Chapter 27
Morgan
I feel like I'm walking on clouds when I use the computer system at my desk to clock myself out for the day.
I bounce toward the elevator, anxious to get back to the house so I can see Robert. The ride down is smooth, having the entire thing to myself. As much as I wish it were Robert waiting for me, I know that's not how these guys work.
I give Bandera a little wave, waiting by the elevator for him to pull the SUV up so I can climb inside.
"I thought Ellis was going to pick me up today?" I say as I settle in the seat and pull the belt across my shoulder before clicking it into place.
He'd told me as much this morning. Apparently, he's been working nights and is the one awake during my commute to work so it just works out better for everyone if he's the one to drop me off. He's also been the one to pick me up, but I've worked out that someone else has been sitting in the parking garage all damn day in case something bad happens and they need to get to me quickly.
"Something has come up, and I figured it would be best if I was the one here today," he says, offering no further explanation as the silence builds between us.
He drives regularly, his attention somehow on the road and everywhere else at once. From the way his gaze shifts from front to side to rearview mirror, you'd think he was planning for some sort of attack. Yet, I somehow feel absolutely safe with him.
He pulls in a deep breath, releasing it with a sigh.
"Do you have a problem with me seeing Robert?" I ask as he makes the final turn onto the street where their house is so we can enter through the gate onto the property.
"Is it going to cause problems in the house?" he asks, his eyes never moving in my direction.
I open my mouth to tell him no, but I can't be sure that's the truth because Twisted isn't even close to being okay with the time I've been spending with their IT guy.
"I don't know," I answer honestly.
He pulls in another deep breath before speaking. "Do you plan to work your way through the guys in the house?"
"Excuse me?" I snap.
"Listen," he says as he pulls up to the gate and waits for it to open.
He turns his eyes toward me, and I hate being under his gaze.
"You don't have the best track record where men are concerned."
I should probably be offended that he knows anything about my dating history, but Robert was very open about the research he did on me.
"I really like him," I confess. "I have no plans on doing anything with any of the other guys in the house. If Twisted has said something—"
"Twisted is a grown man capable of handling rejection," he interrupts, telling me that there has probably been at least one conversation between the two of them about me. "I'm not saying any of this in an effort to make you pump the brakes, but just be considerate of your actions."
I want to argue that if he took a complaint from Twisted about what he walked in on yesterday, then he may need to put his energy into letting his teammates know that a closed door is closed for a reason. Twisted walking into that room like he owned the place was a violation against Robert and me, not the other way around.
"We're a new team," he continues. "I don't want any bad blood between any of the guys."
"I'm not trying to start trouble," I assure him, annoyance growing inside me.
"That's all I ask," he says as he pulls the vehicle into the massive garage alongside several identical black SUVs.
I climb out of the vehicle and don't give him a second glance.
His warning makes it even more apparent why Robert was a little standoffish in the beginning. My reputation is all that these guys have to go on, and as much as it annoys me, I guess the only thing I can do is prove them all wrong.
As close as Robert and I were in the kitchen earlier, I know it says something about how he might've handled the situation with Twisted. He didn't back away from me. If anything, he was the instigator this time. He pressed his lips to mine, not the other way around.
Something had to have been settled between those two for him to move forward, and I have to trust that he's aware of everyone's feelings and will act according to the best way he sees fit.
Instead of searching for Robert, I head straight for the stairs and lock myself inside my room.
There has been a lot said between the two of us, but those messages today took things in a direction I've been wanting to go all along, and getting there makes me pause for a moment.
It's commendable that Robert wants to go slow and is interested in seeing if we have some sort of emotional connection before taking things in a more physical direction. As frustrating as it has been for me up to this point, I can fully understand the reasoning. Instead of wanting to keep feeding that part of me that's desperate for the feel of his skin touching mine, I decide it's better to take a little time to myself.
I have no doubt we're to the point after the kiss in his bedroom and the continued playfulness in the kitchen this morning, along with the things he typed out today, that the man may be very ready to move onto the next step, but I can't stop the echo of Bandera's words in my ear.
I wasn't lying when I told him I wasn't here to make trouble, but that doesn't mean that Robert and I moving forward won't do exactly that. If Twisted can't let go of his crush or whatever it is that he feels about me, then it may still impact his and Robert's working relationship going forward. It's something I have to consider. My intentions aside, if something goes south here, all the fingers are going to be pointed in my direction, and that was never my desire.
I crank the shower on, making sure it's as hot as I can make it without it peeling my skin back, before slowly undressing.
I left work with a pep in my step, and now all I want to do is crawl in my bed and sleep. It's insane how one conversation can leave you completely drained and unable to face the world.
