Around the World in 80 Men Boxed Set 31-35 (21 page)

“
Watch out!” Morgan tried to warn Gabriel
and Ida as Cleopatra ran toward them, but it was too late. The dog
ran to the right of Gabe, then between them, and around Ida's ankles.
Before they could process what was happening, both Ida and Gabe came
crashing down to the sand, and Morgan was in tears of laughter before
either could get to their feet.

“
Cleo!” Gabriel was still trying to stand
when she ran around his feet once more, but he managed to step away
from the leash and save himself.

“
She's been hyper all day, I think she missed her
daddy.” Ida bent down and picked up the leash, preventing Cleo
from running around their feet again.

“
Well,” Gabriel bent down and scratched her
back, “can you watch her for a few more days, the hotel doesn't
allow dogs.”

“
Oh, I think we can sneak her in! Yes, we can. We
can sneak you in there, little girl. You have to be super quiet!”
Cleo sneezed in Morgan's face, Morgan screamed as a clump of spit hit
her cheek and the dog barked. “Okay, we'll work on it.”
Morgan stood again and wiped her cheek with the bottom of her shirt
and the three of them broke out in laughter once again.

“
She can't go to the hotel, Morgan.”

“
I bet she can.” Morgan gave them both a
sheepish grin, and Gabriel knew she had just won.

Chapter Nine

“I think I pulled a muscle in my liver.”
Morgan put Cleo on the bed and helped the dog get out of the beach
towel that she had been wrapped in. Gabe didn't show mercy for
Morgan, but did laugh as he watched her rub the kink from her lower
back.

“That's not your liver. And, I told you not to
try and carry her.” Cleo was easily eighty pounds, but Morgan's
brilliant idea to wrap her up like a sleeping child was the only way
that she could think to get the dog to their room. Morgan laughed as
well, and sat on the bed with her new friend. “So, now what's
your big plan?” Gabe wanted to point out that he was still
hungry since their egg and sand breakfast didn't work out, but as he
watched Cleo and Morgan play on the bed, it no longer mattered.

“How old is she?” Morgan leaned back
against the pillows and Cleo instantly stretched out beside her. Gabe
didn't answer right away, which brought Morgan's eyes to his. “Gabe?
Are you alright?” He nodded as he looked away, still not ready
to answer. Morgan's heart broke for the man, and she struggled with
finding her words since she never knew what would bring him sadness.
She started to apologize, but he finally answered.

“A little over a year old. She...,” his
head bobbed slightly in Cleo's direction, “was my wedding
gift.” It was correctly assumed by Morgan, that Maria had given
him Cleo on their wedding day. “We were already living
together,” Gabe sat next to Morgan and ran his hand down Cleo's
side, “Maria woke me up the day we were married, yelling that
something
was in the kitchen and for me to
get it.
”
Gabe smiled at the the memory and told Morgan how he had rushed out
of bed, still naked, and ran to the kitchen to save the love of his
life from
something.
He pictured every scenario in his mind as
he ran down the hall; a rat, a spider, an intruder. He yelled as he
turned the corner to the kitchen, ready to take on anything, and
stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. “She looked so
beautiful, standing there in my tee shirt....hair a mess.” He
laughed, a sad and very distant sound. “And she was holding
this girl against her chest. She was so little.” Cleo was only
seven weeks old then, and Maria had explained that even though they
had wanted to wait a few years to have children, they should still
have a baby to love.

Morgan didn't want to pry anymore, it was difficult for
Gabe to talk about his past, and almost torture to hear him. “Okay,”
Morgan wiped her eyes as she cleared her throat. “If you think
Cleo and I are going to sit in this room and starve to death, you
have another thing coming.” Gabe's eyes widened as he began to
laugh. Everything that happened that morning had been Morgan's doing
and he wasn't going to take the blame. “Don't you dare argue
with me, we're hungry.” Morgan wrapped her arms around Cleo's
neck, and both girls looked up at Gabe with puppy dog eyes.

