Page 50 of Chasing the Dream

Morgan quickly turned away from Gabe and slipped into the room she was sharing with Maria.

When it was her turn in the bathroom, she eyed the door that connected to his bedroom. She heard him rustling around and envisioned him getting undressed. Then she glanced at her flushed face in the mirror and shook her head. It was like she was a teenager all over again, having stupid fantasies about the boy she couldn’t have. Only, he was a man now, and suddenly her fantasies no longer seemed as far-fetched.

Chapter 16

Gabe was exhausted, yet he couldn’t fall asleep. He kept envisioning Morgan lying in the adjoining room, and his ears perked up at every sound, thinking it might be her. He chastised himself for behaving like a horny teenager instead of a grown man. Still, it didn’t stop him from fantasizing about her sneaking into his room in the middle of the night. First, she’d tap lightly on the door between the bathroom and his room…

He sat up in bed, thinking he’d misheard, but the tap came again. Then the door slowly opened, and she stuck her head through.

“Are you up?” she whispered in the dark.

“Yes.” In more ways than one!

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

She came in wearing pajamas that were comprised of a white tank top and a pair of knit shorts with a drawstring at the waist. Even though it was dark, he saw the outline of her nipples through her top.

She moved closer to the bed until she was standing so near he could have grabbed her and pulled her in. But this was his fantasy, and he wanted it to last as long as possible.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said quietly.

“Me neither.”

“Can I sit down?”

“Sure.”

He moved over to the middle of the bed, and she sat down beside him. He was shirtless and wearing a loose-fitting pair of boxers, the kind he preferred to sleep in. He was glad the sheet covered his lap so she couldn’t see how hard he was.

“Why couldn’t you sleep?” he asked even though he thought he already knew.

“Can I be honest?”

“Always.”

“Knowing you were in here, only a few feet away, I…”

He slowly reached out his hand and placed it atop hers. “I feel the same way.”

She turned toward him, her eyes widening with surprise. “You do?”

He nodded. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I got into bed. Even before that, really.”

He looked down at their hands and then skimmed one of his up her arm, noticing the goosebumps that broke out in its wake.

“Gabe…”

“I want you, Morgan.”

“I want you too.” She looked deep into his eyes, and he swallowed hard.

“I wanted you back when we were teenagers. I thought it was wrong back then, so I buried my feelings deep. When you came here, all those feelings resurfaced, and I don’t want to deny them anymore.”

She smiled, and he traced the outline of her lips with his finger. Her lips parted, and her eyes closed, and he leaned in for a kiss. The moment was electric, and what started out as a soft and slow exploration soon turned frenzied.

She opened her mouth wider, inviting his tongue, and he flicked it inside, tasting the chocolate from the cookies they’d consumed earlier.