Chapter Twenty-Six
Morgan
Two weeks had passed since I learned about Parker’s troubles, and the fallout had been rough for everyone.
He’d come clean to Becca the same day that I visited the house, and she was devastated.
She felt the same guilt that I did for not noticing, but there was a lot of anger inside of her as well.
I couldn’t blame her for that. His actions had put her and Gracie in danger, and he’d screwed up their finances so badly that they were on the brink of ruin.
There were so many lies between them, and it had left their marriage in a rocky state.
But Becca was strong, and she loved Parker. I was hopeful they’d work things out, especially since Parker had agreed to enter rehab. That willingness to get help, to actively change, had gone a long way toward mending the rift between them. It would take time, though. A lot of time.
On the other hand, my relationship with Liam had never been stronger. After we’d made up in his office and confessed our love for each other, we’d decided we were done hiding our relationship. No more sneaking around, no more pretending at work.
Given all the shock and drama surrounding Parker’s situation, news of my relationship with Liam barely registered with my family. Which was a relief. My father, Faith, and everyone else were happy for us.
Tonight, I was going to meet the rest of Liam’s family. We were going to Fallon’s art show, and I was currently in the shower at Liam’s apartment, getting ready for the evening. I’d been spending most of my time here lately, more than at my own place.
The sound of the bathroom door opening made me smile. A moment later, the shower door opened and my very naked, and very erect, boyfriend stepped in behind me. I turned to face him, taking in the wolfish grin on his face.
“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked.
I laughed. “You’re already in here.”
His eyes sparkled sinfully. “Well, I couldn’t risk you saying no.”
His hands slid around to grab my ass, pulling me flush against his body. His lips met mine and I moaned into his kiss, feeling the hard length of his cock pressing between us. My fingers tangled in his hair, already getting damp from the spray, and I nipped at his bottom lip.
He pressed me against the cool tile wall, then bent down to capture a nipple in his mouth.
“Liam,” I gasped, my pussy clenching with need as his teeth grazed the sensitive peak before he moved to my other breast.
His hand slipped between my legs, two fingers sliding easily inside me.
“So wet for me already,” he murmured against my skin, his tongue swirling around my nipple. “You’re always so eager and ready for my cock.”
I shuddered at his dirty talk, heat flooding through me and making my thoughts hazy. But his fingers weren’t enough. I needed more. I needed him.
“Liam,” I begged, spreading my legs wider. “I want you inside me.”
He straightened and lifted me off the ground without warning, and I let out a surprised squeak. My legs automatically wrapped around his hips as he positioned me against the wall, his cock pressing insistently at my entrance.
His tongue swept into my mouth as he lowered me onto his shaft, filling me in the way I yearned for.
I whimpered, my legs tightening around him, my heels digging into his ass.
In this position, I couldn’t do much but hold on as he moved me up and down the tile wall, each deep thrust stealing my breath.
His movements were rough and fast, taking me hard, exactly the way I loved.
My eyes closed, and I felt everything. The stretch of my pussy around him.
The pleasure of being filled. The possessive grip of his hands.
The delicious friction. It was so much. So overwhelming and perfect that I let my orgasm consume me.
With one final deep thrust, he came hard, too.
We clung to each other as aftershocks rolled through us both.
In moments like this, it was hard to believe we’d had such a rocky start.
I tried not to dwell on it. The missteps of the past didn’t matter anymore.
There was only a bright future ahead of us now.
We finished our shower and got ready for the art show. We were cutting it close on time, but we managed to get out the door on schedule.
“So, how did the meeting with my father go?” I asked as Liam drove us to the gallery.
He’d spent the past few days with my father, hammering out the final details of a new contract necessary to keep GalvaTech going. I hadn’t been involved in the negotiations—conflict of interest, given my relationship with Liam—but I was dying to know what they’d decided.
“We signed the new contract today,” Liam said. “Your father drives a hard bargain. He got me to agree to invest another three million in the company.”
His eyes flicked to me, and I smiled. I knew the truth behind that “hard bargain”.
Liam cared about the businesses he invested in.
And I was a huge part of the reason he was pouring more money into GalvaTech instead of walking away like Simon had wanted.
Liam knew what the company meant to me. What my family meant to me.
So he wasn’t abandoning us, despite what Parker had done.
“That brings our total investment to seven million,” he continued. “The agreement is that when the EV charger launches—and it will be successful—we’ll be paid back over a five year period. Other than that, it’s going to be an equal partnership.”
I placed my hand on his thigh and squeezed. “You’re my hero, you know that?”
He flashed me a teasing smile. “You’re going to make me blush.”
“I’m serious, Liam. You didn’t have to do this.
You could have walked away, protected your investment, moved on to the next opportunity.
” I turned in my seat to look at him properly.
“But you didn’t. You stayed. You believed in us.
In GalvaTech and my family, even after everything with Parker. That means more to me than I can say.”
He reached across the console and threaded his fingers through mine.
