“Wow,” he said, his eyes going wide. He straightened his spine and his shoulders rolled back. Morgan did her best not to bask in his surprised—and hungry—stare. “You look…wow.”
“Thanks. I try to look my best for all my fake dates,” she said. “I just need to grab my bag. You can come in for a second if you want to.”
She held the door open for him as he stepped into her apartment. His gaze never left her. She turned away as quickly as she could and headed for the living room, before he could see what affect his stare had on her. It was one thing to flirt with Ty Daniels. It was another to be the object of his attention for real.
“Who said this was fake?” His voice followed her down the hall.
“You did.” Morgan slung the satchel strap over her head and across her chest. “You said it would help fool Gregg and the Russians.”
“All I said was it would be in your best interest. I didn’t say anything about fooling anyone.” His smoky grey gaze was fixed on her as she walked toward him.
“Oh,” she said. Suddenly, her knees felt a little shaky. It was probably just the thought of getting back on his bike again.
Yeah, that had to be it.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Morgan nodded. She fiddled in her bag for her keys. She took more time than she needed, hoping that the blush burning her cheeks would fade away before she looked up again.
She closed and locked her front door.
“So what have you been doing with your day off?” He was close enough behind her that his breath fell across her nape. A little shiver traveled through her body.
“Oh you know. A bit of this. A bit of that.” She turned and hurried down the hall toward the elevator. She wasn’t about to admit to wasting the day away clutching a pillow while she waited for him to arrive.
“Are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?” he asked.
“Pier 25.”
The accordion door slid open and Morgan stepped inside. Ty was a step behind her. Funny, she never noticed how cozy the elevator was before. Ty’s body seemed to take up every spare inch in the tight space.
“And what are we going to be doing down there?” he asked.
“You’ll see.”
He looked into her eyes. A wicked smile lifted his lips. “But will I be able to handle it?”
“Time will tell,” she said, trying to keep her voice light, but he wasn’t the one she was worried about. Suddenly, Morgan was concerned that she was the one who wouldn’t be able to handle being so close to Ty all night.
***
It was bound to be one hell of a night.
Morgan slipped her hand into his and started to pull him away from the curb where he’d parked his bike and toward the warehouse at the end of the pier.
“Come on.” She tugged on his arm when he didn’t match her hurried pace.
Whatever was going on inside the large metal-walled building, she was excited to get there. And Ty was quickly finding out that he enjoyed watching Morgan get excited. Her eyes sparkled. Her cheeks glowed. He could almost feel the energy buzzing inside her.
It didn’t hurt that she looked like a damn pinup model tonight. Her red and white polka dot dress was cinched tight around her waist with a black belt. Big loose curls framed her face and fell down her back. And, while Ty was far more used to women in stilettos, he had to admit that the clunky heels she wore were a much better fit with her style.
She pulled again, and he relented with a laugh.
“Where are you taking me?”
She turned her head and her hair swung around her shoulders.
“Hurry up and you’ll see.” Morgan bit her lower lip as she smiled, giving her an almost painfully cute look.
“Okay. Okay.”
There wasn’t exactly a huge crowd funneling into the open doors of the massive metal building that jutted out over the bay, but there were still a decent amount of people.
Morgan’s people.
They were a diverse lot. Some had wild hair, like Morgan, but most did not. There were suits, and dresses, and jeans and T-shirts—most emblazoned with sayings and pictures of things whose significance Ty didn’t fully understand.
A big guy in a button-up shirt that strained to fit over his belly was manning the door. As soon as he spotted Morgan, he stood up from his stool and threw his arms wide.
“Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in,” he said.
“Corey!” Morgan shouted. Her eyes lit up and she ran into the stranger’s embrace. Well, he wasn’t a stranger to her. He was Corey…obviously. “How are you?”
“Same as always.”
Ty clasped his hands in front of him and waited for an introduction. Morgan held on tight for another second before taking a step back. But she kept her eyes and her attention on her old friend. A huge smile was plastered across her face. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too, girl. We haven’t seen you around here for a while now.”
“I know, I’ve been busy,” she said, but Ty caught how her smile slipped just a bit at the admission.
“So I’ve heard. But it looks like you’re doing great.”
“Not too bad, Corey. I’m getting by,” she said.
“I don’t know. If the rumors are true then you’re doing a hell of a lot better than that.”