Chapter 24

CHAPTER24

“You can’t still be mad,” the woman that betrayed him said with a hopeful smile as he sat there, glaring at her as he took another bite of the incredibly delicious chocolate chip cookie that she’d made earlier.

When he didn’t say anything, mostly because he was too busy devouring another cookie, Morgan muttered, “I give up,” turned around and made her way to the other side of the small bedroom that they were calling home tonight and, after digging through her suitcases, grabbed something to sleep in and left the room while he sat there, seething in justifiable anger.

She’d played him so fucking well, pretending that she couldn’t cook and kept all her naughty treats from him. He was never going to forgive her, Eric decided with a glare aimed at the door that she’d disappeared through a few minutes ago as he grabbed another cookie and-

Oh, fuck…no…

-watched as Morgan walked back into the room wearing a pink cotton tank top with matching panties.

Shoving the rest of the cookie in his mouth to cover his groan, Eric ran his eyes over Morgan, taking in everything from the messy bun that she’d pulled her wavy dark hair up into to the way that the cotton tank top hugged every devastating curve before slowly moving down her body, taking in short, shapely tanned legs, and god, she was fucking beautiful. Unable to look away, he ran his eyes back up her body and found himself wondering why she was blinking down at him.

When he only frowned in confusion, Morgan sighed, grumbled to herself as she leaned down and stole the plate of cookies before he realized what the evil woman was doing. That was followed by Morgan taking a bite of the cookie that was rightfully his with a satisfied sigh as she turned around and made her way to the mattress on the floor that he’d dragged in here for her, leaving him sitting there, once again, seething.

“I want answers, woman,” Eric bit out as he watched her take another bite.

“I might give them to you,” Morgan said, not really sounding all that concerned that she’d betrayed him as she shifted to get more comfortable, took another bite, and mumbled, “This is a really good cookie.”

“Start talking, baby girl,” Eric said as he struggled to stay focused, but god, he couldn’t fucking think straight right now.

He was used to seeing her in baggy shirts and oversized flannel pajamas, but this…

This was making it really difficult for him to remember that he’d realized something very important a few hours ago, he didn’t know Morgan as well as he thought he did. Up until a week ago, he would have said that he knew her better than anyone, but now, he had a lot of fucking questions.

“I would,” Morgan murmured, pausing to finish off her cookie, “but right now, I’m enjoying these really delicious cookies that your grandmother taught me how to make.”

“Grandma Bradford or Grandma Martin?” Eric asked hollowly as everything in him went still.

“Grandma Bradford,” Morgan said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal.

It was a big fucking deal!

“When?”he demanded, leveling a glare on the woman that betrayed him.

“High school,” she said with that same shrug as she grabbed a fresh sketchpad and stole another cookie.

Nodding slowly, Eric said, “What else?”

“That’s not enough?” Morgan asked, taking a bite of the delicious cookie that should rightfully be his as she grabbed a pencil and set to work.

“Not when I know there’s more,” Eric demanded, watching her closely.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re paranoid?” Morgan murmured absently as she began to lose herself in her work, letting him know that everything else was about to disappear, including his chances of getting her to talk.

Knowing that he didn’t have a choice, Eric stood up and made his way to the bookshelf built into the wall next to Morgan. For a moment, he stood there, running his eyes over the intricate design that had been carved into the border, noting the layers of paint that had been added over the years, the splotches, the uneven strokes, and the paint that found its way into the crevices before shifting his attention to the wooden hinges holding up the shelves. He found the fifth shelve, pressed his fingertips against the wooden hinges and pushed until the paint sealing the crevices broke off and-

“Oh, my God…” came the reverent whisper when the hinges slid into the wall, followed by a click as a small door dropped open from the top of the bookshelf, revealing a small metal tin that had him releasing a satisfied sigh, knowing that he had her exactly where he wanted her.

* * *

She couldn’t seemto look away and Morgan knew that she needed to look away before it was too late and-

“Start talking, baby girl,” Eric said, holding up the small tin can that had her swallowing hard.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Morgan said, really hoping that he took pity on her and handed the tin over.

“Are you sure about that?” Eric asked as he raised the tin can and-

Shook it.

Licking her lips, Morgan asked, “Was…was that the sound of metal rattling?”

“It did sound like it, didn’t it?” Eric murmured as he gave the tin another shake that left her whimpering because that definitely sounded like metal rattling inside.

“Please don’t do this to me,” Morgan mumbled as she wrung her hands together as she stared at the tin, willing Eric to open it or, better yet, give it to her so that she could open it. She loved finding old coins, hidden boxes, and long-lost trinkets left behind and the devious bastard knew it.

“You were telling me about your latest betrayal?” Eric said, making a show of turning the tin over in his hands as she stood there, listening to every clank and click and-

“I wanted to surprise you,” Morgan blurted out, following that up by gesturing for him to get on with it.

“I mean, I’m definitely surprised, but I feel like there’s more to this story,” Eric murmured as he ignored her gesture and kept turning that tin in his hands.

“I wanted to make your favorite dinner and a cake for your birthday, so I tried teaching myself how to cook, but it ended badly, which led to my parents begging Grandma Bradford to teach me how to cook,” Morgan quickly explained, only to follow that up with a hopeful smile and a pointed look at the tin that she’d really like to open now.

“And this happened in high school?” Eric asked, seeming to think that over for a moment.

“Yes?” she said, really hoping that would be the end of this.

“You know what’s funny?” Eric asked, leaning back against the wall as her gaze flickered to the secret compartment that he’d left opened, the same one that she’d had no idea was there and desperately wanted to know how he knew how to find.

“What’s that?” Morgan asked as she struggled against the urge to take a closer look at the bookshelf.

“I don’t remember this special meal or the birthday cake that you planned for me,” he said, watching her closely.

“That’s because I decided that it would be a bad idea,” Morgan said as she found herself moving closer to the bookshelf, curious to see if there was anything else hidden in that secret compartment and-

Felt her shoulders drop when Eric reached up and pushed the door closed before she could stop him. “And what led you to decide that it was a bad idea?”

“My aversion to looking pathetic,” Morgan said, nodding solemnly as her gaze shifted back to Eric and couldn’t help but wonder why he was smiling.

Clearing his throat, Eric said, “So, what you’re saying is that you’ve adored me since high school,” making everything in her go still.

“I didn’t say that,” she mumbled weakly as she realized her mistake too late.

“You didn’t have to,” Eric said, watching her closely.

“Are you going to tell me how you figured that out?” Morgan asked weakly as she gestured awkwardly to the bookshelf, really hoping to distract him from this line of questioning, mostly because it wasn’t working for her.

“I’m considering it,” Eric murmured absently as his gaze turned calculating.

She narrowed her eyes on him. “You’re about to change the rules, aren’t you?

“I really am,” Eric said with a satisfied sigh.

“What are they?” Morgan asked as she gestured for him to get on with it.

“For one,” Eric said, sighing heavily as he leaned down and helped himself to the last cookie, “no more hiding your delicious treats from me.”

“I suppose I could share,” Morgan murmured, sounding thoughtful as she moved to steal the last cookie, only to decide against it when he narrowed his eyes on her.

Clearing her throat, she said, “Anything else?”

“I want to take you out on a real date,” Eric said, taking her by surprise.

“A date?” Morgan asked, unable to help but smile.

“Mmmhmm, a date,” Eric murmured as he considered her.

Clearing her throat, she did her best to bite back a pleased smile. “I suppose I could do that,” she said as she held out her hand in silent demand, only to feel her stomach drop when he released that long-suffering sigh that never ended well for her.

“Oh, if only it was going to be that easy.”