Catch

A thorough brush of my teeth follows a quick splash of cold water on my face.

I looked well-fucked and happy.

Jesus, do I look happy.

I smile at the lucky bastard in the mirror and silently remind him to pace himself. I may be feeling things for Maren that I’ve never felt before, but I can keep that to myself until the time is right.

I take the stairs two at a time as I race to kiss her.

That’s my first task.

I’m going to pick her up, swing her in the air and then dip her down for a kiss, a slow, lingering kiss that will set her on fire.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I sing as I sprint into the kitchen.

“Since when do you call me beautiful?”

My mouth falls open as I stare at my brother. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

My hand slams over my lips once I realize I swore.

I look around the kitchen for Stevie.

“She’s at school,” Berk says as he sips from a cup of coffee.

“School?” I question. “This early.”

“It’s almost nine.”

My gaze shoots to the digital time displayed on the microwave on the counter. “Holy carp. I’m late.”

“Carp?” Berk chuckles. “That’s a saver. I’m stealing that one.”

I cross the kitchen to pour myself a coffee. “Why are you even here?”

“Stevie and I saw Maren.”

That turns me around to face him. “When?”

He takes a slow sip from his mug. The bastard is torturing me, and he knows it. The smirk on his face says it all.

“When?” I repeat.

“I was walking my daughter to school when we passed Maren.” He lets out a sigh. “Stevie made a big deal about Maren’s dress. She said she’d wear it every day too if she had a dress that beautiful.”

I hang my head as I chuckle. “That sounds like our Stevie. How did Maren react?”

“She blushed.” He smiles. “You’re happy, Keats.”

It’s not a question. My brother knows me better than anyone. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

“I’m glad you’re not letting the past play a hand in this.”

It’s the perfect opportunity for me to tell him to let his past go, but our heartbreaks don’t measure equal.

He lost a woman he loved since they were kids.

I lost a woman I thought I loved for a couple of months.

Berk’s wife died.

My ex-fiancée cheated on me.

You can’t compare devastation to a distraction.

I got over Amber within a few months. My brother is still nursing a pain that I can’t fathom.

“Maren is nothing like Amber,” I say the words aloud that I’ve been carrying inside since I met the woman I spent last night with. “We’re talking apples and oranges here.”

“I know.”

“You know? How?”

It’s a rhetorical question, but in true Berk Morgan fashion, he answers it. “I’ve never seen you smile this much, Keats. She lights up your world.”

I can’t argue with any of that, so I don’t.

I skip the coffee and instead go to my brother for a hug.

He stands and wraps his arms around me. “I’m happy for you, Keats.”

I hope to hell one day in the future I can say the same to him.Chapter 46MarenKeats Morgan is a devil in a three-piece suit with a mouth made for sin.

I stare at him as he exits the elevator.

It’s been over an hour since I left his townhouse. I didn’t make it more than twenty feet down the sidewalk before I ran into his brother and niece.

My dress was the dead giveaway that I had spent the night with Keats. Stevie commented that she’d wear a dress like mine all the time if she had one, so I’m determined to find something similar to gift her with.

Maybe that’s crossing a line, but it feels right.

Spending the night with Keats felt right too.

“You’re smiling this morning, Miss Weber,” Keats says as he approaches my desk. “A word in my office, please.”

I nod as I feel the eyes of my co-workers on me.

I stand up. Smoothing my hand over the skirt of the navy blue shift dress I changed into, I walk into my boss’s office.

“Shut the door,” he says without turning to face me.

I click it closed quietly, taking an extra second to turn the lock.

“I left before you woke up,” I point out the obvious. “I needed to get home to change before work.”

He pivots to face me. His gaze travels over my body. “I want to strip you bare, Maren. I need to fuck you again.”

My core aches with need. “Tonight.”

“Tonight?” He edges a brow up. “That’s a long time from now.”

I take a measured step closer to him, fully aware that my nipples have furled into tight points. “You’ll manage.”

“Will I?” He drops his hand to the front of his navy blue pants. Cupping his erection through the fabric, he lowers his voice. “I’m as hard as nails.”

“We’re at work, Keats.”

He stares into my eyes. “I won’t touch you here, but as soon as the day is over, I want you on your knees in my bedroom.”