Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
RHYS
T urning my back to the now closed door, I open my front door. No one is there. But there are two takeout containers and a note.
We have Esky, here’s some food. Make sure she eats and we’re here if she needs us.
-Brent and Molly.
It’s finished with the cutest drawing of Molly, Morgan, and Esky. Molly always did like to draw. But also, hey where am I?
This is what Brent and Shelly did with me. Just took me in. This is the family Morgan is missing. The family she deserves. The people who, without hesitation, accept you into the fold.
Dinner smells delicious. I didn’t even realise it was dark. Morgan has been through a lot for someone who is only twenty-three. And her ex, fuck if I ever see him, I’ll make sure it’s the last time.
I put dinner in the lounge room and approach her bedroom door. I knock, which she of course ignores. So, I open it.
“Rhys, just get out.” She’s curled up on her bed, giving me her back.
“You have to eat.”
“Not hungry.” But her stomach rumbles.
“I heard that from here.”
She flips over to look at me, “I have no appetite.”
“Good thing Cook made you your favourite.”
This gets her attention, “How do you know what’s my favourite?”
“Because you proclaimed to the whole dinner table that tacos are your favourite, and your proclamation was made with a mouth full of food.” The corners of her lips tip up into a smile. “Ha, you smiled, I win, you have to come eat now.”
Her smile vanishes. “I don’t want to move.”
I shrug, scoop her up, and walk her back to the couch. Tonight, dinner needs to be eaten from the comfort of the couch while a movie is playing.
When she opens the box with the tacos she groans. “This really is my favourite. Hard shell wrapped in a soft tortilla. Yes please.”
“Eat.”
“Yes, sir.”
It’s dripping in sarcasm. I want to remind her about how the next time she says sir I want her on her knees, but I bite my tongue, not to ruin the moment. That self-control really shining through. I’m also just really happy she had a snappy response.
She bites into her taco and moans, followed by a little happy wiggle where she sits. The smile I have is involuntary and hidden behind my own taco.
I press play on the movie she asked for, and the opening credits of Scream start to appear on the screen. I haven’t watched this since…
“You and Shane were the ones who showed me this movie years ago.” She tells me around a mouthful of taco.
“Yeah, in an attempt to scare you, so you’d leave us alone.”
She laughs, which is music to my ears after this afternoon, “Well didn’t that backfire.”
I hum my response.
Not long after she finished her tacos, she grabbed a blanket and curled up at the end of the couch.
She fell asleep to Ghostface brutally killing Principal Himbry.
Her soft snores soon fill the quiet room.
The movie stopped playing about fifteen minutes ago.
I just haven’t moved. I watch her as she sleeps, the way her nose will crinkle from time to time.
She flinches and manages to wake herself up. “Shit, sorry. I must have fallen asleep.” When she looks at the tv then to me she asks, “Were you watching me again?”
“Nope. ”
“Liar.”
I just shrug, pretending I have no idea what she is talking about.
She gets up and stretches. “Well, I’m going to go to bed.”
“Goodnight, Princess.”
“Goodnight, Cowboy.”
Did she just—? I look in the direction she’s leaving and fall back into the couch and smile.
She gave me a nickname.
The next morning, I’m sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Morgan. I’ve already given everyone their jobs for today, but I plan on taking her fishing. Cook has organised some food for us, and I have Esky.
On second thought… I pick up Esky and deposit her on Morgan’s bed and make my way out.
I hear her happy squeal before I get back to the kitchen.
Soon enough, Morgan is greeting me good morning while beelining for the kettle. I wait until she’s had her first sip of coffee before I address her.
“You and I are going fishing.”
She looks up at me, eyebrow raised. “I don’t fish.”
“You do today. Finish your coffee and go get dressed.” Then I have a thought. “And wear that thing you call a bikini.”
Looking at me puzzled. “I didn’t think you could swim in the ocean up here? ”
“You can’t, but there’s a natural dam I want to show you.”
Looking at me sceptically, and in her Morgan stance, she asks in what I think is meant to be a teasing manner, “Oh yeah? Take all the girls there?”
