Page 24 of Cinnamon Strudel
“Yeah, my life basically happens in this square. Even my gym is here.”
“No wonder you’re packing all those muscles.”
Fuck, his cheeks hurt from all the smiling and his soul could barely deal with all the positive energy she emitted. “I’ve already told you you’re not getting rid of me. There’s no need to twirl me around your pretty little finger even more.”
“Well, you’re cute when you blush.”
He leaned in and curled his finger for her to do the same. Once the cloud of colours cleared and her eyes beamed over at him, he cupped her cheek and ghosted his thumb over that lower lip. “Just wait till I have you back in my bed, you’ll be the one flustered.”
She was saved by Angelo, who set down their order, but Ruby hadn’t been able to hide the heated desire swirling in her eyes before she pulled back. Angelo knew how to set down his plate and coffee so that Morgan could find them easily. It was why he hated going to new places—they just didn’t get it.
“When would you like to go ice skating?” she asked between bites.
“Whenever you’re free, darlin’.”
“I might be able to switch my shifts to be free Saturday evening.”
“Will I have the honour of another sleepover?” Oh fuck, he sounded desperate, didn’t he?
“I thought you’d never ask.”
They sat out in the sun, enjoying the mild weather before she had to go to work. He walked her back to his apartment to collect her things, then said goodbye with a far-too-short kiss.
Only once the door had closed behind her did he pick up his phone to see an urgent message from Alexander.
His brother picked up right away when he called. “Look, I know you’re pissed, but I need you to look at the proposal I sent to you.”
With a sigh—and shoving aside the guilt he felt for setting work aside over personal issues—Morgan went to his computer and checked his inbox. He gave his input, with Alexander making small changes as he did so.
When Morgan tried to end the call, Alexander stopped him. “Can we talk?”
“Fine,” he snapped.
“We shouldn’t have gone behind your back.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. What you should have done was wait for her to agree to meet my family. We barely had one date and you two show up at her work unannounced like fucking pricks, giving her no choice in that matter.”
“Well, is there going to beanotherdate?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re not in the mood to tell us about it.”
Was he? Not really, but then again who else did he have to talk to about these things. “We’re going ice skating.”
There was a pause—quite a long one—but Morgan didn’t feel like explaining himself any further. “You’re messing with me.”
“I’m not.”
Another beat of silence. “Would you allow us to come along to meet her officially?”
“You don’t want to meet her. You just want to see me land on my ass.”
“Well, that is a plus.”
“I’ll ask her.”
With that, he hung up before he could agree to anything else.
