Around the World in 80 Men Series Boxed Set 1-10
Page 54
Morgan clasped her hands over her heart and her eyes burned with the threat of tears. Tanner, of all men, had been willing to sit through a dinner that he hated, just because he thought that's what she liked.
“Tanner...Finlay is a man's man. I admire that about him, and it's attractive but it's not my lifestyle. I love everything about you. I love that you're not materialistic and I love that you have no problem eating cold pork chops for breakfast. I'd rather have a cold beer with you than the most expensive wine in the fanciest restaurant in the world.”
He knew she wasn't pretending, and he knew that she was never just accepting him. She chose to be in his company because she actually enjoyed the same things he did. “I'm sorry, I already knew that about you and I let him get to me. For the record, beautiful, I love everything about you too.”
The couple, still in their finest attire, spent the next several hours parked in a field as they lounged on the hood of Tanner's truck. That's also the place that they enjoyed their real dinner. And just as they did under the covers, they held hands as they lay side by side under the beautiful Australian sky.
Chapter Five
Thursday afternoon had finally arrived, and it was the first time that Morgan wasn't upset about leaving Tanner. Of course, she knew that she would miss him terribly, but she also knew that she would be back soon.
“You know, you could just leave all of your things here and that way you'll have to come back everyday to get your clothes.” Tanner bit the lobe of her ear softly as he stood behind her on his back porch.
“I'm afraid that would get a little costly, don't ya think?” She closed her eyes and leaned against him, enjoying their quiet moment together. “Besides, I don't think it would be fun to explain my presence in the morning if you had a woman here.” They laughed at the thought, but Tanner was quick to tell her that he would take his future women to a hotel, and that should fix that problem. Morgan expected to feel a twinge of jealousy at his admission to future dating, but she didn't. Of course, she would have no right to be jealous, but she thought she knew herself well enough that she at least wouldn't want to hear about it. But she was wrong, Morgan wasn't jealous and that in itself was comforting as well.
Her arrangements had already been set that morning. She would leave for New Zealand at ten that night, which left only six hours with Tanner. Morgan had also turned her phone off, she not only didn't want Tanner to be uncomfortable, she truly just wanted to be left alone so that she could savor each moment that the two had together.
They had already discussed spending the day closer to Sydney so that they would be closer to the airport, and after their quiet time on Tanner's back porch, the two packed Morgan's things and headed for the city.
Tanner took her to his boat, and they spent a few hours on Lady Godiva. He didn't take the boat out for lack of time, but the two had spent a nice afternoon on the top deck, relaxing in the sun and drinking beer. The day went by quickly, as they both expected, but it was filled with laughter and several dozen photos of everything that Morgan saw. Even when he drove her to the airport that night, she had managed several more snapshots of the landscape for her scrapbook.
“I'm glad I finally get to see you off.” Tanner's sadness was showing as he tried to stay upbeat before he left Morgan.
“I am too.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and they kissed, a kiss that they knew would be their last until Morgan came back.
When they finally ended their embrace, Tanner held her face in his palms. “Morgan, I lo....”
“Don't. Don't say it. We can feel it, but don't say it. It'll change everything and I'm not ready for things to change.” She hugged him tightly then kissed his cheek before walking away. Morgan's eyes were filled with tears when she turned back around, “I'll miss you. Call me.” Then she was gone from his sight.
*****
Three and a half hours later, Morgan had landed in Auckland, a coastal city that shined brightly in the night. She had tried to sleep on the flight, but never managed more than a few minutes here and there. She knew that she would regret it, and being exhausted with a new client was never a good thing, but she just couldn't seem to make herself relax.
Her thoughts of Tanner had kept her busy for the first two hours, and through that time she saw their relationship for what it was; nice. There had never been a time when she had been involved with a man, and if he dated another woman, she would feel no differently about him. For Morgan, that was a big deal considering what she had been through in the past. They could honestly live their lives, be with other people, and their relationship wouldn't change. It was....perfect. She also knew that under any other circumstances, she would never be agreeable to anything like that, but her life had changed, and she was happy for where she was at the time.
As she waited to exit the plane, Morgan thought back on her conversation with Julianne that morning about Aiden. It seemed that the man had asked to be removed from the data base several times, and then asked to be added back. Julianne knew more than she told Morgan other than Aiden suffered from cold feet. That was also the reason that Morgan had leave Thursday night instead of Friday morning, because Julianne feared that he would change his mind at the last minute and cancel the arrangement.
What am I getting myself into? She let out a loud sigh at the thoughts that raced through her mind. Was he involved with someone and has an on and off relationship? Was he shy? Is he a virgin? No, she decided that the gorgeous twenty eight year old man was not a virgin, but she still didn't have answers. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Thirty minutes later, Morgan was waiting for her baggage when someone spoke to her from behind. “Morgan?” She turned around, knowing that she was about to face her new client.
“Aid....” Holy shit! Morgan wasn't the type of girl that was normally left speechless, but the man that towered in front of her wasn't an ordinary man. “Uhm, Aiden?” She got herself together and waited to hear that voice again.
