“Of course she is,” Jocelyn answered before Morgan could. “We have a plan to get ready together.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “A ladies’ preparty.”
“Um...” Morgan licked her lips. “My dad agreed to let me go to the dance. I’m not sure I can do anything else.”
She met Cole’s gaze and saw something that looked like disappointment shadowed there. She knew he expected her to take a stand against their friends the way he had, but she didn’t know if she was strong enough for that.
Not that she wanted to be part of their stupid antics anymore. Morgan might chafe against the expectations of her grandmother, but she wasn’t into getting drunk or high every weekend. She knew she was smart enough to be accepted at a decent college if she tried. That was her ticket out of Stonecreek, and she wasn’t going to blow it.
“You’ll find a way,” Jocelyn said, undeterred. “You always do.”
“What’s it going to be, Cole?” Zach arched a brow. “You giving up your date or are you going to join us for homecoming?”
“We really just want to go to the dance,” Morgan offered quickly. “Maybe we can meet up with you there?”
“Why does your dad have to be so strict all of a sudden?” Jocelyn asked, her voice a high-pitched whine. “My parents barely notice me.”
Morgan shrugged. “It’s annoying.” She felt pressured to appear that she didn’t like her father taking an interest in her life, even though the opposite was true. Somehow she didn’t think this group would appreciate the fact that she liked it.
Again, she could tell Cole didn’t approve of how she was dealing with the situation. He grabbed his lunch tray and climbed off of the bench. “I need to stop by the library,” he announced.
“Boy Scout,” Zach muttered.
“I can go with you,” Morgan offered, starting to stand.
Cole shook his head. “Stay here with your friends,” he said and each word felt like a condemnation.
Then he turned and walked away.
“I liked him better before he went all try-hard,” Amanda said, then popped her gum.
“He’s not a try-hard,” Morgan shot back. “Cole is who he is, and he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.”
“Which makes him a total tool,” Zach said, and Morgan could hear the irritation in his voice. Zach didn’t like that Cole wouldn’t run with their crew anymore. “Why did you agree to go to the dance with him anyway? If you’d wanted an official date, babe, I would have asked you.”
Morgan bit her bottom lip. She couldn’t admit her feelings for Cole to anyone at this table. They’d use it against her without a doubt.
“He works for Griffin Stone,” she said finally. “My sister is dating him, so I knew if Griffin vouched for Cole, Maggie would help convince my dad to let me go to the dance.”
All four of them stared at her like she was speaking Latin.
Then Zach let out a loud laugh. “Convoluted but also brilliant. I like that about you, Spencer. You don’t look manipulative, but at the core, you’re the same as the rest of us.” He stood and patted the top of her head as if she were a dog.
I’m nothing like you, she wanted to scream, but kept her mouth shut. Jocelyn, Amanda and Jonah got up and followed Zach out of the cafeteria.
Morgan shoved her uneaten lunch into the paper sack and fisted one hand around it, dashing at her cheeks with the other. She wouldn’t cry over those stupid jerks and the mess she’d gotten herself into trying to be friends with them.
She tossed her lunch into the trash bin, then headed for the library, making sure she didn’t run into any of her fake friends on the way. Cole sat at a table directly in front of the librarian’s counter.
Morgan waved to Mrs. Shamsi, the school librarian, then pulled out the chair next to Cole.
“I’m studying,” he said tightly.
She leaned in and covered his open notebook with one hand. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not going to make you choose,” he said, looking up at her, his eyes fierce. “There’s no ‘it’s me or them.’ That’s a little too John Hughes for my taste.”
She flashed a quick smile. “John Hughes was more about figuring out who you are and accepting yourself so other people will, too.”
He shook his head but one side of his mouth curved. “You know what I mean, Morgan.”
“I want to go to the dance with you,” she promised. “I don’t care about a preparty or a postparty or doing anything with Zach and Jocelyn.”
“Are you going to let them in on that?”
She sighed. “It’s not easy. They’ve been my friends for the past year, and I don’t want to be rude.”
“You don’t want to be rude to the meanest people at this school.” He lifted his hand to the back of her neck and drew her in for a quick kiss. “You’re really something, Morgan Spencer.”
She felt color flood her cheeks and she dipped her chin, darting a glance around the crowded library to see if anyone had noticed what he’d just done. “You kissed me,” she whispered, her lips still tingling and sparks shooting down her spine.
He inclined his head. “Beautiful, smart and observant. A triple threat.”
No one seemed to be paying any attention to the two of them, except Camryn Clarke, who sat at a far table in the corner with a couple other girls Morgan recognized from the science and technology program.
Camryn lived two doors down from Morgan and the two had been best friends until middle school. Once Morgan hit her teen years, it had been too difficult to spend time with Camryn at her perfect house with her perfect mother, who baked extra cookies to send home with Morgan. As if a batch of homemade cookies would make up for not having a mom. In fact, it had done the opposite. All Mrs. Clarke’s kindness had accomplished was making Morgan miss her own mom more.
