Around the World in 80 Men Series Boxed Set 1-10

by Brandi Ratliff

  The new family of four managed to make a great meal, and managed a new day of drunken antics. Especially Morgan, who spilled her entire story about Finlay, Tanner, Kole, and even Sean's sheep infestation. She also told them about Angel, and played a few of his voice mails so that everyone could appreciate the man's humor. It was the best Thanksgiving dinner that she had ever had, and everyone else would probably say the same thing about themselves.

  Late that night, when Morgan finally made her way back to her own room, she fell into bed with cheeks hurting and head swimming. Life was good, and that was the last thought she had before falling asleep.

  Chapter Four

  Morgan woke to the sound of knocking on her hotel room door, and she cursed the obnoxious intruder for several moments before realizing that it wasn't going to stop. “Alright! But whoever you are, I hate you right now!” She held her hand over her eyes and stumbled blindly to the door.

  “We don't hate you, beautiful.” Cade and Dennis were her intruders, and when she opened the door, the pair walked in and made themselves right at home in her room. “We came to say goodbye, Jules needs us to go to Vermont for the weekend with her, and you're going....where are you going?” Cade had already stretched out in her warm spot on the bed. Dennis was working on a small pot of coffee in the kitchenette.

  Morgan backed up against the door and closed it as she tried to shake the sleep from her head. “Florida.” She followed that with a loud yawn and walked back to the bed. “Scoot over, you're in my spot.” Cade laughed and moved a few feet to the left, and Morgan slid back into bed and pulled the covers to her chin.

  The dark haired man moved closer to Morgan and put his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. “How about if we call in sick, we can spend the day right here.” He nuzzled the side of her head with his nose and laughed when she reached back and pushed his face away.

  “Hey, I feel a cough coming on.” Dennis fake-coughed from the other side of the room and all three of them had to laugh at themselves.

  Eventually, the smell of freshly brewed coffee lured her from the bed, and the three shared a morning of laughter and talks about their upcoming jobs over the next hour. They also discussed the fact that Julianne had already left for Vermont, and Morgan wished that she would have had a chance to say goodbye. The good news was that all three of them were flying out within thirty minutes of each other, so she was grateful that they would all be together at the airport before she left.

  Morgan showered while the men went to the lobby and loaded up with breakfast for all of them. By the time she was showered and dressed, there wasn't much left for her to eat. “Seriously? One little chunk of watermelon and a half eaten banana nut muffin? How thoughtful of you guys to leave so much for me.” She threw the watermelon at Cade and flicked the remnants of the muffin at Dennis, both of whom dodged the assault.

  On their way out, however, Morgan grabbed the very last blueberry muffin on the buffet, and picked out her little gems while they drove to the airport. Twenty minutes later, she was saying goodbye to her friends.

  “I'm going to miss you guys!” She brought the handsome men in for a group hug, then slapped Cade on the arm for the poke he was giving her in the belly. “Put that away!” He laughed and tried to hug her again.

  “I can't help it, you're fucking hot.” Dennis helped by pulling him back a few feet, as well as admitting that Morgan was indeed, fucking hot.

  “Take care guys, and keep in touch.” She pointed at both of them and tried to give them her best demanding look before she smiled and turned to leave.

  Before she made it to the check-in counter, she gave them another look and saw they were disappearing into the security line. “Lucky,” she mumbled. Each of them only carried a small bag, one that wouldn't need to be checked in. How easy it must be to be a dude, she thought. Just a few tees, jeans and a pair of shoes and they're set.

  “Ma'am?” Morgan turned back to the desk, not realizing it was already her turn. She reluctantly placed her two bags on the counter and silently prayed they wouldn't get lost again. Although it was a direct flight to Florida, there was no telling of what could happen. Morgan grabbed her scanned ticket and made her way to her terminal with only a few minutes to spare and got directly in line.

