Around the World in 80 Men Series: Books 11-20 (101 page)

Well,
you've all made my life much less lonely.
She smiled into the
mirror and began applying her makeup. It was freezing outside, so she
could get away with a hat as well, so her bed hair wasn't anything a
simple brush through wouldn't take care of. With fifteen minutes to
spare, she was headed down the stairs with her purse and camera in
hand. The second half of the steps made her descend more quickly
though, with the scent of coffee filling the air.

“You
look beautiful,” Fane saw her before she saw him, which
actually made her giggle before replying with a thank-you.

“You
look beautiful too,” she told him after he delivered her a hot
cup of coffee to the table for her. It was his turn to laugh.

“I
don't think I've ever been called beautiful.” It was one of
Morgan's favorite compliments to give a man, especially because it
always made them uncomfortable.

“You
should be called a lot of things. Often. You're gorgeous...I mean
like....damn gorgeous.” She could see his cheeks turn red, even
as he quickly looked away, hoping she wouldn't notice.

“Well,
if you think so. Usually the most I get are women asking to touch my
arms or rub my head,” he looked back to her for a moment, then
went back to fixing his tea, but she could see his smile. Morgan
laughed too because she had wanted to do both of those things.
Instead, she changed the topic to put him out of his misery for once.

“So,
where are we headed so early?” Her first cup of coffee was
nearly gone already so she got up to serve herself another, but he
took the cup from her and poured in hot water from the kettle.

“To
the market.” He gave her a simple answer, but she knew she was
going to find out the rest of it anyway, so she didn't pry.

She
didn't enjoy her second cup as much as the first, because Fane was
starting to pace in the kitchen when she was only halfway through.
She took the hint, and downed the rest, then told him that she was
ready. He spared no time in helping her with her coat, then the two
set off to the market.

“Why
is... the whole town... awake?” Morgan couldn't understand how
the sidewalks could be so busy as it was only seven thirty in the
morning, and most businesses weren't even open. “Oh, all the
shops
are
open.” She made a note-to-self to remember
that not every city in the world would operate like the States did.
Fane smiled down at her as he put his hand at her back and walked her
through a small crowd in front of the bakery.

“This
is our first stop.” He opened the door for Morgan and the
scent of freshly baked bread made her moan with pleasure. She almost
giggled when she felt his fingers tighten against her back, then had
to put her hand over her mouth when she felt him realize what he had
done, and move his hand away quickly. “I'll just be a moment.”
The man left her in front of the counter as he walked into the back
as if he owned the place. A few moments later, he came out with his
large arms filled with fresh bread, and nodded for her to follow him
to the door. She opened it for him, and as soon as they walked out
front, she didn't need to ask why he had bought so much.

Morgan
backed up and sat on the small ledge under the bakery's window, and
watched as at least a dozen women approached Fane, taking a loaf of
bread from his arms. They all thanked him and left, and five minutes
later, his hands were empty and he turned to find Morgan.

“Do
you do this every morning?” It was all she could think to say,
but she already had a good idea that he did.

“Yes.
The women are on their own, and there isn't much work for them.
They need to eat.” His voice was low so that he wouldn't be
heard by anyone around. “We just have one more stop, then we
can do whatever you'd like.” She looked up at him and their
eyes held for several moments, both of them seeming to want something
from the other. It was a kiss that Morgan wanted, but Fane, he
suddenly wanted to know what it felt like to feel the girl in his
arms. Neither of them would make a move to get what they wanted, but
they did continue smiling as they reached the next stop.

“Chocolate?”
They entered a sweets shop, and once again, a wonderful scent hit
Morgan that made her stop in her tracks. “I take it back...
chocolate is perfect in the morning.” He shook his head and
laughed as he left her at the counter as before, and walked into the
back. Her eyes had nearly assaulted every small piece of candy under
the glass top before he had returned. The moment she looked up at
the man, he held a small piece of chocolate right in front of her
lips. She started to ask what it was, but he gently pushed it into
her mouth which made her giggle loudly. “Oh... oh! Wow!”
She slowly chewed the little piece of heaven and searched his hands,
that were filled with small white bags, for another piece. He caught
on, and said something to someone in the back.

“If
you'll take that....,” he motioned with his head at the small
women who was trying to hand Morgan a white bag of her own.

“Oh...
thank you.” Guilt hit her as soon as she had the sweets in her
hand, because she never expected the man to actually get more just
for her. “You didn't have to...,”

“Let's
go.” His rich accent stopped her words, and she nodded then
followed him back outside. “There's a place not far from here.
I believe you would call it a nursing home?” Morgan nodded,
and he went on to tell her that the older folks loved their daily
sweets, so he takes them a few bags each day. Morgan liked his idea
of a
few
, especially when it came to chocolate.

They
dropped the bags off with the nurse at the front desk, and it was
obvious that she had been waiting for Fane. The older woman walked
directly to him, and took the bags from his arms. Morgan assumed
that the words exchanged, just as earlier with the bread, were of
thanks and well wishes.

They
walked back toward his house, and Morgan finally couldn't take it any
longer. She put her arm under his, and snuggled closer as they
strolled along the sidewalk. Fane's heart raced at the innocent
gesture, and his mind had images that were very, very far from
innocent.

