Worth the Effort Ch. 06

"So when do you think you'll get a real table?" Morgan asked. She grinned at Shane as they sat around the coffee table he'd snagged from a neighbor's driveway when they had put it out for the trash.

It was late on a Friday night, and he was glad to see Morgan seemed to be over, or mostly over, the situation with her sister. She'd been subdued since then, although she tried to hide it. He saw it in little things: she didn't scold Casey when the latter made her raunchy jokes; if the wedding came up, she got quiet; overall, she just wasn't herself. He'd hoped to coax her out of it with some time where they didn't have to think about the wedding.

"I'm going for an ancient Roman theme," he said. "I figure some cushions, maybe a divan or two. Everyone can stretch out and eat." He winked at her. "Maybe you could put on some veils and serve me grapes." He liked that idea.

"Dream on," said Morgan, rolling her eyes. She wasn't wearing veils, and her t-shirt referenced another show he wasn't familiar with, but he liked how it fit, and how the v-neck gave him a tantalizing glimpse of her breasts.

"Asian, then," said Shane. He held up his carton of cashew chicken. "I'll get some different cushions, some robes and decorate with dragons. It'll be very zen."

"You'd be mixing cultural themes, I think," said Morgan. "But you know, if you want to get some decorating ideas, you should talk to Astrid, Casey's girlfriend. You remember her?" When Shane nodded, she continued. "Astrid's a lawyer but her passion is things like decorating."

"A lawyer who decorates?" Shane stared at her. "How in the world did she do that? Why? It takes forever to become a lawyer. I almost did it myself but decided I didn't have the patience."

"She's still a lawyer," Morgan said. "She works for a clinic that specializes in legal aid for the LGBTQ community. In her spare time, she decorates."

"I just—I don't know." Shane shook his head. "I guess if I'd put in all that effort going to school, probably having internships and clerking and all, not to mention all the studying, I'd feel compelled to work at a firm."

"You're kind of bottom-line about that stuff, aren't you?" asked Morgan.

"What do you mean?"

"I bet you didn't take a lot of courses you didn't need in college, right?" she asked. "Even for electives, you probably took things related to math or finance or whatever your degree was in."

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, it only made sense."

"Didn't you want to take something you were interested in just for fun?"

"I don't think it ever occurred to me," he said. "I just wanted to get done and get a job make sure I didn't have to move back in with either of my parents. I was pretty focused on meeting requirements and graduating."

"Ever take, I don't know, an art history class? Or music theory? Or any class just because you wanted to?"

"Nope." He shook his head. "I bet you did, though."

She nodded. "I did. I took music theory, which was fun but the teacher was terrible. I also took an anthropology class. I just liked to see what was out there."

"No classes in science fiction?" he teased.

"Actually yes, I did. Two."

"Really?" He shook his head. "I never thought to look for courses like that."

She reached over and put her hand against his cheek. "You really were kind of driven, weren't you? It doesn't sound like you did much for fun."

He kissed her palm. "I don't mean to sound like I lived in the library. I had friends, I had fun. But yeah, I was focused."

"Do you like what you do?" Morgan bit into a dumpling.

"Like it? I guess so." He frowned. "I never thought about it. It's not bad, I'm good at it, it pays the bills."

"How about outside of work? What do you like to do then?"

"I'd think that would be obvious." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

She chuckled. "I'm flattered."

"Well, I like working on the house, playing some video games. I hang out with Evan sometimes, and my brother." He shrugged. "It's not terribly exciting, but it works for me."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry or criticize," Morgan said. "I just like to make sure my friends are happy." She cocked her head. "Casey tells me I do it too much. So if you're happy, I'll shut up."

"I don't know about totally happy, but you definitely make me happier."

"Aw, you'll make me blush."

Shane leaned over and kissed her. "I'd rather make you blush doing other things." He rested his forehead against hers.

It was true. He'd thought about it all day, wishing the clock would run faster so he could get to Morgan sooner. He'd wanted to see her, talk to her, kiss her, touch her. At one point he'd let his mind wander over her and realized he'd gotten hard and had to stay at his desk, hoping no one called a meeting.

"Hey, I have an idea," Morgan said.

"Yeah?" He nipped at her neck, laughing when she squirmed. "I have a couple. What's yours?"

