Chapter 7

CHAPTER7

“You’re not getting out of this,” Eric said as the small woman that refused to share her neck pillow with him reached up and pushed her glasses back up her adorable little nose as she continued glaring up at him.

Morgan didn’t say anything, but then again, he didn’t expect her to. There was no getting out of this and they both knew it, but the stubborn little pain in the ass was determined to fight this thing until the very end. That was fine with him. More than fine, in fact, because he’d been prepared for this.

When he didn’t say anything, the little pain in the ass asked, “Shouldn’t we make our way to the hotel and get some much-needed sleep?” Morgan suggested, looking really fucking hopeful.

“As soon as we’re done here,” Eric said, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the wall and waited to see how this thing would play out.

She’d either try to make a run for it or…

He watched Morgan lick her lips nervously as her eyes darted to the large window and locked on the taxi waiting to bring them to their hotel. That was followed by Morgan swallowing hard as she reached up and adjusted her backpack over her shoulder as she took a step back and-

“You don’t have any money and you don’t know where we’re staying,” Eric reminded her as he watched Morgan go still seconds before her eyes narrowed dangerously on him. That was followed by muttering to herself, some grumbling, and then, finally, turning around with a heavy sigh and resigning herself to doing what she hated more than anything in this world.

Shopping.

For several minutes, Eric stood there, watching as Morgan reluctantly made her way around the store, pouting every fucking inch of the way, but he didn’t miss the way that her eyes kept darting over to the section of dresses in the back corner. After he’d dragged her in here, he’d watched as she’d nervously glanced around the store, noting all the exits, only to hesitate when she spotted the white summer dress hanging on the wall.

He’d noted the look of longing on her face before she went back to finding all the exits, making him wonder why she was always so damn stubborn. He watched as she sent one last wistful look at the taxi waiting outside for them before she made her way to the shorts section, pouting every fucking step of the way.

So. Fucking. Adorable.

For several minutes, Eric stood there, absently running his thumb over the black wedding band on his finger as he watched her, surprised by how comforting the weight was and refused to look too much into that as he noted all the dresses that caught Morgan’s attention. He watched as her eyes landed on a baby blue summer dress when she grudgingly grabbed a pair of white shorts. He watched the way that her eyes darted to the baby pink dress as she grabbed a pair of black shorts and the way that she looked at the floral dress when she moved onto the section of tank tops.

She really was a stubborn pain in the ass, Eric thought, grabbing one of the canvas bags by the register and made his way around the store, grabbing everything that she was going to need for the cruise and putting it in the bag. He didn’t bother asking her what her size was because he knew better. She would never tell him, but that was fine. More than fine because he’d taken it upon himself to check the ruined black cocktail dress that she’d abandoned on his bathroom floor this morning before she raided his closet.

As he moved around the store, grabbing dresses, camisoles, nightgowns, and all the other shit that she was going to need for the cruise, Eric felt Morgan glaring at him and couldn’t help but smile. There was just something about pissing off the small woman that meant the world to him that brought a smile to his face.

She always made everything better, Eric thought, glancing over his shoulder in time to watch her angrily snatch an ugly one-piece bathing suit off a rack along with an oversized tee-shirt and baggy shorts and couldn’t help but sigh. Wondering why she had to make everything difficult, Eric walked over to the swimsuits and grabbed a black two-piece, and then, just because he knew that it would piss her off, he grabbed the matching white one as well and shoved it in his bag before moving on to the panties and-

“Don’t even think about it,” came the harshly whispered warning as the woman that was most likely going to try to shove him into oncoming traffic shot him a look that had his balls pulling up tight and deciding that perhaps it would be better to leave this part up to her.

Clearing his throat, Eric shifted his attention to the sandals and picked out a couple of pairs that he thought she would like before he made his way to the register and placed his bag on the counter. As the cashier took her time pulling each item out, scanning it and carefully folding it before placing it in a bag, he found himself watching Morgan as she made quick work of grabbing what she needed and-

Christ, he’d be lost without her.

This past year alone, she’d saved his ass, making sure that Bradford Remodeling ran smoothly. She’d taken over all the bullshit of running the office so that he could lose himself in his work. When she kept taking on more jobs, ensuring that he was forced to stay late and come in on his days off, he’d never been more thankful for anything in his fucking life.