I spend a long time in the shower washing my hair and shaving despite not really having the energy for either. The scalding hot water eases some of the tension in my shoulders, and I spend a long moment after rinsing, just letting the stream hit my back.
Stepping out of this shower is like stepping back into a reality I don't know that I want to face, but when the water begins to run cold, I can just imagine someone else in the house complaining that I've used it all up. It would be just one more reason for others to wish I wasn't here.
I towel off, purposefully avoiding looking at myself in the mirror. I can't recall another time in my life when I felt ashamed for being who I am. I could throw myself at a group of men and they'd smile and ask me when their turn was, but I'm in the slow lane here, catching all this grief for it.
It doesn't seem fair to me, and that's the conclusion I come to as I pile my wet hair on top of my head and get dressed in very comfortable clothes.
I'm debating what I should do for the rest of the evening as I apply moisturizer to my face. It would probably be frowned upon to have a delivery service bring me food, but if everyone is already disappointed in me, then why not give it a go?
I pick up my phone with every intent to sabotage whatever goodwill anyone in the house might have for me, but I notice a text I must've missed while I was in the shower.
Robert: Dinner ready in ten minutes. My room.
It was sent fifteen minutes ago, which stresses me out more than it should.
I shove my feet into a pair of comfy shoes and bolt out of the door.
His room is only a few doors down from mine, and we're both adults, but that doesn't keep me from looking around before lifting my hand to knock.
"You were invited," he says the second he opens the door. "You don't have to knock."
"Is that an open invitation?" I ask, my mind letting go of all of the bullshit that went through it while I was showering.
"It can be," he says, closing the door and pressing his body against my back.
One arm wraps around my waist as he buries his nose in my neck.
"You smell delicious."
"So, I'm what's for dinner?"
His chuckle is warm on my skin, sending goosebumps down my arm and tightening my nipples.
I could climb this man like a tree right now, but my insecurities, along with what Bandera said earlier, make me think it's best to pump the brakes a little.
I press my palm to his chest, my resolve fading very quickly.
The kiss isn't surprising, but what shocks me is the care he takes to cup my jaw as he presses his lips to mine.
My fingers curl in the fabric of his t-shirt, knowing I'll follow wherever he guides us. The slightest moan of delight slips past his lips, and I swallow it down, obsessed a little with the way it settles in the middle of my belly and radiates outward to the tips of my fingers. I can feel him everywhere on my body, and I don't know that I've ever had that with a man. It makes this situation both thrilling and scary.
"How was work?" he whispers against my lips when he pulls back a fraction of an inch.
"Fine," I return, angling my head back so I can look into his eyes.
The embrace feels very intimate, considering what we could be doing right now, and I just want to melt into him.
"I got your favorite Thai food," he says, his smile growing wide when my eyebrows raise.
"Green curry from Khao-Wan?"
His smile grows even wider as he dips his head in acknowledgment.
"I would ask how you know my favorites, and it should be very creepy to me, but for some reason, I'm just glad that I don't have to eat more Hot Pockets."
He gives me one more quick kiss before taking a step back, and as cliché as it sounds, I miss the warmth of his body against mine. The space he creates between us gives my brain too much space to think. I want to get lost in this man, and knowing that makes me understand just how dangerous all this is for me. I'm already growing attached to him, and as a woman who has strictly done no-strings-attached relationships, I don't know what to do with myself.
It makes me nervous and something I can only describe as a little shy around him. Fear that I'll manage to do something that messes up what we could have between us hits me in the chest.
Maybe Bandera was right. Maybe getting involved with Robert creates problems where none existed before I came along, and I don't just mean in my own life. If things go sideways, the rift already forming between him and his teammates could get worse, and I don't want to be a burden to anyone.
"What's this?" he asks, closing the space between us once again and holding my face gently when I try to look away.
"What's what?" I ask, letting my eyes drop even with his hand on my face, directing my gaze to his.
"One of these days, you're going to learn to trust that you can speak to me about your problems with the faith that I'll help you solve every one of them."
"Because you'll hack the information?" I tease, wanting out of this black hole of emotion just as much as it seems he does. "Like you did with my Thai order?"
"That," he says, stepping back and pointing to the familiar bag on the small table in his room. "Was information I got from asking Kaylee."
"You didn't use your computer spy skills to get it?"
I smile when he looks away, his cheeks growing pink.
"Full disclosure," he says, raising his hands in mock surrender. "They use handwritten order pads. Those don't leave a digital footprint for me to track."
"Either way," I begin, stepping around him and closer to the delicious-smelling food. "I'm glad it's here. What did you get?"
Robert slides past me and begins to remove the items from the bag, placing each to-go container on the table.
"Chicken strips and french fries, of course," he says, opening one of the Styrofoam containers and pulling a crinkle-cut french fry out before popping it into his mouth with a wide grin.
