Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
I blow out a breath. “I don’t want to get hurt either. I won’t. I know better. I know what I’m doing.” I don’t, in fact. I’m still trying to wrap my head around Morgan kissing me last night. That he slept in my arms, nuzzling into me and wanting to be surrounded by my scent and heat. Is he like that with Rob? The thought feels like spider legs scurrying around in my brain, so I shut it down quickly.
“Well, love doesn’t always make us see clearly. I’ve known you love that boy before you even understood romantic love or being gay. And if I’m being honest, I believe Morgan loves you the same way. You’re just not afraid of it the way he is. You’ll hold on with all your might while he’ll push it away, telling himself it’s the only way to protect his heart.”
“Wow…when did you get your therapy degree?”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m being serious, Dusty.”
I sigh because I know she is. And I’m damn lucky to have both my parents in my corner, to know they will always want what’s best for me, but I can’t do this when it comes to Morgan. “I’ll be careful. I’m not going to let myself think any of it means anything more than it does. Morgan is back in my life, but soon he’ll leave again. We’ll stay friends this time, but that doesn’t change that it won’t be more than that—not for real.” Even if we do more of what we did last night, that doesn’t change our situation. Being in each other’s lives like this comes with an expiration date.
“Okay.” She nods. “You know me. I just had to say something.”
“You wouldn’t be my mom if you didn’t.”
“Dad and I flipped a coin to see who’d get to come.”
I chuckle. I don’t doubt she’s telling the truth.
“Now that we have that out of the way, when do we get to see Morgan? We missed him.”
They did. It took me a while to tell them what happened, that I’d kissed Rhett and Morgan had seen and taken off, but I’d admitted it. As angry as they were with Morgan, they deserved to know I played a part in it. It doesn’t matter what was going through my head that night, kissing Rhett had been a betrayal to Morgan, and I’d known it. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Thank you.” She grins, and I lean over and kiss her cheek.
“Thank you…for being you. It might be annoying as shit sometimes, but I know how lucky I am.”
“We’re lucky to have you too, Dusty James.”
I motion toward the building. “Can I go back to work now?”
“I guess I’ll allow it.” She winks, and we say our goodbyes, before I join Easton inside.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, it is.” I look at my phone, surprised I haven’t heard from Rhett today. If word is going around, he must’ve heard about it. Add to that Morgan telling him he wasn’t staying at Gregory’s last night, and Rhett’s definitely going to have something to say about it.
“Sometimes I wonder if Morgan didn’t have it right all along—getting the hell outta here, ya know?”
“Yep,” Easton replies. “I do.”
*
I can’t stop thinking about Morgan. Having him, even temporarily, isn’t something I ever thought would be a possibility. Now it’s been dangled in front of me, and I’m not sure what to do about it.
Right before closing time, I get a text, and I know without looking that it’s from him. For a moment, I consider ignoring it, but the curiosity would eat me up inside. Hell, maybe I’m worrying about this for nothing, and Morgan had changed his mind.
Morgan: Hey…how are you?
Me: Good. Kept busy today. You?
Morgan: Same old thing. Listen…are we okay? I just got you back, and now I’m afraid I fucked it up.
I drop my head back as if the answer to my questions is written on the ceiling. My dick is begging me to go to him, to take whatever the fuck it is he’s offering. Hell, every part of my whole damn body is urging me to do that except my brain. Kissing someone without using my brain is what got me in trouble ten years ago, and I don’t want to make the same mistake again.
Me: Yeah, we’re good. We’re always good, but as I said, I’ve got some thinking to do about what happened last night. I don’t even know if you’re asking for more of that, but I need to sort shit out in my head.
There, that sounds good, right? It’s not me telling him I’m in love with him and that I’m not sure I can handle what he’s offering me unless it’s everything.
Morgan: Of course. I don’t know what I want either. I just know…it felt good. Felt right.