Chapter 5
Morgan
No matter how hard I try to fight my annoyance, I just can't seem to shove it down all the way.
I completely understand where Kaylee is at. Well, I sort of do. She's infatuated with her man. They're literally in the honeymoon stage of their relationship.
I'm pretty sure that with her insistence that they don't sleep together since she wanted to have their marriage annulled, they just literally made that last step in their relationship.
I'd want to spend every single moment alone with my man, too, so I can't begrudge her for disappearing even though she's the one who suggested we get in the hot tub.
I tilt my head back, trying to stare up at the stars, wondering what it might be like to be someplace on earth that doesn't have so much pollution that I could actually see more than just a handful.
I grew up here, and any other time in my life, I'd love every second of it, but knowing that Henry could be just around the corner, waiting to hurt me or Kaylee, makes me wish I was so very far away that I couldn't even pronounce the name of the country I was in.
I swirl my hands in the water, taking notice of the pruning already forming on the tips of my fingers.
It brings back the memories from yesterday, something I've worked hard to fight.
Rubbing the tip of my thumb over my other fingers shouldn't make me think of him, but those thoughts are never far.
What happened with Henry, and Robert being here now, is confusing my mind.
The sex with Henry was decent. It was clear early on that he was a selfish lover, and that's one of the main reasons I kicked him to the curb. I don't have time in my life for mediocre sex, and I didn't see him making any changes anytime soon, so he had to go.
Curiosity is overwhelming my mind, making me wonder if Robert would fuck the same way Henry did. I have no doubts, after trying to keep my eyes off him in the gym earlier and finding it impossible, that the man wouldn’t be as big of a disappointment.
He had stamina, going by the way his body worked like a machine when he ran the entire time we were in there. The sweat rolling off him and completely saturating his clothes before we even got in there told me that he could work out for hours and not flinch.
How my mind got all slutty and transferred that to fucking all night long, I'll probably never know. But here I am anyway, running my thumb over my fingers as if pulling up the memories of touching his chest in the hallway is now a core memory, one I'll often visit every chance I get.
A noise to the side draws my attention, and I freeze, feeling guilty. It’s as if my thoughts of him made him form from the mist circling the hot tub from the warm water meeting the cool night air.
He freezes when he spots me, as if he's more than a little surprised to find me here.
He looks around as if he has been caught doing something wrong before his eyes lower back to me.
"I don't bite," I tell him, hating the sultry tone my voice decided to take.
"I umm..." he says. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"Why would I be uncomfortable?"
"With what Henry did," he says with a swallow, his hands clamping together in front of his body.
"I'm not uncomfortable," I assure him. "Some company would actually be pretty nice. I don't know that I've been around so many people and still felt utterly alone."
I clamp my lips together, wishing I hadn't made the sad confession.
"Excuse me," I say quickly. "I'm just having a little pity party right now."
He still hasn't moved, and I can't get past the idea that he doesn't want to be around me.
I press my hands to the edge of the hot tub and start to lift myself out.
"I can go."
"No!" he says abruptly, his hands flying out in front of him as if he's willing to actually subdue me and make me stay.
It doesn't frighten me like it probably should with everything that has happened recently.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," I say, throwing his words right back at him.
"You don't," he says, but the clearing of his throat makes me think otherwise.
He still seems slightly reluctant even as he steps over the edge and sinks into the warm water.
The groan that rumbles from deep in his chest shouldn’t make me feel the way it does, but the warm bubbles licking at my skin, combined with the contrast of the cool air on my shoulders, has every sense coming to life.
It feels like an electric current swarming around us as he settles on the opposite side of me. It makes me wonder why he'd choose that position.
Does he want to be as far away from me as possible because he thinks that's what I want? Does he want to be able to watch me and note every single feature?
"I don't get out here often enough," he says as he sinks deeper into the water.
"I think I've been out here too long," I say, holding up my hand to indicate the shriveling of my skin. "How long have you lived in Vegas?" I ask, wanting to keep him talking. I'm genuinely interested in his response rather than just making small talk like I normally would.