  She was actually looking forward to going to Florida. It was only a couple hours of flying, no layovers or time differences and it would be much warmer than Ohio or Sweden. Morgan thought about Jake for a moment as the plane made its way down the runway, but she was nearly asleep before it even got in the air. Two days in a row of drinking and getting up early was the perfect recipe for putting her to into a deep sleep.

  In what seemed like minutes, Morgan was awoken by the 'fasten seat belt' notice as they began descending toward Miami International Airport. “Ohhh, shit!” she yawned loudly, then looked over to the passenger next to her and apologized for the disturbance.

  She didn't feel like waiting that time around for everyone else to shuffle off the plane. Her seat was toward the head and she stood with her carry on bag and was the third person to step off the plane. It had felt like the shortest plane ride in history compared to the others that had topped more than a day, but it was just enough to make her feel refreshed and ready for the day.

  “Oh, thank you, thank you!” Morgan plucked her bags off the belt in the first pass and dropped them at the ground beside her. Someone else wasn't having as much luck. Morgan watched a woman on the other side of the conveyor picking her undergarments up one by one that had been strewn all over the luggage retrieval belt. Poor thing...

  As Morgan reached to grab a pair of the woman's slippers from the belt, someone shouting her name caught her attention. When she slowly turned her head and looked toward the voice, she completely forgot what her name was or where she was standing.

  “Holy shit!” Her typical expression came out before anything else could work its way from her lips. She couldn't even make her legs work to greet the man, she just stood frozen in place, taking in her client. Jake had called out her name again, and she was sure it was him.

  He was wearing a suit, one that looked like it had never been worn before, and shoes of the same appearance. His hair was longer than it had been in his picture. It was dark brown, almost black, and had the 'just rolled out of bed' look, but very much on purpose. Either way, it was already speaking to her. Morgan, run your fingers through me...

  Morgan smiled at her thoughts, and when he looked her way again, she waved her arm over her head so he'd stop calling her name. The move was the most she could conjure, as her legs still wouldn't move. It wasn't until he smiled that she could fully grasp the depth of his gorgeousness. His smile made her curse in her head, and at her head. Stop it! She urged the thoughts to stop but they ran through her mind like a runaway train. I want to touch him. No, lick him...No, I need to kiss him. Okay, maybe if I could just talk to him..Morgan reluctantly decided she'd use her voice first. Not everyone wanted to greet people like Alrik had.

  “Morgan?” He held out flowers for the girl before getting his answer. Of course, she had to be Morgan.

  “Jake.” His name wasn't a question. She knew it was him and took the flowers and brought them up to her nose. Crisp, white roses. They were as gorgeous as he was. “Thank you, that's so nice!” No one had ever brought her flowers before, but the fact that he had brought her to a new conclusion. New clothes-a suit for that matter-new shoes and flowers? He was new, and his next statement confirmed it.

  “I...uhm...I wasn't really sure how this all was supposed to go down...” he admitted, still blinding the girl with his smile.

  “Well, you're a boy, and I'm a girl, and we...”

  “Fair enough, smart ass.” They both laughed and Jake grabbed her bags so they could head outside. “I have a feeling you're going to be trouble,” he told her when they walked into the warm Florida air.

  “And I have a feeling you're going to...” Morgan tripped over a
crack in the sidewalk while she was trying to make her point, but Jake was quick to grab her before she fell. It's your eyes, dammit. They have magical powers that make girls stupid and unable to walk. It was true, she had been distracted by the light brown eyes, surrounded by thick lashes. His tanned skin made them stand out even more, if it was even possible.

  “Easy there. I'd like to get you back to the hotel in one piece!” He flagged a taxi and shot her another wide smile that melted her knees. You're going to be fun...she finished her sentence, but in her head.

  “Nice car, have you had it long?” Morgan scooted across the seat of the taxi and giggled at the smile that tried to take over his perfect mouth. He lost the battle, and was laughing with her as they pulled away from the airport.

