Chapter Two
Morgan shook, her fingers still numb as she struggled with the buttons on her coat and it seemed to take forever before she finally got the last one opened. Slipping it off, she let the coat drop to the tiled floor and went to work on her slacks. The steam made quick work of heating the bathroom and it felt heavenly as she took her time removing the rest of her clothes.
As much as she had longed to have Jack see her as more than a friend or little sister, she would never be comfortable baring herself with casual disregard. She was not slender or petite like her mother, and never would be. Although, at five six, she was a good eight inches shorter than Jack, she was by no means small. Her mother had constantly harped about how she should lose weight because men didn’t like girls with such big breasts and hips—which hadn’t helped her self-esteem.
With a deep sigh, she sank down into the heated water and then moaned as her chilled skin thawed. Years ago, after trying numerous diets and strenuous exercises to no avail, she had given up on being anything but what she was. Maybe Jack liked soft, full-figured women, she thought as she sank deeper into the tub. Closing her eyes, the memory of the last time she saw him five years ago warmed her even more.
Tossing off her graduation cap, Morgan flew across the aisle and jumped into Jack’s open arms. “You came! I can’t believe you’re here!”
“Now, where else would I be, princess? Is this not an important night for you?”
Trying her best not to melt at the warm, tender look in his dark eyes or read too much into it, she kissed his cheek before taking a reluctant step back. “I had hoped but I rarely see you anymore. When are you going to invite me to Colorado?”
Taking her arm, he steered her through the throng of graduates and guests and out into the warm evening air, telling her, “I made reservations at Angels and Kings. I’m proud of you, Morgan. Whatever you want tonight, it’s yours.”
His deft avoidance in answering her hurt, but she refused to let it ruin the night. A trendy nightclub located in the Hard Rock Hotel, Angels and Kings was a favorite for dining and dancing. Excited beyond belief to be going there with Jack, she wouldn’t let his continued refusal to invite her to his Colorado lodge, where he had moved shortly after she started college, mar the little time she had with him.
Giddy with the pleasure of just being with him, she ordered a ridiculously expensive salmon dinner to go with the bottle of ridiculously expensive Champagne he ordered as soon as they were seated at a quiet corner table.
“So, now what? The world’s at your fingertips. What will you do with it?”
“I wish,” she snorted. “Dad’s insisting I come work for him, and since I have a huge debt to pay off, I’m not in a position to turn down the large salary he offered.?
? Sipping the bubbly Champagne, she tried not to let her undesirable future interfere with her time with Jack.
“They didn’t pay for your college?” he asked, frowning, but not surprised.
“No. I needed to learn financial responsibility, they said. I’m sure it was so I’d end up in my current position, forced to take their generous offer. I could apply elsewhere, but a piece of paper doesn’t give me experience, and I’d be making peanuts for too long starting at the bottom of the ladder at some other company. At least dad’s giving me the assistant’s job in Human Resources, next in line for the head position instead of putting me in the mailroom.” She saw his displeasure, but held up a hand to forestall the rant she knew he wanted to vent on her behalf. “Come on, Jack, let’s just have fun. Okay?”
“Okay, we’ll table my lecture for another time. Finish your salmon and then we’ll dance.”
He caved, like she knew he would. It was only when she wanted to be included in his everyday life he didn’t give in to her now. She didn’t know what the big secret was about his new home in Colorado, but no amount of pleading, cajoling, or whining over the phone had gotten him to budge on his refusal to let her come visit him.
His enticing invitation to dance with her had her finishing her meal in haste, and she barely tasted the succulent grilled salmon and vegetables as she anticipated getting physically close to him.
Ten minutes later, he led her onto the small dance floor and when he drew her into his arms with an indulgent smile, Morgan had never been happier. He seemed to like holding her close and she couldn’t resist the temptation when he bent to kiss her nose, as he often did, to lean up, turn her head, and let his lips land on hers instead. His low groan sent a thrill through her, his tight arms pulling her close, heating her blood to molten lava. When her pelvis came into contact with his obvious erection, her blood turned to boiling.
With a low, muttered curse against her mouth, he kissed her with deep pressure right there on the dance floor, his tongue making an erotic exploration of her mouth unlike anything she’d felt before. Leaning into him, she tightened her arms around his neck as their bodies swayed to the slow beat surrounding them. Surely he now saw her as a woman and a desirable one at that if the hard cock poking her stomach was any indication, she thought hopefully, her arousal escalating. Anticipating what would come next, of leaving the club with him and finally losing her virginity to the one man she desired above all others, she shuddered with longing in his rock-hard embrace.
Seconds later, he removed her arms and looked down at her with a scowl. “I’m sorry, princess. That shouldn’t have happened. Come on, I think it’s time I took you home,” he said, his words dousing the fiery heat his kiss had evoked with the effectiveness of a cold dunking.
Shock and disappointment had her following him out without protest, his retreat behind a friendly but cool facade more painful than his rejection.
“Are you going to ignore what just happened, Jack?” she asked with her usual bluntness when he pulled up in front of her apartment after a silent drive home.
His heartfelt sigh wasn’t lost on her and neither was the significance of his reply. “Nothing happened, Morgan and nothing’s going to happen. You need to find a nice young man to date and think about settling down. You’re not a kid anymore.”
“No, I guess I’m not,” she murmured as the finality of his statement registered. Leaning over, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Jack. I had a good time tonight.”
Morgan rested her head against the small bath pillow, sighing as she recalled getting into her car as soon as Jack had left and driving to another club where she’d known Tabitha was partying. Several hours and drinks later, she lost her virginity to a stranger in the backseat of her car. Since then, she’d tried to get over her infatuation with Jack, but none of the men she’d dated or the two she’d had affairs with stifled her longing for the one man she always wanted.
* * *
Jack kept quiet as he stood in the doorway and watched the myriad expressions crossing Morgan’s face. Head back, eyes closed, she appeared relaxed unless you knew her well, which he did. Her mouth had been soft, lips turned up before her chin tightened and her brows lowered in a frown. Her full, beautiful breasts bobbed in the water, her soft, rounded stomach beckoned his fingers, her hips wide enough to cradle his large frame in comfort. She had the type of body he favored most, full and soft, something he had been more than aware of in the past and done his damnedest to ignore. For now he would continue to ignore her lush temptation and instead get to the root of this unexpected visit.
“What’s the frown for, princess?”
With a startled squeal, Morgan sat up with a quick jerk, water sloshing as her arms went across her breasts. “Jack! You could at least wait until I get out. Go away and close the door.” She tried to sound indignant, but looking at him lounging nonchalantly against the door, his blond hair a sexy contrast to the dark beard covering his face, her voice came out with that familiar catch and her heart tripped with longing. It was always that way with him.