Around the World in 80 Men Series: Books 11-20 (33 page)

The
thought of Kole made her shake her head as she pushed it to the back
of her mind and got back to the handsome man who was still sitting at
her bedside. “Thank you,” she told him for a third time.

He
just smiled at her and nodded in a 'you're welcome' way, then opened
the bottle of medicine. “It tastes like bloody hell, but it'll
do the trick.” Morgan took a little cup of the deep purple
liquid and threw it back, making a
yuck face
that would have
put the last one to shame.

“You're
right. That does taste like bloody hell.” They both laughed at
her continued faces of disgust, then Morgan got back to her soup. She
finished about half of it before saying she was full, then Lucas took
her bowl and left her to sleep.

Morgan's
mind raced for a while as she laid there, thinking about the men, but
eventually, the medicine took over, and she was out.

Lucas
checked on her occasionally, and he felt horrible for the young girl.
He would do everything he could to take care of her, he knew all too
well what it felt like to be alone.

*****

With
only two days left with her client, Morgan tried her best to move
about the house without her fever raging back, or a coughing fit that
would wake the dead. She was proving to be fairly successful, but
Lucas still insisted that she spend most of her time either in bed,
or at least sitting down. The man had waited on her hand and foot,
not that Morgan had asked for much, and had held her for hours while
she slept through the horrific cold that was ruining her time with
the incredibly sweet man.

“Max
thinks I'm well enough, don't ya buddy!” Morgan was trying to
convince Lucas that she could spend a few hours walking through
London, and promised to tell him if she started feeling worse.

“It's
against my better judgment, but alright, we'll take a short walk then
right back with you.” He shook his head and laughed when she
bent down and told Maxwell that he was going for a walk with them.
There was no way that she would leave the house without her new
buddy. “You're spoiling him, ya know.” She knew, and
she didn't care, he was one of the sweetest dogs that she had ever
met, and he had barely left her side the entire time that she was
there.

“He's
a good boy, yes he is.” She talked to the dog as she got ready
for her walk, but it came to an end when Lucas approached her with an
arsenal of winter accessories. Hat, gloves, scarf, snow boots, and
one of his large winter coats. “This is...huge.” She
stuck her arms in and there was still six inches of coat that her
hands didn't come close to filling. He gave her a stern look, even
though a smile still threatened his sweet lips.

“Your
coat is nice, but it isn't warm enough.” He was talking about
her thin jacket that she was wearing when they met, and she could
have just gone to the bedroom and got her winter coat, but the feel
of his around her was comforting so she went with it. She caught a
quick glimpse in the ancient mirror in the foyer, and she laughed at
how terrible she looked in the get up, but she was happy to be
getting out.

As
the cold air surrounded them after taking only a few steps outside,
Morgan tucked her arm under his and leaned against his shoulder. “I
was thinking....after our walk, will you be willing to take that
chance?” His over exaggerated nod and large smile was all the
answer she needed.

Chapter
Eight

The
thick black wool coat that she lost her hands in, mixed with the
large gloves that were trapping her fingers inside, made for a
horrible scenario to take pictures with. She had nearly given up
when Lucas removed his gloves and snapped photos of everything that
Morgan pointed to. Statues, buildings, even a team of patrolling
policemen that were willing to stand still for them. Pubs,
unsuspecting locals, cars, sidewalks, churches, and even an Irish
Wolfhound being walked by a tiny elderly woman, were all snapped by
the man as they laughed and looked for more treasures for her small
camera. She had also insisted on photos of Max, most of which she
managed to sneak into, and had finally taken the camera back to her
bundled hands.

“Okay,
real quick!” He started shaking his head when she reached
inside her sleeve and pulled her glove off. He knew he wasn't going
to win, and posed next to a phone booth with Max so that she could
get the picture. “Perfect!” Then he slid the glove back
onto her hand and felt her warm skin, too warm, and insisted that
they head back to the house.

Will
had already been instructed to draw her a bath when they returned,
and by the time she had removed all of her outerwear, her bubbly
paradise was ready. “Thanks, Willy!” The old man's blue
eyes sparkled in the firelight, and he smiled shyly and left the
room. She was a breath of fresh air in the old house, and the old
man was getting quite used to having her around.

Morgan
stripped down the rest of the way, then just as she stepped a foot
into the tub, she had another plan. She turned back around, sopping
her one wet foot across the wooden floor, then pulled her phone out
of her pants pocket. It was off, but she had taken it with her just
in case. In case of what? She didn't know, but she was happy she
hadn't needed to find out. Morgan pressed the green button to turn
the pink device on, set it on the floor by the tub, then climbed in.
When her butt was safely against the ceramic bottom of the bathtub,
she grabbed her phone again. Holding it tightly in her hands, she
went to her text messages.

There
were messages from all of her friends, but the ones she really cared
about at the moment were those from Kole. One after another, she read
his litany of apologies, and with each one, she felt worse and worse.
She was the one who had messed up, and now the man was saying that
he
was sorry.

Morgan,
we went to your hotel, but they said you checked out. Where are you?

I
just wanted to apologize for the way I acted. I shouldn't have gotten
so angry.

Looking
back, I can understand why you would have felt like that. I set it
up. I said you had a surprise, then you found the ring...it's my
fault.

Morgan,
can I say bye to you before you leave?

I
guess you're gone now. I'm sorry.

She
felt even more guilty that she hadn't checked her messages until
then.
But I would have made things worse.
Morgan took a deep
breath and wrote back.