Aiden laughed and nodded, then quietly stood beside her to wait for her bags. Morgan wanted to say something, anything to break the silence, but she had no idea what to say to one of the most handsome men that she had ever laid eyes on.
What is wrong with me? Oh Tanner, don't say that you love me...oh hi Aiden, would you like to fuck right here? I'm a bad person, a really...really...really..
“I'll take a guess, the pink ones?” His blue eyes damn near twinkled as he smiled and pointed to her bags. That voice! He spoke slowly, and his accent made her mouth water. It was a deep, dangerous, sexy voice.
I hope you like to talk during sex like Sean. “Yep, those are mine.” I'm going straight to hell! They gathered her bags, Morgan only carrying her small overnight bag, and walked in near silence to his truck that was near the front doors.
Once on the road, Morgan finally had to break the silence. “So, do you live in Auckland?” It gave her the perfect opportunity to stare at his face while she waited for his answer. He looked as if he hadn't shaved in a few days, yet kept the short growth perfectly trimmed along his tan cheek. His neck was thick, and she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into the soft flesh that was almost screaming her name in the silence. His hair was a medium brown, at least that's the way it appeared from the small bit she could see under his worn cowboy hat.
“I live just outside of Auckland, on a farm.” That was all he said, and Morgan was ready to slide over and ask him to spell farm with his tongue all over her... “Have you ever been to Auckland?”
“No, I've never even been to New Zealand, but I always wanted to.” She realized that she had been squeezing the life from her fingers, and wondered how long she had been strangling her own hands. “I..uhm..I'm sorry it's so late. My flight, I mean...” His silence made her a bit uneasy and she wasn't sure what else to say.
“Not a problem,” he told her, keeping his eyes on the road. He didn't exactly seem shy, but something was present in his demeanor. Was it sadness? Re
gret? Little to Morgan's knowledge, he planned on allowing her to stay the night and sending her back on the first flight out in the morning. It was a bad idea to go through with it, and after seeing how goddamn beautiful the girl was that he was to spend a week with, he knew there wasn't an option.
Morgan thought of asking another question, but decided against it. Maybe he was just tired? It was nearing three AM, after all.
“I'm usually up late anyway,” his delayed response came through with a smile. He wasn't trying to be rude. It wasn't her fault he wanted out of the deal and he thought at the very least that she seemed like a nice girl. Maybe he could make a friend out of it, if anything.
He's a cloaker, Morgan thought. A definite category one. Thank God! She had a lot of fun with Gio, but she wasn't ready for another showboat, not just yet. She didn't have to see his home, or know much about him to figure out that he wasn't a show off. Judging by his tight, distressed jeans and gray tee, he didn't have the desire to show off his finances either.
They continued to have small talk for the rest of the way. Not too much, but enough for Morgan to find out what he did for a living. His family was three generations deep in the hotel business and when his parents moved to Australia, the business had been handed down to Aiden and his brother, Seth. They worked it out to where Seth took care of the business aspect, all of the paperwork and finances and Aiden did the hiring/firing, supervised the staff and maintenance crews, and made sure everything was in smooth operation.
Morgan was reminded a bit of Kole and thought of how nice it was that Aiden worked with his brother. Maybe she'd make a friend and hook her up with Aiden's brother. She almost giggled out loud at the thought, but kept that to herself as well. She knew if she didn't get some sleep soon, she was sure to have a giggle eruption at any given moment.
As they drove further, even in the darkness, Morgan could tell the terrain was changing. The houses were becoming more scarce and the lights of hotels and tall buildings were out of her vision. In another ten minutes, making the drive nearly an hour, they were pulling into a dirt driveway. She couldn't completely make out his home in the darkness, but she could tell that she'd like it.
It looked to be two-stories, maybe three, and it also had a large wrap around porch like Tanner's. In fact, it looked a lot like Tanner's home, minus the excessive shrubbery and upper balcony. In the light of the moon, she couldn't tell if the house was light brown or yellow, but she planned on finding out in the morning when they took their coffee outside.
“Looks like rain, doesn't it?” His words made her jump as she had been mentally planning their morning. She hadn't even noticed the truck had stopped until she looked over to Aiden who was leaning forward in his seat, looking up at the sky.
“How can you tell?” She leaned forward in her seat, but had no idea what she was looking for. He pointed out some clouds, that in her mind, looked absolutely no different than any other cloud in the sky, and told her they were rain clouds. She didn't want a weather lesson at three-thirty in the morning, so she nodded and smiled and told him that they certainly did look like rain clouds.
The only lessons she was up for were learning about her client, sans clothing, or a lesson that only her dreams could give her. Even as sexy as Aiden was, and how badly she wanted to find out if his bed squeaked, she secretly hoped for the latter of the two lessons. Morgan couldn't remember a time in the last two months that she had felt so exhausted.
