Secrets Never Die (Morgan Dane #5)(42)

“You can tell me while you shower and change.” Morgan hooked a hand around the back of his neck to hold him in place.

Lance winced. She released him. Blood streaked her fingers. She took him by the hand and led him back to the bedroom. Steering him to take a seat on the closed toilet lid, she pushed his head down and examined the back of his skull. He didn’t object. Parting his hair, she revealed a goose egg and a cut.

“You’re lucky. I don’t think this needs stitches.” She reached into the shower and turned on the spray. “Get cleaned up, then I’ll disinfect it. You’ll need ice too.”

He didn’t argue but gave her a play-by-play of his night as he stripped down and stepped into the shower. Emotions swirled in Morgan’s chest as she listened. She was simultaneously angry, frustrated, and grateful. As he finished washing, she took several deep breaths.

She had the first aid kit ready when he emerged. He wrapped the towel around his waist, bent his head, and let her clean the cut.

“It’s almost stopped bleeding.” She tossed the antiseptic-soaked cotton ball in the trash can. Her fingers brushed a large darkening splotch along the top of his shoulder. “You have bruises everywhere.”

He shrugged. “They don’t hurt.”

She sat sideways on his lap and stared into his piercing blue eyes. Love for him expanded in her chest until it was almost painful. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going?”

“I couldn’t sleep, but there was no reason for both of us to be up all night. I wanted you to get some rest. You were awake most of last week.”

“You need to sleep too.”

“I’ll sleep after I find Evan.” Lance stood, forcing her to slide to her feet.

But Morgan wasn’t done with him yet. She blocked his exit from the bathroom. “I thought we were a team, both on and off the job.”

He broke eye contact. “We are. But we don’t always work together. I stake out locations all the time by myself.”

“In those cases, Sharp knows where you are.” Conflicting emotions weighed heavily within Morgan’s chest, love and fear of loss swirling inside her. “No one knew where you were tonight. What if you’d been shot? Or knocked unconscious? We wouldn’t have known where to start looking for you.” She cupped his jaw and turned his face toward her. “You can’t leave in the middle of the night and not tell me.”

“OK.” He closed his fingers around her wrist. “I’m sorry.”

She brushed her thumb along his jaw. She rose onto her toes and kissed him. Lowering back down to her bare feet, she rested her head on his chest for a few seconds. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“I don’t want to be clingy, but I also couldn’t bear to lose you.” She leaned back. “I love you.”

“I love you too, and I’d like to promise I’ll never be stupid again, but we both know sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me. I’m worried about Evan and frustrated with the direction of the sheriff’s investigation.”

“I know. Go get an ice pack for your head. I need to shower.” Morgan shooed him out of the bathroom, dumped her pajamas in the hamper, and showered. When she came out, he was still wearing his towel, and he hadn’t bothered to get an ice pack. The look in his eyes told her he didn’t want to rest.

“Don’t think sex will make up for what you did.” But recognizing the need in him, she let him tug her toward him and wrap his arms around her. For a little while, they were both able to block out the world and all its harsh realities.

Afterward, she dressed and brought him an ice pack from the freezer. “Now, lie down and put this on your head for fifteen minutes.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He stretched out on the bed and settled the ice behind his head.

Morgan went to the dining room for more coffee.

Her grandfather shuffled into the room with his cane. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” Morgan surveyed the temporary kitchen. The toaster, coffee maker, and microwave were lined up on the sideboard. The table had been moved off center to make room for the refrigerator in the corner of the room. Packages of paper plates and bowls cluttered the table. “Remind me why we ripped out our kitchen?”

“Because we need a bigger, better one, and after the kitchen is finished, the contractor will start on the new addition,” Grandpa said in a voice that was far too cheery for the early hour or the subject matter.

“Don’t remind me.” But Morgan was well aware that the old house on the river needed updating and enlarging to accommodate seven people. They were all on top of each other. A new master suite would give Morgan and Lance some much-needed privacy. They were also adding a bedroom and en suite bath for Gianna. Sophie, who suffered from night terrors, would move into Gianna’s room. Without the youngest’s nocturnal screams waking them, Ava and Mia might stop crawling into bed with Morgan and Lance. Nighttime was a game of musical beds.

“You look tired. Where’s Lance?”

“Getting dressed.” Morgan poured her grandfather a cup of coffee and set it on the table.

“Thanks.” He hung his cane on the back of the chair and eased into the seat.

“You’re not using your walker?”

“I hate that contraption with a ridiculous amount of passion.” Grandpa had finally broken down and bought one of those walkers with the wheels, bike brakes, and a seat. He’d broken his leg protecting Morgan and her girls from an intruder the previous autumn. It was doubtful that he’d ever heal 100 percent.