“No.... of course not, but.. I did use a service years ago, that's where I met...” His smile faded and he looked down and started to clear the eggs from the island. “I'd better get this cleaned up before Dag has my head.” Felix quickly cleaned his area and carried his almost empty plate to the sink.
“Rose, that's who he's talking about. He met his true love while paying for a service like yours, and now he's heart broken and can't even mention her name. Isn't that right, old man?” Alrik pulled up a chair beside Morgan and motioned for Felix to join them, instead of standing slack-jawed against the stove.
Felix shot a death look at his nephew, but took his seat across from Morgan once again. “There's no need to fill her head with ancient history, is there?” The older man leaned back in his chair and challenged his nephew with just a look. Felix had a bad habit of opening his mouth when he should keep it shut, and his nephew's timing didn't help.
“Oh, I'll fill her head, and anyone else that will listen. She's out there somewhere, probably looking for you! Someone might be able to talk some sense into your thick head.” Alrik didn't hide his feelings on the matter, he firmly believed that his stubborn uncle should have swallowed his pride and found his true love years ago.
Morgan thought the whole situation was very romantic, and she couldn't help but to think of Tanner and Finlay. Will I lose them? How long will they care about me? The last thing she wanted was for Alrik to read her face, as he had done several times the day before, so she tried to involve herself in the conversation.
“Who's Rose? And why aren't you with her?” She couldn't help it, there was no reason to allow one's true love to get away without a fight.
Alrik draped his arm over the back of Morgan's chair as Felix took a deep breath then told the story that her client had clearly heard before.
When Felix was a younger man, he too found it difficult to find a woman who he could enjoy spending time with, while not leading her on in the process. The service he used was ran by a woman named Chloe, and the first woman that was sent to him, was Rose.
One week, that's all it took for Felix and Rose to fall madly in love, but their time had ended and neither one of them were willing to admit their feelings before she left. Of course, Rose had chosen him again, many times after their first arrangement, and their love grew over time into something that could no longer be denied.
“I asked her to marry me...and...she said no.” His eyes showed the pain of his memory, and Morgan wanted to help him, but she had no idea what to say.
It was true, Rose loved him more than she had ever loved anyone, but she never felt good enough for Felix. She told him the truth, that her life was far too different from his and that she would never be the woman that he deserved. It was, at least, the truth as she saw it. The two parted ways after spending five years together, off and on, and Felix eventually married.
“The marriage lasted exactly one year to the day. My heart just wasn't in it.” Felix never got over his first true love, and he never had a serious relationship with a woman since.
“Well, there's no harm in getting... companionship... if you ever wanted it.” Morgan reached out and put her hand over his. Sex wasn't the answer for everything, but she could see that a woman's personal touch might ease his pain. He wasn't her type, but he could be someone's, and it was worth a try.
“Thank you, I appreciate your concern. But, alas..I'm an old man now and I doubt that any young beautiful women that work for services such as yours would ever be content with spending time with me.” Morgan slapped him playfully and scolded his opinion of himself. True, he was in his fifties, but he was a gorgeous man that many women would love to spend time with, paid or not. No, he was definitely not an old man.
“Speaking of love, who's Fin?” Alrik's question made Morgan's head snap in his direction, her face showing her mental search of how he could have found out about her Scot. “Calm down before you choke on your own tongue.” Everyone at the table laughed, but Morgan still had to know how he knew. “I carried you to bed last night, you mentioned his name. But don't worry, I do quite well with competition.” His wide smile was contagious and Morgan countered his with one of her own.
Alrik finally dropped the subject of Felix's broken heart, and Morgan's mentioning of another man. His only thought at that point was getting Morgan to warm up to him, so that he could warm up to her. Little did Morgan know that he meant it when he said that he would wait until she was ready, but waiting wasn't his strong suit so he had to think of a way to speed up the process. Sex was always so much better when two people were relaxed and comfortable, having a robot in his bed wasn't an option.
Chapter Five
“Well, I best be going into town now, I've got some things to take care of. You keep your eye on her, Alrik or I might have to steal her from you,” Felix put his hand over Morgans and gave her a subtle wink before excusing himself from their company.
“Your uncle's very nice. I..uhm...I met him on the plane over here. We sat next to each other,” Morgan explained. Her mind was still swimming with thoughts of Finlay. She felt awful that her subconscious had given in and told her innermost secretive thoughts. Alrik hadn't told her exactly what she had told him, but all she could hope for was that it wasn't too bad.
“Oh yeah? That's quite a coincidence. Small world, yay?” Morgan had to laugh, it was the same exact thought she had. The two joked a bit longer about Felix and what kind of man he was, but Morgan avoided the topic about Rose. She desperately wanted to know more about the story, but more so, she didn't want Fin to be brought up again.
Alrik asked if she wanted to see the rest of his home and Morgan quickly agreed. She couldn't get enough of his gorgeous estate. He showed her more bedrooms, more bathrooms and even a second kitchen. Adding to the total of four that she counted the day before, she counted six more fireplaces in various rooms and she was grateful for each and every one of them. When they got to his large sitting area, Morgan's breath caught in her throat. Not just for fireplace number eleven, but the art in the room was stunning.