Aiden jumped out of the truck and walked around the front, then opened Morgan's door and helped her on the ground. “Careful, it's a bit muddy,” he told her just as she realized her boot was stuck. Thanks for the warning. She grabbed her calf and yanked her foot loose, but the boot remained stuck in the ground. Really? He has five thousand acres of land and he had to park in the one puddle! As the blonde girl fought with her shoe, Aiden went around the back of the truck and gathered her bags. When he offered to help, Morgan politely declined because that would have meant that he'd have to set her bright pink bags on the ground and she just couldn't have that. But she was thankful that she was down a bag, since half of her stuff was at Tanner's place.
Aiden nodded and continued walking toward the porch and when Morgan could see the coast was clear, she pushed up her sleeves and braced herself. “Okay, boot! You're coming out!” She had never seen mud so fierce in her life. She gripped the leather boot as hard as she could, and in an awkward flamingo dance, as to not put her sock on the ground, she bent down and pulled as hard as she could. The boot released, and so did Morgan. She fell backwards, right on her ass...and right into a wet pool of brown water and slushy dirt. “Ow! Shit! Are you KIDDING me!?”
“Oh my God! Are you okay? Morgan?” Aiden ran back out of the house in a flash, his heart beating like a hummingbird in fear that she hurt herself, but when the young girl's giggles finally blew its cap, it was clear she wasn't injured. At least not badly. “Shit, I'm sorry. Here,” he pulled her off the ground with both hands and helped the laughing girl wobble into the house. At least she had her boot.
“Are you alright?” he asked again.
“My ass hurts, but I'm fine, thanks. C'mon, didn't you used to play in puddles when you were a kid?” She could see the guilt on his face and tried to lighten the mood. He had nothing to feel bad for, it's not like he pushed her down. He nodded and told her he used to all the time. “Mind if I jump in the shower?”
“No, of course! It's, uhm...it's down this hall, last door on your left. Here, let me show you.” Aiden grabbed her bags and carried them to the bathroom and Morgan carefully followed behind, hoping she didn't drip mud on his carpet.
“Thanks,” she told him. He nodded again and shut the door. Morgan dug through her bag and retrieved her soap, shampoo and conditioner, then got a super quick shower. By the time she was done, the only thing on her mind was sleep and she was surprised that she hadn't already passed out from the steaming hot water. She wrapped herself in her fluffy robe and made her way back to the front room to find Aiden sound asleep on the sofa.
Shoot. It didn't feel right to go exploring through his house to find his bedroom, let alone sleeping in his bed, so she did the only thing she thought was right. Morgan grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and covered up her client, then she grabbed another blanket from the back of the love seat and sat down. Within seconds, her eyes shut and she was asleep.
Chapter Six
It was still dark when Aiden rolled over just enough to smack his forehead on the side of the sofa arm. He woke up and rubbed his head as he looked around the dark room. For several seconds he tried to remember why he was asleep in his living room, but when his eyes landed on the small frame across the room, his memory was no longer an issue. “What the hell am I doing?” He whispered to himself as he stood from his sofa, and walked across the room to where Morgan was still sleeping.
He easily picked her up and held her perfectly still once he had her in his arms, and waited for her to readjust to the new position. Once her breathing steadied, he slowly carried her up the stairs to his bedroom. Just as easily, he placed her on his bed and pulled the blanket to her chin.
Aiden was more exhausted than he cared to admit, even to himself. He had changed his mind a hundred times about paying for the service of a companion, and he had finally decided that he wouldn't go through with it at all. That is, until he got a call from Julianne explaining that Morgan had to catch an early flight so she was on her way to see him right then. As if he hadn't already worn himself out with worry over the whole situation, his nerves were nearly shot by the time he picked her up from the airport.
Aiden didn't know, but Julianne had a good feeling that he would try to cancel, so she hurried the process so that he would be forced to meet Morgan. Not that she would ever force her business on a client for the money, but her heart went out to the man and she knew that all he needed was a little push. Julianne was grateful that it was Morgan who would be the one that chose him.
He created the profile and deleted it four times before Julianne called him directly. She listened to his story and told him that 'her' girls would be good to him, and offer him physical companionship with no strings. It was the emotional strings that he worried about, because he wasn't the type of man to bed a woman and walk away. He couldn't hurt someone that badly, so the service seemed perfect for him. At least, when he wasn't deleting his profile.
I'll send her back when she wakes up. He watched Morgan sleep and felt bad for the rejection that he'd have to hit her with in a few hours. It was for the best, he thought, because he just wasn't ready yet.
Aiden removed his shirt and sat on the side of the bed for several moments. He moved the hair from her eyes and took in her beauty. A few hours next to her wouldn't hurt anything, and that thought led him to stretch out next to Morgan and he quickly started to fall asleep.
“I thought you would never get in here.” Morgan's small tired voice surprised him, and so did her quick move to snuggle next to him as she pulled the blanket over both of them. “Goodnight, Aiden.” She kissed his shoulder before laying her head against his chest, and fell right back to sleep.
How could someone so small, be so warm and comforting? He couldn't believe how much he had forgotten about the feel of a woman next to him. She smelled so good and her leg that she draped across his thighs was soft against his skin. His immediate sexual arousal was the most shocking thing of all, but he welcomed it as a reminder that maybe he wasn't completely broken after all.