“I stayed because I believe in the product. The charger is going to be revolutionary.” He glanced at me, his expression tender.
“And I stayed because I love you. Your dreams are my dreams now, Morgan. Your family is my family. This company matters to you, so it matters to me.”
My throat tightened with emotion. “How did I get so lucky?”
“Pretty sure I’m the lucky one.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “You put up with me and my workaholic habits. You forgive me when I screw up. You challenge me to be better.” His voice dropped lower. “And you love me anyway.”
“I do love you,” I said softly. “So much it scares me sometimes.”
He arched a brow. “Good scared or bad scared?”
“Good scared. The kind that means it’s real. That what we have matters.”
“Agreed,” he said, smiling at me.
We arrived at the gallery, and Liam found a parking spot near the entrance. Before we got out, he turned to me.
“Are you nervous about meeting Noah and Fallon, and the rest of my family?”
“A little,” I admitted. “I want them to like me.”
“They’re going to love you as much as I do.” He cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking my skin. “How could they not?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re biased.”
“Maybe, but I’m also right.” He leaned in and kissed me softly. “Come on. Let’s go admire some art and introduce you to my family.”
The art show had just opened when we arrived, but the gallery was already packed.
The space was divided into four large, open rooms with white walls and light wooden floors, a perfect blank canvas for displaying art.
Amazing paintings hung on every wall, and several large pieces on easels sat in the center of each room.
According to Liam, Fallon’s work had been Pop Art for years but she’d recently expanded into landscapes, animals, and people. I admired her bold use of color and found myself drawn to a stunning painting of a mother and baby elephant playing in a river.
“She’s quite talented,” I said to Liam, but the person who responded was a woman to my left.
“That’s nice to hear,” she said, giving me a friendly smile. She was pretty with dark hair. “And it’s nice to meet Liam’s girlfriend.”
I held out my hand. “You must be Fallon. I’m Morgan.”
“You’re Morgan?” an older woman exclaimed, rushing up to us while Fallon shook my hand. She had brown hair streaked with gray and excitement danced in her eyes. “I’ve been dying to meet the woman who’s thawed my son’s frozen heart.”
“Oh my God, Mom.” Liam groaned, and I laughed. “Can you play it just a little cool?”
“Absolutely not,” she said cheerfully. Then she proved it by pulling me into a hug the moment Fallon released my hand.
Her embrace was warm, and she smelled like vanilla. I liked her immediately.
“Be nice to your mother,” I chided Liam when she released me.
“Oh, I like her,” his mom said, beaming. “Come along, Morgan. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the family.”
She looped her arm through mine and steered me through the crowd until we reached a small group standing near a large canvas of a laughing woman.
I met Liam’s brother Noah, who’d brought his adorable twin daughters to support his wife.
The girls were excited to be there, and I learned they took art classes that Fallon taught at the gallery.
Simon joined our group a few minutes later with a pretty woman by his side—Liam’s younger sister, Shannon.
We all moved through the gallery together, looking at the paintings, and I hit it off with Shannon immediately. She was funny and interesting, and I told her that.
“You’re right.” She grinned. “You’ll learn just how much fun I am once we go out to a bar together.”
“Hey, don’t corrupt my woman,” Liam protested.
“I would never,” Shannon said with wide-eyed innocence I didn’t buy for a second.
“Come on. Let’s break away from the group for a while so I can have you to myself for a bit.” Liam grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the back of the gallery, where a painting of a flock of birds in flight during a sunset took up half the wall.
“This one’s my favorite,” he said as we stopped in front of it.
I leaned into him, studying the painting. I could see why he was fond of it. “It’s beautiful. The way she captured the movement, you can almost feel them flying.”
“That’s what I love about it.” His arm slipped around my waist. “It reminds me of how I felt when I finally let myself fall for you. Like I’d been caged for years and suddenly, I could breathe again.”
I turned to look up at him, warmth spreading through me. “That’s pretty poetic for an investment guy.”
“You bring it out in me.” His smile was soft and genuine. “I spent so long convinced I was better off alone. That relationships were a complication I didn’t want or need.” He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “Then you walked into my life and turned everything upside down.”
“I seem to remember you being pretty resistant at first,” I teased him.
“Terrified is more accurate, but look at us now,” he said, his thumb gently tracing my cheekbone. “My family already adores you, by the way. Did you see my mom’s face? I thought she was going to start planning our wedding right there in the gallery.”
I laughed. “She seems wonderful. They all do.” I grew more serious, meeting his gaze and holding it. “You know, I’m really glad you ditched your brother’s wedding reception the night we met.”
“I guess some things are meant to be.” He tilted my chin up and kissed me softly, tenderly, a promise sealed with his lips.
When we pulled apart, I smiled at him, feeling more content than I’d ever been.
I liked the sound of that. Meant to be. Because standing here with him, surrounded by art and his family and possibilities, I’d never been more certain of anything in my life.
Liam was my future, and I couldn’t wait to spend every moment of it with him.