Her mouth set angrily. 'Not in the mood!'
'That's what I thought,' he snapped, turning his back on her. 'Goodnight!'
She hadn't wanted to argue with him, and she lay miserably on her side of the bed, knowing by the even tenor of his breathing that Alex had soon fallen asleep. She couldn't stand to be apart from him any more, she needed his warmth, and she edged over the bed until she was curved into the back of him, her arm about his waist as her head rested on his back. She gave a deep sigh of pleasure and curled more comfortably against him, asleep within seconds.
She was alone when she woke up, despite the earliness of the hour, dressing quickly before going into Courtney's room next door to take him down for his morning feed. The nursery was empty.
Courtney was in the breakfast-room with Alex, neither of her parents being awake yet. A blush stole into her cheeks as she looked at her husband; she was wary of his mood this morning.
He looked back at her with cool grey eyes, finishing his coffee before standing up. 'How are you feeling this morning?" he asked distantly.
'Better, thank you.' Her own manner was as cool.
He nodded. 'Courtney has been fed. You were sleeping so deeply when he woke I didn't like to disturb you.'
'Thank you,' she said once again, picking up the baby. 'I'll give him his bath now.
'Have some breakfast first,' he instructed.
Her mouth tightened at his autocratic attitude. 'I don't want any,' she told him curtly.
'You had no dinner last night either.' He looked at her sternly. 'We wouldn't want you to be really ill, now would we?' he added tauntingly.
Her flush was one of anger this time. She couldn't believe that the closeness she and Alex had built up over three months of marriage could be destroyed by just one small argument because she didn't want to make love. Was that all their marriage consisted of, physical gratification?
'I said I'm not hungry,' she bit out tautly. 'Excuse me,' and she swept out of the room.
'Morgan!' Alex's voice stopped her part way up the stairs.
She turned slowly. 'Yes?
'Take it easy today, hmm?' His tone was gentle, a question in his puzzled eyes.
Her anger faded as quickly as it had risen; she was filled with confusion now, loving this man in spite of what Janet had told her. 'I—Yes.' She made her way quickly to the nursery, refusing to think, intending to keep herself occupied so that she didn't have the time to brood.
If her parents wondered at her burst of energy they didn't say anything. The three of them were enjoying this last day of their vacation. Her parents were taking the midday flight back to California the next day. It was going to be difficult to part from her parents after their three-week stay, and she knew they weren't looking forward to parting from their new grandson; both of them were falling under Courtney's undoubted charm.
'Morgan and I will probably bring him over during the summer,' Alex told them that evening once Courtney had been put to bed, and the love and heartache in their faces at parting from him was enough to move even the hardest heart.
Nevertheless, Morgan was surprised by this information; Alex hadn't mentioned it to her before.
'A surprise for you,' he told her indulgently at her raised eyebrows. 'I thought we could get away for a month in July.
His mood had been pleasant since his arrival home from the office just after six. He had come into their bedroom where she was changing for dinner, kissing her warmly on the mouth, the argument last night and the coldness of this morning forgotten as he kissed her with complete thoroughness.
'Do we have time ' he broke off as Courtney let out a loud wail from next door. 'We don't have rime,' he grimaced. 'I think our son wants you.'
She had left him then to go to Courtney, glad that she didn't have to pointedly evade going to bed with him; she knew she couldn't have let him make love to her. Not thinking today might have put off the pain, but it hadn't changed the fact that having Alex make love to her and imagine she was Glenna made her want to run away and hide. In a way she had done exactly that, spending the time until dinner in the nursery, only coming down when the others had come in to say goodnight to the baby, her parents' presence meaning she didn't have to be alone with Alex. Now he had dropped this bombshell.
'That would be lovely.' She gave him a strained smile.
'I thought so,' he nodded, watching her closely. 'As long as Sharon and Court think they can stand to have the three of us around for all that timer he teased her parents.
He and her parents, much to her surprise, had become firm friends during this visit, and her father's reply was predictable.
'Stay two months if you want, son,' he said warmly. 'Sharon and I would be glad to have you.'
'A month is all I can spare this time,' Alex said regretfully. 'But maybe next time we can stay longer.'
