Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (123 page)

She
paced across the room, “I'm sorry about that,” she told
the man on the phone. “I'd like some blueberry pancakes and two
scramb...” Another loud bang against the door. “I'll call
you back.” Morgan hung up and stomped her way over to the front
door, opened it, and walked out into the hallway as the the door next
to her opened as well. “Look, some people are trying to sle..”
She was about to ask the person to keep the noises to a minimum,
until she lost all words.

“Hey,”
the man with a gorgeous smile spoke.

Morgan
took a step back and shook her head. Tanner?
What the fuck is he
doing here?
“This isn't happening.” Morgan took
another step back and turned around, facing her back to him as she
ran a hand through her hair. “This can't be happening.”
“Wow, nice to see you, too.” Tanner leaned against the
door frame and laughed, watching the confusion wash over Morgan.

Tanner
couldn't be there, Kole would kill him.
Kole. That's why he's
here. Michael. Michael told him to come.
Morgan turned back
around and closed the distant between them. “I don't need a
fucking babysitter!”

“
Whoa,
Morgan. That's not what...”

“
No?”
She lowered her voice and a look of sadness took over. “Then
what is it? You just
happen
to be in town, and just
happen
to be staying in this hotel, in the room right next to mine?”

“
No,”
Tanner spoke. He understood, but didn't know how to answer her. “Yes.
I mean, no. I am not
just
in town, and yes, I did come to see
you. But it's not...”

Morgan
cut him off. “I don't need anyone to take care of me.”
She shook her head again, and Tanner watched as a tear fell from her
eye. The only reason Tanner was there, was because Michael thought
she wouldn't be able to handle the week on her own, that she would
need someone to look after her. On one hand, it was sweet, but on the
other, she felt like it made her look weak, and that was
heartbreaking and infuriating.

“
I
know,” Tanner took a step closer and she took a step back.
“Morgan...” She looked down at her hands and twisted her
bracelet around. “Angel called me. He said Kole was being an
asshole.”

“And
he asked that you come look after me?” Morgan already knew the
answer, even if Tanner didn't say it. “I'm sorry. I've had a
bad couple of days, and I don't mean to take that out on you.”
She saw the look on his face, and guilt washed over her. It wasn't
his fault at all.

Chapter
Three

The
silence was ridiculously tense, and Morgan's mind began to shift to
overdrive in the search for the right words to say to the man. She
wasn't so sleep deprived that she couldn't appreciate his reason for
being there, but she was just deprived enough to feel tremendously
hurt that the men in her life thought she was weak. Finally, as if
her own body knew what she was trying to do, her stomach sounded out
loudly and both of them smiled. Their smiles quickly turned into
giggles, and the hug that they'd both wanted was finally had and very
much enjoyed.

“Ah,
feels like home.” Tanner squeezed her tightly and Morgan nodded
against his chest. It did feel like home, and Morgan felt...loved.

“Why
were you making all of that noise?” She lifted her head from
his shoulder, still giggling.

“To
get your attention.” He flashed her a crooked smile. “It
worked.”

Morgan
laughed again and rested her head back on his shoulder, nodding
slowly. She sighed against his skin, loving his scent and the warmth
that he offered, then the image of Kole surfaced once again. Tanner
felt her pull away and he tried to bring her back to him.

“
I'm
okay, Tanner. Honest.” She rubbed her eyes as a loud yawn broke
free. “I'm sorry, I...didn't sleep well.” Tanner's face
grew serious and he needed to know more about what had happened
already in Hawaii. It was the wrong moment to ask, he could see that
she was already at a breaking point, but once he fed her, he intended
to get answers.

*****

Carlos
drew long on his cigar and exhaled, watching the line of thick smoke
that left his tightened lips. He had received a call thirty minutes
prior from his tracker, with information that he was getting close to
finding Morgan.

He
tried to stay calm, to enjoy the chase, but his heart was pounding at
the mere thought of what he would do to the one that got away. “I
didn't want a refund, little girl. I wanted you. In ways that you've
never dreamed.” Carlos spoke to the empty room, holding his
thick cigar in front of his face, smiling at his own thoughts. “Soon,
bitch. Soon.” His thoughts were broken briefly when his phone
sounded again.

“
I
found her. She's in Hawaii. I'll have her out of here tonight.”
Carlos' brows came together as he weighed his options. Having her
back in Portugal would have its benefits, but the element of surprise
became much more exciting. He smiled again, an ugly sadistic smile,
and he changed plans.

“
No,
Mendez. No need... I'll fly out tonight.” A few more brief
moments of information were shared concerning Morgan's whereabouts,
and Carlos' plan went into action. He stood from his large leather
chair behind the desk and grabbed the one metal crutch that he was
still forced to use. His right leg had healed better than anyone
thought, but his left would still need at least two more surgeries to
repair. It didn't matter, he could finally walk and revenge was all
that he could think of.

As
far as his money had gone, that had been pretty easy to retrieve.
Felix had done a good job keeping Carlos away from it for a while,
but Carlos had tricks up his sleeve. Better tricks. Everything was
traceable, and with the right people looking, they had found where it
had been transferred, and got nearly all of it back.

