Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
I’m not going to lie, the age difference still feels strange to me. She is literally half my age, and there’s some part of me that thinks I should feel guilty about that. I have to remind myself that Morgan is twenty-two years old. She’s a fully formed adult capable of making her own decisions about who she wants to spend time with. And frankly, I’m glad she wants to spend time with me.
“Thank you for dinner,” she says.
“You’re welcome,” I respond. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
She slips her arm through mine as we walk out of the restaurant and make our way over to the valet stand. I’m just about to hand over my ticket when I realize I’m missing something. I give my pockets a quick pat-down, then turn to Morgan and give her a half-shrug.
“I forgot my phone at the table,” I tell her. “I’ll just go and grab it and come right back.”
“I’ll be here,” she replies.
I plant a gentle kiss on her forehead, then turn and step away. Pulling the door open, I step back into the restaurant and make my way back to our table. The busboy is arriving at the same time I do and hasn’t taken anything off the table yet, thankfully. My phone is still sitting there, so grab it and head back through the restaurant.
When I push through the door and back out onto the sidewalk, I see a guy looming over Morgan. I can tell by the way she’s standing, arms wrapped protectively around her midsection and shrinking away from him, that she feels threatened. The guy is leering at her, and though I can’t hear what he’s saying, I’ve got a pretty good idea. I step quickly and put myself between them, glancing over my shoulder at her.
“You all right?” I ask.
The flush of relief on her face is immediate, and she nods. “I’m fine.”
“You mind, pops?” the guy in front of me sneers. “I’m trying to talk to her.”
I turn back to him. He’s a lean, fit kid. About my height and in pretty good shape. He’s got brown hair with a stylishly tousled look, green eyes, and a strong jawline. He also has that smarmy, entitled air of a spoiled frat boy who grew up rich and got whatever he wanted. Including women. I hate guys like him.
“She’s with me,” I say, my voice low and gruff. “So, you can just move along.”
He stares at me blankly for a moment, then erupts in laughter. “She’s with you?” he asks, leaning around me to look at Morgan. “Is this your dad?”
“Fuck you,” she hisses.
The smirk still on his face, the guy shakes his head. “Wow,” he says. “So, what, is this like a sugar daddy arrangement or something? I mean, no offense or anything, but you seem way too old for a piece as fine as that.”
I step forward, my eyes narrow, jaw clenched, and my hands balled into fists. “You really need to learn some respect.”
“You going to teach me, old man?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I am.”
He says nothing for a moment and just stares back at me. It’s then that I see the first glimmer of fear in his eyes, which confirms my initial thought about him. He’s a bully. All bluster and bravado, but when you step up, he wilts.
“You going to do something?” I growl.
He licks his lips and clears his throat. He tries to recover and puts a cocky expression back on his face, but I can see right through it. He scoffs and waves me off.
“Keep her, pops,” he says. “She ain’t worth it.”
And with that, he turns and strolls away, joining a group of his buddies standing farther down the street. They laugh and seem to be giving him shit. I’ve got no doubt he’s already spinning the story, telling them he didn’t want to beat up a senior citizen or whatever bullshit he wants to spew. I don’t really care.
I turn back to Morgan. “You okay?”
She nods and turns her bright blue eyes to me. She looks grateful. And also, like nobody has ever stood up for her before, which I find profoundly sad.
“Thanks to you, yeah,” she says.
I take her hand in mine and place a gentle kiss on the back of it. “Ready to go?”
She stands on her toes and pulls me down into a kiss. “Thank you,” she said, her expression serious. “Thank you for doing that.”
I hold her gaze for a long moment, offering her a small smile and pulling her to me tightly. “I’m never going to let anything bad happen to you, Morgan. Ever.”
9
MARCUS
After a long shower, I pull on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and pad down to my office. I drop into my chair and look at my phone, tempted to text Morgan and ask her to come over. It’s been a couple of days since the night at the sushi bar, and I find myself missing her. But she has exams to study for, and I have some film to break down, so I don’t. Our first game is quickly approaching, and I feel as unready for it as I’ve ever felt for any game.