Read Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 Online

Authors: Brandi Ratliff,Rebecca Ratliff

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Erotica

Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (8 page)

BOOK: Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30
8.55Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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They
spoke for a few more moments, and Morgan wrote down the information
that Finlay gave her so that she could send Sean's mom something
during her recovery. Her heart broke for the old woman, but she was
relieved that Sean hadn't been involved. When they ended their call,
Morgan was left with only one thought that didn't hit her until
several moments after she put her phone away. “Shit! Fin! It
had to have been Fin!” She had been so caught up with learning
about Sean, that she had stopped digging for a way to get information
from the large Scot.

“Pizza,
is served!” Ian pushed the door open with his foot, and
quickly carried in two large boxes and placed them on the counter.
Morgan was still on the patio, and she blinked through the tears that
had silently fallen without her realizing it. Drama, that thing that
she was beginning to hate with all of her being, was taking over her
day once again.

Morgan
sniffed and wiped her cheeks one last time, then stuck her chin in
the air. The damn ring can't keep doing this to her, that was her
only thought, and she put one foot in front of the other as she
forced a smile on her face. By the time she was in front of Ian, and
smelling the fabulous food that he'd brought for her, the smile
wasn't so fake.

“I
don't even know what looks more delicious right now, the pizza or
you!” Morgan had to come up with something to get her mind off
of the information that had been dumped on her. Thanks to Angel,
she'd narrowed down the possibilities, but there would be no thinking
of that right then. Both of them laughed at her comparison of the man
and the colorful pizza, then Morgan reached for her first slice.
Instead of reaching the piece though, Ian grabbed her hand and pulled
her close for a spontaneous kiss. It caught her off guard, but she
recovered quickly and gave into the mind numbing pleasure of his full
lips against her own.

She
was glad he was so carefree and even more grateful that he wasn't as
intuitive as some of her other clients. Some of the men wanted to
know her whole life story and some were able to practically read her
mind. Yes, a few others would have had her telling them the whole
story by then, knowing something was bothering her. As their kiss
broke, Morgan smiled at the thought of Ian being oblivious to the
drama in her life and the fact she wouldn't have to explain it to
him.

Morgan
giggled and reached past him, pretending to be more interested in the
pizza, and he gave in and moved aside, laughing as well. “Oh,
yes, the pizza is much more delicious!” She nearly snorted when
she saw the look of shock on Ian's face.

“Is
that so?” he asked and Morgan nodded slowly. Ian took a step
forward and she stood her ground, then took another bite and moaned
with fake pleasure as she sat the pizza back inside the box. “Hmm,”
he looked her up and down as if he were contemplating the challenge.

Ian didn't say anything else. He took another step forward and
wrapped an arm around her waist, then turned her around in a swift
motion so her ass was against his hips. He held her waist against
himself and his free hand slowly slid down the front of her shorts.
Morgan's head fell back against his chest and a soft, real moan
vibrated across her lips. He moved his hand lower until it was right
over the soft lips at her center, then he stopped and leaned forward,
resting his head on her shoulder. “What do you want?”

“Touch
me,” she whispered, her fingers curling behind her into the
fabric of his jeans. His cock jerked against her ass at the sound of
her demand and one of his fingers quickly pushed inside of her. He
rocked them softly, side to side, as his moved slowly inside of her,
then back out to cover her swelling bud.

“Is
this what you want?” His finger moved in perfect rhythm over
the sensitive little bump and her legs began to shake under her. If
he hadn't been holding her around the waist, she knew she may have
just fallen to the kitchen floor. She nodded and arched her back,
pushing harder against his hand. Her moans got louder as he quickened
his pace and her hands pulled at him as she fought the urge to let
her legs give out. Then, just like that, he pulled his hand out
before giving her exactly what she needed.

Chapter
Seven

Morgan
pushed the hair out of her face and turned around to face the man
who'd just clearly teased the hell out of her. “Seriously?
You're eating pizza like that didn't just happen?” He was
already two bites into her slice of pizza, the piece she'd laid in
the box before he'd made his move.

“I
needed a little...motivation...” He gave her a sly grin and
raised an eyebrow, then took another bite.

Morgan's
mouth fell open. “For what?” What could he possibly need
motivation for? She quickly realized that it wasn't for him, but for
her.

“So
you'll tell me what's going on,” he answered her calmly. “Oh,
don't look at me like that. I've caught you talking to yourself more
than once and you didn't sound happy.” Morgan blushed with
embarrassment. She had no idea he'd ever heard her, but that meant
he'd probably heard the phone conversation too. “I read people,
Morgan and I can tell you're not the type to talk about things that
are bothering you, so...” he shrugged his shoulders, letting
her figure out the rest.

“So
you're bribing me?” She raised a brow at him and grabbed a
slice of pizza, then leaned her elbows on the island.
So much for
him not caring.

“Kinda.”

“You
don't want to hear it...it's...just drama.” Morgan sighed and
stood back up, then walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle
of water. He was still staring at her when she turned around.
“Really, it's nothing.”

“No,
I do want to hear it,” Ian disagreed. He grabbed one of the
pizza boxes, then walked over to the couch and called her to sit down
with him. She actually laughed.
Fine. If he wants to know and make
this whole visit awkward, then I'll tell him... or better... I'll
show him.
Morgan walked right past the couch and into the
bedroom. A quick dig through her purse and she found what she was
looking for, then carried it back into the living room with her.

“This.
This is my problem.” Morgan held the diamond ring in the palm
of her hand in front of Ian.