"Mmmm." She leaned her head back to give him more access. "I think you should come out with me this weekend and do something silly. Just because."

"Okay. I can do that." He slid closer to her and worked his way up to her jaw, and then her lips.

She turned her body towards him and met his kiss with warmth and eagerness. She clutched at his shoulders and her lips parted at his urging. He slid an arm around her waist to pull her closer, making an approving noise as her chest pressed against his.

"You're not going to back out?" she asked, her voice low and breathy. "You don't know what I'm planning."

"I'm game," he said as he tugged her t-shirt loose from her jeans. "I might be boring but that doesn't mean I won't try new things." He pulled her shirt over her head, then ran his tongue along the edge of her surprisingly lacy bra, pleased at her sharp intake of breath.

Morgan worked the buttons on his shirt. "Don't you ever wear a t-shirt?" she asked.

"This shirt builds the anticipation," he said, finding her lips again.

She made an appreciative noise, finished the buttons, and dragged her fingers over his chest. He groaned and slid his tongue into her mouth, tasting and exploring. He reached behind to unclasp her bra, but couldn't find the hooks. He slid a finger under the band, thinking he'd been in the wrong spot, but he continued for a minute as Morgan shuddered against him.

When he still couldn't find it, he realized Morgan was laughing.

"What am I missing?" he asked,

"It's a front closure," she said, and laughed harder at the expression on his face.

"Well, why didn't you say that in the first place?" He grinned and reached down to undo the clasp. "That's much easier," he murmured, kissing her while his hands roamed over her breasts.

"That's why I wore it." She was a bit breathless, and he loved it.

His lips moved to her breasts, and she threaded her hands in his hair as his tongue played with one nipple and his hand with the other. She gasped and he redoubled his efforts. He loved to feel her under his hands, warm, soft and responsive.

She pushed his shirt over his shoulders and down his arms, where the cuffs stuck at his wrists.

Morgan leaned back, and he took in her wide eyes and red lips. "Next time you complain about my bra, I'm going to remind you about your cuffs," she said.

"Is it not worth the effort?" Shane teased.

She pulled him in for a kiss. "You are worth all the effort," she said as their lips met.

He held her tightly, absorbing her words, and leaned her back on the floor, grateful they were on an area rug and not the bare boards on the other side of the room. He shoved the coffee table aside to give them more room. Pants came off more easily than shirts, and Shane let out a sigh of relief when he was at last able to lay his body over hers.

Morgan murmured something he didn't hear but the sound of her voice went through him. He kissed his way down her body, and heard her breathing hitch as he neared her sex. He took a moment and kissed her thighs, nudging them apart, then slipped his tongue along the edges of her wet center.

She gasped and then sighed and opened more. He licked and sucked at her core, loving it when she jerked under him, and determined to make sure she came. He teased her, feeling her body tense and then stopping and soothing her body with his hands before starting up again.

"Don't stop this time," she breathed when he resumed, and he obeyed. One last flick of his tongue and she shook under him, gasping his name as he drew out her orgasm until she pushed him back.

He made his way leisurely back up her body, enjoying the shivers as he found ticklish and sensitive spots. It was worth it when he reached her lips again and she kissed him greedily.

"Give me a minute and I can return the favor in kind," she said, still breathless.

He nuzzled her cheek. "That sounds fantastic but I don't think I'd last long if you did, and there are other places I'd rather be. Raincheck, though."

Shane grabbed his pants and tried to find his wallet with one hand grumbling as it escaped his search.

Morgan stopped him and looked at him intently, biting her lip, then said, "You don't have to."

He rested his forehead on hers. "Thank you. I don't think I'm ready for that, but it means a lot. And I know I have one here somewhere, dammit."

She chuckled as he shook his head and gave the matter his full attention. Shane made a show of pulling the wallet out of his back pocket once he found it, because he liked it when she laughed.

After what seemed like too long, he was back over her, the condom on and his cock nudging at her slick entrance. Morgan wrapped her legs around him and they both sighed as he slid inside. He rocked against her, groaning every time she met his thrusts.

He felt his orgasm building and slowed his rhythm, wanting to make things last. Morgan matched him, then pushed at his shoulders until he rolled over on his back. He missed her warmth but she straddled him and enveloped his length before he could dwell on it.