Kole,
it wasn't your fault. I overreacted. I'm sorry for embarrassing you,
and I'm sorry for lying to you. I know, I should have talked to you
about it. Please tell your family that I'm sorry too.

Morgan
didn't know what else to say to him. She felt terrible, but it was
something she had to get over, and hopefully, he would too. There
were messages from Angela too, in which Morgan replied and told her
that she hoped the family didn't hate her. Angela responded before
Kole did and told her that of course, the family didn't hate her.
They'd actually gotten a good laugh out of it. Kala had been
disappointed that Morgan wasn't there, because he had waited until
that day, knowing Morgan would be there, to make his proposal. But
when he found out the reason she wasn't there, it had been one of the
funniest things he'd ever heard.

As
she read and replied to a few of her other messages, Kole's came
through. It was short and to the point.

Friends?

Morgan
smiled at her phone for a few moments, then nodded and wrote back a
quick
yes
and a smiley face.
That's a relief.
She felt
much better that they were at least on speaking terms, but she knew
if she saw him again, there would be a lot of making up to do with
Mr. Woolly. Morgan decided she'd text Angel and tell him the good
news as well. She wanted to hear his voice, but she knew that Lucas
would be able to hear and that would make for an awkward conversation
later.

My
Angel! Kole and I are friends again!
Morgan laughed out loud at
her message. She felt like she was in seventh grade and had just
gotten over a little argument with her best friend. She got herself
under control before her giggles made her drop her phone and she
continued her message.
I'm in London with the incredibly handsome,
Lucas Andrews. Miss you, muah!

In
typical Angel fashion, his reply came through moments later. Morgan
was smiling before she even opened it, anticipating what he'd have to
say about her client.
What did I say, Sticky? Who knows best?
“You
do,” Morgan whispered and laughed again.
Well, your best
climb aboard the Britannica and yankee that doodle's dandy!

Morgan
laughed out loud, nearly throwing her phone to the floor, saving it
from a bubbly death. She'd wait to correct him when her phone wasn't
in jeopardy, and sunk back down in the tub to enjoy the last warmth
the water would offer her.

When
she got out, she had a thought.
I want a client-free birthday. No
drama, no obligations. Just my friends.
With that thought, she
picked up her phone and sent a message to both Angel and Angela,
telling them of her plans. The same text was sent to both of them.
I'm celebrating my birthday in London. (It's on Monday) I want my
friends with me, so if you give me the 'yes', I'll buy your ticket
tonight.

In
less than five minutes, both of them had written back with ecstatic
yeses.
Yes! Just me and my two best friends!
The giddy girl
threw on her outfit and robe, thinking about everything she would do
with her friends. She couldn't wait for the two of them to meet.
Angela will love Angel!
Morgan went into Lucas' room and
pulled out her laptop. After the tickets from Waikiki and Rio de
Janiero to London were secured, Morgan thought she might as well look
up her next client while she had her laptop open. When she got to the
database, she decided to stick with somewhere close, so after a quick
survey of Europe, she decided to check Wales.

There
was only one man looking for company there, but he was definitely a
man that she could get used to staring at. His name was Awstin
Price. “Holy shit,” she whispered. She was half tempted
to lick her computer screen, not knowing if she had ever seen someone
so succulent. He had white-blonde hair, very fair skin and dark blue
eyes.. He had on a plain red t-shirt that made her think he was a
category one. Just what she needed. Morgan didn't hesitate with her
choice. “Wales it is.” She clicked the button, then
closed her laptop just as Lucas entered the room.

“What's
up?” He came over beside her and sat down, then brushed the
still damp hair from her face. He wasn't asking specially what she
was doing, but she was going to offer him an answer anyway.

“Well,
I'm having my birthday party here...I mean...London....so I was
buying tickets for my friends to come,” she replied, leaving
out the part about picking her client, and stood to put her laptop
back in her bag.

“When
is your birthday?”

“Monday.”

“Damn!
I have to leave Monday morning!”

Morgan
put her head down and stared at her hands. A part of her wanted to
ask him to stay for one night longer so he could celebrate with her,
then a selfish part of her wanted the party to be with just herself
and her friends.
Right. No clients.

“So,
how about we get started on a late celebration for you, and an early
celebration for me?” Morgan put her hand on his muscular thigh
and ran it up slowly toward her prize so there would be no mistaking
what kind of
celebration
she had in mind.

“Are
you up to it?” His smile turned delicious, the kind of smile
that said they would both be naked very, very soon. She nodded, and
ran her hand higher, reaching the area that she had been itching to
touch.

“I
am. And...wow...so are you!” His long hard cock jerked in
response to her touch, a touch that quickly turned into a full blown
fondling.

Morgan
moved herself to the floor in front of him, and positioned herself
between his legs. She removed his pants as he watched her every
move, then took a quick intake of breath when his briefs were pulled
down and his hardened part bounced against his own body. “Ya
don't have to.....oh my god..that feels...so..” She took him
into her mouth and tightened her hand around him, pumping him as her
mouth moved slowly over his swollen head. He watched her small hand
move on him, and her warm lips cover him over and over, with a slow
deliberate rhythm that nearly drove him wild. “You'll have
to.. you... fuck.... stop!” He pulled away from her mouth, and
cocked his head to the side at the smile that formed across her
pretty face. “That's funny is it? Your turn.” He
pulled her to her feet and quickly removed her clothes, nearly losing
his own breath at the beauty that stood in front of the soft flames
of the bedroom fireplace. “You're beautiful.” His soft
words floated between them as he pulled her hand and guided her to
the middle of his bed.