Gabe decided that the two girls, were in fact going to
sit in the room, but they weren't going to starve, as Morgan put it.
“I'll call downstairs for lunch,” he told Morgan, then
looked at Cleo. “And I suppose I'll have to go get it,
since...” He was going to say he had to go downstairs, because
Cleo would bark at the sound of someone at the door, but it was too
late. It was time for their room to be cleaned, and the tiny knock
sent a series of loud barks and howls from the chubby dog.

“
Cleo!” Morgan whisper-yelled, as she tried
to calm the dog down. “Shh. Please.” More barks, and
Morgan bit down on her bottom lip when Gabe shot her an
I-told-you-so
look. “I've got this.” Morgan stood and braced
herself to pick up the dog once more and Cleo happily hung like a wet
rag between Morgan's arms as she carried her to the bathroom. “Answer
the door.”

“
I can't!” Gabe whispered back. Finally, he
had no choice, when the maid spoke.

“
Pets are against the hotel policy. I will have to
report you to the front desk immedia...”

“
No, no pets here.” Gabe was no good at
lying, and his forced explanation was embarrassing. He stood in the
doorway with one arm propped on the side, giving the maid enough
space to see inside, but not enter.

“
I heard a dog barking.” The maid crossed
her arms, waiting for Gabe to tell her
she must have been hearing
things.

“
No, you didn't.” Gabe shook his head, and
crossed his own arms.

“
Sir, I did.” Just as the maid was about to
push her way into the room to investigate on her own, Morgan saved
the day.

She walked up behind Gabe and stood next to him,
holding her phone between her hands, at chest level. “Baby,
have you seen this video? It's hilarious!”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Morgan, and she widened
her own. With just a look, he knew she had a plan. He leaned over her
shoulder and looked down at her phone, and Morgan hit the play
button. The noise was ridiculously loud, and Morgan was thankful that
her phone volume was that intense.

Dogs.

In fact, they were barking bulldogs...that sounded
just
like Cleo.

Morgan moved her phone in the direction of the maid,
showing her the video as well. She quickly read the woman's name tag,
“Mellisah, is it?” The woman nodded. “Isn't this
great?” The video was still playing, and Mellisah finally
bought the act. The sounds she'd heard
must
have been the
video. She rolled her eyes and backed out of the doorway.

“
Do you need your room cleaned?”

“
Just towels, please, Mellisah. Thank you so
much.” The maid quickly gathered four new towels and passed
them to Gabe. When the door was finally closed again, Morgan was free
to laugh.

“
Oh shit! That was good!” Morgan walked to
Gabe and wrapped her arms around his neck, with a smile that
stretched for miles. There was a moment of hesitation, where Gabe
thought to back away, but he kept himself in check. The warm vanilla
scent of her skin filled his senses and his body tensed as her nails
briefly dragged across his back. It was the second time in a year
that a woman had been so close. The first time, being the night
prior.

Am
I sweating? I think I'm sweating. Fuck.
His
mind raced, as Morgan rested her head on his chest with soft giggles.
His hands floated awkwardly behind her back, not knowing where they
should go.
Do I hold her?
Finally,
he put one hand between her shoulders and the other on her lower
back. She pressed her chest against his at his touch, and his hands
went back into the air.
Shit. What am I doing?

Morgan sensed his hesitation, and she found it to be a
sweet moment, even if he didn't. “Gabe?” She stepped back
and allowed him the freedom to stop trying to do the
right
thing. His brow raised in question, and she continued. “It's
okay. I'm here to give you what you need, and if it isn't sex..”

“No,” he stepped forward quickly and put
his hands at her waist, “I mean, yes. Hell, I don't know what I
mean.” Morgan leaned forward and allowed their bodies to meet
again, and she smiled as he struggled with his words. “Look, I
didn't think I wanted to be physical... I just... I wanted to know if
I could enjoy a meal with a woman. If I could laugh, hell, hold
hands! If I could just live in the moment with a female without..”

Morgan's hand went to his lips, stopping him from
speaking the hurtful words. She understood completely, the man just
wanted to find out if he was ready for a
real
situation. If he
was ready to even date. She already knew that he was, or she wouldn't
have been hired to begin with, but she had to find a way to convince
him of the truth. That, Morgan knew, would be easy.

