How could he forget? He was a person; more than that, even with the sweater and cargo pants he never seemed to take off, Morgan could tell Ty was slim to the point of wiry.
“You would be so much better off with a nice layer of blubber,” Ty went on. “Insulated and comfortable.”
Morgan laughed, but it was harsher this time around. “That’s not exactly the image my company wanted from me.”
Ty tilted his head slightly, a spark of curiosity finally appearing in his eyes. Morgan braced himself for the questions to finally begin, for the comfortable, mutual ignorance they’d been cultivating between them to finally start to crumble. Instead, Ty just said, “Mmm, I’m glad you’re here, then.”
Morgan stared at him. Ty had to be the most self-sufficient person he’d ever met, content on his own, with no need for modern amenities or access to the outside world. For this pinnacle of isolation to tell Morgan he was glad to have him here was … well, it was something. Enough to start an ember of warmth glowing in the center of Morgan’s chest. “I’m glad to be here.”
Ty broke eye contact a moment later. “Will you … read to me again?” he asked.
Oh, that was a good idea. “MoreWolf Dictionary?”
“Yes, please.”
“Sure.” The book was on the table where he’d left it yesterday. Morgan picked it up and opened it to the thread he’d been using as a bookmark. “Chapter Six: Man. Approaching twilight, a man and a boy from a small plains town stop their truck in a little clearing in the trees and get to work making a camp …”
The next three days were the closest thing to a genuine vacation that Morgan could remember having. There was literally nothing for him to do other than relax, eat whatever he could cook on the little gas stove, and heal. Ty went out every day for hours at a time, but he started coming in more frequently, sometimes just to check on Morgan but occasionally bringing something in with him—a gutted fish ready to be pan fried, a few urchin quills that made Morgan laugh, and finally a fragment of an abalone shell that gleamed with iridescent beauty in the sunshine.
“That’s gorgeous,” Morgan said as he looked at where Ty had set it on the table. “Can I touch it?”
“Mm-hmm.”
He picked it up and ran his finger gently over the smooth, shimmering-blue interior. There were hints of pink and black too, and the shape of it reminded him of something … “It looks like a tiny octopus arm,” he said. “Don’t you think?” He lookedover at Ty and startled when he saw Ty’s skin was flushed bright pink. “Shit, are you okay?” He put the fragment down and reached for him. “You look like you got sunburned.”
“No, I’m fine,” Ty said immediately as he shied back. “Just … too warm.”
“Because you burned out there.” The pink wasn’t as bright as it had seemed a moment ago, but it was still far from a healthy shade. “Let me get my sunscreen; I know you brought some in the bag … or aloe vera would be even better—” He had barely turned around when Ty was up from the table and out the door. “Ty!”
“I’m fine!” he called back and then … nothing.
Morgan stared at the door with a mixture of confusion and hurt. Had he come off as pushy? Probably, he was prone to being pushy, but it wasn’t because he was trying to be controlling. He just wanted to make sure Ty was okay.
He wanted to get up and go after him, but something inside of him knew that wasn’t a good idea. Apart from the rudeness inherent in following someone when they didn’t want to be followed, Morgan still got a little dizzy when he shifted positions too quickly. He wouldn’t be able to make it down to Ty’s boat in time to catch him, if that was where he was going.
Where else could he go? Don’t crowd him.
Ty didn’t come back until the evening. Morgan had resolved not to be the one to bring it up, but when he saw Ty come in with perfectly pale skin once more, he couldn’t hold it in. “I know your health is none of my business,” he said quietly, “and I don’t want to overstep, but I clearly missed something with your …” He waved a hand at Ty. “The color thing. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you said you were fine.”
“Oh.” Ty’s eyes went wide. “It’s … it’s all right. I—I should have, mmm, explained better.” He shrugged. “I’m not used to having to explain things about myself to people.”
Morgan felt like a worm. “I know I’ve been a big imposition on you, and I’m sorry about that. Maybe I should head back to the lighthouse.”
Ty immediately stepped forward and shook his head. “No!” he almost shouted, extending a hand. “No, I … I think you should stay a little longer. You’re still having dizzy spells, aren’t you? And you can’t leave your arm out of the sling for long yet. Let me help you,” he insisted, and Morgan …
Well, he was only human.
“All right.”
Chapter five
It was easy to say yes to spending more time together. Morgan, despite how used to being alone he’d become since leaving San Francisco, was the sort of introvert who still appreciated company as long as it was a person he liked. If he couldn’t have his sister, then Ty was the next best thing. Better, in a lot of ways.
Not that Katie hadn’t made the offer to fly out and spend time with him once she found out what he’d done to himself. That was how Morgan knew she was really worried; it took an emergency to get her to hop on a plane.
“You should go to a hospital!” she’d snapped once Morgan finally got his phone charged enough to use it from Ty’s place. Days of radio silence had rattled her, and finding out he was injured on top of that made her a little shouty. It was one of the few habits she’d picked up from their father, and usually she was better about reeling it in, but not when she thought Morgan was being reckless.
“I’m feeling much better.”
