Chapter Seventeen
John closed the door to his house as they parked the car in the garage and left Alice's bag beside him. Outside the walls, the security gate still closed automatically, but her ears mostly burned as she stormed down the hall. In the distance she heard John enter the house and lock the door.
First her heart had to accept her mother's actions, but what he did was wrong, on so many levels. She took a deep breath, ready to finally speak after that silent car ride, so she turned to face him though she only reached his broad shoulder. "Why did you tell my mother we're getting married?"
He covered his face with his hands as he studied her. She swore his blue eyes seemed to glow with regret. Finally he said, "I didn't. Exactly."
What?"I heard you."
This was outside the box of acceptable. She shook her head. "You never asked me, and you told my mother we were. She already has a thing against your family, but this made it so much worse."
He took her hand in his. "I said I intend to marry you."
If it was anyone else, she'd take him seriously. But this was John Morgan, son of one of the wealthiest families alive, and potential heir to a business kingdom. People like him did not marry people like her, so there was no way he'd be serious about marriage. She wasn't a complete idiot. "That's insane. My mother officially wishes you dead now."
She tried to take her hand back, but he asked, "Does your mother's opinion matter so much?"
She stilled and averted her gaze. Maybe John didn't understand because he never had a family that cared. "No. Yes. I want my mother to retire and be happy with my dad while I live my own life."
His fingers traced her knuckles. "So you gave up your freedom when you moved back home?"
John would never get it. "My dad had a heart attack. Colt was serving overseas. They needed me, and when you love your family, you give up a little freedom in exchange for their well-being."
His hand left hers, and traced her face. "That's noble and sweet, and you're right. I wouldn't know how that feels."
His touch sent her body into overdrive. "John, our lives are different."
She hoped he'd rip off her clothes and take her right here, right now. She ached for another kiss, but he dropped his arms to the sides and shrugged. "Our lives shaped us, but they don't define our future."
She caught herself from forgiving him carte blanche. Her lusty thoughts for John clouded her judgment, again. She rubbed her neck and tried to cool down. Her mother fit into the Morgan family. "True. I don't want to talk about my mother and her dramatics anymore. We go toyour familytomorrow."
He reached backwards and picked up her bag. She followed him down the long hall as he said, "Yeah we do. The reading will not be fun."
She must have misread him earlier. He hadn't even thought about a kiss. "Are you sure you want me there?"
He turned around at her bedroom door and she gazed right into his clear blue eyes. "Victoria asked for you."
John opened her door and dropped the bag on the inside. She stepped closer to him and caught his hand in hers. "What about you?"
He swallowed and the smell of cedar and pine mixed in her nose. Her lips tingled in hopes of a kiss. "I don't know if I can handle being in the room with Peter," he said. "I don't know if I can trust him."
Perhaps there was a book she could read on how to get over a crush with pointers that might clear her head. Right now she was acting like some dog in heat and not herself. She stepped back and wondered if she spoke to Peter one-on-one, would that change anything with the contract? "You have to listen to your heart on that one. Is he like your father?"
John shrugged and closed her bedroom door. "He might be. I hardly know him."
She talked to Colt all the time. She watched his daughter for him without complaint. She blinked as she tried to understand. "He's your brother."
John's face turned red. "He stood right next to my father all my life. He's two years older than me, but I have no memory of Peter on his own without my father."
Strange. Colt led his own life, but she'd do whatever she could for him, too. Despite how Peter canceled their contract, family was family. "Maybe he's not that bad."
"Maybe he's worse. I don't trust him."
"Then you've made a decision."
"No, I'm just talking it through. I'm not sure how to take Peter or if I want a position in my father's company."
She reached out and touched his arm. Fireworks exploded inside her, but she stayed sharp. "You have to try. What happened to the determined guy I met at the hotel?"
