Page 19 of Heal You (The Study You #3)

Noticing that Jan was sitting alone, Morgan came out from behind the bar and approached the table.

She had no idea where Finn and Gillian had gone, but they certainly hadn’t said goodbye.

If they’d left, Morgan would be pulling Finn up about that.

No matter what, they always said goodnight to one another.

Just because Finn was married, that wouldn’t change.

Morgan reached down and collected the empty glasses on the table. “They gone home?”

“No. Not yet. Gillian has gone to the loo, and Finn is outside trying to get a cab.”

“And you?” Morgan asked, quickly scanning the room. “Are you going back to your hotel?”

“I don’t know, Morgan.” Jan gazed up at Morgan with those gorgeous blue eyes, stealing every last thought she possessed. “Am I?”

“I mean, you know you’re welcome to stay a while.

Or the night. Whatever you feel like.” Even though Jan was going through a lot, Morgan didn’t feel as though any of this was superficial.

This flirting or whatever it was…was one hundred percent genuine.

“If you just wanted to talk, that’s also more than okay. ”

“I saw Phil today,” Jan said, lifting her wine glass and finishing its contents. “And the woman he’s been sleeping with.”

Morgan nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think you should definitely hang back when they’ve gone. If you can think of a reason to, anyway.”

“Do I need a reason other than I’m not ready to leave yet?

” Jan quirked a brow, sending Morgan’s heart rate through the roof.

Fuck, this woman was sexy. Morgan had pushed any of those thoughts from her mind a long time ago, but seeing Jan in this light, yeah, Morgan was more than interested.

“They’re not my parents. What I do with my life is my decision. ”

“Yeah, it is.” Morgan heard the drop in her voice as she said that, but it was hard to have a coherent thought around Jan lately. “I’ll speak to you in a few minutes then, okay?”

“Mmhmm.” Jan turned back towards the table, twisting her empty glass as she did so. She would order another drink once Gillian was back from the bathroom and hope her best friend wouldn’t insist they drop Jan off on the way home.

“Cab will be here in five,” Finn said as she came strolling back through the door. She reached for Gillian’s bag, downed what was left of her beer, and cocked her head towards the door. “You’re coming, yeah?”

“Actually, no. I think I’ll have another drink before I leave.”

Finn lowered herself into a seat and propped her elbows on her knees. “Jan, I know things are really tough for you at the minute, but you know you’re welcome to stay with us. We’d expect you to stay with us.”

“I’m doing just fine at the hotel.” Jan reached out and cupped Finn’s cheek. “But thank you for thinking of me. I appreciate it.”

“What’s going on here? Are we finally having a heart-to-heart?” Gillian’s voice cut through the air. “Did you get a cab, baby?”

“Yeah. It’ll be here in a minute.” Finn sat back and dragged a hand through her short, cropped hair. “I thought Jan was leaving with us, but it seems not.”

“We’ll drop you off at your hotel on the way home.” Gillian took her bag from Finn and grabbed her coat from the corner of the booth. “It’s only around the corner. Come on.”

“No, I’m not leaving yet. I’m having another drink, Gill.”

Gillian nodded. “Okay. Finn, cancel the cab until Jan is ready.”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous.” Jan scoffed and got to her feet. “I don’t need you to babysit me. I’m having another glass of wine, and then I’ll head back. You two keep the cab and head home.”

“I’m not letting you walk back to your hotel on your own. No way.” Gillian held up her hands, looking to Finn for support. “Right?”

“I mean, if Jan wants to stay a while, we can’t stop her, babe.” Finn looked around the bar, stopping when she landed on Morgan. “Hey, Morgan?” Finn waved her over.

“What’s up?”

“Would you do me a huge favour? Would you walk Jan back to her hotel when you close?”

Morgan smiled but didn’t make eye contact with Jan. “Of course. Anything to look after my customers.”

“Promise me, Morgan. I don’t want to fall out with you when I find out you let her go without walking her back.”

“Hey, I promise you.” Morgan placed a hand on her chest. “I’ll make sure Jan is safe. Don’t worry.”

Finn’s phone pinged twice in her hand. She looked down at it and sighed. “Babe, the cab is here. What do you want to do?”

Gillian took a step towards Morgan and studied her. Eventually, she nodded and agreed. “I also don’t want to fall out with you, Morgan. You get my best friend home safe, okay?”

“I will. She’ll be okay here with me. You two get home safe.

” Morgan turned and walked away, whistling along to the low music playing as she did so.

Jan wanted to admire her, but she would wait until she was alone.

One hint of her looking and the game would be up.

