When she looked up and met his eyes, what she saw there took her breath away. He looked at her as if…as if he felt something for her. Something neither of them had wanted or expected. And scarily enough, she suspected she might be feeling it, too.
She swallowed past her aching throat, then slid back on top of him, cupping his face with her hands. She gently brushed her lips over his, barely touching him. His blond brows furrowed and his hands gripped her hips with a tenderness he’d never really shown her during sex. He stared up at her with blazing sea green eyes, not dropping his gaze. His hair was all over the place and his lips were inviting. She closed the distance between them, brushing her mouth against his. He strained against her, seeking more.
She sunk onto his length and he let out a sigh. The feel of him inside of her was more wonderful than she could ever have imagined, but even more moving was the way they held gazes. The way neither one of them seemed to want to close their eyes, in case they missed something.
His hands splayed out over her back and he surged up into her, and she finally let her lids drift shut. Her entire body quivered. Before, the sex had been all about taking. But this time…this time is was all about giving. And he gave to her, just as much as she gave to him. The pressure building inside of her grew, higher and higher, and she clung to him, rocking her hips harder. Faster.
He continued thrusting into her, sending her spiraling over the edge, making her feel as if she floated in the air. He rolled her underneath him and pressed his fingers against her clit, applying the perfect amount of pressure, and she miraculously tightened around him. She exploded again.
He groaned, “Morgan.”
Then his whole body tightened, and he collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily.
She played with his blond curls, waiting for him to come down from his high with bated breath. Something more than sex had happened between them, and she knew it.
The question was…did he know it, too?
When he lifted himself onto his elbow, he watched her, his expression grave. “That wasn’t meaningless, Morgan.”
She swallowed hard. This was the moment where she could ignore all her fears and take a blind leap of faith, or she could lie and keep her heart safe. Keep her life organized and perfect. She opened her mouth, and nothing came out. Nothing but a squeak.
His eyes glazed over and he pushed off of her. She sat up and held her hand out. “Wait!”
He froze. “What?”
“I-It wasn’t meaningless. There’s something between us. Being here with you doesn’t feel wrong. It feels so right.” Her heart pounded in her ears and she felt shaky and weak. Weak because she admitted this to him. Gave him that knowledge. What would he do with it? Would he use it against her?
He rose from the floor, taking her with him, and crossed to the bed. He pressed her down into the mattress and met her eyes. “You’re mine.”
“Yes.” She licked her lips. “But I’m still a dancer. Still me.”
“And I’m still me.”
He melded his mouth to hers sweetly, his hand creeping up to cradle her cheek. Her heart leapt at the touch, not from desire but from something she didn’t recognize…didn’t want to name.
And she knew from then on, nothing would ever be the same.
Chapter Twelve
Mike gripped the clipboard tightly, holding it to his chest. His wedding ring dug in to the plastic, making his ring finger feel heavy and foreign. Garrett, who stood next to him, eyed the ring for the millionth time, his mouth pressed tight. He hadn’t questioned him yet but Mike knew it was coming. After all his complaints about marriage and his vows to never succumb to the deathly trap—the questions would come.
And they would come hard.
The buzzer sounded and the crowd cheered. Another undefeated season came to an end and he and Garrett had every reason to celebrate. Every reason to be proud. But neither one of them even cracked a smile at each other. As they congratulated their team and promised them and their parents a celebratory pizza party, the gym crowd thinned out.
Pictures for the newspaper to celebrate another undefeated season would be taken tomorrow and the wedding would soon follow. Then…Morgan would either stay or go.
He didn’t know which one it would be. Ever since their admission of whatever they’d admitted to each other last night, they’d been strangely quiet. Neither one of them had brought up the future or what would happen after the wedding on Saturday. They’d just held each other all night long after making love. Because he knew exactly what they’d done last night, and it hadn’t been fucking. It had been intimate and moving and life changing. Just like the snuggling they’d done afterward.
Yeah. He was a fucking spooner now.
What had happened to him, and why didn’t he mind it so much?
As soon as they were alone, Garrett slammed down his clipboard and turned on Mike. “Would you like to tell me why you’re wearing a wedding band? I thought Kiersten was joking when she told me that you, of all people, were married.”
Mike glanced at the band. “Nope. It’s real.”
As real as a marriage would ever be to him.
“You actually married a stripper?”
Mike stiffened. “Who the fuck told you that? She’s not a stripper. She’s a dancer.”
“There’s a difference?”
“Hell yeah. She dances professionally—with her clothes on.”
Garrett shrugged. “I assumed when Brianna said dancer, she was putting it politely. Who is she?”
Mike scrubbed his face. “The girl who yelled at us in the bar for taking her seat.”
“The ginger with the cowboy boots?” Garrett whistled through his teeth. “She looked like she hated you that night.”
Mike sighed. “She did at first. Now, we’re…”
“In love?”
“Fuck. I don’t know what we are.” He shoved the clipboard into his bag and sank to the bench. “No, love hasn’t been mentioned. We got married while drunk. Al helped us get a license. There’s apparently a DVD of us somewhere.”
