The room was pitch-dark, and Morgan was snuggled up with the covers up to her chin. The creak of the door slowly opening startled Morgan awake, and she turned her head to see the shape of an imposing figure in the doorway. The figure tentatively stepped closer to the bed, standing at the side, looking down on Morgan. Morgan extended her hand, inviting her into her bed, although she still couldn’t see the face. The person slipped under the covers and over Morgan before she lowered her face and slowly, thoroughly kissed Morgan. Morgan wrapped her arms around the broad shoulders and opened her mouth, allowing the woman’s tongue to enter and mingle with hers.
Morgan spread her legs, and the woman had nestled her sex into Morgan’s and started moving against her. Her hot breath against Morgan’s neck sped up, and Morgan could feel the impending orgasm deep in her belly.
“Make me come.” Morgan grabbed the woman’s ass to pull her in harder, deeper. Sweat from both bodies intermingled and allowed their gyrations to speed up.
“Come for me, Morgan. I’m going to come with you.”
“Yes, now. I’m coming.” Morgan felt the explosion throughout her body as the woman grunted, lightly biting Morgan’s neck as she too came.
Morgan ran her fingers through the short dark hair and lifted the head to stare deep into Shawn’s brown eyes. Morgan lifted her head to kiss Shawn’s soft lips, giving her heart time to slow down. She rested her head on her pillow and turned on her side as Shawn spooned her from behind. Thoroughly sated, Morgan grabbed Shawn’s hand and held it between her breasts as she fell back to sleep.
Morgan woke a few hours later from the sun shining through the blinds of her bedroom window. She reached behind for Shawn, but the bed was empty and the sheets were cold. Did last night really happen, or was it just a dream? It must’ve been a dream, but judging by the wetness in her underwear, it felt completely real. God, what a night. If Real Shawn was just half as good as Dream Shawn in bed, any woman who could be with her would be in for quite a good time.
Morgan got out of bed and looked out the window to see the crystalline snow on the trees and ground. What a gorgeous sight. The sky was deep blue and the sun was shining as if Mother Nature herself said, “Just kidding.” She grabbed the sweater she wore last night and pulled it over Shawn’s T-shirt she wore to bed. She couldn’t very well face Shawn this morning with her still-hardened nipples pointing at Shawn through the thin cotton barrier. She slipped across the hall to the guest bathroom, brushed her teeth, ran her fingers through her hair to relieve her bed head, and used the toilet, wiping away the remnants from her wet dream of Shawn. After she washed her hands, she opened the door to find Shawn coming down the hall from her bedroom.
“Good morning. How’d you sleep?”
Morgan felt the heat rise in her face, recalling the dream and seeing Shawn now in a gray hoodie sweatshirt and green and blue plaid flannel jammie pants. Her hair was sticking out in all directions, but she looked so sexy to Morgan.
“Wonderful. I woke up very relaxed.” Shawn didn’t need to know the real reason she felt relaxed. At least not yet. “Have the roads been plowed yet? I’m sure you have to get to work soon, so I’ll get out of your hair.”
Shawn grabbed Morgan’s arm and slid her hand down until they held hands. Morgan’s arm and hand felt warm and tingly that quickly spread throughout her body.
“Not so fast, lady. You promised you’d make me breakfast this morning. I’m holding you to that. Besides, I called one of my chefs earlier this morning and told him I’d be in later. I can’t imagine it’ll be too busy after the snowfall last night.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you getting in trouble with the boss.” Morgan winked, letting Shawn know she was joking.
Shawn smiled and had a devious glint in her eyes. “It’s good to be the king.”
“Indeed. In that case, I’m going to rummage through your fridge and pantry to see what I can come up with.”
“Sounds good. While you do that, I’ll make the coffee.”
Morgan opened the refrigerator door and scanned the contents. She pulled out eggs, milk, bell pepper, mushrooms, and tomatoes. “How do omelets sound?”
“Amazing. I have some bacon in the drawer if you want to cook that.”
