Chapter 8

CHAPTER8

“There’s a problem with the room,” came the angrily muttered announcement that had Morgan quickly closing her sketchbook and shoving it back in her backpack, clearing her throat, and doing her best to look innocent as she looked up at Eric and found him glaring down at her.

“What was that?” Eric demanded as he folded his obscenely large arms over his chest.

“What was what?” Morgan asked, blinking up at him as she dropped her backpack on the floor and casually kicked it back, knowing better than to answer that question.

For a moment, Eric stood there, his gaze flickering from her to the bag hidden behind her legs several times before his eyes narrowed dangerously on her. Since she knew that she was seconds away from an interrogation, one that wouldn’t end well for her, Morgan cleared her throat and murmured, “What were you saying about a problem with the room?” hoping that it would be enough to distract him for now.

Morgan watched as a small muscle in his jaw twitched as he bit out, “She canceled the room.”

“Who?” Morgan asked, unable to help but frown as she tried to figure out what he was talking about.

“Amber,”Eric bit out, but then again, that’s really all he needed to say.

Sighing heavily, because really, they should have seen this one coming, Morgan stood up and moved to handle this, only to pause long enough to kick her bag behind all the shopping bags that she’d been struggling to ignore before she made her way to the front desk. When the admittedly nervous-looking desk clerk looked up at her, Morgan went with the warm smile that she reserved for when it was time to give clients their bills.

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Bradford, but there’s nothing that I can do,” the clerk said when Eric joined them.

When Eric opened his mouth, most likely to let the small woman shifting nervously behind the counter know exactly what he thought about this situation, Morgan released a heartfelt sigh along with a sad shake of her head as she discreetly raised her foot and-

Was forced to bite back a smile when Eric released a pained grunt and forced herself to focus on the problem at hand. With that in mind, Morgan said, “I should have known that she wasn’t going to take this well.”

At the clerk’s questioning look, Morgan said, “My best friend,” only to pause so that she could worry her bottom lip between her teeth before adding, “I guess ex-best friend now that Eric had to let her down after she professed her undying love for him during the ceremony.”

That was followed by a well-placed sniffle and a sadly mumbled, “She was like a sister to me.”

“Jesus Christ,” Eric muttered at the same time that the clerk mumbled, “Oh, my God, that’s horrible,” as her expression softened.

Nodding solemnly, Morgan said, “I’m afraid that she didn’t take it well, bless her heart,” while she watched the clerk looking really torn as she glanced over her shoulder at the door behind her before once again glancing back at her computer and, after one last look and a nod that looked promising, she picked up the phone.

“Let me talk to the manager and see if there’s anything that we can do,” she said, giving them a reassuring smile.

“What the hell are you doing?” Eric whispered in her ear, his warm breath teasing the back of her neck, sending goosebumps racing across her skin.

“Shut up and look at me adoringly!” Morgan hissed softly as she did her best to look heartbroken when the clerk’s gaze flickered in their direction.

There was a long-suffering sigh, and then, Eric was wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against his side as he leaned down and pressed his lips against the top of her head with a murmured, “It’s a curse being this irresistible,” while Morgan did her best not to roll her eyes.

“The manager is going to see if there’s anything that he can do,” the clerk said with a sympathetic smile as she hung up the phone seconds before the door behind her opened and an older man wearing a black suit and a silver nametag with the name “Manchester” engraved on it joined them.

“I understand there’s been a mix-up with your room,” the man that Morgan was assuming was the manager said with a warm smile.

With a sniffle, Morgan said, “I’m afraid so.”

“Let’s see what we can do,” Mr. Manchester murmured absently as he shifted his attention to the computer while Morgan stood there, doing her best to look pathetic and-

Why was Eric’s hand making its way down her back? Morgan couldn’t help but wonder, only to go still when his hand reached her ass. Clearing her throat, Morgan shifted closer, raised her foot, and was forced to bite back a satisfied sigh when his pained grunt reached her ears.