Some of her other clients had art in their homes, even Sean had a few pieces, but nothing like what she saw in front of her. A mural that was at least twenty feet long filled most of one of the walls, displaying the most gorgeous skyline and sunset she had ever seen. Morgan got closer and touched the canvas to discover it was original and she gasped quietly at the thought of how much it could have cost.
“You like art?” She could feel Alrik's presence behind her.
“Well, I never gave it much thought before. I mean, the only painting I could probably name is the Mona Lisa...but this...these...” she turned to face Alrik and pointed around the room, “are beautiful.” Morgan decided at that moment that whenever she got her own home, she would fill it with art.
“I'm not a connoisseur or anything. I just buy things I like.” He smiled down at her and Morgan had the sudden urge to kiss him, but she pushed back the thought and went back to admiring the paintings.
“Well, that's the important thing, isn't it?”
“What?” Morgan could tell he had been thinking of something else.
“Getting what you like..it's important.” Morgan smiled seductively, taking her opportunity by the horns. She took a step closer.
Alrik didn't need any other signals, hers came in loud and clear. He placed his large hands on her hips and pulled her closer to his body, then just as they had first met, he kissed her. Her kiss was exactly what he needed. The taste of coffee still lingered on her lips and the soft feel of her tongue against his own warmed his body more than any fire could have. To his own regret, he broke the kiss before he lost control. He knew a few more seconds of her eager response and he'd have her on that white rug in front of the fireplace with her legs behind her head.
Morgan let out a soft sigh of disappointment, too quiet for him to pick up on. She thought for a moment that maybe he wasn't interested, and his 'let's get to k
now each other' was just a diversion, but remembered she had thought the same thing about Aiden and oh, how wrong she had been. His quiet sigh wasn't as quiet and Morgan knew he was definitely interested, judging by the new tightness of his expensive pants.
Morgan turned her back to him so he couldn't see her smile. Okay, maybe this waiting thing will be good. Sexual tension...I've got this. Let's have a great day and 'get to know each other'...
“I've got an idea,” Alrik finally spoke, breaking the silence. “Go grab your coat.” Morgan didn't ask why. She figured anything that the man could plan would certainly be a good time. Like carrying me back to your bathtub and washing my body with your tongue. That sounds fun.
She got a slap to her ass as she turned away from him to go back to the bedroom. If it hadn't been for Dag dusting the light fixtures in the hallway, she would have been lost in the large home. The quiet man explained to make a left, then a right and head straight to get back to the kitchen. Morgan nodded and said she could find her way from there and followed his directions. When she was back down the stairs with her coat and camera in hand, Alrik already had his own on and helped Morgan get into hers.
“I'm going to show you some real art,” he told her as they walked outside. Morgan nearly slipped on the icy steps and Alrik grabbed her hand to hold her steady and held it until they got to the car. Morgan wondered why he wasn't having one of his men drive for them, but she was glad it was going to be just the two of them.
They didn't talk much along the way to the art museum, but Morgan had enjoyed being snuggled up to his side while they drove. In just twenty minutes, they were walking around inside of what seemed like a dream to Morgan. Every kind of art one could imagine was at the museum and Alrik practically had to drag her from exhibit to exhibit as she took thirty-nine photos of each painting.
“There's a shop down the street, let's go check it out and you can help me pick one. The wall by the fireplace is missing something.” Morgan giggled and grabbed his hand tighter when they made their way through the gallery.
“This one. Holy shit. You need this one.” Morgan stopped in front of a painting of an underwater scene. It looked as if it were a high definition photograph, but Morgan could actually feel the brush strokes on the canvas and feel the bumps on the coral.
“I think you need it,” Alrik corrected. He snapped his fingers and one of the employees ran to his side. “Wrap this up,” he told the woman.
“Oh, no, no...I...can't,” Morgan waved her arms in front of her when she realized what had just happened. The woman was already carrying the painting to her counter and turned around to face the couple. Alrik brought his eyebrows together in question.
“Why not? You want it.”
“Well, yes, of course I want it...but...I...I can't. I have nowhere to put it.” Morgan put her head down to hide her embarrassment. Alrik still didn't understand.
“I can just have it shipped to your home,” he put his hands on her shoulders. He couldn't figure out why she was upset about it. Having it mailed wasn't a big deal.
Morgan brought her head up and the tears threatened in her eyes. “I don't have a home.” Saying it out loud brought on a string of emotions she hadn't felt in a long time. For the past couple of months, she hadn't put much thought into her home. She was just going with the flow and it hit her that she didn't even have a place to send a damn painting.
Alrik nodded and when Morgan wasn't looking, he looked at the woman at the counter and shook his head back and forth, telling her it was a no-sale on the painting. He thought about buying it anyway and hanging it in his home for her to look at, but he figured that would upset her more, knowing she couldn't have it.
“I'll buy you a home,” he told her when they walked back outside. Morgan let out a huff of laughter. I don't want a pity-home.
