The Heiress's Secret Romance Read online

  “Baby, we’re in public,” he whispered in her ear.

  “It doesn’t seem to matter where we are. I can’t think when you kiss me like that,” Kathleen admitted.

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “I’m not sure. Bad things can happen when you don’t think.”

  Morgan brushed a loose strand of hair from Kathleen’s face. “Not if you’re following your heart,” he countered.

  “Is that what we’re doing...following our hearts?”

  Morgan knew he was entering foreign territory and it unnerved him. He was determined not to let fear or his past ruin something that could be amazing between him and Kathleen. He stared into Kathleen’s eyes, ran the tips of his fingers across her lips and said, “I am, and I hope you are too.”

  Kathleen rose up on her toes and snaked her arms around his neck. “I am too,” she whispered gently, kissing him on the corner of his mouth and running her tongue across his lips before kissing him again.

  Morgan was so lost in the gentleness of her touch, her kiss, that he hadn’t heard Danny return. “You two keep that up, we’ll never get this room finished, and I’d like to get home before the storm hits,” he said, returning to his wall and paintbrush.

  Kathleen turned in Morgan’s arms and faced Danny. “There’s a storm coming?” Morgan heard her tone rise an octave.

  “Yep, and it is supposed to hit sometime tonight,” Danny stated nonchalantly.

  “You can’t be afraid of a little rain. You certainly weren’t afraid last night,” he whispered in her ear.

  Kathleen nudged him with her elbow and looked over her shoulder. “No, I’m not afraid of a little rain. It’s the rapidly rising water that scares the hell out of me.”

  “It will be fine. My brother’s house sits off the road, anyway.”

  “About that.” She turned to face him, pulling out of his hold. “Can we step in the hall for a second?”

  “Sure. I’ll be right back, Danny.” Morgan followed Kathleen out the door.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Don’t be disappointed, but I don’t want to go with you to your brother’s house tomorrow.”

  “Why, because of the rain?” His forehead creased.

  “No. I just think things are moving a little fast. Maybe we should slow things down a little.”

  Morgan’s frown deepened as he folded his arms and cocked his head to the side “Do you? You just said—”

  Kathleen bit her bottom lip and dropped her shoulders. “What I meant...mean, is that we need to figure out what this thing is between us before we share it with others. It should be our secret. At least for a little while.”

  “You mean you need to figure out what this thing is, because I’m crystal clear.” His annoyance was on full display. He couldn’t believe this was happening...again.

  Morgan ignored the goo-goo eyes two young volunteers sent his way as they passed them in the hall. His eyes bored into Kathleen.

  “I just think it’s a little soon to go public and start sharing it with more people.”

  “People...”

  “Yes. Our whole family, friends...people we work with,” she explained.

  “Don’t you think it’s a little late? The secret is out.”

  “No, it’s not. Just because some people know or maybe suspect we went out doesn’t mean we’re in a relationship. It’s no one’s business,” Kathleen declared emphatically.

  “It seems you don’t know what this is, do you?” Morgan felt like he’d just been hit in the gut. He wanted a committed relationship with Kathleen and all that entailed, but it seemed she wasn’t quite there yet. Morgan might not have been in a relationship for a while, certainly not one like he wanted with Kathleen, but he knew doubt in or about relationships never worked.

  “I just think—”

  “Don’t worry about it. Take all the time you need.” They stood silently staring at each other for several moments. “I should get back in there.”

  “Okay. I’ll get a ride home from Hannah so you don’t have to change your original plan and can go over to your brother’s house tonight from here. I’d hate for you to get caught in the storm.”

  “If that’s what you want.” He dropped his arms. Morgan was choking on his hurt and anger. Hurt because he thought they were falling for each other and now he realized it was only just him, and anger because he’d sworn he’d never let this happen to him again. But he let his guard down, had given his heart to Kathleen, and she’d shoved it back in his face after stomping on it.

  “I’ll see you later?” She reached for his hand.