Who didn’t love bacon? Morgan opened the package and laid the slices in a frying pan. She made herself at home in Shawn’s kitchen, and she had to admit to herself how comfortable she felt. Not only in Shawn’s home but with Shawn herself. They’d only known each other six days, but they had a familiarity to them that made Morgan feel like she’d known Shawn for much longer.
As she chopped the vegetables, Shawn let Jameson out in the backyard to go to the bathroom. Morgan looked out the window to find Shawn and her dog chasing each other, slipping, and falling in the snow. Jameson jumped over Shawn, taunting Shawn into getting up to resume the chase. Morgan hurried to the linen closet and brought back two towels as the snow-covered human and her dog clomped up the stairs to the back deck. Morgan opened the door and handed the towels to Shawn. She closed the door on them to prevent letting out the heat. According to her father, she, in fact, had not been raised in a barn, as he’d always told her when she left the front door open.
Morgan returned to the kitchen and resumed cutting the veggies, but looked up and smiled at Shawn when she came through the door.
“Thanks for the towels. Jameson loves playing in the snow, and since you’re taking care of breakfast, I thought I’d play a little too.”
“You two looked like you were having fun. I was expecting you both to lie down and start making snow angels.”
“I thought about it, but Jameson insisted on making snow doggies instead. It smells great in here.”
Morgan finished cutting the vegetables and turned over the bacon. “Of course, it does. I mean, bacon. Am I right?”
“Spot-on. I think I could put it on anything and love it.”
Morgan whipped up the eggs and poured them into another frying pan, then grated the sharp cheddar. “Shawn, would you mind making us some toast?”
“Geez, offer to cook me breakfast and you end up putting me to work.”
Morgan lifted her spatula and threatened Shawn who held up her hands and surrendered.
“Yes, Queen.”
Morgan laughed then gave a little swat to Shawn’s butt with the spatula.
“Watch it, stud. Don’t make me put you over my knee.”
Shawn turned to face Morgan and waggled her eyebrows. “Promise?”
“Oh, my.” The banter between Morgan and Shawn had been humorous and easy, but the thoughts that just ran through Morgan’s mind made her lick her lips. She was almost painfully aware of the thudding in her chest, and she couldn’t for the life of her break away from Shawn’s gaze. Jameson saved the day by coming into the kitchen and nudging Morgan’s hand with his nose.
“Hi, cutie-pie. Did you have fun playing in the snow with your mommy?”
He wagged his tail and Shawn cleared her throat. “No bacon for you, Jameson. Your breakfast is in your dish.”
Morgan chopped the bacon and threw it, the veggies, and the cheese into the eggs, and finished the omelet. She put half on Shawn’s plate and half on her own, while Shawn placed the buttered toast on the plates.
“What do you take in your coffee?”
Morgan brought the plates to the table and set them on the blue-and-white checkered placemats. “Black.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. I thought only old guys drank black coffee.”
Morgan smacked Shawn in the stomach when she set the mugs on the table, causing Shawn to let out an “oof.”
“Watch it, or I’ll take your omelet and eat it myself.”
Shawn chuckled as she took a seat. “I have a feeling I’m going to surrender to you a lot.”
Morgan’s body came to attention as she thought of all the ways Shawn could surrender to her. Morgan was versatile in bed. She could be passive or aggressive. Top or bottom. Slow or fast. Soft or rough. Well, not too rough. Morgan was quickly realizing, probably thanks to her wet dream last night, that she could see all of that with Shawn. Maybe the reflection she’d been doing was working, or maybe the fresh mountain air was helping clear her mind. She hadn’t thought of Jess hardly at all for the past couple of days, other than telling Shawn about her last night, and she’d been thinking of Shawn more and more. Not that she was ready to start anything new with anyone just now, but when she was ready, she’d hoped to find someone like Shawn.
While they enjoyed their breakfast, the loud rumbling and scraping noise of the snowplow made its way up the street, clearing away last night’s snowfall. Morgan looked over at Shawn. She saw the light in Shawn’s eyes dim, and she imagined hers had the same effect. Their morning together was coming to an end now that the roads had been cleared. Shawn would have to get to work soon and run her business, and Morgan would go back to her cabin. Most likely, she’d think of Shawn.