Next time.It reminded Morgan only too forcibly that her marriage to Alex was a permanent thing, and that it was a normal marriage through her own choosing, her own demand. Alex had told her she could opt out of that any time she wanted to, and yet to do that would end what marriage they had, end the only closeness they had.
'Any time you can get away,' her mother invited enthusiastically. 'We can't tell you what a wonderful time we've had here with you, how lovely it's been to see you all. When Morgan told us she was getting married, and to Mark's brother—well, we------- '
'Were naturally concerned,' Alex finished softly. 'I can understand that. I hope that seeing us together you're convinced that we're married because we want to be, that I'm not a wife-beater,' he smiled.
'When Morgan was younger—not much younger, I might add,' her father's eyes glowed with merriment as he teased her, 'she deserved more than a few beatings. She had the temper of a shrew!'
Alex looked at her with amused eyes. 'Really?' he encouraged.
Her father settled comfortably into the role of revealing her childhood antics. 'She was such a tomboy, always climbing trees, scuffing her knees. The complaints we had from the neighbours!' he chuckled. 'Morgan was always bringing home stray animals that would go and dig up their gardens.'
'Dad!' she warned.
'Tell me more,' Alex grinned. "It doesn't all like my elegant wife.'
Morgan had to suffer the indignity of all her childhood exploits being told to Alex as they are dinner, his throaty laugh often bubbling to the surface. To all intents and purposes they were a happy family circle, and no one seemed aware of Morgan's shattered emotions. She could put on an act for one day, maybe even a week, but how was she going to get through the rest of her life like this!
'I'm going to miss your parents,' Alex murmured as he undressed later that night, pulling off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. 'I've enjoyed having them here.'
Morgan kept her face averted, continuing to brush her hair in front of the mirror, the lime green nightgown fitting smoothly over her breasts and thighs. 'I'm sure they've enjoyed being here,' she nodded.
Alex came to stand behind her in the mirror, his chest bare now, his black trousers low down on his hips. It was impossible to do anything else but look at his reflection, her gaze held mesmerised by his physical perfection. His hands came down on her shoulders as he knelt slightiy on the back of her stool, his head bent as his mouth nuzzled her nape.
'How do you feel today?' he asked softly.
T----- she was stopped from answering by a whimper of pain from the nursery. 'Courtney!' She evaded Alex's touch and stood up. 'He's been upset all day,' she frowned. 'I'll go to him.'
Alex followed her through to the adjoining nursery, leaning against the doorframe as Morgan picked up the baby and began to soothe him. 'What do you think it is?' he asked worriedly.
'He had his routine injection on Friday,' she shrugged, the baby's cry quietening to a choked sob. LI think he just has a slight fever from it.'
'Should he have that?'
'Of course he should!' she snapped angrily. 'There's nothing wrong with him. Why don't you just go away?' All the tension of the day built up within her and exploded in one angry outburst. 'He'll be perfectly all right with me. Go back to bed!'
But if he's ill----- '
'He's just fretful, the nurse said he could be.'
'All right, then,' he answered angrily. 'I think I will go back to bed, as you're so confident you know what to do!' He closed the communicating door with suppressed violence.
Morgan sat down in the rocking chair with Courtney, softly thanking him for saving her from another open confrontation with Alex as to why she wouldn't let him make love to her. Because she wouldn't have been able to, she knew that as soon as he touched her.
She stayed with Courtney a lot longer than necessary, wanting to give Alex time to fall asleep. Courtney had settled down again in only minutes after she had soothed him, so she sat beside his crib for over an hour just watching him sleep. He no longer seemed hot as he had earlier in the day, so she thought the slight reaction to the injection had probably passed.
She couldn't hear any movement from the adjoining bedroom to tell her if Alex was awake or not, so she left it a little while longer, giving him time to fall into a deep sleep.
Suddenly the door between the two rooms opened and a harsh-faced Alex stood there. 'Come to bed, Morgan,' he rasped harshly. 'I won't touch you!'
'Alex---
'Just come to bed,' he ordered bitterly, turning on his heel and walking back into the darkness, leaving the door open. 'Morgan!' he ground out.She stood up, tucking the blanket more firmly around the sleeping baby before going slowly into the bedroom she shared with Alex. He lay far over his side of the bed, his back turned towards her in silent reproach.