  “I don't like to wait, and I don't like to drive around looking for parking spaces....this is...faster.” He spread his arms to the sides, looking as if he had just answered the million dollar question.

  Jake was certainly easy going, and he reminded her of Cade in a way. He wasn't as obnoxious as Cade, at least not yet, but the same traits were pretty obvious. He smiled easily, laughed loudly, and was quick to joke back with her. Yes, she was going to enjoy her new client, she just hoped that his new-to-it-all jitters didn't get in the way.

  Morgan leaned back and brought the flowers to her face, nearly burying her nose in the mass of the white beauties. Jake watched her, feeling good about his decision to get them for her. It was a last minute decision, and he was happy to see how much she enjoyed them.

  The hotel that Jake booked was only ten minutes from the airport, something else he planned ahead for to save time. When they pulled up in front of the main doors, Morgan looked at the front of the building, then back at her client. Thoughts of Kole that lived with his family, Tanner who lived far away from the city, and even Julianne who preferred a suite over her own home, made her wonder what Jake's reason was for taking them there. It didn't matter either way to Morgan, but it still didn't stop her curiosity.

  He noticed her questioning look, but he would explain everything once they were situated. Jake stood at the back of the taxi as her bags were removed, then told the man where he should take them. He also took Morgan's flowers and handed them away, telling another man to put them in the room as well. “As for you, how about we get some dinner.” It wasn't a question exactly, but Morgan agreed and they went directly to the hotel lounge.

  By the time they were seated at a small table near a large salt water fish tank, Morgan's confusion had grown even more. She had taken pride in the fact that her abilities to read people had grown so much over the past few months, and Jake was proving to be a little more difficult. She watched him take the menu from the server and mentally questioned, is he the take charge type, or the easy going, laugh too much, fun type? Is it possible to be both?

  He passed her a menu but she waved it away with a small laugh. “Nope, I know what I want. A burger, loaded, with fries and a coke.”

  “Ah, a woman after my own heart.” He waved the server back to the table and ordered two of Morgan's choice, then leaned back slowly into his seat as the server walked away. As he removed his jacket and loosened his tie, Morgan finally had to ask a few questions.

  “So...tell me about yourself.” And if you unbutton that shirt, we're skipping lunch. She smiled and leaned back as well, and folded her arms across her chest.

  Jake wasn't the type of man to keep anything to himself. He lived loud, and was never afraid of admitting a mistake, or taking credit for anything he did well. He also didn't shy away from Morgan's question. As he opened the first three buttons of his white shirt, and Morgan stared at the dark tan skin that was newly exposed, Jake started to explain why he was in need of her service, and why they were staying at the beautiful hotel.

  The man owned two very large, very successful night clubs in the heart of Miami. He loved what he did, but had made far too many mistakes along the way, one of which was to turn his life-and his home-into one big party. “Funny thing is, I don't even like to party that much. Sure, I like a few drinks now and then, but now my whole life has been taken over by people I hardly even know!” Morgan listened as he went on to tell her how he was trying to put an end to the parade of people in his life, and she grew much more interested when he started talking about his more personal relationships. “I have a strict rule; I never date women from the club, or that I work with.” That was the most difficult part for him, because he had never broken that rule in all the time that he owned the clubs, but it made dating nearly impossible since that's where he spent most of his time.

  The answer to his problem seemed pretty simple to Morgan, so she offered her only thought. “So, take more time off work, and meet people.” Their food was delivered right then, and they waited until they were alone again to continue.

  “Yeah, that would fix the problem, but there's more.” The first week that he had taken off since he opened his first place was the week that he was currently starting with Morgan. “I can't....relax...or....well, do anything but stay busy.” She watched his body stiffen as he took his first bite of the enormous burger. It would seem to Morgan that he was just a little more than high-strong, he had a serious problem with time management, or relax management in his case. She was already starting to think of the call she would be making to Julianne when her client decided that hanging out with her wasn't going to work out after all.

