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‘Voila, Miss Sabatini, breakfast is now served.’ He set a plate in front of her, loaded with crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, half of a grilled beef tomato, mushrooms and a hash brown.
‘Holy moly, thanks, Morgan, it looks amazing.’ Her stomach growled, and she blushed a little, thankful for the food to focus on so she could try and ignore the animal attraction she was feeling towards him.
‘Sounds like someone’s really hungry.’ Morgan chuckled as he pulled up a seat beside her. ‘Dig in while it’s nice and hot.’
They ate in silence, between sips of delectably strong, sweet coffee. She stole glances at him whenever she could, and she could’ve sworn she caught him doing the same. The few times their eyes locked, her skin tingled and she felt insane heat creeping up her neck and cheeks. So much so that by the time she’d finished her breakfast, her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty, and she was fighting off the urge to grab him so she could kiss him while tearing his boxers off. Her thoughts then veered to him ravishing her on the breakfast bench, her moans of ecstasy echoing through the homestead. She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the erotic thoughts, but they only intensified. She really needed a cold shower.
Seemingly not aware of her inferno of longing, or hiding it extremely well if he was, Morgan stood and cleared their plates. Like a prowling panther, her eyes followed him around the room as he moved about, gathering their cups and plates and setting them in the sink.
‘You’ve gone to so much effort.’ Pushing her stool back, she plonked her feet to the floor. ‘At least let me help with the cleaning up.’
‘No way, you stay right where you are.’ Turning from the sink, he leant back against the counter, his eyes locked on hers. ‘All I want you to do is relax.’
Doing as she was told to, Jess swallowed, her stomach fluttering. He was looking at her in a way that made her body temperature spike higher still.
‘After I get dressed, I’ll head on over to the cottage, and try and find that troublesome snake.’ He smiled a slow, sexy grin. ‘But if I can’t,’ he stepped closer and leant on the bench, ‘what are we going to do about your sleeping arrangements?’
‘Ummm.’ She could feel the heat radiating from his body and her heart was beating so fast she was sure he could hear it. ‘I actually don’t know what I’ll do if you can’t find it, because I know I won’t be able to sleep a wink, worrying that it’s still in there, somewhere, waiting to get me.’
‘Hmm.’ Leaning closer into her space, his eyes burned into hers.
Unable to utter a word, Jess felt like she was drowning in their blue depths.
‘I have an idea.’ His voice had dropped an octave. ‘You’re very welcome to stay here, with me – in the spare room, I mean.’
Jess’s heart skipped a beat. Stay in the same house as him? In a room just down the hall from him? As tempting as it was to know she’d be safe and sound, far away from what could be a venomous snake, she instinctively knew it could turn out to be a very bad idea. Her breath caught in her throat as she held his gaze, feeling the tension grow between them. It was as if there was an invisible forcefield that pulled them closer, making it impossible to resist each other’s magnetism. She knew she shouldn’t let things go too far, but her body was betraying her – it craved his touch, his kiss, his everything. She bit her lip as she tried to keep her composure, but it was a losing battle.
‘Jess?’ His voice wavered into her warping reality.
‘I don’t know, Morgan,’ she said, her voice barely above a whisper. ‘I don’t want to risk complicating things between us.’
‘Hmm,’ he said again as he slid a little closer, until he was so near that if she leant forward, he would’ve been able to kiss her.
Oh – was he about to?
But he didn’t. Instead, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and gazed into her eyes with a tenderness that made her heart swell. ‘I understand your concerns,’ he said softly. ‘But we’re both adults, Jess. We can handle it. And besides, it’s just for a few nights until we find that snake and you feel safe again.’
His words were like honey, drizzling into her senses and making her feel warm and tingly all over. She bit her lip and looked away, trying to fight her lust-fuelled urges. But deep down, she knew she wanted to be with him, even if it was just for a little while.
He tapped the bench and straightened. ‘You make yourself at home while I’m gone, and I’ll be back as soon as I can to let you know how I went, okay.’
She nodded briskly. ‘Yup, okay.’
With one last smile he turned and headed out of the kitchen, leaving her alone with her whirling thoughts and her body still tingling from his closeness. And that’s right when her heart sank. What had she been expecting? A kiss? A declaration of love? She shook her head at her insane foolishness. Of course he hadn’t been about to kiss her. He was her friend, nothing more.
And she wanted nothing less.
So, therefore, she needed to stop gushing like some lovesick fool over him.
However, remaining tight-lipped, guarded even, was proving exhausting. So many times, she’d considered coming back here. To apologise to Morgan for breaking his heart. To tell him her deepest secret. To make things right. Good intentions, if not acted upon, didn’t change a damn thing. If only she hadn’t been so damn scared. The fear had stopped her from returning sooner. Fear of finding out he was Chiara’s father. Fear of what he might say or do when she told him what was weighing so heavily on her heart and soul. Fear that he’d never be able to forgive her.
Fight or flight.
And she’d taken the easy path when she should have fought, for him, for them.
Now she regretted it, immensely.
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