“Well, I guess I should start getting ready.” Shawn stood and took their empty plates to the kitchen, rinsed them off, then left them in the sink to wash later. “Listen, it might take a few hours for the remaining snow to melt off the street, so feel free to hang out, watch TV, whatever. I’ll be home by three thirty, maybe earlier if we’re not busy. I don’t know if you have plans for later, but if not, maybe we can do something?”
Morgan noticed the red hue to Shawn’s cheeks, the slight stutter in her speech. She was nervous. It was growing more obvious that Shawn was attracted to Morgan, so at least it was mutual. God, why did things have to be so complicated? They could probably hook up, have great sex for the remainder of Morgan’s time at the lake, but she already liked Shawn too much to have just a fling. Besides, that wasn’t really Morgan’s thing.
“Thanks. I might take you up on that. Now, go get ready, and I’ll take care of the dishes.”
“You don’t have to do that. You cooked breakfast. I’ll clean them when I get home.”
“Shawn.” Morgan moved closer to Shawn and took her hand. “Remember that whole ‘surrender’ thing we talked about before breakfast?”
Shawn chuckled and squeezed Morgan’s hand. “I remember.” Shawn leaned down and gave Morgan a sweet, chaste kiss on her cheek. “Thank you again for breakfast. Make yourself at home.”
As Shawn walked to her room, Morgan touched her cheek where Shawn had just kissed her, as if she could hold the feeling of her soft lips against her skin. It seemed that Morgan was starting to lose her self-imposed war of keeping Shawn in the friend zone. She had to try harder to keep her attraction and growing feelings in check. She shook her head and turned on the faucet, intent on washing the dishes and trying to dispel images of Shawn in her dream last night.
Morgan had just finished drying the dishes when Shawn came into the kitchen to say good-bye. She’d dressed as she normally did, with jeans and a T-shirt under her flannel, but today, she also had a black knit hat on her head. The true look of a mountain woman that again had Morgan swooning.
“Well, I’m off to work. Do you need anything before I go?”
Morgan thought that she wouldn’t mind Shawn taking her quick and hard there in the kitchen before leaving for work. The way Morgan had been feeling all morning—aroused, wet, and hard—it wouldn’t take long for her to come, but she couldn’t voice that out loud.
“No, I’m just going to hang here with Jameson for a bit. Have a great day at work.”
Shawn didn’t turn to leave. In fact, she looked as if she was trying to make a decision. Morgan didn’t know what Shawn was trying to decide, but she’d made one of her own. She stepped closer and opened her arms. Shawn visibly relaxed, her shoulders lowered, and she stepped into Morgan’s hug. Morgan felt Shawn’s arms wrap around her waist as Morgan put hers around Shawn’s neck. Morgan took a deep breath in and smelled the mixture of laundry detergent and a woodsy scent, and the fragrance did something to Morgan’s insides. Her body heated, and she felt her nipples harden. Jesus, the effect that Shawn had on her was nothing she’d ever experienced before. Morgan just might combust before her two weeks were up if she couldn’t keep her distance from Shawn. She broke away from Shawn’s body before she lost complete control. She gave a playful shove to Shawn’s shoulder.
“Get out of here and go to work. We’ll talk soon.”
Shawn left without saying another word, and when she was safely ensconced in her vehicle, she let out the breath she’d felt she’d been holding since stepping into Morgan’s arms. Even the crisp, cold air hadn’t been enough to cool her overheated body. Hell, rolling around in the snow probably wouldn’t do the job.
Shawn had a great night with Morgan, and an even better morning. They’d just met, but Shawn felt like she’d known Morgan for a lifetime. It was easy, too easy, to imagine a lifetime of nights and mornings with her, but Shawn knew that wouldn’t be possible unless Morgan decided to move to Lake Tahoe. Shawn didn’t know much about Morgan’s work, but she couldn’t imagine there’d be any need for an outside sales rep for medical devices in the Tahoe area. There was a decent sized hospital on the South Shore, but only a small community hospital on the North Shore, which was closer to Shawn. Damn, Shawn finally met a woman she really liked, could picture a relationship with, and she had to live and work over two hours away. Sure, people had long-distance relationships, but that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted a woman that would live with her, fall asleep together after making love, and wake up with in the morning in each other’s arms.