That should have been the first fucking clue that he was making a mistake. While Amber had been bitching and demanding to know why he was working so much, Eric had been happy for the reprieve from her bullshit. Thanks to all the work Morgan had been able to get them, he’d been able to pay for this trip and finally had enough saved to buy Baker House.

The fact that the only time that he felt like he wasn’t going to lose his fucking mind over the past year was when he was with Morgan should have clued him into the fact that he’d made a mistake. He just-

“Just so you know, we are no longer speaking,” Morgan said as she dumped her canvas bag on the counter and had him sighing heavily because this was just fucking sad. He ignored the surprisingly sexy panties and bras and focused on grabbing all the oversized shit that didn’t fit her and put it aside. She didn’t say anything, but then again, there was no need to when that glare said it all.

Once he paid, and he ignored the little brat’s demand to have her wallet back so that she could pay for her own clothes, Eric grabbed all the bags and led the way back to the taxi. After five minutes of rearranging all the bags, it quickly became apparent that they had another problem.

Well, a problem for Morgan since he had no problem having her curled up on his lap. With that in mind, Eric said, “Looks like we’re gonna have to double up,” releasing a heartfelt sigh as he climbed into the backseat and when she didn’t move her ass fast enough, he patted his lap.

“I could sit in the front?” Morgan suggested, licking her lips nervously as she threw a hopeful look at the front passenger seat, only to grumble when she saw the fast-food wrappers and old soda bottles taking up the space.

He watched as she cleared her throat and tried for a hopeful smile for the driver, only to have the man that hadn’t been happy about stopping here in the first place send her a glare that had her following that up by clearing her throat again, shifting, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked from the mess in the front seat, to him and-

Grumbled when Eric reached over and grabbed her hand, giving her no choice but to come closer and, after one last grumble, she climbed into the backseat. He watched as she reluctantly sat down on his lap, only to shift forward until she was sitting on his knees and was forced to grab onto the back of the front passenger seat with a startled grunt when the driver pulled into the lane only to slam on the breaks when another car cut them off seconds later.

She really was a pain in the ass, Eric thought with a heartfelt sigh as he wrapped his arms around Morgan and pulled her back against him. When he felt her go still, he had to bite back another sigh as he thought about the last time that she sat on his lap. They’d been eleven years old, maybe ten? His father picked them up from detention after an unfortunate incident that occurred in the cafeteria after they ran out of chicken nuggets and he was forced to take matters into his own hands, and only had enough room in front for one of them.

When Morgan tried to climb into the back of the truck filled with debris from the house that his father had been renovating, Eric had been forced to drag her out from beneath the pile of rubble and pull her onto his lap, where she sat rigid the entire ride home. She’d never been big on PDA. Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time that she hugged him.

Morgan liked her personal space, had since they were kids, which meant that Eric, of course, went out of his way to torment her every chance he got. If she was sitting on the couch, he’d drop down next to her, throw his arm over her shoulders and take pleasure in her glaring. When he used to sleep over at her house, not that she’d invited him, he hogged her bed, forcing her to either sleep somewhere else or shove him off the bed. God, she was the cutest fucking thing trying to roll him off the bed at two in the morning, Eric thought on a wistful sigh as he used his hold around her to pull her closer.

When she shot a pointed look at his arm, Eric ignored it as he savored the feel of finally having Morgan back in his arms. She was small, soft in all the right places, and, god, she felt so fucking good in his arms, Eric thought as he closed his eyes and dropped his head back, beyond fucking exhausted. It had been a long fucking time since either one of them had taken a real vacation. It had also been way too long since they’d been able to relax, Eric thought as he gently ran his thumb over Morgan’s arm, absently noting just how soft her skin was.

“Just so you know, I hate you,” Morgan mumbled, shifting on his lap to get comfortable, only to go still when he reached up and patted her on the head.

“You adore me,” Eric reminded her, chuckling when she swatted his hand away. She grumbled something else, shifted, and released a long-suffering sigh that had him smiling as he slowly exhaled, telling himself that this trip was exactly what he needed.