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“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.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. But I’ve been having more fun than I’ve had in a long time. Morgan is an incredible girl. I think I’ve always known that, but being able to see her now, in this more intimate light, I’m seeing things in her I never let myself see before. More than that, I’m feeling things that feel so foreign to me. She’s opened doors in me I thought were long closed and sealed shut forever. And she’s done it so effortlessly.

The pull I feel towards Morgan is so strong that I can’t ignore it. And when I do try to ignore it, those feelings only seem to get even stronger. She’s got this gravity that pulls me to her. A gravity I can’t seem to fight. I pick up my phone, fully intendingto text her, then quickly drop it again. I can’t. I’ve got work to do. More importantly, she’s got work to do. The last thing I want is to get in the way of her studies.

I drop my phone into the top drawer of my desk and quickly close it. Out of sight, out of mind. After that, I open my laptop and call up the film I want to break down. Before I can get into it, the doorbell rings. I’m not expecting anybody. Frowning, I get to my feet and head out of my office and to the front door. I open it and pause, speechless for a moment.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. “I thought you had exams to study for.”

Morgan drops her bag at my feet and smiles. “Brought it with me.”

I laugh. “Study date, huh?”

“Maybe.”

She walks into the house, closes the door behind her, and locks it. She turns back to me and I cock my head, looking at her quizzically.

“Why are you wearing a long coat?” I ask.

She bites her bottom lip flirtatiously, and her eyes glitter as she shrugs out of her coat, letting it fall to the floor. She steps out of the coat and stands before me, wearing nothing but heels and a matching set of stockings, panties, and bra. I swallow hard as I drink her in, feeling my arousal already stirring. My eyes trace the swell of her hips and breasts and soak in her smooth, creamy skin. All thought of breaking down film is driven from my mind, replaced by images of the night ahead of us.

She holds her arms out and turns in a circle. “What do you think?”

Morgan squeals as I scoop her up and cradle her in my arms. I kiss her as I walk upstairs and carry her to my bedroom, laying her down gently on the bed. Braced on her elbows, she looks up at me, her eyes alight with desire.

“You’re overdressed,” she says.

“I am.”

As I quickly strip out of my sweats and t-shirt, she slips out of her bra and shimmies out of her panties. She’s just about to take off her heels and stockings when I put my hand over hers.

“Those stay on,” I say.

She smiles brightly. “Naughty.”

“You bring it out in me.”

I crawl on top of her, bracing myself over her. Leaning down, I kiss her, relishing the feel of her warm, velvety tongue rolling around mine slowly and passionately. Our kiss quickly grows more heated and my cock grows rigid, aching with need. I plant a line of kisses down her neck, circle her nipples with my tongue, sliding the tip of it down her flat, taut belly, then tickle her clit.