Chapter
Eight

When
they got back to his home later that day, Morgan was all but dying,
still waiting for her kiss. She'd spent the last three hours cuddled
up to the man, as it had been what Morgan would have been happy to
call 'fucking cold', at least to the outsider it was. To Fane though,
it was actually a beautiful day, as he pointed out on more than one
occasion, but he'd done his best to keep his company warm.

They'd
eaten breakfast together at a quaint cafe near his home, then back
out into the cold for a walk through the park, then down a few
streets so Morgan could take more pictures and check out the shops.
She'd made the man laugh out loud a few times, which was the
highlight of her day, next to holding his hand. Despite his
personality, he wasn't camera shy either, so she was happy to take as
many pictures of her client as possible. They both laughed every time
she went to take a picture and would have to take four or five steps
back, just to fit him in the frame. The locals were more than willing
to capture a few photos of them together, which it was even more
funny when they had to step back, or, like one small man who actually
had to climb on top of the park bench to get a decent photo.

But
still no kiss,
she thought as they walked through the front door.
Sooner or later, hopefully sooner, she knew she'd get it.
Just a
bit more time, big guy.

“So,
just...uhm...make yourself at home and I'll be right back,” he
told her as she was taking off her boots.

“Where
are you going now?” They'd just gotten back to his home!

“Oh,
well first...” He shut the front door again, then walked
through the living room and toward the fireplace. “I'll get
this going for you...” Fane threw a few logs in, then lit a
fire. He never answered her question though and he left before she
had the chance to ask it again.

The
two of them had been headed back and Morgan stopped in front of a
shop that she thought smelled like pizza. It was a sausage shop and
no pizza to be found. She hadn't made a big production of it, only
mentioning that pizza always sounded good, but he'd heard her
excitement and knew just where to find her a good pizza pie. He knew
she was cold though, so he wanted to make sure she was warm before
dragging her across town, then back again. It was just easier to
bring it back to her and she'd have time to warm up. He didn't know
though, he'd done more than a good job at that already.

“Well,
alright. Bye,” she called after him when the door shut. “I'll
just...oh! Wine!” She remembered seeing a glimpse of some
bottles in his fridge and hoped she'd find one to suit her taste.
“Chabliss, Pinot, something French....yuck.” She closed
the fridge, not finding anything sweet to satisfy her thirst, and
settled on making a pot of coffee, in which she'd done well in
remembering to pick up a can of brew coffee. A few minutes later, she
had her hot treat and was finding a comfortable place on his couch,
in front of the beautiful fire.

She
looked around the room, admiring it very much. The home was old and
it looked it, but she was in love with it. Everything about it, the
way the floors creaked, the fireplaces, the ginormous
kitchen...although, the hunky cook may have had something to do with
her love for the kitchen. If only the home were cut in half, it would
be up there on her list of dream homes.

She
was still daydreaming about how she'd decorate the place and what
colors she'd repaint the walls when Fane came back. “You didn't
have to....oh my God! Yes, yes you did!” She was going to tell
him that the pizza wasn't necessary, but he opened up one of the
boxes as he walked toward her and she changed her mind. It had been
more than necessary. Morgan giggled as she stole the box from his
hands and ran with it to the table like a raccoon who thought he was
getting away with stealing a kibble from a dog's bowl. “Thank
you,” she told him, grabbing the first loaded piece of pizza.
It had all of her favorites, piled together to make perfection before
her eyes. “You really didn't have to though,” she
admitted, feeling guilty that he'd gone the extra mile for her.

“It's
no problem. I can eat pizza any day of the week,” Fane replied,
taking a piece for himself.

“Me
too!” Morgan laughed again, then picked off one of the
pepperonis and popped it in her mouth. “You know, this is one
of the friendliest towns I've ever seen. Seems like everyone
knows...everyone.”

“Yeah,
it's friendly, I'll definitely give them that.”

“You
don't like it?”

“No,
no. I love it, I just...it's not always good to know everyone. This
is a tight community and most people in this area, I grew up with,
went to school with, you know.”

Morgan
put her head down and looked at her coffee, which suddenly seemed to
be very interesting. It made sense to her. Throughout the day, she'd
seen woman after woman talk to him. Whether it was just a 'thank you'
or 'come fuck me tonight', Morgan hadn't known what any of them were
saying, but one question had burned in her mind. Some of the women
were beautiful, all seemed nice, so why didn't he see if 'things were
working properly' with any of them?
They're all friends. Word
travels. He doesn't want to get involved.
He didn't have a job to
speak of, so he didn't really meet anyone elsewhere, and even though
Bucharest was huge, he basically stayed within a two mile radius of
his home. The Cheers opening tune sounded in her mind.
Where
everyone knows your....business.

She
nodded, not knowing what to say with her new knowledge, so he
continued. “Eventually, I want to move. I've lived here since I
was born, lived here,” he pointed haphazardly to the room
around them, “alone since I was twenty-four. Now I'm
thirty-one. There are no opportunities here to live out my life. My
dream...” He paused and took another bite of pizza and a drink
of his tea. “Is to move to the States.”

Morgan
had no idea what to say, even though thoughts of her own life bounced
around her mind like a pinball game. She had left
home
as
well, and had no intentions of returning, with the exception of a
visit to Julianne on occasion. “I understand... so, when are
you planning to leave Romania?” She tried to keep the mood
light, as she could see that his mood had changed slightly. He
stared at the half empty box of pizza for several moments before
answering. Finally, he lifted his eyes and they locked with hers.