Page 273 of Shifting Hearts 1
The sight broke me.
“No, don’t. Please,” I begged, but they continued, completely unaware of my anguish. Hatred, jealousy, obsession, they tore through me in waves.
“Morgan, stop! Please! I can’t handle this! Don’t do this!” I screamed, collapsing to my knees, cupping my head, trying to drown out their moans. Rage overtook me. I hadn’t thrown a tantrum like this in years. I screamed until my throat burned.
She finally stopped when the man asked her something. Did she hear me?
“Please, don’t,” he murmured, trying again, but she pushed him away and returned to the bar, resuming her shift. I was pulled behind her once more. That kiss had shattered me. I wanted to kill him. Hours passed before I could calm down.
We finally returned to the apartment. Em and Paul disappeared into his room while Morgan took a shower. I stayed close, aching to touch her, but every attempt met nothing—pure, agonizing torture.
Later, lying on her bed, memories of making love with her crashed over me, a cruel reminder of what I couldn’t have. She giggled, and I looked at her, sighing.
“Why are you laughing?” I asked.
“Oh, Em?” she said, chuckling again. I realized then that she and Paul were… at it. The thought alone drove me to the brink.
“You’re a peeping Tom now, Morgan,” I muttered, though she couldn’t see me. I wanted to touch her so badly my hand hovered inches from her cheek, willing her to feel me.
I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate as soft moans escaped her lips. My eyes shot open to find her pleasuring herself.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grunted, but oddly… watching her, I felt a twisted pleasure too. I wished it were me, didn’t matter if I could touch her or not, I closed my eyes and pretended it was.
She climaxed, and the intensity of it coursed through me. I wanted it to be real so badly, I would have given anything. How long would this torture last?
This was my punishment. My punishment for all those years I had wanted nothing to do with her, for hating her so deeply I once wanted to kill her, for later trying to leave her. After everything she had done for me… this was my penance.
And I would bear it gladly.
SIXTEEN
JASON
Christmas was approaching, and Smokey Joe’s was packed. I couldn’t wait to smell her again, to get lost in her presence. Lately, I’d stayed so close that she walked through me countless times, I’d stopped counting. I didn’t care. It was the only time I truly felt we were one.
One evening, Bert walked into the bar. One of the second twins Gabby and Zack had brought into the world. Why couldn’t it be Morgan? Morgan would have known him. I hadn’t seen him in ages, and he looked just like Zach. Morgan froze for a moment, but quickly realized it wasn’t Zach.
He flirted with her, asked if they had met before as she handed him a drink, then asked for something else, pointing him toward Emily Chase. Morgan didn’t take the lie well; Emily had told her the truth: her surname was Duvall, the same as Bo and Alice’s.
Morgan told Paul she needed a few days alone, and I knew she was about to run. Any hint that I was nearby would make her vanish, and this time it wasn’t toward me. No, that time had passed. I begged her to stay, but she didn’t listen. She wasstarting over again, erasing her phone, trying to build a fresh start.
She cried when she realized who Em was, and I hated myself for changing their names. I leaned close and whispered, “Just go back, please. I can’t do this anymore, Morgan. I need to wake up, please.”
To my surprise, she listened. She went back. Was it over? I didn’t know. Ten years had passed; it could be, or it could be another decade.
One day, Jess walked into the bar. Morgan froze. Completely froze.
The boy was the spitting image of me, a perfect double, but there was a subtle difference Morgan didn’t notice. She walked slowly closer.
“Hi,” she said, clearing her throat.
“Hi,” Jess replied.
“Can I get you something?”
He ordered a beer, then asked where Emily Chase was. Morgan pointed him toward the back, still confused because Em had warned her exactly what kind of father I was. Her confusion deepened when Emily rushed over and threw herself into Jess’s arms.
They sat at a table far from the bar. I could see the panic on Morgan’s face, she wanted to leave so badly. She stayed late, Paul already there at the table. When Em introduced Jess, Morgan frowned, staring at them for a long moment.