“Gabe,” she smiled again, “do you
think you could stop questioning yourself for a little while, and
just trust me?” She watched concern wash over his face briefly.
Then, as she'd hoped, he nodded. “Good. How about if we,”
she didn't finish before she heard his deep intake of air. Morgan
smiled and tried again to finish her words, “Gabe, it's okay. I
was just going to suggest that we go to the Botanical Gardens. I read
online that they have all kind of animals there, and
that's...well...my thing.” She smiled as relief filled the air
between them. Yes, he could certainly spend a day touring with
Morgan, and not worrying about anything sexual. He was, however,
quick to correct her.

“It's actually called, Port Moresby Nature Park.
The name changed a while ago and...”

“Nature
Park it is!” Morgan turned quickly and began to gather her
things for a day of sight seeing. Gabriel sent a message to Ida for
her to watch Cleo until later that evening. Within ten minutes, all
of their business had been handled to tackle a day of hard core
picture taking, and more...if Morgan could find the right time.

“Ida's so beautiful!” Morgan spoke mostly
to herself as she watched the ocean from her side of the car. She had
only seen the woman for less than a minute when she collected Cleo,
but it was enough to remind her of the immense beauty of the woman.
Gabriel laughed, but wouldn't buy into her meaning.

“We're not talking about her today, alright?”
Morgan nodded, without looking at him, but she still believed that
they would be a great match. “Have you ever seen a tree
kangaroo?” Those words brought Morgan's face around.

“A what? No! What is it?” Gabriel loved her
excitement, but only told her that she would have to wait and see.
The drive, albeit short, became torture for Morgan as she wondered
what she would see when they arrived. Thirty minutes later, Morgan
was closer to her wish as they strolled through the center of the
park.

“Okay, plants...trees...birds...where's the tree
kangaroo?” She stood by his side and tilted her head, giving
Gabriel a look that he was finding he couldn't resist.

“Spoiled brat. Come on.” Gabriel motioned
with his head as he began to walk, and Morgan happily followed. They
walked away from the main path and found a small stone staircase that
led down deeper into the park. “Watch your footing, it can
be...”

“Holy shit! Is that it? Right there, is that
one?” Gabriel followed her index finger as she pointed to the
tallest tree in the area. He nodded as he stepped back to give her a
better view. “It's...wow...it's like a bear, a raccoon, and a
cat had a baby! He's beautiful!” Morgan took out her camera and
took over two dozen pictures of the tan and orange guy. Gabriel
explained that some have a lighter face, some are mostly black, and
others were just like the one that she had officially fallen in love
with. “This is so cool, thank you!” Morgan tucked her
camera back inside her bag and grabbed Gabriel's hand before climbing
the hill again. For Morgan, it felt natural, and she never gave it a
second thought as they climbed hand in hand back to the trail.

Gabriel's
heart raced at her easy touch, but for once, he didn't shy away. “No,
Morgan. Thank you.” She simply nodded, not knowing what she was
being thanked for.

The two continued to walk and stop on occasion for
Morgan to take more pictures. The park was breathtaking for Morgan,
and every flower, animal, and tree were potential additions to her
camera.

“What the hell is that?” Morgan pointed to
three cassowaries, and Gabriel followed her lead from the tree
kangaroo. He leaned against a large rock wall and nodded towards the
strange animal.

“Well, a turkey, a peacock, and an ostrich had a
baby....,” Morgan's laughter cut him off, and the mystery of
the black and blue massive bird was solved.

Chapter Ten

The sun was setting as Gabriel and Morgan pulled in
front of a brightly lit restaurant. They had both agreed to spend the
day at the Nature Park instead of stopping for food, but their
decision had left them both famished at the end of the day. “I
can't even pronounce the name.” Morgan's head cocked to the
side as she mentally tried to make sense of where they were going to
eat, but Gabriel was the one that took her hand as he laughed and led
them through the door.