Underestimated (52 page)

“You’re not funny.”

He laughed anyway. “Yes, I did, but I haven’t seen

nor talked to her in almost a year. The last I heard, she

was engaged.”

“Because she got tired of waiting for you to get rid

of me?”

“Exactly that.”

“Did you do the same things with her that you did

with me?” I didn’t know why it mattered, but I wanted to

know.

“I’m not going to lie to you anymore, Morgan. No,

I did not. It was just your normal boring sex, and even

back then, I fantasized about getting back home to you.

What about you? Did you and Dawson?” he asked, not

saying any more than that. He knew that I knew what he

was talking about.

“No, but do you want to hear something really

messed up?”

“Probably not, but go ahead.”

“I used to beg him to do those things to me. How

fucked up is that?”

“Pretty fucked up. Did he?”

“No. He wouldn’t dare. He cared too much. You

never went down on me,” I boldly stated for whatever

reason.

“I know, and God do I wish I would have. Did

he?”

I smiled at his comment. “Yes.” That was all that I

was going to say about that. I knew he didn’t want that

image.

“You know that night when you told me to do that.

I almost shot my load before I ever touched you.”

I laughed. “Stop talking about it. You’re making

me wet.”

“Damnit, Morgan did you have to go and say that?”

“Sorry, let’s stop talking about sex.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“I want to know why you couldn’t love me before I

didn’t remember who you were.”

“Because I am an idiot, and the old saying that

money is the root of all evil is very true. That’s what I

wanted, and I felt like you were standing in my way.”

“I was, but I didn’t know at the time that I was.”

“I know, and you were nothing but an innocent

victim who got pulled into a sticky situation.”

“Why didn’t you just pay me to keep your secret?

There are so many other ways that you could have handled

it. I would have been more than happy to leave my life in

West Virginia.”

“I was pissed, selfish, irritated as hell that you

were screwing everything up. I don’t know how to answer

that, Morgan. I looked at you like worthless trash who was

going to be handed everything that I worked so hard for.”

“What about the whole virgin thing? Was that

something that Mr. Callaway requested too?”

“No. That was my own sick way of humiliating

you right from the beginning. I wanted you to know what

your role was to be.”

“Wow, Drew.”

“I know, Morgan. I don’t deserve you anymore

than I deserve to breathe, but I can’t get you out of my

head. I am so madly in love with you, I can’t stand it.”

“What about the whole baby thing? Why would

you even think about bringing a baby into a mess like

that?”

“Mr. Callaway,” was all that he replied. It was

enough. I could see Mr. Callaway demanding that he give

him a grandbaby.

I took a deep breath. I didn’t know what to say. I

didn’t know how I felt. I didn’t know where I belonged. I

was a fucked up mess, and there was no easier way to put

it.

Drew and I talked until one in the morning. I told

him that I wanted to know where my mother was and that I

wanted to see her. He didn’t try and talk me out of it and

said that he would talk to Mr. Callaway and try to find out

where she was for me. He told me that he loved me

before saying goodnight, but I couldn’t say it back.

I lay awake for the longest time. I could hear

thunder in a distance and see the flashes from lightning

also in the distance. My bed felt good and comforting, and

I thought about Dawson. He was always in my bed there. I

thought about Drew too, wondering how it would feel to

have him in my bed there in Maine. I knew that would

never happen, he wouldn’t be welcomed in Misty Bay,

and would be lucky to make it out alive had he showed up

there. I wondered how much Lauren and Star knew. Did

Dawson tell them about my marriage to Drew?

I woke a couple hours later to an angry summer

storm. The rain was beating against my window, and the

wind sounded like it was going to rip the roof right off of

my house. That wasn’t what woke me though, well it may

have helped, but I woke because of Drew. I was bent over

his desk, and he was playing with me while he conducted

business. He spanked me in between calls and would

sensually dip his finger inside of my throbbing core every

time he rubbed away the sting from his hands.

My eyes popped open with the loud crack of

lightning, followed by the roar of thunder. I lay still for a

few minutes, staring out at the blistering storm. I had my

own storm going on and could feel the dampness in my

panties.

Stupid vagina, never on my side.

I rolled to my back and slid my panties off. I

figured if I was going to do it, I may as well do it right. I

spread my legs and ran my finger through my slippery

pussy. It
was
wet, and it wanted fucked. I moaned as I

grinded my hips into my fingers.

Awe fuck…

I rolled to my stomach and moved my hips up and

down into my fingers until I was calling out in Drew

pleasure. Why it had to be him, I didn’t know. It just was. I

know that it should have been Dawson. It wasn’t that

Dawson wasn’t amazing in bed or that Drew was better. It

was more of the chemistry that Drew and I shared that

Dawson and I didn’t. I couldn’t explain it if I tried. That’s

just how it was.

***

shouldn’t have been surprised. I was sure that Dawson

started it, and maybe even drove it to make sure that it was

running when I got back.

“Good morning. Welcome to Reminiscent,” the too

chirpy young girl said from behind the counter. I had been

replaced. “Would you like to try one of our new lemon

muffins,” she asked in an adenoidal voice that already

annoyed the hell out of me.

“No, thanks, I’m here to see Star. Is she here?”