I could ask if she’s jealous, but I leave it alone. “Nope, just you. Now go.”
Downing the rest of her coffee, she walks off to her room calling Esky to follow her.
Not five minutes later, she’s walking out in just her bikini top and a pair of denim shorts. I will my cock not to react. Which is futile because one look at her and it’s begging for her touch.
“Shirt?”
She just rolls her eyes, walks back to her room and exits wearing one. Thank God.
We are then in a buggy driving out to Samboy.
“Why are all these spots named after snacks?”
“I told you, ask Brent.” They were named before I got here, I never asked him, never really thought about it. But now I’m also a little intrigued.
Soon enough, I’m throwing the car into park and cutting the engine. “Come on, the best spot is around those rock formations.” I explain, while pointing at what looks like a cliff face.
Morgan gets out and picks up the bag that has the food and water, plus whatever she packed for Esky, while I grab the fishing rods and tacklebox.
“What are these?” She pokes what looks like a rock but notices how it moves.
“Oysters.”
Scrunching up her face she lets out an, “Eww. ”
“Ever tried one?”
“No.”
I put everything down, and with my knife I take one off the rock walls and deshell it. “Open.”
She listens, which takes me a moment to recover from, and then I’m placing the oyster on her tongue.
“Close and chew.”
She makes a face, a grimace really, and spits it out. “That’s revolting.”
I just shrug, “But you listened so well.”
I don’t miss the way her eyes grow wide, even as a smile dances on her lips. Does someone like a little praise?
We finally make the walk around the rock walls. We are met with the ocean and its waves, but I point out the sandy part where we can set up.
“I think I’m going to look at the rock pools.” Morgan points over her shoulder.
“Okay.” I continue to get comfortable, taking my shirt off, set up the fishing rods and cast one out.
I turn to watch as Morgan crutches down to inspect the pools. Esky has decided to stay with me, not a fan of water apparently. I’m so focused on Morgan that when I get a bite on my line, the rod almost falls from my hand.
Shit. I return my focus to slowly reel in a fish.
I don’t notice Morgan has approached until she mutters, “That’s huge.”
“That’s what she said.” I reply on reflex.
“Oh my god, you’re an idiot.” Then she takes off back to look at the pools, but not before I catch the way her eyes run over my torso.
When I unhook the fish, I catch Morgan at the corner of my eye. She is sitting down on the rocky shelf of one of the pools, sketchpad in hand, and her tongue caught between her teeth. I notice her feet are in the water. It should be safe, but it is the Pilbara, so it probably isn’t.
I walk over to her, and see she is drawing an octopus. But when I see the object of her drawing in the water, I tell her to get her feet out.
“Why?”
“Because apparently, you’re just attracted to venomous animals. That’s a blue ring.”
“Yeah, I know.” She looks at me like I grew an extra head. She then points with the pencil to the other side of the pool, the small pool, “But it’s over there.”
“Don’t care, not risking it.”
“Because you like me?” She teases but I ignore it, too scared to answer.
“Feet. Out. Now.”
“Argh, fine.” And she removes her feet. “I want to do some fishing anyway.”
Of course she does. But nevertheless, we go fish.
We cast out our lines and let them hang there. She eventually takes off her shirt. My gaze drops to her chest. That one bikini might be the cause of my demise.
Because if my best friend knew how I was thinking about his sister’s breasts, we wouldn’t be friends. And I would probably end up the way Trent did. Shark food.
“You know, taking a picture would last longer.”
And I’ve been caught.
“Could say the same to you, Princess.” Because I have felt her eyes on me just as much as mine have been on her.
I focus back on fishing. But about an hour later and no more fish we call it. After I convince her to put her shirt back on, we take the one fish I caught back for Cook to fry it up tonight.
Deciding not to look too much into why I’m so protective over Morgan, I ask her if she wants to do some boxing, instead of going to the dam. Might help her get any leftover feelings about yesterday out.
“You’re asking me if I want to kick your ass? Ah, yes.” And she rushes inside, coming back out with gloves on her hands, all ready to go. She smiles up at me. “Let’s go, Cowboy.”
