In sizzling Book 2 in the Make You Mine Romance Novels, Kimberley Anne weaves a tale of unexpected encounters and undeniable desires. When Morgan Campbell crosses paths with the mysterious stranger Connor Black, she's unsure if he's her saviour or another source of trouble.
For Connor Black, meeting Morgan ignites a spark he's never felt before. Determined to pursue her, he embarks on a journey of newfound love, but his past as a merciless businessman threatens to ruin their scorching romance. Will he be able to overcome his demons and prove to Morgan that he's worthy of her love and trust?
Join Connor and Morgan on a rollercoaster ride of passion, torment and redemption. Will they overcome their pasts and find solace in each other's arms, or will their love story be lost to the trials of life and ruthlessness of the wrong people?
Morgan Campbell, April 2018
'Mac!' Morgan Campbell's brother yelled.
Morgan cringed.
She hated that nickname, the initials of the name given to her at birth, Morgan Asher Campbell, especially when he yelled it at her.
She knew by the tone of his voice exactly what he wanted. And it wasn't what she wanted.
Lucas Campbell was her brother, five years older than Morgan's twenty-five years. He had shown up at her house in Mulwala, a country town on the New South Wales border to Victoria. Morgan had been living here happily for twelve months by herself before Lucas had invited himself, telling his younger sister that he needed a place to stay for a couple of weeks. That was twelve months ago. Morgan had tried numerous times of late to kick him out, each time unsuccessful. Every time she told Lucas he had to move on, she found him sitting in her lounge room when she got home from work.
'Morgan.' Lucas yelled her Christian name to get her attention. He was closer to her bedroom door this time. Next, he would bang on her door, until she answered him, or she opened her door to glare at him. Morgan's bedroom door was locked. Lucas wasn't allowed in her room ever. But that didn't stop him from trying.
Trying to ignore her brother, he hoped that he would take her non-response as a hint that she didn't want to go out tonight. But he yelled her name again.
Morgan stood from her bed, preparing for her class tomorrow. She was a primary school teacher, teaching the third grade.
Her hand reached the door handle as his fist hit the wood of her door. She felt the woosh of air surround her as she turned the handle and pulled back. She glared at Lucas, knowing he was in a mood and wasn't going to leave her alone.
Morgan felt her arm leave her side, then her body was moving. Lucas had pulled his sister forcefully away from her comfort zone, which was her bedroom. He had a hold of her forearm, and she could feel his hand tightening. He was angry she had ignored him.
'We're leaving.' Lucas had turned toward the front door taking his sister with him. Luckily, Morgan was already dressed in jeans, a tee-shirt and boots, not in her pyjamas and slippers, for when her brother was moody like this.
There was no point in arguing with him when he was like this. She did herself no favours by opening her mouth. It only made Lucas see red, and when he saw red, as she had learnt over the last six months, everything she owned copped it.
His abuse towards her was getting worse, hence the reason her bedroom door was locked, and she was behind it. If there was one thing her brother had taught her over the time that he had been living with her, it was that she had to think quickly and always remember to lock her door and have her bedroom keys in her pocket. With her bedroom door still in reach, all Morgan had to do was pull it closed. A brief feeling of relief washed over her every time she heard the lock click into place.
Morgan told herself she was safe behind her locked door, and that Lucas couldn't hurt her. He couldn't throw her furniture at her or the little knick-knacks she had purchased to make this little house she rented from the education department a home. There wasn't much left that Lucas hadn't broken and this made her wonder what would happen when there was nothing left to ruin. Would he barge through her bedroom door and start throwing what she had managed to save since she'd become a teacher three years ago? Would her brother destroy everything that she had worked so hard for over the last two years since she moved here until there was absolutely nothing left? Then would she be the only punching bag he had?
There had to be a way out from under her brother's thumb. His behaviour was only getting worse. His abuse had started with a grab of her arm here and a punch to her upper arm there. Most of the time, Morgan tried to avoid him and hang around work longer to stay out of his way. When Lucas cottoned on that she was spending less and less time around him, his behaviour became more aggressive.
'Lucas.' It came out softly as not to aggravate her brother further, and when she tugged her arm backwards, he let go. 'I can make my own way to the car.'
She told herself that it was easier to do what Lucas wanted to do rather than fight him. Maybe tonight would be the night that changed everything. Morgan could only hope.
Lucas snatched the keys from the kitchen bench and headed towards the front door.
She stumbled across the threshold between inside and out because he pushed her through the front door and quickly slammed it. Morgan moved towards the passenger seat. There was no way Lucas was going to let her drive, even if the car was hers. As Lucas had taken to driving her car everywhere, that left Morgan with no mode of transportation. With her money already scarce as she paid all the bills and he contributed to nothing, she couldn't afford to purchase another vehicle. The only other option she could afford was a second-hand bicycle.
Lucas unlocked the car, and they both got in. Five minutes later, he parked outside The Grand Hotel, the local pub in this country town that attracted the attention of the roughest people, Lucas's type of people. Morgan hated coming to the front bar.
Her brother walked closely next to her as maybe he thought she would run from him. The thought did cross her mind. But the feeling that started to grow inside her was like adrenaline running through her veins. It told her there was a chance that tonight might turn out better than she thought it would.