*****

“
You
should have seen it! Michael just popped him in the face again and it
was over.” Morgan told Tanner everything that happened, after a
full belly of course, and Tanner listened to every word. He was
furious at Kole, mostly because of the words that Morgan had spoken
when she first started telling the story.
He was so angry, and he
came right at me. Michael stepped between us and....
He held his
hands under the table as his fists clenched in fury. He couldn't
imagine someone Kole's size going after a woman, but he wasn't going
to ever let him near her again. It was all he had to remain calm
while they finished their breakfast, and he had to clear his throat
before speaking.

“You...know
him,” Tanner steadied himself and continued, “do you
think he would have actually hurt you?” He watched Morgan's
face become more serious, he instantly knew that she had no idea if
he would or not.

“
Well,”
she looked beyond Tanner, “I would like to say that he
wouldn't. Maybe he just likes to yell and act tough....but...,”
she looked back into his eyes, “I'm not sure.” That was
the part that scared her, and enraged Tanner.

There
was something different about Kole, and Morgan had never been able to
figure it out. The first week they had spent together, she remembered
thinking he was one of the sweetest men she had ever met; at least up
to that point. Walks while holding hands and watching the sunset,
horseback riding, and just talking and giggling through the night
until they both passed out from exhaustion. That was the Kole she had
first met, and who he had become was someone she didn't know.
Maybe
I just never knew him to begin with.

“
I
just don't understand what his problem is.” Morgan bit down on
her bottom lip before taking a drink of her coffee.

“
He's
jealous, Morgan.” Tanner studied his hands as he spoke. He knew
he had a jealous streak of his own, one that almost put a permanent
wedge between them. He had lost his temper when Morgan spent the week
with his cousin, but he realized she didn't choose Eryk to hurt him,
and he would do his best to never act like that again.

It
was a fact Morgan already knew, but hearing it come from another
person, instead of the confines of her mind was a little more
reassuring. She also noticed Tanner wasn't just speaking about Kole.
He opened his mouth to speak, and Morgan reached across the table,
and gently pressed a finger to his lips. She shook her head back and
forth slowly. “Don't.”

“Just
know that I'm sorry, okay?” She nodded and placed one of her
small hands on his.

“
I
know.” She smiled and decided to change the subject. “So,
how have you been?”

Tanner
lifted his head, a smile taking over his face. Morgan so badly wanted
to push the long hair from his face, to play with it between her
fingers, and to touch the stubble that had taken over his normally
smooth skin.

“
I'm
doing much better.” There was the wink, the one she had missed
dearly, and the one that sent goosebumps across her flesh.

How
do I love them all so much?

*****

“
Angel,
why?” Morgan fell to her bed and watched the ceiling fan spin,
as she waited for an answer from her best friend.

“
You
have that big mothafuckin' Jamaican after your ass and you're asking
me why I called the man from up under?” Angel knew, before he
even called Finlay or Tanner, that if either of the men showed up, he
would hear about it from his Sticky Buns.

“
First
off, I'm in Hawaii. They're Hawaiians. Second, it's
down
under. Not up under. Thirdly, I love you, but I didn't need anyone
else to come and watch me.” She tossed all the words out
quickly, and realized it may have sounded harsh. “Don't get me
wrong, I'm so happy to see Tanner, I just didn't
need
anyone
to come save me.”

“
You
have that mothafuckin' hunk of meat from Cindy in front of you and
you're telling me what you need. Baby girl, you need to throw his
meat on your barbie and...”

Morgan
couldn't hear over her own howl of laughter and held the phone away
from her ear as Angel continued about
barbequing.
She had left
Tanner to get some sleep an hour prior, and she held her hand over
her mouth so as not to be the noise maker that time and keep him
awake.

With
her hand still hovering around her mouth, she took a deep breath and
closed her eyes, willing the giggles to stay in check. “You
have me a total mess, Angel. I'm angry, happy, crying, angry again,
and now I'm crying in laughter.... only you could have me such a
wreck.” It was true, her Angel had a way of bringing the best
and worst out in her. She took another deep breath, and continued
when he didn't respond, “Angel, I know that love motivates you
to do the shit that you do, and I also realize that these men have
put you on the spot and expected you to help, but seriously...,”
she walked to the bed and sat on the edge slowly, “it feels
like you and everyone else thinks that I can't handle myself. And
that,” she dropped her gaze to her bare feet, “really
sucks.” Angel shook his head, and switched his phone to the
other hand as he began to pace. He hated that Morgan was upset.

“We
all love you, Stick.” Angel didn't normally shoot straight with
people, his flare for life was typically displayed in everything he
did, and said, but that time was different. “I love you,
Morgan. I've never had a friend like you, Boo. I kind of want you
around to grow old with. You're the strongest woman I know, and
probably the strongest that any client has ever met, but you're
special to all of us...and we'll always be here to take care of you.”
She heard his voice begin to break, and he waited a few seconds
before adding, “Just like you take care of us.” That was
the point when Morgan's flood gates opened, and she cried as she
leaned back on the bed and let the healing tears flow freely. She
finally realized that the men in her life weren't underestimating
her, or treating her like a child, they were loving her as a
family
should.

Morgan
immediately thought of Gran, and knew that if there had been any
chance that a raging man had acted threatening towards Morgan, her
grandmother would never have allowed her to go it alone. She would
have done everything in her power to protect her, and that was all
that Angel, Michael, and Tanner were doing. “I understand.”
She told Angel the truth, because although it still bothered her to
be seen as almost helpless, it was comforting to see that they only
acted out of love and concern.