Page 245 of Masters of Control

“Morgan’s not used to being taken care of,” Olivia chimed in. “She tends to fight it. You might have to get bossy with her. But her former… hmmm. Well, let’s just say that was completely on her own any time she wasn’t feeling well prior to this. She doesn’t feel comfortable being taken care of.”

And Asad didn’t feel comfortable taking care of people because it reminded him of his brother. He’d spent a lot of childhood doing sick days with his brother, both in and out of the hospital.

He groaned.

“I… I really, really like Morgan, but sometimes, I think we’re the worst match-up in history,” he confessed. He wasn’t sure if the Dommes were following his thoughts, but they didn’t seem confused.

“Or one of the best. You challenge each other, and you’re in a good position to grow together. You also make her really happy, and that’s what matters the most.” Julie smiled at him.

That was good to hear. And they did challenge each other. This felt like a massive challenge.

“I feel like a shitty boyfriend because there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to go home and take care of her.” There. He’d said it out loud.

None of the women seemed particularly horrified at the confession, which took some of the wind out of his sails. Hadn’t they heard him?

“Is it that you don’t want to take care of her or that you don’t want to face the fact that sometimes people you care about get sick?”

“Ouch.” He rubbed the spot on his chest where it felt like Julie had just punched him. That one had hit like a physical blow.

“Suck it up, Asad,” Olivia said, leaning in. “The Persian Excursion can’t be all smooth sailing. Sometimes, things are going to get a little bumpy. Then you have to decide—are you bailing or are you going to captain the fucking ship? You get to control where you’re going. You just have to make the decision, then follow through.”

Right. That made sense. Decision and follow through.

“I’m going to Morgan’s to check on her and spend the afternoon with her… oh, um, can someone cancel our reservation for Marquis tonight?” Damn. He’d almost forgotten they were supposed to be going out. She was going to be disappointed, but he’d make it up to her, eventually. “If she has a fever, we’re obviously staying in.”

“No problem,” Olivia, manager of Marquis, said. Her grey eyes softened as she studied him through the screen. “You just go take care of your girl.”

“Let us know if you need anything else. Freddy and I are free this evening,” Camille chimed in.

Julie smiled at him. “You can do this, Asad. And please, feel free to come talk to me any time.”

“I might just have to do that. Thank you. I’ll… keep you updated.”

“You’d better.” Olivia winked at him, then they cut the phone off.

Asad took a deep breath… then another. He put the car in drive. It was time to go take care of his sick girlfriend.

He could do this.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Morgan

Curled up on the couch, Morgan was already feeling better, other than having Mitch and Brian hovering over her.

“Don’t you need to go?” she asked Brian. His hour was more than up.

Brian looked at Mitch. Mitch looked back at Brian. Despite the difference in their appearances—Brian with his brown hair and hazel eyes, dressed in a suit, Mitch with blond hair and blue eyes wearing a tank top and sweatpants—they looked remarkably similar in that moment. Morgan frowned at both of them.

“I can’t stay. I have to get back to pick up Ana,” Mitch said apologetically. Ana was his soon-to-be stepdaughter once he and Domi got married. Morgan had never met the little girl, but she’d heard about her.

“Fuck,” Brian muttered under his breath.

“I’m fine,” Morgan repeated for the eleventh time. “You can go. I’m feeling much better. My throat doesn’t hurt as much, and my fever has gone down.”

“That’s because Mitch gave you stuff to help with both. That doesn’t mean it’s going to last. I don’t want to leave you here on your own while you’re feeling like this,” Brian huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, which was what he often did when he was thinking hard.

That meant he would be missing work, or very late, because of Morgan. As touched as she was by their dedication to taking care of her, she also felt like an unwanted burden. She was making life harder for him, which was the exact opposite of what she wanted.