Morgan
takes Tanya to dinner, where she's hit on not only by his nephew, but
his younger brother. They feel drawn together, like nothing they've
ever felt before.
They
walked silently to the car. Morgan got her settled, the food on her
lap, before shutting the door. He leaned his back against the door
for a moment then walked around to the other side. Sitting down, he
started the car, put on his seat belt, and propped his head against
the steering wheel before he put the car in gear.
"You
okay?" Tanya's voice held genuine concern.
"It's
been a long day," Morgan answered quietly. "We saved that
three year old, but we couldn't save them all. I lost one today,
Tanya." He paused, still not putting the car in gear. "I'm
sorry. I guess we've all lost a patient from time to time."
"Yes,"
she answered, understanding the feeling of loss and failure well.
"It
never gets any better, does it? I mean, this isn't the first time one
of my patients has died. But it hits me so hard every time, I feel
like it's the end of the world all over again."
"That's
normal and natural. You think of all the people who loved him, and
now he's gone. Husband, friend, father, uncle, brother—or worse a
mother.... I hate losing mothers, especially those with little
children." She saw she'd hit a nerve with that remark. "It
was the three year old's mother?"
He
nodded, tears glistening in his eyes. "She was only twenty years
old. She had her whole life ahead of her. Now her child grows up with
out her, just like Cullen did. I see his life all over again, and it
makes it hurt that much more."
She
put her hand over his, on top of the gear shift, squeezing slightly,
feeling his warmth. The night had turned chilly. She hadn't realized
how cold she was, until his skin touched hers. Again she pulled back
as if she'd been shocked, but Morgan's soft smile told her it was all
right.
"Thanks,"
he said quietly. "That helps a lot. It's too bad you gave up
family practice, you'd have been fantastic at it."
He
slipped out of the parking lot, and headed to her house. The trip
back seemed to fly by. Suddenly they were in her driveway. He shut
off the car, turning off the lights.
"I
don't mean to be forward, but Duke brought us dessert, and I won't
pass up a chance to eat it. Can I borrow a spoon and a place to sit?"
Tanya
giggled. "Is it good with coffee?"
"It's
great with coffee."
"Excellent.
Come in, I'll fix coffee and we can share our dessert."
She
took the bag up to the front door and dug in her pocket for the keys.
Morgan locked the car, following her slowly up the front walk. He
took the bag of food from her so she had both hands free for her
keys. While she unlocked the house, he looked around at the
neighboring houses.
"This
is a great neighborhood," he commented. "When were these
houses built?"
"Gran's
is one of the original houses out here. This was a farm back in the
1890s. Her house is built on the site of the first farm house, that
burned down in 1916. This house was built the following year. Would
you believe the walls are a foot thick? It's the greatest place to
heat or air condition because it's so incredibly well insulated."
She
locked the door behind them and turned on a few lights. She led the
way to the kitchen, found plates and spoons and started coffee
brewing. Morgan served the dessert and waited for her to sit down.
The
food was unlike anything she'd ever seen. It looked rather like a
tortilla, but it was deep fried and smothered in strawberries,
chocolate syrup and whipped cream, all of which had been sent in
separate containers so that it wouldn't get soggy.
"What
is that? It looks amazing!"
"Fried
cheesecake. It is amazing. In fact, I venture to say, it's
almost as good as sex." He reddened slightly and looked away
from her. "Sorry. You're going to think I'm some sort of pervert
sex freak."
She
chuckled. "No, Morgan, you're a man who's been lonely a long
time." She shrugged. "But it will have to be fantastic, to
be better than sex." She winked at him and poured their coffee.
"How do you take yours? I have sugar, sugar substitute, milk,
creamer and half and half."
"Three
sugars and a splash of half and half," he smiled. "Thank
you."
"Man
after my own heart," she said as she fixed her own coffee in a
similar fashion. "Only I like mine lighter." She set her
coffee down on the table and handed him his. "Careful, it's
really hot."
He
took the cup carefully, their fingers brushing once again. She didn't
pull away, but felt the little shock she'd felt before when he
touched her. He looked at her as she sat down and waited until she
picked up her spoon. He watched as she took her fist bite and waited
as her expression changed from curiosity to delight.
"This
is fantastic!" She took another bite.
"I'm
glad you like it. It's my favorite. Everything else is mundane in
comparison."
"It's
going to go right to my hips," she sighed, and took another
bite.
"It's
got room." He smiled, his eyes sparkling at her.
Morgan
leaned across the table and kissed her. A tiny, hot spark transmitted
between them. That didn't stop them for long. It was a soft,
tentative kiss that grew more decisive as it continued. Instead of
pulling away, Tanya leaned toward him, matching her desire to his.
Their dessert was forgotten before them, the coffee growing cold.
Morgan
pulled her onto his lap, exploring her lips with his own. His hands
traveled over her body, in ways that not even her husband had touched
her. She was ignited by their passing. She wondered if she should be
doing this, but knew she didn't care if it was wrong or right, it
felt good to have a man touch her with desire.
©
2020 Dellani Oakes
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