  “Later.” He gave her hand a small shake and walked away.

  * * *

  Kathleen stood and watched Morgan walk back into the room to join Danny. She’d felt sick throughout that conversation. Kathleen knew exactly how she felt about Morgan and she’d love nothing more than to shout it to the world. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that until she told him the truth about everything. The idea of expanding her lie to more of his family was something she couldn’t handle and wasn’t willing to do. The hurt she saw in his eyes pained her heart. The only thing she held on to was the idea that this would be over soon and everyone would know they were together and in love. She just had to stay strong and hope Morgan would too.

  Chapter 18

  Kathleen returned to the library and buried herself in work. That was what she always did whenever things in her life got hard. It didn’t matter if it was her day job or hobby distracting her; she gave whatever it was her undivided attention. Working hard was her safe haven. She only stopped long enough to eat the contents of the lunchbox her sister had provided; something that was supposed to be a simple ham-and-cheese sandwich with a bag of chips ended up being a gourmet creation on a croissant with sweet potato fries. Hannah had even added a small version of one of the Bundt cakes she’d made her and Morgan the night before, bringing tears to her eyes.

  After Kathleen placed the last set of books on the shelf, she stretched her arms out at her sides and rolled her neck. The hours of sitting, reaching and bending had taken their toll on her body. Much like Morgan had the night before. Kathleen had managed to push her concerns over Morgan out of her mind long enough to get her project done, and she was quite pleased with the outcome.

  She looked around the room. “What do you think, Mom?” Kathleen felt a sense of warmth come over her and while she was pretty certain it was her imagination, she said, “Yeah, I like it too.”

  “You ready to go?” Kathleen turned to find Hannah standing in the doorway holding her bag in one hand and checking her cell phone in the other.

  “What?”

  “Morgan told me to be sure that I got you home safe.”

  “He did?” Kathleen frowned. She had hoped Morgan would have insisted on taking her home himself. It would have given her time to explain herself better.

  “Yep. I thought you two would be inseparable all weekend, based on what I saw this morning,” Hannah replied, keeping her eyes on her phone.

  “That was before I put my foot in my mouth,” she murmured.

  “You two meeting up later?”

  Hannah hadn’t heard a word Kathleen had said, which was fine with her. “I’m sure.”

  “Where did he go?”

  “He’s hanging out with his younger brother,” she explained. Kathleen decided to let her sister believe everything was fine between her and Morgan. She didn’t want Hannah worrying about her. This was her problem to fix.

  “Boys’ night out,” Hannah concluded. “You two starting to do couple stuff already? That’s cool, just make sure he doesn’t have too many boys’ nights out. But by the look of things, I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

  “Yeah, keep them at a minimum. Got it.”

  “Well, let’s go, I want to take off
before the weather changes. You know how much I hate flying in the rain.”

  “Flying? Where are you going?” Kathleen picked up her purse, pulled out her phone and checked for a message from Morgan. She hid her disappointment at having found none as they left the center, only stopping long enough to say their goodbyes to Ms. Benson.

  “I’m heading back to LA.”

  Kathleen frowned. “I thought you had the restaurant opening tonight.”

  “Yeah, about that, I kind of stretched the truth a bit.”

  “What do you mean you stretched the truth a bit?”

  Hannah shrugged. “Last night was the soft...soft opening but real soft opening isn’t for another couple weeks.”

  Kathleen’s face contorted. “Do I even want to know what you had to do to make last night happen?”

  “Nope.” Hannah winked at her sister.

  Kathleen gave her head a slow shake. “Thank you.”

  “Trust me, it was my pleasure making that happen for you two.” Hannah’s eyebrows started to dance. “Duty calls. This visit was fun, but between the show and my social commitments, I can’t take any more time off.”

  “You work too hard,” Kathleen observed.

  “Hello, pot, pleased to meet you,” Hannah replied with her left eyebrow raised.

  “I know... I know, just call me kettle,” Kathleen admitted, and they both laughed.