"Just a couple of weeks. The night Heathen met Kaylee was our first night in town."
"How much exploring of the city have you done?"
"Me?" he asks with an easy smile and a quick chuckle. "I haven't left at all. My job keeps me behind my computer screen for the most part. The other guys have been out and about, though."
"Hmm. You're missing a ton of stuff. Vegas has a little something for everyone."
He gives me another easy smile, but he doesn't verbally respond. His hands float up, the pads gently running over the water's surface, and it takes me right back to a place my mind doesn't need to go.
I already have to find the right time to tell Twisted that I'm not interested. I should've done it earlier when he asked me to dinner, but I just don't think I'm ready to give up on the chance of having a friend even though I know the man wants more than friendship.
Fantasizing about the computer guy on the team is the very last bit of trouble I need to be getting into, so I change the subject to one that will annoy the shit out of both of us.
"Tell me about Henry."
I watch as he pulls in a deep breath, his lungs filling, and I wonder if he's going to refuse me.
"What do you want to know?"
'Where did you grow up?"
"All over. Dad was in the military."
"What place did you like the most?"
"Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas."
"Isn't that in the desert? Do you like the heat? Vegas gets hot as hell in the summer."
"It is very desert-like," he answers, a rueful smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. "It was the first place that the juvenile authorities didn't care that my dad was a military officer. They put Henry in detention for breaking into a store and stealing handguns. It was the calmest three weeks of my life."
"Wow," I say before I can think better of it.
"Makes me sound bitter, doesn't it?"
I shake my head. "Not really. He's been causing you problems for a while, huh?"
"My entire life," he mutters, eyes dropping to the water swirling in front of him.
"That sounds miserable."
"What about you?"
"Only child, so no identical twin wreaking havoc on my life at every turn."
He lifts his eyes to mine, and I watch as he searches for something I'm not saying. I feel locked in his gaze, but when he looks away, I don't know if he found what he's looking for.
"Has he ever hurt anyone, or is he more of a petty crime and threaten sort of guy?"
He avoids my eyes completely with this question. I think I pushed him too far, and he's going to end the conversation.
I'm shocked when he answers, his head tilted as if he's flooded with old memories he wishes weren't a part of his psyche.
"He's never killed anyone that I know of. His games tend to be more psychological than anything else, but..."
I wait, my breath caught in the center of my chest when his words fade out.
"But what?" I insist, resisting the urge to lean closer to him in an effort to get the information.
"Henry doesn't stop until he decides the game is over."
"And you don't think he's finished with me," I whisper, my skin suddenly covered with goosebumps, even my legs under the water.
"I don't think he got what he wanted," he says, his eyes drifting back to me, and I can see the pity he has for me in them.
"What do you think he wanted?"
"To make me completely miserable. It's the only thing Henry has ever wanted in life."
"Why does he hate you so much?" I manage, my voice sounding weak.
"I was the one who ratted him out and got him locked up that time in El Paso. He's been seeking vengeance ever since."
"He broke the law," I argue.
Robert shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. The only wrong Henry ever saw was the one directed at him."
"I think that's—"
"Hey, there you are."
Both of our heads swivel toward the voice.
Twisted narrows his eyes when he spots me. One doesn't have to be a mastermind to see the jealousy in his eyes, but I don't say a word because doing so would only fuel a fire that shouldn't be burning in the first place.
"What's up?" Robert asks.
"I needed that information you said you'd find for me."
"Shit," Robert says as he pops up out of the water. "Sorry. It was nice talking to you, Morgan."
"You too," I say, finding it impossible not to watch the water droplets as they run down the length of his body.
His swim trunks leave nothing to the imagination as they cling to his body. As my cheeks heat, I have to look away.
"You okay?" Twisted asks.
"Getting pruney," I answer, holding up my hands so he can see my fingers. "Probably time to get out."
He holds his hand out to me as Robert walks away, but I make a point to climb out of the hot tub on my own power, hoping he'll start to take a hint. He walks so close to me as I grab a towel and head back inside that it's very clear he's not very good at reading body clues.