“I’m afraid that I’m not going to be able to give you the room that you reserved, but I was able to give you another room at the original rate for the two additional nights that you requested as well as the two nights of your original reservation,” Mr. Manchester said with an apologetic smile as he looked up from the computer while she did her best to look pathetic, a skill that she’d been forced to learn when she was little with the hopes of stopping Eric and his cousins from stealing her food.

“Whatever you can do would be greatly appreciated,” Morgan assured him with a hopeful smile, more than willing to do whatever it took to get a room so that she could finally pass out, something that she’d been hoping to do on the trip here but the big jerk who was slowly moving his hand down her back again made it impossible with all that glaring and bitching.

Between packing and coming up with excuses over the past week to avoid Eric, she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was to find a bed, any bed at this point, and pass out, but that wasn’t going to happen until they took care of the mess that Amber made, which made her wonder what else the woman who’d made it a point to be a complete bitch to her over the past two years had planned for them.

“All set,” Mr. Manchester said with a kind smile as he stepped out of the way so that the clerk could finish checking them in.

“Bless you,” Morgan said with a sniffle and a watery smile.

“You’re very welcome,” Mr. Manchester said as Eric handed over his ID and credit card.

Within minutes, they had their keycards and instructions on how to find their room, and she was more than ready to pass out when Mr. Manchester gestured to something behind them with a warm smile and a murmured, “Tradition.” Morgan followed his gaze and felt her stomach drop as she took in the wall covered in pictures of happy couples and every last one of them was kissing.

Having a really bad feeling where this was going, Morgan looked back in time to watch the manager pick up a camera. “It’s a tradition here at the Emerald Bay Hotel to take pictures of happy couples on their honeymoon,” Mr. Manchester explained as he gestured to the wall that had her stomach turning. “It’s been a tradition here for the past forty years and every couple on that wall is still happily married. We’d love to add you and your husband to the wall.”

Something on her face must have showed how she felt because the manager’s smile turned understanding as he said, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Clearing her throat, Morgan said, “Thank you,” as she slid the keycard in her pocket and made her way back to their bags and-

“Chicken,” came the softly whispered word in her ear when she leaned over to grab her bag.

Slowly exhaling, Morgan stood up and turned around to face the large bastard as she bit out, “I will kill you. I have no problem going to jail,” which was something that he should have remembered after the unfortunate incident that occurred at the playground when they were nine.

There was a heartfelt sigh and then, Eric was nodding. “I understand.”

“What exactly is it that you think you understand?” Morgan demanded as she glared up at the bastard that should know better than to push her.

“That you’re madly in love with me,” Eric said, hitting a little too close to home for her comfort.

Nodding slowly, Morgan said, “First chance I get, I’m hobbling you.”

“Because you can’t admit that you can’t live without me or that you’re afraid of your feelings for me?” Eric asked as she noted the way that his eyes took on that devious expression that had her fingers twitching with the need to throttle him.

“We are no longer speaking,” Morgan informed him.

“Because you’re afraid that you’ll end up professing your undying love for me?” the bastard asked, doing his best to look innocent.

“And just like that, we’re done,” Morgan said, shifting her attention back to her bag only to end up going still when Eric leaned down and whispered the one thing that was guaranteed to piss her off.

“Coward.”

Nodding to herself, Morgan slowly turned around and glared up at the bastard that was clearly enjoying himself. She took in that devilish smile of his, the highly amused twinkle in his eye and found herself grumbling incoherently as she reached over, grabbed hold of his suitcase, and with a flick of her wrist, turned it over onto its side. Narrowing her eyes on the man that had played with her too many damn times, Morgan stepped onto the suitcase, grabbed hold of his shirt and yanked him down for the kiss that better shut him up.

Morgan forced herself to ignore just how good it felt to finally kiss him, the soft groan Eric released as she moved her lips against his once, twice, and because she knew that she was never going to get another chance, she brushed her lips against his one last time before she forced herself to let him go.