A game, it seemed, neither Jan nor Morgan had intended to play with one another.

“Come here. Give me a hug.” Gillian opened her arms to Jan and held her tight. “Call me tomorrow. Please . I know you think you can manage all of this on your own, but you can’t, Jan. You need friends around you, and I’m going to do everything I can to be there for you. We both will.”

Jan drew back. “I’ll call you tomorrow at some point.” She eyed Finn. “You may think I need looking after, but you make sure my best friend gets home safe.”

Finn saluted Jan. “Got it.”

Once Gillian and Finn left the bar, Jan breathed a sigh of relief. She caught Morgan watching her, and Jan could only smile back. She would be spending some time with her bartender tonight, and as she sat here, she couldn’t wait.

“Thought they’d never leave you alone,” Morgan said as she approached the table again. She watched Gillian and Finn pull away in their cab, and then Morgan took a seat next to Jan, her hand out of view of the few customers finishing their drinks. “Hey, you okay?”

“Me? Yes.” Jan dipped her head, blushing. “Thank you for getting them off my back.”

“It’s what I’m here for.” Morgan slung the towel she was holding over her shoulder and settled a hand on Jan’s thigh.

The thrill that rushed through Jan’s body was the very same thrill that had led to her guiding Morgan’s hand down the front of her pants just a few nights ago.

“You want another drink? It’s on me, obviously. ”

“I’ll have another red and a bottle of water, please.”

Morgan squeezed Jan’s thigh, not moving from her position. “You wanna stay over here with me tonight?”

Did she? Was it a wise decision? Right now, Jan didn’t care. She enjoyed being with Morgan rather than alone in a hotel room. “Yes.”

Morgan grinned. “O-oh. Great. I’ll, uh…I’ll be locking up in a few minutes. You okay to hang around here until then or did you want to go up to my flat now?”

“I can’t sit here admiring you if I’m upstairs, can I?”

It was Morgan’s turn to blush this time. She shook her head lightly. “No, I guess you can’t.”

* * *

Morgan double-bolted the door to the bar and put the shutters down.

It hadn’t been easy to get rid of Eric, one of her regulars, but eventually, his long-term friend Ged had convinced him it was midnight and that the bar was now closed.

Eric had been coming here since Morgan bought the bar four years ago, and he was a permanent fixture every Friday night.

He’d lost his wife the year before Morgan moved in here, and most of the time, she enjoyed listening to his stories from the past. But tonight, she had somewhere much more important to be.

She turned around, smiling when Jan stood in the middle of the bar, her clutch bag gripped in her hand. “All done?”

“Yep. Locked up and free.” Morgan closed the distance and took Jan’s free hand. “I meant it before when I said you look gorgeous tonight. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you.”

Jan tugged on Morgan’s hand and pulled her closer. “I don’t care if they know about us.”

“Neither do I, but I’m not sure you’re in the right place for them to know at the minute.

Once they talk you down from whatever ledge you’re on, I probably won’t see you again.

Once will never be enough for me, not when it’s with you.

” Morgan lifted a hand and stroked her knuckles against Jan’s cheek.

“Please, can I have you for just a bit longer before we go our separate ways?”

Jan walked backwards towards the door she knew would take them upstairs. Her back connected with it, and Morgan pressed herself against Jan. “Who says I’m going anywhere?”

“If Gillian and Finn have anything to do with it, neither of us will have any choice. They’re protective of you, and I get that, but I don’t know. I have a feeling they won’t like this when they find out. If they find out.”

“Because they’ll insist that I’m straight.”

Morgan switched her gaze from Jan’s eyes to her lips. Could she just kiss her from now until they were forced apart? “Yes. Exactly that.”

Jan drew her hand up Morgan’s stomach beneath her shirt. Morgan shuddered, wetness gathered between her thighs, and right now, she knew she should just stop talking. If this was what Jan wanted, then Jan could have it. “If I want you, that’s my decision.”

“Do you want me?” Morgan pressed her hand to the door beside Jan’s head and leaned in. Their lips brushed, she felt Jan practically melt into the door, and then their eyes locked. “Well?”

“Oh, I want you,” Jan whispered against Morgan’s lips. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I want you. Make no mistake about that.”

Morgan wrapped an arm around Jan’s waist and opened the door. She held Jan against her, brought her lips to Jan’s ear, and whispered, “I’m all yours until you say otherwise.”

“Are you done down here now?”

Morgan smiled. “I am.”

“Good. Upstairs is much more exciting.” Jan turned and took the stairs, her arse teasing Morgan as she watched it in her figure-hugging, navy blue dress.