Today, things got to me. Too much worry about Kaylee's health and concern over Morgan staying motivated for the Paralympics have been plaguing me, but not as much as coming clean with her. I'm in a piss-ass mood. I know I need to just go to bed and sleep this crap off, but I decide to drive to Bandy's Bar to have a beer and maybe play a game of pool. Before leaving I stop by the kitchen to tell my mom I'll be gone for a couple of hours. I can see by her expression that she's concerned about me, but she doesn't say anything. I suppose she knows it wouldn't do any good.
As I pull into the parking lot of Bandy's, a hangout for college students, I groan. Cindy and her gang just arrived. I have a mind to just circle the parking lot and leave, but that makes me angry at myself. I'll not have Cindy putting the brakes on my life.
The only available parking is a couple of cars down from Cindy's red Mustang, and I swing into it. Of course, Cindy, Tina, and the others in the car, spot me. I hear Tina say, "Ohhhh, look, there's Tyce."
Cindy immediately spins around and grins. She's a beautiful woman, but she does nothing for me. In fact, she makes me cringe. She and her friends wait for me. I'm not a rude person, so I say, "Hello."
Unfortunately, the girls consider my greeting as an invitation to join me. We walk into the bar together and I decide my best option is to head for the bathroom. If I stay there long enough, maybe they'll forget about me. Finally, I return to the main room to play a game of pool, but just as I enter, I see the front door swinging shut—not unusual, of course—but I glimpse a girl in a wheelchair. Surely, it's not Morgan. To be sure, I dart across the room and out the door. I'm shocked that Morgan and Lucy are hurrying across the parking lot. I shout, "Morgan! Lucy! Wait up!" I run toward them. "Morgan, when did you get here? Why didn't either of you call me? I would have come with you."
I'm surprised when Morgan frowns and says in an irritated voice, "Now why would you want to do that when you have your girlfriend Cindy and her court fawning over you?"
Momentarily, I'm stunned. "Cindy isn't my girlfriend." I attempt to explain that we just happened to arrive at the same time.
Morgan's biting response hurts, "As if I care? Go back inside, your fan club waits."
Is she jealous? I glance around the parking lot looking for Lucy's car. When I don't see it I ask if she drove and she tells me they took a cab.
My voice is firm when I say, "I'll drive you both home."
Morgan refuses and insists on a cab. Glancing between us, Lucy tells Morgan in no uncertain terms that they're riding home with me, and asks me where my truck is. I point across the parking lot. Lucy, with an apologetic look at Morgan, runs toward it.
Morgan is still insisting on a cab. I crouch in front of her, angry now. "What the hell is going on with you?"
She doesn't respond.
My anger quells. "Are you jealous?"
I'm expecting Morgan to retort in anger; instead, she just looks at me with big tears in her eyes.
I can't help my response. "Fuck it all to hell. I'm tired of fighting this."
I have one desire—to kiss Morgan. I brush her tears away and gently touch my lips to hers. When she responds, I just about lose it. I deepen the kiss, but not too much, I don't want to scare her. She responds again, and I pull our lips tighter by placing my hand behind her head. Tentatively, I touch my tongue to her lips. When she opens her mouth enough for me to taste her, it makes me crazy with yearning. She touches her tongue to mine and I groan, kissing her fiercely. Morgan places her small hands on my chest, fisting my shirt, and it's all too much. I lean back a little and rest my forehead against hers. "Oh, God, Morgan, we've got to get out of here. I swear you're driving me crazy."
Morgan nods, with her forehead still against mine. When we arrive at my truck I can tell by Lucy's expression—kind of a shit-eating-grin—that she saw everything.
At Morgan's dorm, Lucy says a quick goodbye, still wearing that grin, and runs to her car.
I lift Morgan into her chair and walk with her to the door. She hasn't said anything since we left Bandy's. She tries to find her keys in her purse, but she's so nervous she can't. I hear her rapid breathing. I lift the purse away from her and sift through the contents until I locate the keys. I unlock her door and she enters the room, but I stay outside. "I'm not coming in and I think you know why."
Unbelievably, she asks, "Why?"
"God, Morgan. Things could happen between us."
"Is that bad?"
I want to shout, "Damn right it's bad because you'll hate me once you know the truth about me." Instead, I say, "No. Yes. Hell, you're an innocent and I've been around the block a few times. And I've got things in my past you should know about, but God help me, I can't tell you right now."
Morgan reaches her hand and strokes my jaw. I turn my mouth into her hand and kiss it. "I'm not the man for you, Morgan. As much as I want to be, I'm not." Unable to stop myself, I kiss her one last time, tenderly, sweetly. "I'll catch up with you tomorrow."
YOU ARE READING
Fragile Hearts
RomanceMorgan Weston is fragile both in body and spirit, and I had to listen with my heart to understand her. Tyce Brandon is a complex man of substance, but also fragile in spirit. Both characters have suffered terribly--physical limitation and scars bein...