Shawn arrived at the diner and found a nearly empty parking lot. She hadn’t been wrong. It seemed the snowfall had kept most people inside today, even though it was clear blue sky and the sun was shining now. She walked through the back door to find Shorty and Melvin sitting at a small table in the back of the kitchen playing cards.
“Hey, guys. We’re really hopping this morning, huh?”
“Yeah, we’ve had a whole three tables to serve for breakfast, but we figure once the snow melts down, people will be in for lunch.”
“Not the first time this has happened, and it certainly won’t be the last. I’m going to go into the office and work on the order. Anything special we need?”
Melvin made a list and gave it to Shawn. She grabbed a cup of coffee, said hello to Kerrie, the only server on staff that morning since it was so slow, and headed to her office. She’d managed to keep Morgan from her thoughts long enough to concentrate on her orders and other paperwork that needed her attention. Shawn thought about skipping out early and going back home, but the responsible business owner in her made her stay just in case things picked up a little later.
Once the diner closed, Shawn walked out to her car humming a little tune. The sky was bright blue, the sun was making its way toward the western mountains to set, and it had warmed up just enough to melt some of the snow. She had about two hours of daylight left. Not a lot of time but enough to take Jameson for a walk. Maybe Morgan was still at her house and she could go with them. Shawn felt her heart sink when she approached her house and Morgan’s car wasn’t there. What did she expect though? To have Morgan stay at her house all day, welcome her home after a day at work, maybe have dinner cooking? They were just friends, not lovers, not girlfriends. Morgan needed this time to work on herself, not keep Shawn company. Get a grip, Evans.
She opened the door to her empty cabin and noticed something was off. Where was Jameson? She called out to him, checked the rooms, then went out back. No dog. She called his name over and over until the panic took over. She felt her chest tighten, and she bent over with her hands on her knees. Her dog was gone. How’d he get out? Did he get hit by a car? Hurt by an animal? Shawn jumped in her car, lowered her windows, and started driving around the neighborhood, calling and whistling for Jameson.
Shawn saw Morgan’s car in the driveway of her rental so she stopped and ran to the front door, banging on it in a rush. Morgan opened the door, eyes wide.
“Shawn, what’s wrong?”
“Jameson is gone. I can’t find him.”
Morgan opened the door wider and Jameson came running. Shawn got on her knees, and she felt the tears sting her eyes as she opened her arms and Jameson ran into them.
“Oh, God. Are you okay? I was worried, boy.”
“I decided to bring him here so we could keep each other company. I even took him for a walk.”
“Jesus, Morgan! You can’t just take my dog without telling me. I thought he was dead somewhere!”
The dog backed away from Shawn, sat against Morgan’s leg, and whined.
“I left you a note, Shawn. It’s on the kitchen counter.”
“Well, obviously I didn’t see it.” Now that Shawn knew Jameson was safe, her adrenaline was crashing, and her anger bubbled over. “You should have called or texted me.” All the while Shawn was yelling at Morgan, Morgan petted Jameson’s head as if she was trying to calm him.
“You’re right. I’m sorry I scared you.”
Shawn turned to go without saying anything more to Morgan. “Come on, Jameson. We’re going home.” Shawn was at her car, but Jameson was still by Morgan’s side, which pissed off Shawn even more. “Jameson, come!”
“Shawn. Please come in so we can talk. Please. I was making dinner for us.”
“No, I just want to go home. Jameson, come.” She opened the door, and Jameson walked down the steps. He usually ran when she opened the car door, but it appeared he didn’t want to leave Morgan. He was already attached to her. Who was she kidding? So was Shawn. She needed distance from Morgan who was quickly making her way into Shawn’s heart. She closed the door once Jameson was in the back seat, and she quickly got in her car and drove away before she could change her mind.