  The rest of their meal was spent talking about one another, and the conversation was light enough to keep Morgan wondering how the week would work out. Was he going to change his mind? Would he take time to relax? Is he good in bed? It took all she had to keep her questions to herself, at least for the time being.

  When their dishes were removed from their table, Jake handed his card to the server without waiting for the bill. Morgan laughed and asked, “are we in a hurry?”

  His smile was gone, and his expression held a look that erased all doubt about his intentions. “Yes, I am. I'm in a hurry to see you, to touch you, and I'm in a hurry to fuck you.”

  Chapter Five

  Whoa, whoa, whoa...okay, think...Morgan didn't have much of an issue with his plan, but she wanted their time together to be because they wanted it, not because Jake needed something to keep his hands, and his mind, busy. “Well, you can see me for the next week, you can touch me anytime you want and as far as fucking, I'm sure we'll be doing a lot of that, but let's at least get up to the room first,” Morgan smiled, hoping her reply was good enough.

  “Okay, let's go,” Jake stood before the server made it all the way back to their table and grabbed Morgan's hand, pulling her up. He laughed, but Morgan could tell that there was still a part of him that fully intended to have sex when they got into the room.

  He was practically dragging her by the time they were in the elevator and when the doors shut, she wondered if she would actually be able to hold him off. Stop giving me that look. Jake stared her down as if she were a scrap of bread to a starving dog. She squinted her eyes back at him, but that tempted him more. He got in front of her and just as his hands reached her sides, the elevator doors opened.

  “C'mon!” Jake pulled her hand again and Morgan did an awkward jog to keep up until they were in front of their room.

  “Slow down!” Morgan giggled, pulling her arm back to her chest. “What's the hurry?” He slid his card into the slot and walked into the room, then bobbed his head to the side to motion for her to come inside. When Morgan took too long for his liking, he pulled her into the room as well.

  “I told you.” Jake shut the door and walked up on her until her back was against the wall. He pressed his body against hers with urgency and his hands found their place at either side of her head.

  “How about some wine?” Morgan ducked out of his block and ran to the bed, where she immediately messed up the perfect blanket with her cannonball.

  “Wine. Okay.” He took a step toward the kitchenette, then realized th
ey of course didn't have wine in the room. “I'll be back.” Jake was gone before she could reply.

  “Wow...” Morgan laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a few moments, then got back up and walked over to her flowers. Her fingers ran over the soft petals as she finally had a moment to think. I'm not going to be able to keep up with...

  “What kind?” Jake popped his head back in the door and startled the girl.

  “Moscato!” She flashed him a huge smile and he was gone again. Morgan was sure she could hear him running down the hallway and wondered if he was always in such a hurry. “Well, I'm just going to have to slow you down, buddy.”

  While her gorgeous client was gone, Morgan took the time to actually unpack her clothing. It was not something she was used to doing, but it made her feel a bit less like she were actually living out of a suitcase. When all of her dresses and jeans were hung neatly in the closet and her shirts and undergarments were put into the drawers, Jake still hadn't returned.

  “Where are you, Turbo?” Morgan paced around the room for a few minutes, wondering what could take so long, then threw on a hooded sweatshirt and found her place back on the bed. Just as she turned on the television, she heard the click of the hotel door.

  “Here you go! I got four kinds, hope you like one of them. If these aren't good, I can go find a different one. I almost came back to...”

  “Jake, breathe! These are perfect, thank you.” Morgan stood and when she got closer, she could see that his cheeks were flushed and his breathing was haggard. “Don't they have wine downstairs?”

  “Well, yes and no.” He untucked his new, expensive shirt from his pants and brought it up to his forehead to wipe the sweat from his brow. Her eyes darted to the sneak peek he had offered her. Oh, those abs...Morgan couldn't fight the smile on her lips as she tried to imagine Gio wiping sweat off his face with his dress shirt. “They only had one kind of...” he looked down at the bottle to read it, “....Moscato, and there was only one bottle. I wanted to give you options.”