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By the time they’d finished tidying up the kitchen, black clouds had swallowed up every inch of blue as the storm started to quickly intensify. The sound of raindrops hitting the roof filled the room. She strode over to the window, watching as the rain came down harder and harder, until it was almost deafening. Then, just as it had in the last big storm, lightning flashed and a loud clap of thunder rumbled through the homestead. It was stormy outside, and quite dark, so they had the lights on. The electricity flickered a few times before finally going out, plunging them into shadowy dimness. There wasn’t a ray of sunshine to be seen.
‘Holy crap, that one was massive.’ Shivers ran down her spine and she wrapped her arms around herself.
‘Yeah, it was a doozy.’ Morgan seemed unfazed, but Teeny was clinging to his side. ‘Well, it looks like we’re stuck inside for a while.’
‘That’s okay,’ she said with a shrug. ‘We can find something else to do.’
His hand resting on Teeny’s big mug, he raised an eyebrow as the playful glint in his eyes returned. ‘Oh really? And what did you have in mind?’
Jess felt her face flush as she realised what she had implied. ‘I—I didn’t mean it like that,’ she stammered, feeling embarrassed. ‘I just meant we could … play a game or something.’
Morgan chuckled at her rare moment of shyness. ‘Relax, Jess. I knew what you meant.’ He extended his hand to her. ‘Come on, let’s go and find something to do to pass the time.’ He looked to Teeny. ‘Come on, buddy, that includes you, too.’
She took his hand, feeling a thrill run through her at the contact as they wandered down the hall and into the lounge room, which was a little brighter than the kitchen. Even so, Morgan lit a couple of candles. In the flicker of candlelight, Jess could see him clearly now, his features accentuated by the shadows. His eyes gleamed mischievously as he took a seat next to her, their arms brushing against each other. Jess tried to ignore the sparks that flew through her as they got themselves settled. Just because the wild weather was perfect for making love all day long, it didn’t mean it was about to happen.
No way Jose!
With Teeny sticking close by, they spent the morning playing board games and the afternoon watching movies on Morgan’s laptop, in between bouts of munchies where they devoured a packet of Barbecue Shapes and a tub of bacon and onion dip, half a jar of olives, some caramel popcorn and finally a family-sized packet of salt and vinegar chips washed down with a big bottle of coconut water. Loving every second they were spending together holed up in the homestead, Jess begrudgingly accepted that the storm would soon pass. But by sundown the wind still howled, and flashes of lightning sporadically lit up the room, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Every time it did, she could feel her heart racing, both from the darkness and the proximity of Morgan.
Packing the Monopoly board away, Morgan looked to her. ‘Should we make ourselves a nice hot chocolate?’
She grinned at the thought. ‘Yeah, why not, I’ll flick the gas hob on and grab a saucepan to boil the milk.’
Morgan rubbed his hands together. ‘Plan, Stan.’
The milk had just started to heat when the lights flickered on again. Jess had been in the process of pulling mugs out of the cupboard, and Morgan was grabbing the Cadbury chocolate powder from the pantry. They both jumped and turned to face each other at the same time, her nervous giggle breaking the silence. Then a sudden, distant rumble of thunder made them both jump again. Morgan teased her about it, and she teased him back. A few minutes later, she poured the hot milk into the waiting mugs and they both headed back to the lounge room and settled onto the couch, thick hot chocolates wrapped in their hands. And as she took satisfying sips of the sweetness, Jess couldn’t take her eyes off him. Morgan Savage was truly a work of art. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he sipped his drink, and her eyes fell to a thin line of hair that ran down the centre of his chest, disappearing into the board shorts he’d changed into at some point in the day. For the life of her, she could do nothing but simply stare.
Then, as if out of the blue, the loudest clap of thunder she’d heard all day had her shrieking.
Morgan chuckled at her reaction. He popped his empty mug on the coffee table and pulled her closer, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got you,’ he murmured, his chocolate-laced breath warm against her ear.
Jess couldn’t help the shiver that gave rise to delicious goosebumps. She was worried, but not about the storm. She was worried about the way she felt around him, about the way her body reacted to his touch. She knew that what they had was dangerous, that it could lead to heartbreak and devastation, but in that moment all she wanted was to give in to the passion and hunger that coursed through her veins. She turned her head to look up at him, her eyes meeting his. In the candlelight, his eyes were even more intense, a deeper shade of blue that seemed to hold all the secrets of the world.
‘Thank you,’ she said softly, unable to tear her gaze away from his.
Morgan leant in closer, his lips hovering just inches from hers. ‘For what?’ he whispered.
Melting beneath his touch, her body gravitated towards him even as her mind screamed at her to stop. ‘For everything,’ she replied, her voice barely a whisper.
And then, without warning, his lips were on hers, gentle at first, but gradually growing more urgent as they both melted into each other.
The storm raged on outside, but inside the homestead they were lost in their own world, the flickering candlelight casting shadows on their entwined bodies. And as the passion between them grew, Jess knew that she was in too deep. But in that moment, she didn’t care. All she wanted was Morgan, and the safety and security that he promised.
CHAPTER
18
Yet again, what in the hell had he been thinking last night?
Thank god he’d seen sense before they’d torn each other’s clothes off. As had Jess. It had been a mutual untwining of bodies, at the exact same moment, seconds after the electricity had returned. Wordlessly, clumsily, they’d slid to opposite ends of the couch and stared at each other in bewildered shock, before bidding each other a quick goodnight, and disappearing into their respective bedrooms.
Standing beneath his second freezing cold shower in less than twelve hours, Morgan tried to rid himself of the longing still burning through him like a wildfire. In the heat of the moment, with Jess’s gaze fastened to his and the storm raging outside, he’d craved to both possess and protect her, in equal measures. Now he couldn’t seem to shake off the uneasy feeling that had been lingering since seeing sense. He knew he’d gone too far in kissing her. Again. She wasn’t sticking around. And he wasn’t about to pack up and move to Florence. And he couldn’t go down that long, lonely road a second time round. The last time had almost destroyed him. Besides, there were way too many question marks hanging over their heads for them to go anywhere near the boundaries they’d enforced – quite well, up until now. She needed him to be her friend, and that was it. So, come hell or high water, that’s exactly what he was going to be for her.
Only a couple more days. You can do this, Savage.
Half an hour later, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, he stepped closer to the kitchen window and rested back on the heels of his boots.
‘Morning, Morgan.’ Her voice carried from the doorway, and he turned to catch sight of her softly smiling face. ‘You okay?’
