Page 23 of No Strings Attached

Sam moved to the end and eased himself down, keeping a decent distance from the guy. He didn’t want Morgan to get the wrong impression, even though Sam wanted to scoot closer.

“I took some vacation time,” Morgan said.

Sam opened his mouth to argue that Morgan shouldn’t have done that, but the guy held up a hand.

“I have a lot accumulated, and I need to be here to help you.”

Tears sprang to Sam’s eyes as he looked away. Morgan was the first person who’d ever gone the extra mile. Not even Sam’s parents had gone above and beyond for him. Not since he was a small kid.

“Are you sure you’re real?” Sam asked. “Guys like you don’t actually exist, Morgan.”

“It’s what any decent person would do.”

Sam didn’t think so. He’d met some decent people, but they’d never offered him everything Sam had desperately wanted. The guy who owned Bluebird Café gave Sam free drinks and desserts whenever he wandered in hungry and thirsty. The guy who owned Deep Dish had provided free meals for Sam over the years.

Even the guy who owned Wild Tiger Barbeque helped Sam with food whenever he stopped in.

But that was the extent of help Sam received. Before losing his apartment, people had offered their couch for a night or two, but it had been years since that had happened.

Morgan was definitely an enigma. Either he had a humungous heart or liked living dangerously by inviting strangers into his home.

“So you offer your guest bedroom to every guy you find injured in an abandoned house?”

Honestly, if he’d known about the house sooner, he might not have accepted Daryl’s offer. Not that Sam wanted to squat, but it would have been better than what he’d gone through a week ago.

“Yep.” Morgan reclined back on his bed, crossing his ankles and resting his hands on his abdomen. “Luckly you’re the only guy I’ve found like that.”

Sam chuckled.

Morgan gasped. “Is that light laughter I hear?”

“I have a sense of humor.” He shoved at Morgan’s socked foot.

“Could have fooled me,” he said. “So far, you’ve been either tight-lipped or argumentative. You really should smile more often, cub.”

“I’m twenty-six,” Sam said. “Too old to be a cub.”

Morgan’s smile was downright breathtaking. “I thought you had a sense of humor?”

Some of the tension in Sam eased. “How long did you take off from work?”

“Two weeks. Hopefully you’ve learned your lesson and will have healed by then.” Morgan tapped Sam’s arm with his foot. “Meanwhile, I get to sharpen my nursing skills in case I decide to go into that field one day.”

Sam laughed. “I’m trying to picture you in one of those skimpy uniforms you see woman wear at Halloween. You know, the red and white ones.”

Morgan bounced his brows. “Got one in my closet already, though I had to get it custom made to fit my delicate frame.”

“I dare you to wear it tomorrow.” He smirked.

“I just might,” Morgan teased. “If I do, you have to wear a hospital gown with the back hanging open.”

Sam eased off the bed. He liked joking with the guy, but things were getting a little too explicit, even if he wanted to curl up in Morgan’s arms and kiss him. That would cross a line Sam had established, and he didn’t want to give the guy mixed signals.

Morgan got up. “Let me help you back to your room.”

As much as Sam wanted to say he could handle it, he didn’t argue when Morgan slipped an arm around him. It had been a very long time since Sam had been intimate with anyone. The last time was when he’d had his apartment.

Morgan helped Sam into his bed and pulled the covers over him. “Get some sleep and I’ll grab us some breakfast in the morning. My culinary skills are limited, so I’ll skip torturing you with my pancakes and just pick something up from the diner.”

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