As Morgan started to rebel, she’d drifted apart from Camryn. Drifted wasn’t actually the right word. She’d cut Camryn from her life, along with any other friend who reminded her of what her family had lost. It was easier to gravitate toward other misfits, kids who didn’t ask her about not having a mom because they were too busy with their own dysfunction.
But now Camryn offered an approving smile and a nod toward Cole. To her surprise, Morgan found herself returning the smile.
“You’re a lucky guy,” she said, shifting her attention back to Cole.
“Damn right,” he agreed, glancing at his watch. “A lucky guy who’s going to be late for fifth period if I don’t motor. You want to walk with me?”
She hesitated. “I need to grab a book from Mrs. Shamsi. I’ll see you after seventh?”
He stood, then bent to kiss her again.
“The library is not the place for that, Mr. Maren.”
Morgan pressed a hand to her cheek at the sound of the librarian’s disapproving tone.
“Sorry,” Cole told the older woman, then turned to face Morgan. Not sorry, he mouthed, making her smile again.
When he was gone, Morgan stood and walked toward the far end of the library. “Hey, Camryn,” she said, her hands clenched in nervous fists at her sides.
“Hey, Morgan.” Camryn rose from the table and picked up her backpack. “I’m heading to chemistry.”
“Me, too,” Morgan told her.
Camryn made a face. “I know. We’re in the same class.”
“Oh, right.”
“Let’s go.”
“I was wondering if you’d want to hang out sometime,” Morgan said in a rush of breath as they started down the hall. “Maybe go shopping for homecoming dresses? Maggie’s going to take me this weekend. I’m sure you could come, too.”
“Seriously?” The other girl looked dubious. “You want to hang out with me?”
“Sure.”
“What happened to Jocelyn? She get sent to rehab already?”
Mo
rgan snorted, then covered her mouth with one hand. “Wow,” she breathed.
“I know. Sorry.” Camryn adjusted the straps on her backpack. “But those girls, and the guys they run with, are bad news.”
“I’m getting that,” Morgan admitted.
“Cole’s pretty cute, though.” Camryn threw her a sidelong glance. “He stopped a couple of seniors from giving me grief in gym class because I was so bad at basketball. He’s cool.”
“Oh.” Another layer of warmth unfurled inside Morgan. “Yeah, he’s both those things.”
“My mom wanted to take me dress shopping,” Camryn said as they reached the classroom.
“That’s fine,” Morgan said quickly, sorrow stabbing at her chest. Mostly she was used to not having a mom, and Maggie did a great job of always being there for her. Even Grammy tried in her own way. But there were some times when she missed her mother even though it had been so many years that her memories had faded to fuzzy images. That lack of clarity hurt more than anything.
“She has horrible taste,” Camryn continued. “I’d love to go with you and Maggie. I’ll have a chance of buying a dress that doesn’t make me look like I’m joining the convent or something.”
Morgan took a deep breath as relief flooded through her. “Awesome. I’ll talk to Maggie and text you about the time.”
“It’s a plan,” Camryn said with a smile. “Welcome back, Morgan.”
“Thanks,” Morgan said softly, understanding exactly what her old friend meant. “I’m glad to be back.”
* * *
Nerves skittered across Maggie’s skin as Griffin unlocked the door to their room in the quaint bed-and-breakfast at the end of a quiet street in Lychen.
“Not exactly the Four Seasons,” he said with a grimace as he flipped on the light. The decor was vintage seventies with lace curtains and a four-poster bed with a flowery comforter covering it.
“I love it,” Maggie said, then bit her bottom lip. How easy it would be to substitute the word you in that sentence. Now that she’d admitted her feelings once to Griffin, she wanted to blurt those three words every time she opened her mouth.
“You’re easy to please,” he said and drew her closer for a deep kiss. His hands wound around her waist, fingers edging up her tailored shirt until she felt his touch along the bare skin of her back.
“With you,” she told him, “I might just be plain easy.”
She felt his smile against her mouth. “You are precious to me, Maggie. You’re beautiful and intelligent and you make me crazy with desire.” He pulled back and his gaze held so much intensity it took her breath away. “I’ve never felt this way.”
“I...” She paused and licked her lips. “Me neither.” Somehow she couldn’t bring herself to say the words I love you again. They rested on the tip of her tongue but wouldn’t spill over. What if she pushed him away by wanting more than he could give?
“Are you hungry now?” he asked, then hitched his chin toward the bed. “Or do you want a rest?”
She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. “A rest,” she whispered. “But I’m not tired.”
“Then no rest for you,” he answered with a wicked grin and covered her breast with one large hand. She gasped as the lace tickled her skin and the warmth of his touch made heat pool low in her belly. His finger traced her puckered nipple through the fabric and Maggie thought she’d never felt something so exquisite.
He gave the same attention to her other breast before moving closer. He claimed her mouth and the kiss made her crazy with need. Dropping to his knees in front of her, he reached around and unzipped the skirt she wore, then tugged it down over her hips.
Sensation swirled through her as she felt his breath at the apex of her thighs. He pulled her panties down, as well, but Maggie couldn’t even feel nervous at being exposed to him in this way. All she could feel was desire building, and when he dipped a finger into her, she gave a yearning moan.
