ChapterThirteen
Morgan
My heart somersaults my chest.
Immediate panic.
"I…I can't.I can't."Tears spring to my eyes and I can't breathe.
Do you even know how you SMELL, Morgan?Who would want to put their face anywhere near THAT?
"Morgan?Hey…what's—what'd I say?"
I swing around and off of him, shaking my head."Not—not you."It's all I can manage.
I should know better than to think he'd let it go that easily, though.He's behind me, wrapping me up in his arms and turning me to face him, cradling me to his chest."Breathe, honey.Just breathe.We don't have to do anything you don't want to.That's somethingIenjoy, and I thought…"
I catch my breath."Noah, I—"
"Can you talk about it?It's okay if not, but I'd like to understand."
Across the room, on a desk near the kitchen, his radio squawks."Captain Austin?"
“Goddammit,” he sighs."Sorry.One sec."
I pat his chest and step back, wiping at my eyes with the heels of my palms."I need a second anyway."
He crosses the room naked, tight ass clenching and releasing with each step—my god, the man has a fantastic ass.Even in my distraught state, I can't help but want to go over there and sink my teeth into the thing like a feral animal.
Jesus, Morgan, get a grip.
"Go for Austin," Noah says, gazing absent-mindedly out the window.
"It's Doug," the other person says."Albert just snapped his ankle and Conklin is out sick, and we were already short-staffed.I wouldn't call you in on your day off, but it's been busy and we need you."
Noah hangs his head, radio dangling at his side for a moment before he lifts it to his mouth and replies."Understood.On my way."
"Sorry, Noah."
"All good, Dougie.Gimme thirty?"
"Sure thing, Cap."
With slumped shoulders, Noah turns toward me, setting the radio back on the desk."Morgan, I—"
I cross to him."Noah, the job has to come first.It's okay.Go.I understand, I promise."
His hands palm my ass, pull me up against him."You're fucking incredible, Morgan," he murmurs."I feel so goddamn lucky that we ran into each other on the ice that day.I feel like a new man when I'm around you."
My eyes burn."God, just stop already,” I breathe.“You have to go, and if you keep being this sweet, I'm gonna have to suck your brains out again, and you don't have the time for that.Your men need you."
He rumbles a laugh.“Well shit, honey, don't threaten me with a good time."He turns serious, then."About what I said a minute ago."
I take advantage of our physical proximity to mirror his pose, grabbing a double handful of his hard, muscular ass."I need time to process my feelings on that topic before I can talk about it, Noah.Obviously, we can't get into it now, and I can’t…” she sighs.“I'm too mixed up about it right now anyway.But suffice it to say that there's some seriously complicated feelings for me on that topic.”
Noah growls a sigh."Meaning your dick-biscuit of an ex-husband said something to make you self-conscious about that, too."
I snicker."Dick-biscuit, Noah?Really?"