His
brows came together as he slowly took another bite, and Morgan went
on to tell him the whole story. They both laughed at the Cedric and
Angelisms, but the mood grew a bit more serious when Morgan got to
the point of the ring, and who could have sent it. He didn't offer
any words right away, so Morgan sat back on the couch and enjoyed her
dinner as they both thought about all that she'd told him. When they
were done, Ian got up and cleared the table, then returned to the
living room and stood in front of Morgan.

“Do
you love them? Any of them?” He crossed his arms over his
chest and smiled down at her. She nodded and looked away, as if in
deep thought about all of the men. Her head was still turned when
she answered.

“I
do... but not enough for marriage.” Morgan turned back to his
direction and looked up at the smiling man. “And I haven't
spent enough time with any of them to even consider.... such... a
thing.” He put his hands out to her and she gladly slipped her
fingers into his palms. Ian pulled her to her feet and held her in
front of him.

“You
love them enough that you don't want to hurt them. But there's more,
Morgan. You don't like the idea of marriage that much, do you?”
Morgan's eyes widened as his smile faded into a look of sympathy
that she instantly didn't care for.

“I....
don't know. But if I don't want mar... a commitment like that...
then you shouldn't feel sorry for me.” She pulled away from
the man and walked out to the balcony. He followed her, and they
both sat on the long soft chairs and stared out into the night.

“No,
I don't feel sorry for you. But..,” he took her hand without
turning in her direction, “I'm sorry for what you went through
that would make you so afraid of commitment.” She felt his
words more than she heard them, and her heart sunk at the truth that
cut through her very soul.

Morgan
squeezed his hand tightly and released all the air from her lungs
slowly in an attempt to keep her emotions under control. No, she
thought, it wasn't fear that stopped her. Morgan turned to face the
man. “I'm not afraid. I've just learned recently that I had
chased something for years, and never really knew what it was that I
was chasing. Now....,” she looked up and focused on one
bright star above, “I just want to take my time and figure out
what it was I wanted so badly.” She felt his fingers close
even more around hers, and when she took a quick peek at the man, her
heart warmed at the smile she could clearly see on his handsome face.
“Besides,” she began again. “I'm not entirely
against marriage or commitment. Like I said, I'm just not ready...
it's too soon.... for any of it.” The way he was still staring
at her forced her to justify her words once more and when he finally
looked away, she was satisfied with her answer. Her heart, however,
wasn't so convinced that her words were completely truthful.
If
I'm not afraid, then why won't I call all of the men and ask about
the damn ring?

“Seems
like you've got it all worked out, so tell me, what's stressing you
out?” He looked back up, another smile across his lips. The
kind of smile that made her forget to chew.

“You
know what? I don't even know,” she sighed and shook her head
back and forth as she stared down at her hands. Finally, she looked
up and smiled at Ian. “Nothing. You're right... I don't want to
hurt them. I'll call Finlay in a few days and I'll just tell him the
truth.” She hoped the truth wouldn't hurt her Scot, but she
knew that doing nothing about it wasn't helping either. The man was
offering her a moment to just open up, if she wanted to, and even
though she didn't have all the answers, it was still wonderful to
talk about everything.

“You
know what they say...” Ian wrapped his arm around Morgan and
pulled her close. “The truth will set you free.” She knew
that was true too, but sometimes, the truth sucked. Morgan nodded
against his chest, then wiped one escaped tear from her chin with her
shoulder. Enough tears, enough hiding from life. Life was happening,
she couldn't run from it... but one more night wouldn't hurt.

“Can
we go for a walk?” She thought maybe the sights of the
beautiful Puerto Rican nightlife would get her mind off of things.

“I
was going to suggest the same thing.” He hugged her tightly,
then released her and stood. “I know what will cheer you up,
come on,” he said, holding his hands out for her. Ian pulled
her up from the white chair, and in just a few minutes, they were
back outside, but at the bottom of the hotel. “I just have to
make a quick phone call,” Ian told her, then walked a few feet
away and dialed. He spoke quietly and Morgan wondered what kind of
secrets he was holding, but she wasn't going to pry. Hopefully, she
thought, it wasn't a girlfriend. Another jealous woman in her life
wasn't the drama she needed right then.

When
he returned to her side, it was clear he was holding a secret from
the large grin on his face, but his only instruction was when he held
his hand out again for Morgan to take. She happily accepted the offer
and the two of them walked beside the hotel, then between Ian's place
and another high rise, all the way to the water behind them. From
there, they walked nearly a mile down the beach until they came to a
marina, filled with boats of every size. The scene in front of them
reminded her of when she and Tanner had been looking at all of the
little boats on the shelf of the antique shop. From tiny two-man
boats to multimillion dollar yachts, they all bobbed on gentle waves.

“He's
waiting,” Ian smiled again, then walked faster, nearly pulling
Morgan behind him. They stopped in front of one of the smaller
yachts, then a little man appeared from the hole on the side.

“She's
all ready!” the man yelled from within, then waved his hands
toward himself and Ian followed, still holding Morgan's hand.

“We're
going on here?” Morgan's mouth fell open in surprise.
Definitely not what she expected by saying she wanted to go on a
walk...it was better.

“Do
you want to stay? I should have asked, I'm sorry if yo..”

“No,
no....let's go!” She let go of his hand and took the small leap
from the dock to the boat and waited for Ian to climb aboard. “This
is beautiful!” Even from the boat, she could see how beautiful
San Juan was lit up and couldn't wait to get out on the water for a
better view. It wasn't long before she got her wish and the yacht was
pulling out of its spot.

BOOK: Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30
8.55Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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