“That's very nice of you, Alrik,” she smiled up to him. “But it's okay, I'll buy one when I'm ready.” The thought that she could buy one was comforting and she was actually grateful that the topic had come up, not the misty eyed part that she was already embarrassed about, but not only could she buy a home, she would buy a home. When she looked up to tell him that it really was alright, the look on his face made her heart skip a beat. The look of sincerity and concern, all mixed up with compassion was showing like a neon sign all over his perfectly handsome face. She took his face into her hands. “I forget sometimes, what I gave up... but I'm also reminded of what I've gained. I will own a home when I'm ready, I promise.” She brought his face to hers and kissed him gently, not caring that the patrons walking into the nearby cafe were watching them.
Alrik hesitated when Morgan broke the kiss, he wanted to take her straight back home and lay her in front of the fire that she loved so much, but he promised her a longer day out. In a rare moment of indecision, he stood there, staring at Morgan while his mind tried to convince his feet to move.
“I agree, we should head back to the house.” Her sneaky smile told him that he wasn't the only one that could read people. She barely got the last of her words from her lips when Alrik took her hand and pulled her playfully back to the car.
They got back to the house in record time, thanks to Alrik's determination to get her naked as quickly as possible. As they were stepping out of the car, he took her hand and started walking her to the front door. “I'll have a fire built for us in the bedroom.” Morgan giggled at the man and stopped in mid-stride.
“Alrik, do you know why I like fires?” He smiled and cocked his head slightly in question. “They're nice to look at, and they keep me warm.” When he didn't respond, she continued. “You're nice to look at, and I'm sure you could keep me warm.” Morgan didn't wait for it to register, she pulled on the front of his coat as she walked backwards, then turned around quickly and ran through the snow, all the way to the back of the house.
The man's long legs made it more than easy to catch up to her, even though he was impressed with how fast she was. He found her standing at the edge of his large frozen pond, staring at the beauty that only Mother Nature could provide. “I didn't even know this was back here.” Her eyes scanned the area slowly, resting on occasion when she found a new statue to admire, or the stone benches that lined one side of the icy wonderland. “It looks like a fairytale.” She remembered a book that she'd read when she was little, one that had pictures of a frozen lake surrounded by life sized sculptures of brave heroes dotting the outer banks. In the fairytale, the men came to life and saved the young maiden from an evil sorcerer, but she didn't need a hero that day, all she needed was Alrik.
He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, then lowered his head enough to rest his cheek against the top of her head. “Most people would just see frozen water, Morgan. But you....,” he kissed her head and bent closer to her ear, his breath warming her with his words, “you see magic.”
She turned her head toward the towering man and kissed his neck. The wind blew a freezing gust between them and her body shivered against his. “What's that?” Morgan's words trembled with the chill that had nearly taken hold of her as she pointed toward a small building on the other side of the pond.
“Many years ago, people would swim in this pond, and that....was their changing house.” He nodded in the direction of the weathered shack in question.
Morgan turned in his arms and faced him as she put her hands around his warm neck. “I think that's a nice place to.... get warm in.” His mouth closed over hers as his body recognized the offer that she was giving him.
Alrik put his hands around her hips and lifted her off the ground. Morgan wrapped her legs around his slender waist as he carried her through the snow to the shack that he had never stepped foot into until that day. He hoped that Dag hadn't used it for storage, or at least that there was enough room for both of them to stretch out as it were.
Alrik kept a firm grip on Morgan as he pulled the wooden door open, fighting the wind that tried to blow it shut against their
bodies. He was relieved to see that there would be plenty of room for the both of them, and he took a noticeable interest in the old wooden table against the wall.
“You're looking at that table the same way you look at my ass. Exactly what are your intentions?” He lowered her body and smiled as he bent to kiss her. Morgan giggled into his kiss.
“I'm actually looking at that table and thinking about your sweet little ass.” Alrik's lips trembled as well, but his body's trembling had nothing to do with the cold.
His warm mouth slowly explored hers as his fingers found the zipper to her thick coat. Once it was open in the front, Morgan started to pull it from her shoulders, but Alrik stopped her before she could remove it. “It's too cold, we can enjoy each other and still stay warm.” He put her hands back around his neck and slowly dropped to his knees in front of her.
Alrik pulled the bottom of her sweater up a few inches with his teeth, and took in her scent as his large hands ran from the back of her knees, all the way up to the sides of her thighs. Morgan's reaction was quick, and she reached down and raised her sweater above her breasts as she pushed her body gently against his mouth.
“Ah, I know what you want....,” his lips moved across her flat stomach, nearly muffling the words that he spoke into her soft skin, “but if I start on those, we'll likely freeze before I'd be willing to give them up.” He reached up and pulled her sweater down, smiling at Morgan's sigh of disapproval. “This....,” he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them and her panties to mid thigh, “is what we need right now.”
Alrik's warm tongue slid hungrily through her pink skin until he found the hardened area that he was looking for. His moan that vibrated against her body as his kiss closed around the sensitive area made Morgan try to spread her legs in open invitation. “You'll enjoy it more if you can't move, trust me.”
Around the World in 80 Men Series Boxed Set 1-10 Page 61