“Yes, she’s in her office. I’ll go get her for you.”

“That’s okay. I know the way,” I smiled and

walked past her.

Star was sitting at her desk painting her nails some

tropical pineapple color. I smiled when I saw her. “Still

hard at it, I see,” I said leaning against the threshold and

crossing my arms.

“Oh my God. It is true,” she exclaimed, jumping

up, and frantically blowing on her wet nails so that she

could hug me.

I hugged Star as she put her arms around me, wet

fingers, sticking straight up. “I can’t believe you are here.

Sit down. I have a million questions to ask you,” she

rattled off.

“How are you, Star?” I asked. It was good to see

her. She looked exactly the same, not that she shouldn’t. It

hadn’t been that long. It was just different, me being there

and all. It just felt, I don’t know, surreal I guess, kind of

like I was a different person or something. I left there

Riley Murphy, Riley Murphy who hated Drew Kelley. I

came back as Morgan Kelley, in love with her husband.

What a fucked up situation. Star wore the same thick braid

down her back, her free flowing skirt, a patchwork vest,

and her customary Jesus shoes.

“Forget me. How the hell are you? Is it true that

you lost your memory?”

“Yeah, it’s true. It’s so strange, Star. I thought I

would gradually start to remember. It didn’t happen that

way at all. I saw Dawson, and it was all just there. I knew

him, and everything else from the time I was around

three.”

“I can’t even imagine.”

“You couldn’t. It was crazy. I don’t know any

other way to explain it.”

“Dawson has been beside himself. He spent hours

and hours on the phone or on the computer trying to find

you.”

“I feel horrible about that.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t even know him let

alone that he was looking for you.”

“How much did he tell you, Star?” I wondered if

he had told her about my abusive husband and that I had

run from him.”

“You know Dawson. He didn’t say much at all. He

would never say anything that you told him in private, but I

have a pretty good idea. I have known all along that you

were running or hiding from something. I witnessed one of

your nightmares in the hotel, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember, but you never mentioned it.”

Starlight shrugged her shoulders. “I figured if you

wanted me to know, you would tell me. How are you and

Dawson?”

I took a deep breath and slumped in my chair.

“Stressed,” I admitted. “I’m not really the same Riley that

I left here as.”

“What does that mean, Ry?”

I grunted and shook my head. “I’m kind of in love

with my husband for the first time in our marriage. I’m so

confused, Star. I am still in love with Dawson too, and I

know that he is the one that makes the most sense. I just

can’t stop thinking about Drew, and it’s really absurd. He

wasn’t the most pleasant husband.” Boy was that ever

putting it mildly.

“Are you staying?”

“I’m not sure yet. I kind of think I need to step

away from both of them to be fair.” That made absolutely

no sense at all. Drew didn’t deserve a second chance, let

alone being fair to him. Dawson, however did deserve all

of my love. He had never been anything but good to me,

and I knew that he loved me.

“What’s fair to you, Riley?” Star asked with a

warm expression. It felt good to talk about it with

someone. I just didn’t know how much I was willing to

disclose.

“I honestly don’t know.” I didn’t feel like I

deserved to be happy. I felt like I cheated on Dawson, but

then again, I felt like I cheated on Drew.

Star and I talked for over an hour until her new

annoying help got busy and needed help with the lunch

crowd. We talked about the shop, and the new girl, who I

was sure, was fine. I guess I just felt a little replaced. I

wasn’t sure that I was going to come back anyway,

although Star told me that I always had a job there. She

really did appreciate all that I had done there, and the

business that was established and making a good profit,

thanks to me.

I walked out with her and said hello to a few of the

locals. My friend, John, from the beach was there, and I

visited with him for a while before heading out.

I walked across the street and the two blocks to the

police department. I hesitated at the door.

What the hell are you doing, Morgan?

I quickly pushed open the glass door, before I

turned and ran down the sidewalk like the maniac that I

was. Matt the deputy was sitting across from Dawson’s

desk with his feet propped. He was laughing and telling

Dawson a story about his son. Dawson stood up when he

saw me. It freaking broke my heart. He looked at me like I

was the only thing in his life that mattered.

“Go write some parking tickets or something,

Matt,” Dawson demanded.

Matt said hi. “It’s good to see you, Riley I’ll just

go bug Starlight for a while and eat some doughnuts. I’m

too nice of a guy to write tickets,” he teased, dismissing

himself.

“Hi,” Dawson said with a smile.

“Hey, sheriff, I smiled back.

“You hungry, want me to order some lunch?” he

asked, always thinking about me.

“No, I had a pastry at Star’s.”

“Then how about supper?” He asked with that

damned grin that melted my heart.

“You can come for supper, but I’ll cook. I am

going to the grocery store before I head back. I couldn’t

say home. What the hell?

“Normally if you showed up here I would kiss you

about five times,” Dawson grinned.

“You can kiss me five times.”

Dawson did just that. He kissed me with four quick

pecks. I counted. His fifth contact to my lips wasn’t just a

peck. He rested his lips on mine and ran his tongue around

the opening of my closed lips. I parted my lips, and he

accepted the invitation. Damn, was he ever a good kisser,