“Yeah, I have it. Al told me to give it to you.” Garrett yanked it out of his bag and handed the case over.
Mike shoved it into his own bag, not wanting to touch the damn thing right now. “Thanks. I’ll show it to my kids someday. This is Mommy and Daddy when we got drunk and said ‘I do.’”
“Planning kids already?” Garrett whistled low under his breath, then sat down next to him. “What are you going to do now?”
“Shit if I know.” Mike closed his eyes and dropped his head back against the brick wall. “But we’re seeing what happens. She’s coming to the wedding with me.”
“Are you actually considering staying with this woman?” Garrett’s voice sounded like a mix between annoyed and worried. And Mike couldn’t blame him. He was acting strange. Even he could see that. “Do you even know her?”
Mike opened his eyes and shrugged. “I know enough about her to know I married her. If that doesn’t say something, I don’t know what will.”
“Just because you did something while drunk doesn’t mean it means something.”
Mike hesitated. “But what if it does?”
Kiersten came over, looking worried. “Is everything okay over here?” She rested a hand on Garrett’s shoulder, her eyes on Mike. “And you—please tell me you’re going to fix this marriage mess.”
“Jesus, et tu, Brute?” Mike stood up and entwined his hands behind his neck. “Everyone needs to stop fucking worrying about me. Did I shove my nose in your lives while you two figured out your shit?”
Garrett cocked a brow. “I remember you going Oprah on my ass.”
Okay. True enough. “But only once I knew you were ready. I didn’t talk to either of you until you figured yourselves out. So do m
e a favor. Until I know what the fuck I’m feeling—and what the fuck she’s feeling—leave me alone.”
He grabbed his bag and headed for the door. Kiersten called out, “Are you bringing her to the wedding? I’d like to meet her.”
“Yeah. She’s coming.”
“Good.” Kiersten cleared her throat. “And if she makes you happy, Mike, we’ll love her. You know that, right?”
She did make him happy but she might be leaving. She might not want him the same way he wanted her. “Yeah. I know. Just like I know you love me—and you know I love you. So just let me be.” Garrett cocked a brow, and her eyes went wide. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You said it. You’ve never told me that before,” she said, her voice raw. “I love you, too.”
It wasn’t until Kiersten pointed it out that Mike realized what she meant. He had actually told her he loved her. All their lives, she knew it, of course. Knew how he felt. But he never said the words before. What had changed? Did he even want to know?
“I’ve got to go,” he said, his voice strangled.
Kiersten wrung her hands. “Mike, I—”
He pushed through the doors, welcoming the cold air.
And the solitude.
…
Morgan grinned as she poured a draft of Miller. Today, she’d gone to her second audition for the Chicago touring company. The stage manager had seemed very pleased with her performance earlier, and had even gone so far as to jot down her agent’s information on his notepad. If that wasn’t a good sign, she didn’t know what was. She had a good feeling about this.
A good feeling in her gut that said she would be getting a part in the play.
Between her newfound happiness with Mike and this new opportunity, she was on cloud nine. That is…until she turned around and saw Brianna watching her skeptically. She gave the customer his beer, took the money, and then made her way over.
Swiping her sweaty palms on her shorts, she forced a smile. “Hey, Brianna. What’s up?”
“Nothing much.” Brianna settled in on a barstool, her blond hair pulled back in a tight bun. “So, I hear you’re my sister-in-law?”
“Uh…”
Should she say yes? Or yes, but only for a little bit longer? She hadn’t talked to Mike about the future. They’d just kind of been living in the now. Enjoying each other. Come the wedding, their short time of bliss would end. And then what? She had no idea.
Brianna arched a cool brow. She had the role of protective sister down pat. “‘Uh?’ That’s not an answer. It’s a yes or a no question.”
“Well, we are married for now.” Morgan wrung her hands together. “But we won’t be for much longer. At least, I don’t think so. The plan was until Kiersten’s wedding…”
Brianna leaned on her elbows and plopped her chin on her hands. “So you asked him to give you a week to do what, exactly? To fall in love with you or something?”
“No. Of course not.” Morgan cleaned the bar with a rag, feeling awkward and out of place and confused. “Besides, I didn’t ask him for anything but an annulment. He asked me to give him a week to figure out stuff. What stuff? I don’t know.”
Brianna’s eyes went wide. “He asked you?”
“Yeah.” She stiffened, uncertain if she should be insulted or not by Brianna’s skepticism. “Why is that so hard to believe?”
“With his past, I just assumed you were the one pushing for more.”
“I’m not.” Morgan held the rag close to her chest. “And neither is he. We’re nothing. Just…just together for now. That’s it.”
Mike came up behind Brianna, his eyes on her. He looked upset. “Hello, wife.”
“Hello.” She tossed the rag down. How much had he heard? “You’re just in time. I think my shift is finished.”
“I’ll let you guys go, then.” Brianna said, her face a lot softer and friendlier than it had been moments before. She must have passed some sort of test. “Are you coming to the wedding?”
“I think so.” Morgan stole a glance at Mike. His eyes were hard and unyielding. “Last I heard, anyway.”