I don’t think I’ll ever hate being called Cowboy, if it comes from her. Morgan takes the stance I showed her last time.
“Bring it, Princess.” I move my hands in a come here motion.
She brings it, even connects with my face. She cheers to herself when I point it out. I can see when we break apart, she thinks of some of the combos I taught her the other day.
Fake right, goes left twice, then kicks out. When I stumble back, she comes back with her right. Esky sits under the shade of the tree while watching us. Lifting her head every now and then to see what’s happening.
Morgan steps away and gets ready for the next combo, she punches with her right, her strongest hand, twice then quickly follows with her left.
She is getting quicker and more confident.
“I said bring it, Princess.”
Morgan chuckles, drops her head, so she is looking at me through her eyelashes. With an arched eyebrow and a cocky smirk, she shoots forward.
Her quick move takes me by surprise, so when she connects with me, I fall backwards. I go down with a thump. She sits on top of me, hands on her hips and a triumphant smile.
“Take that.”
And because I can’t let her win, I roll over.
I’m now on top of her. I grab her wrists and hold them above her head.
When I realise what I’ve done, I release them, but I catch the way her pupils dilate, and her breathing has changed.
She likes this. Likes me pinning her arms above her head.
The electricity is back. Arcing between us. The air grows thick with tension.
“What are you going to do now?”
She wraps her legs around my waist and tries to flip us using her hips. But instead of that her cunt presses along my growing erection. She gasps at the contact, as if she didn’t know that was going to happen.
I can’t do this. We can’t. But even as I think the words, I roll my hips forward, my cock grinding into her clit. Her gasp turns into a moan. I do it again just to hear her moan.
Leaning down, so I can claim her lips, just as they brush against hers. I stop.
“No, shit. We can’t.” I get off of her. Rubbing my hands over my face, trying to gain some control. A ‘what the fuck’ gets shouted from behind me.
When I don’t turn around a glove rushes past my head. I stop in my tracks.
“I said, what the fuck?”
“Leave it, Morgan.” And I start walking again.
But does she? No, of course not. Because I’m actually hit in the head by the second glove.
This time, I turn to look at her. She looks so confident and somehow seductive.
“Did you throw a glove at my head?”
“Yep, twice.” She proudly holds up two fingers.
I run my tongue over my teeth before taking in a deep breath. “Fuck Morgan, just…”
I’m trying so hard here. Trying to be a good friend. I’m showing restraint and I feel like that should be celebrated. I don’t tend to stop myself from getting what I want. And fuck do I want Morgan. That sudden realisation takes me by surprise.
I’ll unpack that later.
But right now, I need to put some space between us.
I close the distance between me and my house with Morgan hot on my heels. Just as I get to the door that lets us into the kitchen, I stop and turn to face her. And I answer her question.
“You know what? Fine Princess, I will tell you ‘what the fuck’. Since you have been here, you have turned my world upside down.” She opens her mouth, but I quickly cover it with my hand. “No, I’m talking. Upside down. I was happy just working, sleeping with a random backpacker.”
Naturally, she rolls her eyes.
“Then you walk in.”
I shake my head. I should stop, but the floodgates are open now.
“I could ignore the rising sexual tension, ignore that first kiss, maybe even the second. But then you used my thigh for your pleasure, coming apart on me, for me. With my name on your lips. Mine. The way you look breathtakingly beautiful when you let go is etched into my brain. I try not being alone with you, because when we are, all I want to do—” I force myself to stop.
I drop my hand and take a step backwards.
She takes my silence and retreat as her turn to talk, “You think it’s been easy for me?
Instead of being scared of your touch, I seek it.
You don’t think I can’t feel the tension?
You know I can hear you in the shower, right?
” She steps closer, “And when I hear you, I wish you could hear me.” Closer again.
I clench and unclench my jaw, watching her pupils dilate. Her breathing changes as has the air around us. Every part of me is screaming for me to let it go and walk away, but I don’t.
“Fuck it.”
One arm snaking around her waist, I run my other around her back and up to her neck to the base of her skull and squeeze. I look into her eyes one more time. Nothing but determination and need shining through, and with that I seal my lips over hers.