Soon after, I started spending nearly every night at Morgan’s place. I told him it was because I wanted to be with Angel, but the truth was that it had very quickly begun to feel like home to me. That scared me a little because even though a day hadn’t gone by without Morgan telling me or showing me how much he loved me, there was still that niggling doubt that one day he’d tire of me and walk away. It wasn’t that I doubted him or his words, it was just that I doubted my ability to hold his attention. I didn’t say anything to him about it, but Morgan had a way of reading my mind and he told me that he thought I was the most amazing and interesting person he’d ever known and that he wasn’t going anywhere. And then he’d proceeded to prove just how much he loved me in many different ways and for many hours.
Landon had gotten back from his honeymoon with Micah and stopped in to see how things were going with the Agape House project. He was very impressed with the progress being made and the quality of Morgan’s work, although he said he wasn’t surprised in the least. He knew his cousin would be the right man for the job all along.
I finished typing up the email I’d been working on and hit send then checked the time on my watch. If I left right then, I’d have just enough time to get to Morgan’s for a quick shower before we needed to head out again. Hopefully Morgan wasn’t running late on his end.
Kathy Greene had been chosen by the group to oversee a fundraiser that would get the community involved in the project while bringing awareness to what Agape House was all about and what they were offering the youth of Chicago. She’d chosen to do a carnival in the hopes that it would attract families and young couples who might be more willing to donate their time to the project. As soon as it was announced that Carter’s Creed had offered to put on a small concert, tickets started selling like crazy. Whether people were coming for the concert or just to have fun at the carnival, it didn’t matter. The most important thing was getting the community more involved in such a worthwhile cause. I climbed in my car just as my phone rang. My heart flipped and I smiled when I saw it was Morgan.
“Hey, sexy man, I was just thinking about you,” I said in greeting.
“You were, were you? Do I get to hear these thoughts?” he asked. I pulled out onto the street as I continued to talk.
“It involved you and me,” I teased.
“Tell me more,” he demanded, his voice lowering an octave. My blood immediately rushed to my cock, making it hard and I was thankful that I was in my car instead of my office.
“Well, we were in your shower and I’d just finished lathering you up. You had soap bubbles gliding across your chest, down over those washboard abs I love so much and pooling into the dark hair around your thick cock.” I heard a loud groan through the phone and I felt a trickle of sweat run down my back.
“The spray of the water rinsed you off and my knees hit the floor of the shower. I lifted your heavy cock in my hand and flicked my tongue over it, tasting you and then I reached down and began stroking myself as I sucked you down my throat.”
“Stop,” Morgan hissed. “Get home right now. I’m pulling in the driveway and I’ll be waiting for you in the shower.” He hung up before I could respond and I smiled. I loved getting him all worked up, knowing that I was the only one that would reap the benefits of it. I also hadn’t missed the fact that he’d told me to come home. Not his place, but home. My heart fluttered with the hope that it actually would be my home one day.
We arrived at the carnival a little late. Okay, a lot late, but my man had been insatiable after our conversation and he’d made good on everything I’d described and then some. Morgan had smirked when I came out of his bedroom after getting dressed and he noticed I was walking a little differently than normal. I’d rolled my eyes at him, but he’d just smiled proudly and told me that I’d have no choice but to think of him all night. I assured him that I was always thinking about him, even when I was supposed to be working. He told me that he did the same which led to another make out session which led to another round of orgasms.
I’d been tempted to stay home and continue our night in the same fashion, but then I remembered what the carnival would mean to the kids of Agape House and also that I’d invited my friends to come. Travis, Garrett, and Jasper were important to me and I was anxious for them to meet Morgan.
Several city blocks had been shut off for the use of the carnival and Micah had arranged a large team of security to watch over the band as well as his friends and family members. Some might think he went a little overboard on his protectiveness, but given everything he’d been through in the military as well as nearly losing Landon, I could understand why it would make him feel better to know that he had people watching over those he cared about the most.
Caleb and Giovanni were the first familiar faces we saw and we stopped to talk to them. They were there with their daughter, Sarah, who had a butterfly painted on her face. Giovanni was holding her in his arms and she squealed with delight every time he’d pretend to snatch a bite of the cotton candy she was holding.
I watched as Morgan quietly asked her for a bite and she handed him a sticky fistful. She grinned at him as he ate it and the look on her face said that she was as charmed by him as I was. I got lost in my thoughts about how good he was with her and what an amazing father he would be when I felt someone staring at me. Caleb was watching me with a knowing smile and I blushed when I realized he’d read my thoughts, but then he winked at me and pulled a pouch of wet wipes out of the bag around his shoulder, offering one to Giovanni and another one to Morgan. The men wiped the stickiness from their faces while Caleb set to work cleaning Sarah. They moved on when Sarah saw the merry-go-round and Morgan leaned down to whisper in my ear, his breath sweet from the cotton candy.
“I want one…or three of those someday. Of course, I want to do things right. I need to put a ring on your finger and get you down the aisle before we start working on having little Akios running around.”
