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‘The weatherman is predicting storms for this afternoon,’ he said while flipping the sizzling pieces of bacon. ‘But by the looks of the bright blue sky out yonder, I reckon he’s pulling our legs.’
Smiling as she passed him his cuppa, she raised a brow. ‘You do, do you?’
‘Hell yeah, I do.’
After taking a sip from her coffee, she pulled up a stool opposite him. ‘Say it like it is, Savage.’ The aroma of bacon and coffee made her stomach grumble in anticipation.
‘I always do,’ he replied, smirking. ‘You should know me by now, Sabatini.’
She couldn’t help but laugh at his cockiness. ‘I do, Savage. All too well.’
‘Yes, you most certainly do.’ He chuckled lightly.
‘And FYI, you’re the funniest, most hardworking and honest man I reckon I’ve ever met.’
‘Mmm, thanks, Jess.’ This time there was a slight undercurrent in his tone, as if sadness had just snuck its unpleasant head into what had been a light-hearted bantering session.
Having just given him what she thought was a compliment, Jess found herself at a loss for words, and for a few moments there was an uncomfortable silence between them as Morgan dished up their bacon and eggs. Even as he passed her plate over and sat beside her, and they ate, he seemed lost in thought, and his playful demeanour was well and truly gone.
Baffled at the sudden change of mood, Jess couldn’t help but wonder what was weighing heavily on his mind, so she decided to break the silence. ‘Is everything okay, Morgan?’
He looked up at her, his eyes clouded with emotion. ‘It’s nothing, Jess. Just some stuff I’ve been dealing with lately. But I think I’ve got it under control.’
She could tell he wasn’t being completely honest with her but decided not to push the issue. Instead, she tried to lighten the mood. ‘Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.’
He smiled, a genuine one this time. ‘Thanks. That means a lot to me.’
‘I hope whatever it is, that you …’ She was going to saysort it all out, but her words halted when he placed his hand over hers.
Warm. Strong. Protective.
‘I really want you to know, Jess, that no matter what the future holds, I will always have your best interests at heart, okay?’ His regard of her was beseeching.
‘Yes, okay.’ Suddenly deeply concerned, she tipped her head, holding his gaze. ‘Are you sure you’ve got whatever it is under control?’
‘I hope so.’ He held her eyes captive, as if silently trying to tell her more.
What was happening here?
Her sudden inability to think straight was all because of him. She was almost too afraid to move, for fear of leaning into him and kissing him. Beneath his heated gaze, for a few precious seconds, she felt powerful, sexy, wanted like she’d never been wanted before. Not even by him. And she wanted more of that feeling. More of him. But at the same time she was acutely aware she was setting herself up for utter failure and complete heartbreak – and inevitably setting him up for the same. She didn’t want to do that when he deserved the absolute world. If she allowed herself to have feelings beyond the boundaries, then she’d have to feeleverything. The pain of the past, and the lack of their future. And that would be like throwing herself into an ocean where there was no hope of survival. She’d drown beneath the emotions. So, to survive, she needed to keep her heart guarded. She needed to be realistic.
Oh, for god’s sake, she needed him.
He didn’t need the likes of her.
But that lost look in his eyes, oh god help her, it made her want to comfort him with a hug. Yet she knew better than to cross that line. So she pulled her hand away, breaking the spell.
Morgan drew in a breath, then sighed it away. She wanted to say something, anything to break this, whatever it was, coming between them.
Then Mother Nature stepped in as a distant clap of thunder almost made Jess jump out of her skin.
The awkwardness broke as Morgan smiled. ‘Well, well, well, looks like the weatherman was right all along.’ Standing, he gathered their plates and cups.
‘Yes, sounds like it.’ She grabbed the salt, pepper and tomato sauce, and busied herself putting each away.
Even though she was relieved that the sudden change in the weather had broken the tension between them, Jess couldn’t help but feel a sense of uncertainty growing within her. She knew there was more to Morgan’s troubled air than he was letting on. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that it had something to do with her. But he very clearly didn’t want to talk about it, and she wasn’t about to push him to.
