Page 13 of Pretend
With a sniffle, Morgan said, “I’m afraid so.”
“Let’s see what we can do,” Mr. Manchester murmured absently as he shifted his attention to the computer while Morgan stood there, doing her best to look pathetic and-
Why was Eric’s hand making its way down her back? Morgan couldn’t help but wonder, only to go still when his hand reached her ass. Clearing her throat, Morgan shifted closer, raised her foot, and was forced to bite back a satisfied sigh when his pained grunt reached her ears.
“I’m afraid that I’m not going to be able to give you the room that you reserved, but I was able to give you another room at the original rate for the two additional nights that you requested as well as the two nights of your original reservation,” Mr. Manchester said with an apologetic smile as he looked up from the computer while she did her best to look pathetic, a skill that she’d been forced to learn when she was little with the hopes of stopping Eric and his cousins from stealing her food.
“Whatever you can do would be greatly appreciated,” Morgan assured him with a hopeful smile, more than willing to do whatever it took to get a room so that she could finally pass out, something that she’d been hoping to do on the trip here but the big jerk who was slowly moving his hand down her back again made it impossible with all that glaring and bitching.
Between packing and coming up with excuses over the past week to avoid Eric, she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was to find a bed, any bed at this point, and pass out, but that wasn’t going to happen until they took care of the mess that Amber made, which made her wonder what else the woman who’d made it a point to be a complete bitch to her over the past two years had planned for them.
“All set,” Mr. Manchester said with a kind smile as he stepped out of the way so that the clerk could finish checking them in.
“Bless you,” Morgan said with a sniffle and a watery smile.
“You’re very welcome,” Mr. Manchester said as Eric handed over his ID and credit card.
Within minutes, they had their keycards and instructions on how to find their room, and she was more than ready to pass out when Mr. Manchester gestured to something behind them with a warm smile and a murmured, “Tradition.” Morgan followed his gaze and felt her stomach drop as she took in the wall covered in pictures of happy couples and every last one of them was kissing.
Having a really bad feeling where this was going, Morgan looked back in time to watch the manager pick up a camera. “It’s a tradition here at the Emerald Bay Hotel to take pictures of happy couples on their honeymoon,” Mr. Manchester explained as he gestured to the wall that had her stomach turning. “It’s been a tradition here for the past forty years and every couple on that wall is still happily married. We’d love to add you and your husband to the wall.”
Something on her face must have showed how she felt because the manager’s smile turned understanding as he said, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Clearing her throat, Morgan said, “Thank you,” as she slid the keycard in her pocket and made her way back to their bags and-
“Chicken,” came the softly whispered word in her ear when she leaned over to grab her bag.
Slowly exhaling, Morgan stood up and turned around to face the large bastard as she bit out, “I will kill you. I have no problem going to jail,” which was something that he should have remembered after the unfortunate incident that occurred at the playground when they were nine.
There was a heartfelt sigh and then, Eric was nodding. “I understand.”
“What exactly is it that you think you understand?” Morgan demanded as she glared up at the bastard that should know better than to push her.
“That you’re madly in love with me,” Eric said, hitting a little too close to home for her comfort.
Nodding slowly, Morgan said, “First chance I get, I’m hobbling you.”
“Because you can’t admit that you can’t live without me or that you’re afraid of your feelings for me?” Eric asked as she noted the way that his eyes took on that devious expression that had her fingers twitching with the need to throttle him.
“We are no longer speaking,” Morgan informed him.
“Because you’re afraid that you’ll end up professing your undying love for me?” the bastard asked, doing his best to look innocent.
“And just like that, we’re done,” Morgan said, shifting her attention back to her bag only to end up going still when Eric leaned down and whispered the one thing that was guaranteed to piss her off.
“Coward.”
Nodding to herself, Morgan slowly turned around and glared up at the bastard that was clearly enjoying himself. She took in that devilish smile of his, the highly amused twinkle in his eye and found herself grumbling incoherently as she reached over, grabbed hold of his suitcase, and with a flick of her wrist, turned it over onto its side. Narrowing her eyes on the man that had played with her too many damn times, Morgan stepped onto the suitcase, grabbed hold of his shirt and yanked him down for the kiss that better shut him up.
Morgan forced herself to ignore just how good it felt to finally kiss him, the soft groan Eric released as she moved her lips against his once, twice, and because she knew that she was never going to get another chance, she brushed her lips against his one last time before she forced herself to let him go.
CHAPTER9
Definitely still pissed, Eric absently noted as he watched the small woman that had nearly fucking knocked him on his ass with that kiss storm over to his bags and, with a look that dared him to say something about it, tore through his bag with a grumble that was just too fucking adorable for words.
After a moment, Morgan stopped what she was doing so that she could narrow her eyes on him as she reached up and shoved her glasses back up her nose. “Where are your tee-shirts?” the grumpy woman that really should have taken a nap on the plane demanded.
“Didn’t pack any,” Eric said, watching as she somehow managed to narrow those beautiful blue eyes on him even more as she grumbled to herself, returned her attention to his bag with a look of desperation that was just fucking sad at this point.