He leaned back so he could gauge my reaction and frowned at what I’m sure was a stunned expression on my face. That was the first time either of us had really talked about our future together, but warmth spread over my body at the thought of spending the rest of my life with Morgan and I knew that there was nothing I wanted more. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and I felt him relax as he lowered his forehead to mine, his arms sliding around my waist.
“I want that too. So much,” I whispered and I could feel his smile as his lips pressed to mine.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there with our arms around each other, the sounds of the nearby carnival games and children laughing as they rode the rides growing more distant the longer we kissed, completely lost in each other. It wasn’t until I heard a throat clearing directly behind me that I pulled away from him and turned in his arms. Travis and Jasper stood there with matching grins and I wondered how long they’d been standing there. I noticed Garrett a few steps behind them, his face unreadable.
“Hey, guys! Sorry, I didn’t see you walking up,” I told them, feeling my face flush from embarrassment. Either that, or the heat of Morgan’s kiss, it really could be both.
“We noticed,” Travis teased. “So, you must be the stud muffin we’ve heard so much about. I’m Travis,” he said, thrusting his hand out for Morgan to shake and ignoring the glare I was shooting at him. I should have known I could count on Travis to embarrass me.
“Morgan Greene, and it’s good to know what Akio’s been calling me,” Morgan said without missing a beat as he reached around my waist to shake Travis’s hand.
“I’m going to start calling you both some new names if you don’t knock it off,” I threatened, but I only succeeded in making them laugh harder. I made a mental note to keep the two of them far apart for my own sanity.
“Hi, I’m Jasper,” Jasper introduced himself quietly as he offered his hand. Morgan took it and told him it was nice to meet him. I smiled happily. It was nice to finally have my friends getting to know the m
an in my life.
“And that’s Garrett in the back. Get up here, Garrett,” I said, smiling at my friend. He didn’t smile back which was unlike him, but he stepped forward and offered his hand to Morgan.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Morgan said, and Garrett mumbled a response.
Their handshake lasted longer than the others and I glanced down to see Garrett’s fingers turn white. My eyes shot to his face, but he let go right then and took a step back. I looked over my shoulder at Morgan and saw the hard look in his eyes as he continued to stare at Garrett. The entire exchange only lasted a few seconds, but it left me feeling confused.
We all walked around for a while, playing a few games and having fun. I was happy to see Travis, Jasper, and Morgan getting along, but I noticed that Garrett hung back from the rest of us. I slowed my pace until he caught up with me and then walked beside him, the others laughing up ahead. I tried to make small talk with him about the carnival, but he only gave me short, one-word responses. Something was clearly bothering him and I wanted to know what it was in case it was something I could help with. Garrett had always been there for me and I wanted to do the same for him.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly. If it was something he didn’t want shared with the rest of the group then I didn’t want to call attention to it. His head shot over to look at me and then his forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“I just don’t get it. You and Morgan?” he whispered.
“What do you mean?” I asked, confusion clear in my voice.
“I mean that last time we talked he had upset you and you said it was over.” Garrett frowned down at me and I felt my back straighten defensively.
“We talked and were able to work things out. Why are you getting upset about it?” I asked.
“I’m not upset about it, Akio. I want you to be happy; that’s all I’ve ever wanted. I just thought…” Garrett’s voice drifted off and he let out a long sigh. I still didn’t understand what was bothering him, but I hated seeing my friend upset.
“Look, Garrett, what happened between me and Morgan before was a misunderstanding and we were able to work through it. He’s a great guy and I think if you got to know him, you’d see that,” I said. I laid my hand on his arm and he stared down at it then glanced back up at me, his eyes searching mine for…something, I wasn’t sure what.
“I know I’ve been really busy lately, but you’re still my friend and I’m here if you ever want to talk, okay?” I smiled at him and waited until he nodded and smiled back. We continued walking together and talking, nothing heavy, just catching up with each other until Travis complained he was starving so the three of them took off in search of food while Morgan and I headed towards the concert area.
“Everything okay with your friend?” he asked gently.
“I guess so, I’m not really sure what’s going on with him,” I answered.
“I have a pretty good idea,” Morgan muttered darkly.
I narrowed my eyes in question, but someone called my name before I could ask him what he’d meant. We turned our heads and saw Lachlan Edwards making his way through the crowd, a large security guard at his side. Several people turned their heads as he walked by and I wasn’t sure if it was because they recognized him from having his face splashed on the covers of all the rag magazines ever since he got engaged to Rylie, the drummer of Carter’s Creed, or if it was because he was just that good looking. He gave us each a hug when he reached us.
“How are you guys? I haven’t seen you since Micah and Landon’s wedding,” he said in a smooth British accent.
“We’re good. How are you and Rylie?” I asked. Lachlan’s face split into a wide smile when I mentioned his fiancé.
“We’re very well, thank you. We’ve been preparing for our own wedding,” he said.
“Yes, we got our invitations this week. We’re looking forward to it,” I told him.
