When we came down from the adrenaline rush of our orgasms, we lay there, panting and entwined, the wild rush giving way to a satisfied haze of pleasure.As our breaths slowed, I knew this was more than just giving in to a reckless moment of desire.It was us, finally letting ourselves want more.
It felt like the start of everything I had ever desired.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Liam
Investing in anew company always kept me busy, but this time of the year was another level entirely.Christmas was a few weeks away, and GalvaTech would be closed between the holidays, which meant every department was scrambling to hit deadlines before the break.Prototypes needed final revisions.Marketing assets had to be prepped.Contracts required signatures.CES prep was ramping toward full throttle for the first week in January.
And through all of it, Morgan and I barely had a minute to ourselves.
Four days had passed since dinner at her parent’s house.Four days since we’d crossed that line and slept together again.It had been good.Not just the sex.Everything.
I’d stayed the night, wrapped around her in a way I hadn’t held a woman in years, knowing I wasn’t going anywhere this time.She’d fallen asleep with her cheek on my chest, her hand resting right over my heart like it belonged there.And in the morning, after a slower, lazier round of sex, we’d showered together.She made coffee while I cooked us breakfast, moving around her kitchen like we’d been doing it for years.Being together had felt so natural.So easy and comfortable.
I kissed her before leaving.Not because I was caught up in the high of the night before, and not because I couldn’t help myself—though that was part of it—but because it felt like an honest and natural thing to do.
I wanted her to know that I wasn’t running.Not this time.
Now, at the office and already mid-week, the last four days had been a blur of other pressing demands.I’d barely had a second alone with her.We were together constantly, but always surrounded by employees or buried in tasks.We’d brush past each other in the hallway, exchange a look loaded with too much meaning, and then have to pretend nothing had happened between us because we’d decided to keep things to ourselves for now.It was torture of the best kind.
Despite our inability to get that time alone, I made sure we texted each other throughout the day.I was determined to do things right this time around.If face-to-face conversations alone were impossible at the moment, I would take any form of communication with Morgan I could get beyond business.
Underneath all of that, a knot of worry kept tightening in my chest.It had been a long time since I’d been in a real relationship, and every time I thought about how badly my engagement had imploded, a small part of me panicked and doubts seeped in.My biggest worry was, could I do this the right way with Morgan?
When Ivy and I were together, I’d let work consume everything.My time, my energy, my attention.I’d been a man who’d worked twelve-hour days on Wall Street, would come home exhausted, and only offered crumbs of affection.I knew things weren’t good between Ivy and I, and I knew toward the end I’d chosen work because it felt easier than dealing with the emotional mess I’d made of our relationship.
The truth was, I didn’t want to be that man again.Not with Morgan.I needed to find a balance because she deserved someone who showed up.Fully.Consistently.Someone who chose her and made time for her.
I knew this, but I couldn’t deny that there was a part of me that was terrified I’d fuck it all up again.
After normal work hours on Thursday, I unexpectedly found myself with a block of free time while Morgan was in a meeting with the marketing team before everyone left for the evening.Instead of reviewing another cost analysis spreadsheet, I decided to take the time to place a call to one of the most content married men I knew.My brother, Noah.
He answered on the first ring and we exchanged greetings and the usual small talk to catch up.
Finally, I said, “So, I wanted to talk to you about…being in a relationship.”
There was distinct silence before Noah replied.“Is this Liam?”
I huffed out a laugh despite myself.“Very funny.Are you going to help me out or not?”
“I guess it depends on what you want from me,” he said, amusement fading into genuine curiosity.
“Just listen,” I said, and launched into the story of Morgan and me.
I started with the night we met, skipping the intimate details and glossing over how my skepticism about marriage had driven me from his wedding reception in the first place.
“Now we’ve been dating, or whatever this is, for a few weeks, but I’m slammed at the office, exhausted from the grind here and jumping in to help Simon with the angel investment firm whenever he needs it.I haven’t spent any quality time with her, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m already screwing this up.”
Noah remained quiet while I talked.He was a good listener, which was another reason he was the person I chose to call.
“I’m struggling to see the problem here,” he said when I finished.“It sounds like you both have demanding schedules right now.That’s not a relationship crisis.That’s life.”
I rose from my desk and paced to the window, pressing the phone tighter to my ear, the city lights blurring below.“She’s the first woman I’ve tried to be serious about since Ivy.I keep worrying I’ll repeat the same mistakes with Morgan that I did with her.”
“Liam,” Noah said in that brotherly tone of his.“You’re not in that place anymore, and Morgan isn’t Ivy.”
I rubbed a hand along the back of my neck.“I know that.”