Shane ran his hands over her, coming to rest on her hips. He closed his eyes, savoring the sensations as his body met hers. When he opened them, he saw Morgan's eyes were half-open and she was biting her lip, her breath coming in short gasps. He pulled her down into a searing kiss, his motions getting faster and jerkier as his orgasm built and he couldn't hold it off.

She cried out as she came again, and he joined her, grasping her hips and holding her to him as he gave in to his release.

Panting, she rested against him, her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair as they were quiet, waiting for their bodies to settle down.

"Can you stay tonight?" Shane kissed her forehead.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I'd like that."

"Me too."

They rested a moment more, then she gave him a last lingering kiss before getting up. She looked around the living room and laughed. "Well, we made a mess, didn't we."

Shane saw their clothes tossed all over, the table shoved out of kilter, and some of the food cartons had tipped over on the table. He didn't care, he thought. It only reminded him of the sudden passion they'd shared, and he'd do it again in a minute.

Morgan snagged his shirt and pulled it on while he stepped into his slacks. His shirt was just long enough to be give tantalizing glimpses as she moved to help clean up.

They took the food to the kitchen, then returned to the living room with glasses of wine. Shane started a fire—one of his first jobs in the house had been to clear out the fireplace and make it functional—and then sat on the couch with Morgan curled up next to him.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Feeling great," she teased, but then nodded. "I am, thank you. I know eventually it'll all be over, but right now, it's pretty stressful. I feel a little better since I dropped the bridesmaid thing, although I also can't help feel a little guilty."

"You shouldn't." He sipped his wine. "You put up with a lot, then said no. It's a tough thing to make yourself learn, but you're allowed to say no."

"I know. Thanks." She kissed his cheek.

"Hey, I just noticed, your hair is—there's no blue in it. Or pink or anything."

"No, I was letting it go for a bit," Morgan said. "With the wedding, I thought it would be better to leave it alone."

"It looks nice," he said.

"Thanks." She drank some wine, then put her head back on his shoulder. "This is nice and the wine is making me tired."

"Just the wine?" He nuzzled her neck to make her laugh.

"No, not just the wine." She turned an gave him a sly grin. "If we hurry, I might be able to repay some favors before I fall asleep."

"You know, suddenly I really want to go to bed."

x-x-x-x-x-x

Evan paced Shane's half-finished living room while Shane looked on. It had been ten days since the blow up between Morgan and Brianna, and Evan was at a loss. Shane tried not to think about how he and Morgan had made love a couple of nights before, about twenty feet from where Evan was pacing.

He'd come over to help Shane do some work in the house, but it was obvious Evan wasn't focused on that.

"I don't know what to do, man," Evan said, and Shane focused on his friend. "She is still so furious. Anything about the wedding sets her off. I tried to tell her, it'll all still work out. Fiji will still be beautiful, but—" Evan shook his head.

"So I guess she hasn't cooled off?" Shane asked.

"No, and it was, what, over a week ago?" Evan shoved his hands in his pockets, then raked them through his hair. "I don't know what to do."

"You said. I'm sorry, man. I don't know what to tell you."

Evan stopped pacing. "You don't like her, do you?"

Shane paused before answering, trying to be honest but also to minimize any hurt for his friend. "I can't say if I like her, honestly, because I haven't had a chance to get to know her. I can say that I don't care for the way she's acted, towards me or Morgan."

Evan dropped into a chair. "If you want to back out, I understand."

"No." Shane had thought about this. "No, I won't do that. You asked me to be your best man, and I will do that. I'll support you, if this is what you want. But I think that's the question. Is it what you want?"

Evan started to answer, then stopped and cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I don't know. Which is hard for me to say."

Shane nodded. He had his opinions on the whole matter, but kept them to himself. Whatever decision Evan made had to be Evan's. All Shane could do was be there for him.

"Obviously, the way she's acted towards Morgan is awful," Evan said. "I could put it up to sibling rivalry, I guess, but I know that's not it. She's a bully towards Morgan." Evan huffed out a sigh. "There, I said it."

"I can't disagree," Shane said.

"You're biased, I know, but it's true." Evan shrugged. "That last time, that was awful." He gave Shane a rueful half-grin. "I may be nonconfrontational, but I'm not stupid."

"Of course, you're not."