“She’s coming. Bye, Brianna.” Mike’s jaw flexed and he cocked his head toward the exit. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Morgan came around the side of the bar and waited for him. He captured her elbow and steered her toward the elevator, his grip firm yet not rough.
“‘We’re nothing.’ Is that how you still feel?” He pushed the elevator button. “Even after last night?”
“I just said that because your sister was giving me the third degree. Is that so wrong? It’s not like we’re—”
She broke off and walked inside the elevator. Mike followed. She’d been about to say they weren’t married or anything…but they were.
He didn’t miss a beat. He knew exactly where she had been going, and why she stopped. He held his left hand up, where he still wore his band. So did she, though she wasn’t sure why. It didn’t mean anything. The doors opened on their floor and he motioned her through. “Not like we’re what? Married?”
“I was caught off guard. It’s just—” Her phone rang. She glanced at it in surprise. It was well after midnight and she didn’t get phone calls this late. When she saw the number, she almost dropped it. “Oh my God. It’s my agent.”
He eyed her, the irritation leaving his eyes. “Well, answer it.”
“But we’re—”
He pointed at her hand. “Done here. Now pick up the phone.”
“I’m sorry.” She lifted her phone. “Just give me a second, because we’re not done here at all.”
He nodded, but his expression was closed. And he no longer looked vulnerable or soft or anything. She hesitated, for some reason not wanting to answer. She’d waited her whole freaking life for this and now here she was. Worrying about a man. This is exactly why she’d avoided men. Avoided feelings.
This. Right here.
She turned her back on Mike and held her phone to her ear. “Hello? Keith?” He spoke quickly, the words all blending into each other. But she’d been right. He called because she got the part. She collapsed against the wall, her whole body feeble and feeling faint. Mike grabbed her around the waist, holding her up. “You’re sure? They want me?”
“They do,” Keith said, his voice light and airy. “And you leave in a week.”
“Oh my God.” She covered her mouth. “Thank you. Thank you so much. So, so much!”
Keith chuckled. “You’re welcome. We’ll have to meet up tomorrow evening to go over everything.”
“Yes, of course! I’ll be there. Thank you!”
They hung up after a few more exchanges of her babbling like a fool, and then she turned to Mike. She blurted out, “I got the part!”
He smiled, quite obviously thrilled for her. No resentment or anger. Interesting… “I knew you would. Congrats, babe.”
She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him, almost as happy at his happiness for her as she was at this wonderful opportunity. His hands hung at his sides for a second, and then he held her against him. But it felt weird. Almost as if he didn’t want to hold her, yet didn’t want to let her go. She wasn’t sure what to make of it.
Or him.
When she pulled back and smiled up at him, he looked heart-achingly despondent. Then he grinned. Had she imagined the haunting emptiness in his eyes, or was he wearing a mask in front of her? Which one was the real Mike?
Or could it be both?
After all, she’d just told him she got the role of her life and he wasn’t acting jealous or upset. Maybe she could have him and her career. Maybe she could have the love and the dancing. Maybe he had been right—it didn’t have to be all or nothing.
She squeezed his shoulders. “I still can’t believe it. This might
be the best night of my life.”
“I’m very, very happy for you.” His smile didn’t budge. “Should we go back and share a bottle of champagne to celebrate?”
“Sure. Why the hell not, right?” She laughed and held his hand, dragging him back to the room. For once, she felt like she was on top of the world. Like she could conquer anything or anyone. “Tomorrow night I have to go sign contracts and then I leave next week. We can figure—”
“Tomorrow night?” He stopped walking. “But that’s Kiersten’s wedding.”
“Oh. Shit. I forgot.” Maybe she could change the time of the meeting. Surely Keith would be flexible in that. She’d promised to go to the wedding and she would. Even if it meant having a 6 AM meeting or something. “I’ll—”
“You know what? It’s okay.” He dragged a hand through his blond hair and gave a little laugh. “It’s probably better this way. We can call it quits a day early and save an awkward explanation to my family about why we’re breaking things off the next day. It’s not a big deal at all.”
Quits? There was no reason to call it quits. What the hell was going on? The walls closed in on her, making it harder to breathe. Harder to see anything except the fact that he was pushing her away. “But…I thought…”
“I did, too.” He closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, then focused on her. His demeanor seemed cold and hard. She shivered and hugged herself. “But you were right, we had nothing between us except sex.”
“But last night—”
“Was fun.” He leveled a look on her, his jaw square. “But you’re leaving next week and you need to be able to enjoy the time away—live the dreams you’ve always had—without a husband hanging at home waiting.” He opened his mouth, then pressed his lips together tight before asking, “It’s what you always wanted, right?”
Well, yeah. But that was before last night, when they’d agreed they had more than sex between them. Before he got her hopes up, then stomped on them. “Yeah…”
She thought she saw a look of vulnerability cross his face but he ducked his head before she could be sure. “Then you’ll have it. You’ll be free of our marriage. I’ll have a lawyer contact you, and you’ll never have to see me again.”
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