"You are such a child," I mutter, my tone laced with humor.
"A child?" he asks as he turns toward me, leaving the food.
I nod, grinning at him when he steps up against me.
"I'm not a child," he assures me, his face lowering until his lips are trailing warmth down my neck. "I can prove it."
"I don't think you can," I whisper, angling my head to the side to grant him better access.
"Can I try?" he asks, his breath warm on my skin just before his teeth nip at my earlobe.
"S-sure," I manage, and it seems to be all the permission the man needs for his hands to wander all over my body.
I feel every touch, every brush of his fingers over my clothes, and suddenly, the fabric touching me instead of skin-to-skin contact is abrasive. I want to roll my body against him like a purring cat, and these damn clothes are getting in the way.
He chuckles, his warm breath on my throat, when my hands immediately begin to tug at the hem of his t-shirt.
"Eager," he whispers, lifting his arms and letting me pull his shirt off.
I swear my mouth literally waters at the sight of his muscles. I just know I could spend a million hours mapping out every single inch of him just to be excited to start back at the beginning to do it all over again.
"I like this," I whisper, tracing the line of hair below his belly button and dipping the tip of my finger into his sweatpants.
"I-I like that too," he says, half-growl, half-groan.
I take it a step further, pressing my full hand into his sweats, the back of my knuckles trailing along his erection. His hips roll against my hand, searching for more pressure, and I'm torn between teasing him and making him ache and just wrapping my hand around his length and giving him exactly what he's looking for.
Either option is fantastic, honestly.
"Tit for tat," he says, his hand slipping between my skin and the fabric of my leggings.
My knees nearly buckle when, instead of the back of his hand, his palm is facing my body, his fingers reaching and finding exactly what he's looking for.
His lips curl up into a smile against my skin.
"I'm going to fall," I confess, and that's all it takes for him to move.
He lifts me with one arm around my back, walking us back several feet until I'm gently situated against his bedroom door.
I press my head to the door, my eyes closed as his talented fingers begin to explore. I'm so slick, the glide of them is utter perfection. It somehow feels like an absolute tease and exactly what my body is craving all at the same time.
I lick at dry lips, my hand turning so I can grip his cock, and when he freezes, a moan of need slipping past his lips, it makes me chuckle.
I run my hand up and down him once, wishing we were both naked and on his bed, but this somehow feels exactly right as well.
"I'm going to embarrass the shit out of myself," he grunts.
"We can stop," I suggest, knowing he'll have to pry my hand out of his pants, and there's a very real possibility that I'll scratch his eyes out if he stops touching me.
"I don't think I can," he responds, pulling his face back so he can look me directly in the eyes. "Do you want to?"
I shake my head so fast it makes a smile tug up the corners of his mouth.
He watches me, his tongue licking his bottom lip when I groan with need.
"Just hold me," he begs when I sweep my hand down the length of him again. "Ah, God, you feel so good."
Just then, he slips a single finger through my slickness, not stopping until it's buried inside of me.
He holds me up when I go weightless.
"Already fluttering for me, baby."
"Yes," I whisper, my body teetering on that fine line that would leave me embarrassed also if it wasn't exactly what I needed.
"So fucking responsive," he says as he pulls that one finger back before pressing forward with two.
"Robert," I groan, my body clutching him like it's terrified he's going to step back and leave me aching for him.
His eyes are still on mine, and his confidence in what he's doing is the sexiest thing because he has no need to look down and watch to make sure he gets it right. It creates a level of intimacy I don't think I've ever had, and there's something insanely erotic about it that my body just can't handle.
"You're going to make me come," I manage, my knees weaker than ever.
"I know," he whispers, his tone just as breathy as mine. "It's mine. Give it to me."
When his thumb joins the party, I can't help but give him what he's asking for.
I literally whimper as my body convulses, and my orgasm doubles in strength when I feel his cock jerk in my hand. I'm panting, looking down at the front of his sweats as a wet spot forms on the fabric.
"Did you—"
"Embarrass myself?Yeah."
I shake my head, both disagreeing and trying to clear it from the intensity of my orgasms.
"That's so hot."
"Yeah?"
I dip my head, watching with my mouth hanging open as he pulls his hand from my body, not hesitating a second before lifting his wet fingers to his mouth and sucking them clean.
"Mmm. Delicious."
I tremble again, the sound settling inside of me as he leans in and presses his lips to mine. It's a bold move, an assumption on his part, but I love it. I sweep my tongue along his, feeling completely taken care of when he tightens both arms around me and holds me close.
I swear the man hasn't softened at all as he grinds his hips against me.
"How about we—"
"Yes," I agree instantly.
"Grab a shower and eat while watching a movie?"
He throws his head back, laughing at me when he watches my face fall because that's not what I thought he was going to suggest.