldn’t completely switch off my disappointment.
Sean was going to an event as a bachelor; at least, that’s what the world would think. Only those closest to us knew the truth, and for some reason, that didn’t feel like enough. The secrecy thing was getting old. Damn Travis and his stupid demands.
Yes, it was good that Sean and I were sharing nights now, but he always parked around the corner, and the longer he spent here, the further away he parked. At least his family knew I existed, but they were under strict instructions never to mention my name in public.
My brain skittered as Sean’s rhythm increased, my muscles clenching tight as a shudder ran through his body. He pressed me hard against the wall, panting against my skin before pulling back and smiling at me with those electric eyes that made me forget.
His soft fingers caressing my face and the beam in his smile reminded me why I loved him so much.
I matched his expression and earned myself a tender kiss before we disentangled our limbs and finished showering.
We dressed in silence, scurrying around each other. Thanks to our interlude, we had no time for breakfast and were soon standing at my door.
Sean placed his hand over mine, stopping me from swinging the door open and charging outside.
“I am sorry I can’t take you tonight. Rhonda thinks it will be best to keep you in the shadows at least until the end of the season. I don’t even know if the show will get picked up again. There may not be a second season of Superstar.”
I tried not to roll my eyes. Of course there’d be a second season. The show was a total hit and what then? Even if I quit, Rhonda would convince Sean to keep me invisible. She’d come up with some warning he’d buy into. I’d tried to challenge him on it a couple of times, but he got pretty defensive, pretty fast.
Rhonda didn’t know everything, and it bugged me that Sean seemed to do anything she told him to. Since New Year’s hit, she’d had him at so many parties, he was basically running on empty before filming resumed, but if Rhonda told him to do it, then that’s what he did.
I didn’t get to go to any of those, either. Rhonda had accompanied him to three of them and Ashlee Johnston had gone to a couple more. I didn’t want to be paranoid, but I couldn’t help feeling like Rhonda was pushing Ashlee and Sean together. She kept harping on about how it was just for show, but my gut told me something was brewing, and I was scared Sean wouldn’t know when to take a stand and say, “Enough’s enough.”
I ran my hand up Sean’s chest and pecked him on the lips.
“I get it.” I didn’t really, but we were already running late for work, and I didn’t think I could stomach the backlash from Travis. “I’m sure you’ll have a great time tonight.”
His hand landed on my hip, running across my lower back and pulling me to him.
“I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Promise.”
I let him kiss me, let him melt away my fears with his magic tongue. I wanted to trust him, I really did, but people could let you down in the blink of an eye...even the ones you trusted the most.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SEAN
Ashlee’s petite hand in mine was irritating. I wanted to let it go, but Travis had asked for a show and that was what we were giving the cameras. The bulbs flashed without mercy, stars spotting my eyes as I wrestled with the intense hype.
This charity dinner was a much bi
gger event than I realized. Typical Rhonda. She always kept the information vague when she thought it was something I wouldn’t enjoy. I tried to quell my annoyance and pasted on a smile, finally finding the chance to let Ashlee’s hand go. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward me so the camera could get the shot they wanted—Harley and Sasha in the flesh.
Travis gave me a winning smile. If only people knew. Most loved him, but I found him a little hard to stomach now. I didn’t think I’d ever get over our little conversation in the storage closet. It bugged me that because of him, I’d never be able to bring Morgan to one of these events. Even if he did approve of us being together, I still wouldn’t bring her. Why should she have to put up with his bullshit? She got enough of it during the day.
I missed her, though.
I wanted her sleek body standing next to me. In heels, she was my height. Her face would be next to mine, my arm around her waist. Those luscious curves of hers fitted perfectly against my side.
Forcing my smile even wider, I waved to the camera and moved toward Trudy and Quinn for a Superstar group photo.
I tried to find a good place to put my hand on Trudy for the shot. There was more skin showing on that woman than dress. I lightly placed my fingers on her lower back, trying not to imagine what Morgan would wear to an event like this. My insides stirred with longing as I grinned at the camera. I really had to put her out of my mind, but it was damn impossible. She was Aphrodite.
And the things she was going to do to me.
Damn, tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
I glanced at Travis with his arm tucked around his wife. He was conducting a short interview while we milled around behind him. My gaze traveled to Trudy’s hand, which was resting inside Quinn’s. They were open about their budding relationship and the media loved it.
“Hey, Sean and Ashlee, a kiss for the cameras!” someone shouted.
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