  Hannah dropped her sister off at home, and after a tearful goodbye, Kathleen let herself in the house, nearly tripping over Morgan’s bag. Kathleen closed and locked the door, dropped her keys and purse on the entry table and made her way to the kitchen where she pulled out a bottle of Stella Rosa Rosso from the wine refrigerator. She selected a glass from the cabinet, poured enough to ease her frayed nerves and finished off the contents, barely letting the taste settle on her tongue. After eating such a big lunch, she wasn’t hungry. Kathleen topped off her glass, grabbed the bottle and headed back to the foyer.

  Holding the glass and bottle in one hand, she picked up her purse and stared down at Morgan’s bag. “Stop tempting me. I’m not calling him,” she declared, picking it up. “I’m taking you upstairs just to get you out of the way,” she explained as if she was talking to someone.

  Kathleen placed her purse and the wine bottle on the dresser while she set Morgan’s bag on the steamer trunk that sat at the foot of her bed. She stared at it while she took several more sips from her glass. “Stop it!” Kathleen topped off her glass, walked into her bathroom, started the water filling up her Jacuzzi tub and stripped. She lit several candles and dropped two bath beads in the water.

  She finished off her drink and set the empty glass on the counter, slid into the warm water and let the tub and wine relax her. Kathleen’s mind flashed back to the bath she’d shared with Morgan last night. He’d insisted on bathing her after the second time they’d made love. The way his large, masculine hands roamed her body sent sensations throughout her the likes of which she had never experienced before. Kathleen laid her head back against the tub’s built-in pillow, and her hands followed the path Morgan’s had. She touched her neck, breast and stomach as she closed her eyes and pictured Morgan’s face. She let her legs fall open, slid both hands over the wet, soapy hairs that covered her sex, inserting the index finger of both hands inside her.

  Between the rush of the water and the rapid movement of her hips, Kathleen soon brought herself to an orgasm, moaning Morgan’s name. She opened her eyes and waited for her rapidly beating heart to slow its pace. As soon as she could move, Kathleen got out of the water, drained and cleaned the tub. She stepped into her shower and let the warm water and body spray finish what she’d only just started.

  Clean and completely relaxed, Kathleen wrapped her hair in a towel and dried her body with another. She slipped into a robe, collected her wineglass, stood in front of the dresser and began drying her hair. Kathleen stared at Morgan’s bag through the mirror, wondering what all he might have packed. Before her curiosity could get the best of her, Kathleen heard her iPad ringing. She was receiving an incoming video call.

  “Well, hello, stranger,” Gilbert stated, waving.

  “Stranger? I talk to you every day,” she reminded him, pouring the last of her wine into her glass.

  “No, you send me work to do every day,” Gilbert stressed, frowning. “When was the last time we actually sat down and shared some good tea?”

  “I don’t have time to sit around gossiping with you during the day. And neither do you, given all the work I send your way.”

  “I’m an excellent delegator.”

  Kathleen glared at Gilbert. “You’re not overworking our intern, are you?”

  “What do you mean by ‘overwork’?” he asked, using air quotes.

  “She better not quit, Gilbert,” Kathleen warned him, feeling somewhat annoyed but not surprised and trying not to laugh.

  “Calm down. Hard work builds character. Isn’t that the BS line you always use on me when I complain about being overworked?” he reminded her.

  “Yes, but she already has character,” Kathleen said, laughing.

  “I’ll let you have that one. Hey, whose Prada bag?” His eyes widened.

  Kathleen glanced over her shoulder before returning her attention to Gilbert. “It’s nothing. Nothing to worry about. You aren’t driving, are you?”

  “Of course not. I’m in a car service heading downtown for drinks and maybe even a little dancing. You want to join me? I’m not far from your place. I can be there in no time.”

  “No thanks. Go have fun,” Kathleen replied, brushing her hair. “I’ll talk—”

  “Oh no, you don’t, nice try. You can either tell me right now what’s going on or in twenty minutes when I’ll be at your place.”

