Page 35 of Cause of Action

“We had a house in Pasadena where I lived until I was sixteen.”

“When your father passed away?” he asked.

“Yes. After he died, my Uncle Louie moved us both to New York.”

“Why?” His brows furrowed.

“Because I couldn’t stay in California anymore. It was too hard after my father passed,” I lied.

“So your uncle just packed up his home and moved because you couldn’t stay here any longer?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, he sounds like he cares for you a lot.”

“He does.” I smiled.

“I’m surprised you accepted my offer to come and work on a case.”

“It’s been fourteen years, and I’ve matured.”

“You certainly have.” The corners of his mouth curved upward, bringing his hand to my cheek. “Why wouldn’t you just tell me the truth?”

“Because it’s embarrassing. Oh hey, I moved away from California when I was sixteen because my dad died, and I couldn’t handle living here anymore.”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed of. Everyone handles grief differently. Let’s get some sleep.” He leaned over and softly kissed my lips. “Good night, Morgan.”

“Good night, Roman.”

I lay there, his arm wrapped securely around me, while a shitshow was going on in my head. I was a master at controlling my emotions, but he made it very difficult to do that. I wasn’t worried. As soon as this case was solved, I would head back to New York to figure out my next move. My uncle was right. It was best to let sleeping dogs lie. But I wasn’t so sure if I could do that.

CHAPTER 13

Morgan

“Asshole,” I said as I stepped outside and collected my clothes he threw out the window last night.

I tossed my pants and shirt on the table while I made a cup of coffee. He walked into the kitchen and stopped as I leaned against the counter with my hands wrapped around the warm mug.

“Damn. You look sexy in my shirt. Good morning.” He walked over and kissed my lips.

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” he asked with a slight turn of his head as he reached into the cabinet and pulled down a mug.

“Kiss me good morning. That is a gesture for couples only, and we are not a couple.”

“We certainly aren’t,” he said. “But I disagree with your statement.”

“You can disagree all you want, but I’m right.” A smirk crossed my lips.

“Friends can say good morning and share a kiss,” he said.

“On the cheek, maybe, but not the lips. Are those your brothers?” I glanced at the monitor.

“Yeah. They have a key.”

“I hope everyone is decent in here!” Julian shouted from the foyer. “If not, we’re willing to join you.”

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