Defending Morgan (Mountain Mercenaries #3)(44)
“What’s up with this Pit place?” she asked. “It sounds like a dump.”
“From the outside, it looks like a dump,” he told her honestly, reluctantly dropping his hand from her neck and starting the engine once more. As he pulled out of the park and headed for the clinic, he said, “But inside, it’s extremely clean, and Dave doesn’t put up with any shenanigans from the patrons.”
“Dave? And really . . . shenanigans?” she asked. “Who says that?”
“I just did—really. And Dave is the bartender, who we all think secretly lives under the bar. We’re not sure he ever goes home.”
“Does he own it?”
Arrow thought about her question for a beat before saying, “You know what? I don’t know. I hadn’t really ever thought about it. But it makes sense. He’s there all the time, and if people destroy shit or do something he doesn’t approve of, he takes it extremely personally.”
“So what makes it so special . . . besides Dave the bartender?” Morgan asked. “It’s just a bar, right? With a few pool tables?”
“Yes. And no.” Arrow shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because it’s where me and the rest of the guys all met for the first time. Rex had us meet there for an ‘interview,’ and I think I told you before that he never showed up, so we all played pool and got to know each other. We were so pissed when Rex never bothered to come interview us, and we thought it had all been a joke, bringing us to the Springs on a wild-goose chase.”
“It’s really interesting how the Mountain Mercenaries came to be,” she said.
“Yup.”
“Okay. So I’ll withhold judgment until I see this paragon of a bar,” she teased.
“Appreciate it,” Arrow said, smiling over at her.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Morgan mused.
“What?”
“Make me feel completely normal when half an hour ago I felt like complete shit.”
“That’s my job, beautiful,” Arrow told her.
“Since when?”
“Since I walked in on you protecting Nina with a piece-of-shit knife.” Arrow could feel Morgan looking at him, but he kept his attention on the road, giving her time to process his words.
Finally, she said, “You’re serious about us, aren’t you?”
“Good thing you’re finally cluing in,” he teased. Then he said seriously, “Yeah, Morgan. I’m dead serious. Anything you need. Whenever you need it.”
“We don’t even know each other.”
“Which is why I’m giving us time to get to know each other.”
“I’m most likely going to New Mexico to live with my mom,” she protested. “Maybe even today.”
“Albuquerque isn’t Jupiter, beautiful. It’s not that far away, all things considered. And there are these things called phones that everyone has nowadays. And the internet. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
“You’re going to a lot of trouble, Arrow.”
“No, I’m not. It’s called being in a relationship. It’s what people do.”
“Just because we said things in the heat of the moment when we were down in Santo Domingo doesn’t mean we have to follow through with ‘going steady’ now that we’re back in the States.”
“It wasn’t heat of the moment for me,” Arrow said, a little frustrated now. “I want to continue to get to know you, to date you. But this isn’t a one-sided decision. If you’ve decided that you don’t want anything to do with me, I’ll be honest—I’ll do my best to change your mind. But if you don’t, then that’ll be that. I don’t want to be with someone who isn’t as committed as I am to the relationship. I just . . . There’s something about you that I’m drawn to. No, fuck that. You’re like a glass of water, and I’m a man dying of thirst.”
After his admission, neither of them said anything until they pulled into the parking lot of the clinic.
“Okay,” she said as he turned off the engine.
“Okay?”
“Yes. We’ll get to know each other. Talk on the phone. Text. Visit. See if there’s anything to this relationship thing.”
Arrow smiled. “Cool.”
“Yeah. Although I still think you’re insane. I’m not a good bet, Arrow. The things that happened . . . I . . . I don’t know when, or if, I’ll be ready to be intimate with anyone again.”
“Baby steps, beautiful.”
“But that’s not fair to you.”
Arrow shut off the engine and turned to her, making sure to not crowd her as he said, “Fuck fair. Life’s not fair. My dick isn’t going to fall off if we don’t make love. We can get creative if you aren’t comfortable with penetration. And I can always masturbate. There’s more to a relationship than sex.”
She was blushing, but Arrow hoped she was truly hearing what he was saying.
“You really do like me, huh?”
He couldn’t help it. He chuckled. “Yeah, Morgan. I really do like you. Now, come on. Let’s get this over with so you can get over to The Pit.”
An hour and a half later, they were parking in front of The Pit. Morgan hadn’t said much about her visit with the doctor, and he didn’t press. Having to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases wasn’t exactly fun, and he’d already told her that he’d be there for her no matter what. He didn’t want to continue to harp on it.