Page 17 of Protected By the SEAL
A blonde woman appears out of nowhere during the reception, throwing her arms around Morgana in an enthusiastic hug. For a second, I tense, but then Morgana’s laughing with the first genuine laugh I’ve heard from her all day, and hugging back just as hard.
“Sophie! I didn’t know you were coming!”
“Last-minute addition. Belinda’s mom insisted, since I’m technically family.” The woman, who Morgana introduces as her cousin Sophie, pulls back, grinning. “Cousin by marriage, twice removed, or something equally complicated. But forget that. Howareyou? It’s been years!”
Morgana’s whole demeanor shifts. Her shoulders relax, her smile reaches her eyes. It’s like watching the sun come out after a storm, and it kills me that she can be this open with Sophie but not with me right now.
“I’m good,” Morgana says, and for Sophie, she means it. “Really good. Sophie, this is Kane. Kane, this is Sophie. She is the one and the only sane member of my extended family.”
“Honestly, that’s a low bar,” Sophie says dryly and laughs, extending her hand to shake mine. “Nice to meet the famous Kane finally. Morgana talked about you constantly in college.”
“Did she now?” I slide my arm around Morgana’s waist, but she stiffens at the contact and subtly pulls away.
“Oh, constantly. Kane did this, Kane said that.” Sophie’s eyes dance between us, assessing. “I kept telling her to jump your bones already, but she insisted you were just friends.”
“Sophie!” Morgana’s face flushes.
“What? Look at him.” Sophie gestures at me, then her eyes narrow slightly, picking up on something in our body language. “Wait, are you two finally together?”
The question hangs in the air. I feel Morgana go completely rigid beside me, her breathing shallow. The silence stretches a beat too long.
“I’m going to get fresh drinks,” Morgana says abruptly, grabbing our barely touched champagne flutes. “These are warm. Be right back.”
She escapes before either of us can protest, practically fleeing across the reception hall. Sophie watches her go, then turns those sharp eyes on me.
“Okay, what’s going on?” she asks, voice lower now, more serious. “That’s not how someone acts when they’re finally with the person they’ve wanted for years.”
I rub the back of my neck, watching Morgana at the bar. Even from here, I can see the tension in her shoulders. “We...something happened. Last night.”
Sophie’s eyebrows rise. “And now she’s running scared?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me guess. If memory serves, you two almost crossed this line before, and you pulled back? Told her you were better as friends?”
My silence is answer enough.
“Oh, Kane.” Her voice softens. “No wonder she’s terrified. She thinks you’re going to do it again.”
“I’m not. Not this time.” The words come out fierce, desperate. “Last night was everything. I need her to believe that.”
“You slept together.” It’s not a question.
“Sophie.”
“Oh, please, I’m not blind. The way you two are touching, the looks, the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife. So you finally hooked up and now you’re freaking out?”
“She’s my best friend,” I say quietly, watching Morgana across the room at the bar. Even from here, I can see the graceful line of her neck, the way she laughs at something the bartender says. “I’m scared of losing her.”
Sophie’s expression softens. “Honey, you’re going to lose her if you don’t admit your feelings to her.”
“But what if…”
“What if nothing.” She holds up a hand. “I’ve watched Morgana pine for you since we were in college. Every boyfriend was compared to you and found wanting. Every major decision included the question ‘What would Kane think?’ She cares about you, but she won’t wait forever. If you don’t get up off your ass, she’ll eventually find someone who will.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re about to do that thing where you tell her last night was a mistake and you’re better as friends.”
