“I remember how much you worked when you were with Ivy,” Noah said, without judgment.“But this?It sounds like it’s a busy period at the company that will blow over after the New Year.You’re overthinking everything because the relationship is new.Give it time.If this is someone you truly want in your life, you’ll find a way to make it work.”
“Time,” I said, hearing the doubt in my own voice.“What if I don’t have time?What if—”
“You’re catastrophizing,” Noah said bluntly.“Do you really think Morgan is going to cheat on you the way Ivy did?”
The question hit like a punch to the gut, but my answer was immediate.“No.”Ivy had been unhappy for years, and there had been a lack of communication between us I was determined not to repeat with Morgan.
“Then what are you afraid of?”Noah asked.
I exhaled slowly.“That I’ll lose her anyway.That I’ll be so focused on work that I’ll lose sight of what’s important.That she’ll realize she deserves better and walk away or find someone else who—”
“Liam.”Noah’s voice turned firm.“Ivy cheated because of Ivy.Not because you worked too much or didn’t pay attention or whatever bullshit excuse she gave you.She made a choice.And yeah, maybe you did work too much, but that doesn’t change the fact that she betrayed you.”
“I know that—”
“Do you?Because it sounds like you’re blaming yourself for her wandering eye and trying to make yourself the villain in this new story before it’s even begun.”
Just talking to Noah helped ease my anxieties.“Marriage has made you wise,” I quipped, a reluctant smile tugging at my lips.
He laughed.“I’ve always been wise, but you’re not one to ask for advice.Reaching out like this?It tells me this woman means something to you.”
“She does,” I admitted quietly, my chest tightening with the admission.“I never thought I’d try to make a serious relationship work again.She’s special and I care about her.More than I expected.”
“So stop panicking and anticipating the worst,” Noah said.“Build this relationship.Don’t run from it.”
A sound behind me made me turn around, and I nearly dropped the phone when I saw Morgan standing there with a white plastic bag in her hand.
“I’ve got to go, Noah.I’ll call you back later,” I muttered, ending the call abruptly, my face heating as I wondered how much she’d overheard.
She held up the white take-out bag with a small, tentative smile.“I wasn’t sure how late you planned to stay tonight, but everyone else is gone and I thought that maybe we could squeeze in a quick dinner together.Well, everyone but Parker, but he’s holed up in his office with the door shut, which means he’s engrossed in something he deems important and doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
I cleared my throat.“Dinner sounds great.”
Embarrassment prickled at my neck, still unsure how much she’d overheard of me confiding in my brother about my insecurities.I moved toward the small sitting area, trying to play it cool, but before I reached it, Morgan turned back to the door, shutting it firmly and twisting the lock with a deliberate click.
She set the bag on one of the chairs in front of my desk then sauntered toward me with that slow, confident sway that turned my brain to static.Her gaze locked on mine, and a seductive smile curved her lips.
“I care about you too, Liam,” she said, grabbing my tie and pulling me in for a kiss.
Heat flooded through me instantly.I cupped her face, deepening the kiss, pouring everything I was worried about, everything I’d just confessed to Noah, into the way my mouth moved against hers.
When she pulled back, her eyes were bright, her lips swollen.“You’re not screwing this up,” she whispered.
“You heard that?”My voice came out rough.
She nodded, but didn’t let go of my tie, keeping me tethered to her, which I didn’t mind.“And for the record?I know you’re busy.I’m busy, too.But that doesn’t mean I think you don’t care.We’ll figure it out.”
The knot in my chest loosened.“You make it sound simple.”
“Maybe it is.”She smiled.“Maybe we’re both overthinking this because it matters.Because we don’t want to mess it up.”
“I don’t want to mess this up,” I reiterated quietly.
“Then don’t.”she kissed me again, softer this time.“Show up when you can.Communicate when you can’t.Trust that I’m not going anywhere just because we’re both working hard right now.”
Trust.The word hung between us, and I pulled her closer, kissing her again, but this time making sure I did so with enough heat that I stopped questioning what was happening between us.My cock hardened painfully in my pants, straining against the fabric as I crushed her body to mine, reveling in the lush press of her curves.She released my tie, looping her arms around my neck, and I deepened the kiss, my tongue delving in to taste her sweetness, my hips grinding forward instinctively, seeking the friction that made my blood roar.
The world shrank to just us.The electric contact of our bodies, the lust crackling like wildfire.I lost myself in her, my hands roaming her back, pulling her tighter to me as need pulsed hot and urgent between us.