“So beautiful,” he murmured, pushing gently on her legs, encouraging her to open more for him.
She happily gave him all the access he wanted, running her fingers through his hair as his tongue found her most sensitive spot.
“Griffin.” She said his name in a hoarse breath, but he didn’t pause as he lavished attention on her. She was outside her body, floating on a mounting wave of blissful pressure. Then the wave crashed over her, sending her exploding up and then spiraling back down as her whole body hummed with the electric release. Her knees gave way and she would have sank to the carpet, but Griffin was there to catch her. He looped his arms behind her knees and back to carry her to the bed.
He threw back the covers and put her down on the mattress, then efficiently shucked out of his clothes. He pulled a wallet from the pocket of his jeans and took out a condom wrapper. Maggie watched, mesmerized by the muscles that bunched with every movement and overwhelmed that this man was here with her.
Then he was on the bed, adjusting himself between her thighs. “Are you good?”
She nodded and reached up to push away the hair that fell over his forehead. “I think I’m about to be great,” she said, then gasped as he filled her.
They moved together, a tangle of arms and legs, and Maggie was hard-pressed to know where she left off and he began. She could barely catch her breath in a maelstrom of kissing, touching and a rhythm that was singular to the two of them. Her muscles tensed as if anticipating the pleasure to come.
Then she was breaking apart again and only remained tethered to reality by the way Griffin whispered her name as he found his own release.
He held her close as her breathing returned to normal, and she could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
When he lifted his head to gaze at her, she smiled. “I have a better appreciation for the ‘Afternoon Delight’ song.”
He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “There were definitely some skyrockets going off just then.”
When he headed to the bathroom, Maggie pulled the sheet and comforter up to her chest. Her limbs felt like jelly, warm, pliant and totally satisfied. She could stay like this forever, she thought as her eyes drifted closed.
“Sleepy now?” Griffin asked as he climbed under the sheets and pulled her close so her back was snuggled against the warmth of his chest, the short hair there tickling her bare skin.
“Nope,” she said around a yawn. “Okay, maybe.”
“We have time for a nap,” he told her.
“But I don’t want to miss any part of this day,” she said, even though it was a struggle to form a coherent sentence.
“We have all the time in the world,” he promised and she drifted to sleep with a smile on her face and her heart full.
Chapter Thirteen
Griffin let himself into the room three hours later to find Maggie propped up against a pillow in the bed, wearing one of the B and B’s white bathrobes.
Her hair fell in damp waves over her shoulders, so different from the polished style she usually wore. It reminded him of their night at the cabin in the woods, when she’d fallen out of the canoe and ended up soaked and sputtering.
The memory made him smile. Although things had gone horribly wrong the next morning when he’d found out the tasting room had been damaged in a fire accidentally set by Maggie’s sister, it had also been the night Griffin realized he was falling in love with her.
“I woke up and you were gone. What’s wrong?” she asked, inclining her head as she used the remote to mute the TV.
“Nothing.” He forced a smile.
I’m in love with you, he thought silently.
Why did it terrify him so much? She’d said the words to him, so all he had to do now was reciprocate. Maggie was an amazing woman. Any man would be lucky to have her.
“I brought food, clothing and wine,” he said, trying to shove do
wn the fear that clogged his throat. He should be happy. People fell in love every day. But Griffin had never allowed himself to get that close to anyone, to open himself up to being rejected the way his father had done.
“You’re like a Maslow’s hierarchy of needs fulfiller.” She straightened from the bed and padded toward him, reaching for the bags.
“What kind of food and what kind of clothes? I’m assuming I don’t need to ask about the wine.”
“Carryout from Luigi’s. I hope you don’t mind I didn’t try something new on this visit.” Luigi’s Italian Inn was the restaurant where they’d had dinner their first time in Lychen. Griffin knew Maggie loved the savory northern Italian dishes and wanted to re-create everything that was good about their first date.
“I’m so hungry,” Maggie told him by way of an answer. “This is perfect.”
“I also have a Kiss Me I’m from Oregon T-shirt and a pair of Oregon Ducks sweatpants for you.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “No undies in the gift shop around the corner, so you’re going commando for the night, Ms. Spencer.”
She giggled at that and gave him a saucy grin. “To be honest, I wasn’t planning to spend much time dressed, so that should work out just fine.”
“Killing me,” he murmured and leaned in to kiss her.
“I take that as a compliment,” she answered, peering into the bag with the food. “Shall we eat?”
He glanced around the room. “I forgot about a wine opener. Why don’t you set up dinner and I’ll borrow one from the front desk?”
She nodded and he dropped the bag of clothes to the floor, handed Maggie the bottle of wine, then let himself out of the room.
In the hallway, he bent forward, hands on knees, and drew in several deep breaths. Should he tell her he loved her? Was it real? Before Maggie he hadn’t even thought he was capable of love. He’d had his share of relationships, and Cassie had been a good friend since they’d realized they were too alike to actually be a good match, but he’d always found a way to end things with the women he’d dated before they got too serious. It was easier that way, he’d told himself.
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