As soon as they walked through the doors of the front bar, she cringed inwardly, hoping it wouldn't show on the outside. On an exhale, she breathed out her relief. Lucas attention had been drawn away from her. He was now moving towards his newfound friends - the ones he had made since moving in with her. Morgan followed behind him, as that was what was expected of her. Her brother would drink and converse vulgarly with his creepy friends while she sat in silence, waiting for her brother to be done drinking and wanting her to drive him home.
Lucas always encouraged her to drink with him, but she refused. She wanted to be in control and didn't want anyone to take advantage of her. Watching the amount of alcohol he drank turned Morgan off drinking altogether. They had only been there an hour, and he had poured more than two jugs of beers down his throat. But Morgan wasn't thinking about trying to escape Lucas and his friends. Someone new had just walked in. He was tall and lean and didn't look like he was from around here. But the familiarity worn on his dark features told her he knew about this pub, or at least places like this. He was the perfect guy for Morgan to fantasise about.
No one new ever walked into the front bar of The Grand Hotel. She should know. She was here often enough with Lucas. The people here were all locals. But when the door opened an air of freshness walked in, Morgan knew in that moment that things here at this bar were about to change.
She was the only person who noticed him walk in. Everyone else was too busy laughing or shouting or cosying up to their other halves. His brown eyes caught her hazel eyes, but that wasn't the only thing that caught, so had her intake of air. She must've looked like she was prey in the spotlight. Why was she wondering what he was thinking about the look on her face? And why was she thinking this man could be the answer to her shitty situation? Why was she even fantasising about him?
Her situation wasn't changing tonight, it seemed. He broke eye contact first to continue to walk straight up to the bar, find a stool and order his drink. A tumbler with brown liquor at the bottom, no ice. The mystery air of freshness might have ordered his drink, but it didn't stop him from checking out the crowd that had gathered tonight at The Grand Hotel. It was rowdier in here than usual.
Their eyes met a few times before they both looked away. He was checking her out, the same as she was checking him out. Morgan liked the attention she was getting from him. Even if she didn't know this man, his eyes on her never creeped her out once, unlike when Lucas's friends looked at her. Her skin crawled every time.
She watched on as the brown liquor was gone in one swallow, before the tumbler was slammed back down on top of the bar. Someone was in a mood, Morgan thought. He ordered another, but he didn't drink this one the same way. His drink made it to his lips a few times before he returned it to the bar.
'Order a drink, we're getting drunk.' Her brother had come up behind her.
'No. You are drinking. I am just the ride home.' Lucas was making a scene. Morgan was having none of it.
'Come on, loosen up a bit. Let me order you a drink.'
'I said no.' Her words came out at the top of her lungs.
Stepping back from the high-top table, Lucas and his friends had gathered around to avoid him pulling her back in and taking a hold of her forearm, where he would most likely give her a Chinese burn for making a scene in front of his friends.
Morgan took off at a pace, slowing only when she passed the man seated at the bar, he had picked up his drink and swallowed it just as she stopped in front of him. Pissed off at her brother and now that she was closer to him, she was pissed at this gorgeous stranger. He had been checking her out for as long as he'd been here and didn't once try to make a move. He could have been her knight in shining armour, but all he wanted to do was drink, just like her brother.
Blowing out a frustrated breath through parted lips before Morgan pressed them in a thin line, shook her head in displeasure and stormed out of the front bar through the doors that would lead her to the back bar and the bistro.
Angry at her brother and everything that had happened since he moved in with her, Morgan let her emotions get the better of her. Now, she was hiding in the employee-only area hoping she wasn't followed.
Under the stairs in the darkness, Morgan let the tears that had welled in her eyes fall down her cheeks. She let her frustrations out on a silent scream, which must have looked ridiculous to the person watching at her. Jarryd Thomas, the middle child of Jackie Thomas, the owner of this establishment, was staring right at her with his hand out. He gave her the come-here gesture. On a whim, knowing that her night wasn't going to get any better, she took his hand and let him lead her out from underneath the stairs and then up them.
Once out of sight and earshot of everyone, Jarryd spoke. 'Ms Campbell.'
'You don't have to call me that.' Though she knew Jarryd was only being polite.
'Mac.'
Every person Morgan made contact with called her Mac, no thanks to her brother. She hated it. Wished everyone would call her Morgan. Maybe one day when her brother was out of her life, she could educate the people around her to use her Christian name.
'Why did you bring me up here, Jarryd?' She was curious as to why this Thomas brother had brought her up here.
'If it wasn't for your brother, I know you wouldn't even be downstairs in the front bar.
Jarryd's observation was true. She wouldn't be here. She would be making notes for her grade three classes and marking their homework. Now, she would have to get up early tomorrow and get to work to do what she should be doing tonight.
Morgan nodded, and before she could say anything, Jarryd spoke again. 'No one uses the apartment up here. I think my mum wants my older brother Jaime to have it but seeing as he isn't around, maybe you could use it. Get away from your brother for a little while.'
'Jarryd, the thought is very sweet, but I can't just stay here without your mum knowing.'
'She doesn't come up here, and I'll give you a key. Let yourself in or come in before closing if you don t want to use the key.'
What did Morgan say to the first opportunity she'd been given since her brother had arrived a year ago to be able to have a break from him? She knew if she played her cards right, she could do this. As sneaky as it would be, Morgan could avoid her brother to get the alone time she'd been missing out on.
She thanked Jarryd as he left her there in the apartment above The Grand Hotel. She didn't bother looking around, but headed straight for the king-size bed, crawled under the covers and fell asleep. She would worry about accepting Jarryd's offer another day.