  “I hate you.” Kathleen sighed. “CliffsNotes version.” She picked up her iPad and sat on her bed where she explained just how complicated her life had gotten these past few weeks.

  “Damn, girl.” Gilbert shook his head. “Was he at least worth it?”

  “Really? Is that all you have to say?” Kathleen lay across her bed, watching the rain hit the bedroom window. Her mind flashed back to the night before, when she had Morgan in her bed. Tears welled in her eyes and she reached for the pillow that Morgan used, gripping it as if it was a life buoy.

  “You don’t need me to say anything else. I’m sure you’ve already beat yourself up for crossing the line with the target of your investigation. And you’re really kicking yourself for not going with Morgan to his brother’s house tonight. So all there is left to ask is—was it worth it?” he reiterated.

  Kathleen propped her head up with her left hand. “Yes, yes, it was.”

  “Then you know what you have to do,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

  “Refresh my memory.”

  “Call him and get him back there so you can enjoy the rest of your weekend. Come Monday morning, officially get the case closed and tell him the truth about everything.”

  “That’s the plan, but I think I’ll let him hang with his family. I’ll see him Monday.”

  “Okay, if that’s what you want, but before I go, open his bag and tell me what all he has in there,” he said, making his eyebrows dance.

  Kathleen laughed. “No, I’m not invading his privacy.”

  “I don’t know why the hell not. He invaded all your privacy last night.” Gilbert screamed in laughter.

  Kathleen covered her face and mouth, laughing. “Boy, you are a mess.”

  “You sure you don’t want to come out? I’m here, but I can be at your place in no time. It’s barely nine.”

  “I’m sure.” Kathleen was in no mood to socialize, despite having her spirits lifted. She’d made her decision and now all she had to do was wait.

  “How about I run inside for a quick drink, and I’ll come hang out with you after?”<
br />
  “That’s sweet, but I’m fine, really, I promise. Once the truth is out and I have a chance to talk to Morgan, I’m sure everything will be fine. I hope so, anyway. You just be careful.”

  “I will. Later.” Gilbert ended the call.

  Kathleen set her music to play before closing her iPad, sat up and placed it on her nightstand. She stared at Morgan’s bag. “No, don’t even think about it.” She jumped when she heard a clap of thunder. Chill. Kathleen got up, grabbed her glass, walked downstairs and into her kitchen. She selected another bottle from her wine refrigerator and filled her glass. Kathleen stood in her kitchen, drinking her wine, staring down at her unpolished toes. “We need a pedicure bad,” she said, wiggling her toes.

  Heading back upstairs, she stood in the doorway of her bedroom, staring at Morgan’s bag. Don’t do it. “What the hell. A little peek won’t hurt,” she justified. Kathleen placed her glass on the dresser, stood in front of the bag and slowly unzipped it. The moment she opened the bag, the scent of Morgan’s cologne filled the room. It wasn’t an overpowering smell like it had spilled from its container. It was more of an aroma that wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

  You’ve had your peek. Now close it. Kathleen’s heart, body and mind were at odds. She ran her hands over the clothes at the top of the bag, savoring the feel of his black silk pajama top. Before she could stop herself, Kathleen untied her robe and let it drop to the floor. She pulled out the silk pajama top and slipped her body inside. The arms were too long and it fit her like a dress, but to Kathleen, it was perfect. The silky-smooth feel of the fabric against her skin and the combination of Morgan’s natural scent mixed with his cologne made her feel safe. It was the next best thing to being in his arms.

  Kathleen closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around herself and began swaying to the Teddy Pendergrass song “You’re My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration.” It was one of her parents’ favorites. She and her siblings had watched them dance to it many times. Kathleen seriously missed both Morgan and her mother in that moment. Just as the song was coming to an end, she heard her doorbell ring, and she knew it was Gilbert. He never believed her whenever she said she was fine and he knew she was upset and sad about something. Gilbert was a great friend, but he couldn’t fix everything, no matter how hard he tried.