"If I haven't said it, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything she said to and about Morgan, and about the two of you."

"Thanks, but you're not the one who needs to apologize."

"I know, but I am sorry. I'm sorry I didn't speak up at the time. And now I don't know what to do."

"What are your options?" Shane asked.

"I could fight with Brianna." He rubbed his forehead. "I could break up with her."

Shane's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Evan sighed. "Well, it's an option. It's not the one I want. She's different with me. I don't mean that she's completely the opposite, or that I don't push back sometimes. I love her, I do. And I believe she loves me. But this behavior; it makes me apprehensive."

"I can't blame you there." Shane was relieved that Evan found Brianna's behavior concerning.

"I'll have to talk to her about it, that's all there is to it," said Evan.

"I think that's a good idea, but don't let her do all the talking. You're entitled to your own opinions," Shane said.

"You know, I thought you'd try to talk me out of marrying her. Given your feelings on marriages and all."

Shane shook his head. "It's complicated, but I don't hate weddings, or marriages, in general. I wouldn't want to stop you from marrying Brianna, or anyone, unless I thought it was dangerous or abusive. I've just seen too many people try to brush problems away with fancy weddings, like if they spend enough on flowers and wine, it will all work out.

"If you love Brianna, then you should marry her, and it doesn't matter if I like her. I just want to make sure you're happy, and that she's not—I don't know, making you do anything you don't want to do."

"Like getting married in Fiji?"

"You're trying to trap me," said Shane, "but I'll answer. If you are willing to go to Fiji for her, because there's something equivalent she'll do for you, then fine. But if you are going to Fiji to placate her, then I'd say no, you shouldn't do that. It's your wedding, too. You get a say. It's the twenty-first century, right? Guys can weigh in on these things."

"I know," Evan said with a half-hearted laugh. "I was kidding. I can deal with Fiji, and even her losing her temper here and there, but there's a line here and I want to fix things before someone crosses it."

"Sounds good."

"Anyway, enough about that," said Evan, "how's Morgan? Isn't her book coming out soon?"

"Yeah." Shane looked at the copy she'd given him, laying on the coffee table, and felt guilty. He'd started but never finished it. "She's good. She's still upset but she's agreed to go to the wedding. Not budging on the bridesmaid issue."

"Oh, I know. Brianna has not let anyone forget."

"Morgan's trying to focus on her book signing. She's still nervous that someone might cause some trouble." He shook his head. "She showed me some of the posts they get on social media, it's terrible. Makes me worry about her, actually."

"Yeah, I remember you told me about those guys and the brick through the window. Hope that doesn't happen again."

"Me too."

"Did you read her book?" Evan asked.

"Um. No. Some."

"Didn't you like it? She gave me a copy, it's really great."

"I'm afraid I won't like it," Shane said, relieved he'd admitted it. "I started it, and the artwork is great and the story is cool so far but I don't know. How could I tell her if I didn't like it?"

"I think if you were just honest, she wouldn't care," Evan said. "Morgan isn't stupid. She knows people won't like it, and yeah, she'd probably be disappointed if you don't. But I don't think she'd hold it against you."

"I will finish it," Shane said. "And I'll finish before her book signing. You're right, if I don't like it, I don't, and it's no comment on whether I like her or not."

"You more than like her." Evan grinned. "You wouldn't be so concerned about your reaction if you didn't."

"Fine, I like her. I like her a lot, more than I thought I would."

"You're in trouble if Morgan catches the bouquet."

Shane narrowed his eyes at him. "Very funny. Shut up and help me take these shelves down."

Evan laughed. "All right, all right." He grabbed a hammer and went over to the wall where Shane wanted to work.

They worked at prying the wood apart, and Shane's mind wandered. Evan's comment about Morgan catching a bouquet had caught him off guard. Questions surged in his head.

Was he moving too quickly with Morgan? Were things as solid as they seemed between them? If things were solid, would Morgan want more? Would she want some kind of commitment? Did he want to do that, or should he put on the brakes before things went any farther?

"Hey, Shane. You okay?" Evan looked at him, puzzled. "Earth to Shane. What's up? You've been staring at that spot for like five minutes."

"What? Sorry." Shane shook his head. "I just, I don't know, started thinking about things and how they could go bad."

"What are you talking about? Things with Morgan?"