* * *
Morgan watched Shawn drive away, and she had the urge to run after her, apologize until Shawn forgave her. How did this wonderful day turn into a shit show? Once Shawn had left for work, Morgan had spent some quiet time on the couch with Jameson curled up next to her. She took the dog for a long walk, enjoying the beauty of the sun shining on the freshly fallen snow. Once the snow had fully melted on the road, Morgan decided to take Jameson with her to her cabin so he wouldn’t be alone for the rest of the day. She’d started dinner, read on the couch with Jameson cuddled up to next to her once again, and waited for Shawn to arrive.
It never occurred to her to call or text Shawn to let her know she had Jameson. She didn’t want to bother her at work so she’d written a note and left it in plain sight on the kitchen counter. In hindsight, in Shawn’s shoes, Morgan probably wouldn’t have seen the note either if she was panicking. She had to find some way to make it up to her. She dialed Jane’s number and smiled when she picked up.
“Hey, Morgan. Are you okay?”
Morgan looked at her watch and winced. She hadn’t realized it had gotten so late, but it was almost nine p.m. “I’m so sorry to call so late. The time just got away from me.”
“It’s okay, sweetie. We were just watching a movie, but we’ve seen it before so we can talk.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Honey, when have you ever been a bother? Now, what’s going on?”
Morgan went into detail of the past couple of days, and how things ended that afternoon.
“I feel so bad for freaking her out.”
“I’m sure you do, but I also feel she overreacted a tad much. I mean, you did leave a note. Should you have texted her? Sure. But it wasn’t like you were careless with her dog. Besides, since when do you like dogs?”
“I love dogs actually, but it wouldn’t be fair to have one with the number of hours I work.”
“I can’t believe in all the years I’ve known you, I didn’t know you were a dog lover.”
“Well, now you know. Can you please help me out? I don’t know what to do about Shawn.”
“What does it really matter, Morgan? I mean, you’ll be coming home in a week. You might not ever see her again.”
Just the very thought of never seeing Shawn again added more queasiness to her already turning stomach. She and Shawn were becoming friends, even though it was apparent she had a huge crush on her. Plus, all the nice things she had done for Morgan, the thought that Shawn was upset with her didn’t sit right, and she felt her world had slipped slightly off its axis.
“But I want to see her again. We’ve become friends. She’s a great person, and I want to keep in touch with her, maybe visit her once in a while.”
The silence on the other line was deafening. Morgan pulled the phone away to make sure they were still connected. Then she heard it.
“Oh, no.”
“What?”
“You’ve fallen for her.”
“What? No, I haven’t.” Had she? There was the dream, sure. And there might have been a wee bit of flirtation. “Listen, I’m not looking to date anyone right now.”
“Honey, love seems to find us when we aren’t even looking. I’m not saying you’re in love…yet. But you can’t deny there’s an attraction there. If there is, and it’s something you might want to pursue in the future, just apologize to her again. If she’s half as nice as you say she is, she’ll forgive you.”
“Whoa! Just…whoa! There’s no love. Not any kind of love going on up here. Don’t say that word again.”
Jane laughed over the phone, but it didn’t ease Morgan’s stress at all. “Okay, no love, but at least attraction. Can I say attraction, or are you going to blow another gasket?”
Morgan chewed on Jane’s advice for a moment. She was right. There was an attraction between them brewing, and even though Morgan wasn’t ready to act on it, she still wanted Shawn to forgive her. Even if they were nothing but friends, Morgan wanted Shawn in her life.
“Okay. I’ll go down to the diner tomorrow morning, have breakfast, and apologize again. I just hope she’ll forgive me. Thanks, Janey, for everything.”
“Anytime, sweetie. Anything else you want to talk about?”
Morgan thought about telling her about the hot dream she had about Shawn last night but quickly squashed that idea. “No, I’m good. Actually, a lot better now that I’ve talked to you. I miss you guys.”
“We miss you too, Morgan. Let’s have dinner when you get back to town. Now, get some sleep, and in the morning, go get her, tiger.”
Morgan laughed, and God, it felt so good. “Night, Jane. Give Annie a kiss for me.”
Morgan slid between the sheets, ready for sleep. The sooner she could fall into slumber, the sooner she’d wake up, the sooner she’d see Shawn.