“That’s wonderful. It’s very important to each of us to have our closest friends there because you all have become our family,” Lachlan explained and I was even more touched to be included in their special day. I assured him that we wouldn’t miss it for the world and then he excused himself to go check on the band and see if there was anything they needed before their performance.
Landon and Micah walked up then and they had Matt and Isaac with them. Landon smiled when he saw our joined hands. Morgan and I had already told him that we were together once he got back from his honeymoon, but he still looked so happy about it whenever he saw us together. I knew that he’d been worried about me for a long time and he was equally concerned when Morgan had broken up with David. Landon had always been a caretaker, a nurturer to those he cared about so I knew it had brought him peace of mind to known that Morgan and I had found each other.
“Can you believe this turnout?” Matt asked incredulously. His head turned as he took in the crowd that had gathered for the concert as well as the people lining the streets for the carnival.
“It’s a very good thing for Agape House to have this much awareness brought to it,” I said.
“How is the project going?” Matt turned his attention to Morgan. We all listened as Morgan described the progress so far and everyone was excited to hear that he was way ahead of schedule. I was so proud of him and the work that he’d done in such a short amount of time.
We turned our attention to the stage as the concert began. Carter was at his best, working the crowd into a frenzy and turning most of the audience into putty in his hands. He was incredibly talented, as was the rest of the band. Rylie looked healthy and strong behind his drum set and most people would be surprised to find out how close we’d come to losing him.
Carter slowed the music down and the crowd let out a loud “Awww!” as he dedicated the next song to his husband, Ryan. Whistles and shouts of “CRYAN!” could be heard as the band started playing the beginning notes of “One Call Away.”
The rest of the Greene family had joined us by then and I smiled as I looked around at all my friends and family. A few were kissing, some were smiling or singing along and a couple were even swaying together in a slow dance. Morgan pulled me back against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. Then his lips brushed over my ear and he whispered what he was going to do to me later and everything and everyone else around me was forgotten.
“Okay, Mom, I’ve got to go. I love you too.” I hung up the phone and glared down at Akio who was grinning up at me innocently from between my legs.
“I can’t believe you did that while I was on the phone with my mother,” I growled.
“I can’t believe you managed to speak through that. I must be losing my touch.” He was laughing as I pulled him up and flipped us so that he was underneath me, my forearms resting on either side of his head.
“I had to tell her I’d just gotten back from a run so she wouldn’t wonder why I was panting so hard. Trust me, you are in no danger of losing your touch,” I assured him.
“I am pretty good, aren’t I?” he joked.
“The best! But you know who else is good?” I asked. Akio looked off into the distance as if giving my question a lot of thought.
“Tom Daley?” he answered with a mischievous grin. I opened my mouth, closed it and then opened it again.
“Yeah, I’ll give you that one, he probably is.” Akio chuckled underneath me. “I was talking about me though,” I told him.
“Oh really? I don’t remember.” He shook his head sadly.
“Maybe I should remind you then,” I said, already kissing my way down his body.
“I think that would be best.” He said the last part as a sigh.
He started out moaning, but after several minutes, he was gripping my hair between his fingers and bucking up into my mouth as he chased his orgasm. My head bobbed up and down between his legs as I took him down my throat. Finally, his body stiffened and he let out a strangled scream as warm streams of cum shot down the back of my throat and coated my tongue. I swallowed it
all and then crawled back up his body, licking my lips. Akio’s eyes were unfocused when he opened them, but he grabbed me and kissed me fiercely until neither of us could breathe.
“Now do you remember?” I whispered against his lips.
“Uh huh, but I may need a few more reminders here and there. I can be quite forgetful sometimes,” Akio whispered back. His lips brushed against mine as they turned up in a smile.
“I’d remind you again this morning if I didn’t have to get ready for work, I’m already late though.” I kissed him one more time and then rolled out of bed, chuckling at his disappointed whimper. I looked over my shoulder as I walked towards the bathroom and found him staring at my ass. He looked sleepy, sexy, and satisfied and it brought a smile to my face as I started the shower.
A few hours later I was frowning as I stared down at the blueprint and then back up at the man standing in front of me.
“Explain to me once again what happened,” I sighed.
“There’s no electric run through that wall. The electrician must have missed it in the plans and the drywall was put up before we caught the mistake. It wasn’t until I went to charge my phone while I was painting that I realized the problem,” Carl explained.
“Okay. Go ahead and get someone to take down the drywall while I call the electrician and ask him to come back. Obviously, we’ll have to wait on painting until this has all been fixed,” I told him.
“Got it, boss,” he said as he walked off.
“Thanks, Carl,” I called after him. I shook my head. It was inevitable that something went wrong with each job, but fortunately that one had been a minor problem and Carl had found it in time to make repairs before the inspection. Failing an inspection and having to have it redone was a costly and timely mistake that I wanted to avoid if at all possible.
It had been a month since I saw Matt at the carnival and told him that we were ahead of schedule. He’d been very excited to hear that because, as he told me, he was having to turn kids away. He didn’t have the room in their current location to help the rising number of teens who had been coming to the center for help, but the new center would allow him to provide care for all those kids.
Constructing the Soul Page 17