Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (47 page)

“Did
what? Go on,” Luis told her with a small laugh.

She
looked back to him, unable to resist his sexy smile. “I think
my purse was under my bed. Do...do you think they got everything?”
She knew her purse had been on top of the dresser, but it was the
first thing that came to mind that she could question.

“Yes,
I'm sure of it, but we'll go back and check if you'd like.” He
was still smiling, but Morgan could tell he was sincere and would
return if she gave the word. If he was confident they'd gotten
everything, then it was good enough for her. She'd put away all of
the things she'd unpacked, so there wasn't really anything to forget,
but it always made her nervous to think about other people touching
her things.

“No,
that's okay. I'm sure they got everything too.” Morgan nodded
and looked back out the window. “Can we come back through here,
so I can get pictures?” She was talking to the window, so she
didn't see him nod in response, but his words pulled her away from
the beautiful view.

“Of
course, Beautiful Morgan.” She nearly giggled at his words,
still giddy with excitement. Luis hadn't taken her on a helicopter
ride just so she could see the city, he'd taken her on their own
personal tour so he could find out exactly what she liked and it had
been easy to find out. Morgan liked the historical part of the city
and he planned on showing her every inch of what it had to offer.

“I
want to eat there too!” Morgan pointed at a fancy restaurant
that had two life size metal bulls, standing up on their back
haunches on either side of the large double doors. “It looks
so...Spain!” She realized how dumb that must have sounded and
tried to recover, “I...I mean...it looks like it would have
authentic cuisine.”

“It
does. And I assure you, it tastes just like Spain.” He laughed
again and instantly, Morgan didn't feel so dumb.
He laughs easy,
that's a good thing.
She had immediately categorized him as a
class three from his expensive suit, fine jewelry and nice shoes, but
the more he spoke and joked, the more she was leaning toward a class
two. “We'll go now, if you'd like.”

Morgan
looked down at her outfit and slowly shook her head. “I don't
think I'm dressed for it.” She had noticed the fine handles on
the door, and a host that nearly screamed that she would hate it
there, standing right outside the entrance. Morgan wasn't as excited
about eating there after seeing it up close.

“You're
right, it's getting cold.” That's not what Morgan had meant,
but she was glad he'd turned it around. She was also beginning to
grow weary, but the clothing excuse worked well enough. She too
wished that she'd dressed warmer,
but the outfit is cute, so that
counts for something.

It
wasn't much longer before the car began to slow down, then it turned
left, went for a few miles, then turned left again. They came to a
huge gate, in the middle of a tall brick wall that surrounded the
perimeter. Luis pecked in a few numbers, and the gates opened slowly.
What lied behind the big black doors was more than Morgan even had
the words for.

The
landscape was nothing like she'd ever seen at any of her clients'
homes, even the cobblestone road they were driving on was beautiful.
The narrow path they drove down was lined with tall trees that made
seeing past them difficult, but she assumed, that was probably the
point. Privacy, she liked it. Eventually, the road came to a Y and in
the center, there was a large fountain that made her smile.
Extending from the fountain were two small creeks. Morgan couldn't
see where they emptied, but the creeks swirled around the whole
property and lead to the back where there was a large lake. The road
continued on for another few hundred feet, and eventually, the house
began to come into view from behind the trees. The home was even more
impressive than the yard.

“Class
three,” she whispered, too quiet for anyone to hear. It was a
brick mansion, two stories tall and there were at least a dozen
turrets that extended far beyond that. The length of the home was
more than three times the height.

“Excuse
me?” Luis pulled to a stop in front of the house and Morgan
realized she'd spoken her realization aloud.

“Classy,”
she recovered quickly.

“Ah,
it's nothing special.”
Oh, you're one of those guys.
Morgan
smiled at his back as he climbed out of the car. He was at her side
of the car in moments and helped her to a standing position, then he
grabbed her hand and started walking toward the home.

“My
bags?”

“Senorita,
you will have to quit worrying so much.” He continued walking
forward and Morgan climbed the curved steps with him to the front
door. With each stair, she cursed her feet that were still sore from
the day before.

“Sorry.
I suppose I do worry a lot.” She was silly to assume he'd grab
her bags, of course a class three wouldn't carry bags.
Then again,
they usually don't drive themselves either.

He
had just shown her through the massive front door, when he shouted
right next to her ear. “Luis!” Morgan turned and looked
at the man who was shouting at.. himself. She couldn't find the
words quickly enough to ask what he needed... from himself, before an
older gentleman with stark white hair and wide sincere smile entered
the room. “See Morgan to my room, please.” He turned
and smiled at her. “You can make yourself at home while I see
to dinner. Unless.. you'd rather go out?” She shook her head,
and wanted to laugh at hearing Luis call for his caretaker, Luis.

“Dinner
in is perfect.” He nodded towards Luis, and the old smiling
man motioned for Morgan to follow him up the spiral staircase on the
left side of the massive foyer.
Well, we wouldn't want to take
the stairs on the right, that would just be silly. We take the left
stairs before dinner, and the right after...

“Here
is your room, Senorita.” He stood outside the first door at
the top of the stairs, and stretched his short thin arm into the
room. “Just call if you need anything.” She gave him a
quick nod and he shut the door before leaving her alone in her
client's bedroom.

*****

“Finlay
Campbell, I assure you, I can't eat another bite.” Carla
politely pushed the half eaten plate of food from her lap, and Finlay
begrudgingly took it away. “It was wonderful, truly.”
She smiled weakly up at the man that had taken care of her non-stop
for three days straight. He was more attentive than she ever thought
possible, especially when it came to her son. She felt peace, for
the first time since she'd been told that she had cancer, and that
peace was all that she had held out for since the birth of her baby.

“I'll
just take this downstairs. If ye need...”

“I
need to talk to ye, if that's alright.” She tried to reach for
his free hand, but she didn't have the strength to grab him. Finlay
nodded and put the plate down, then pulled a chair close to her bed.
“My sister will be here next week to start the arrangements.
I've already signed the papers that ye gave me, and everything should
be ready. Finlay...,” she used all of her strength to put her
hand over his that he'd placed on the bed beside her, “I won't
make it much longer, we both know it. I need te tell ye that you've
earned a place in heaven for what you've done for my boy. Ye must
know what you've saved him from, and I... well... I won't have time
to thank ye for what yer doin'. I don't know how I would anyway.”
A single tear fell from her pale blue eyes, and Finlay wiped it away
gently.

“Ye
don't need te thank me, Carla. It's the right thing te do.”
He spoke the words with sincerity, and even if what they were doing
was wrong, it no longer mattered. He'd fallen in love with Cameron,
and he would see that the wee lad had a good life with Carla's
sister. “Get some rest. I'll check on ye in a bit.” He
stood again, and picked up the plate before walking across the room.

“Maybe
I'll earn my wings for doing this, or maybe... I've lost them for
what I've done. Either way, my son is safe, and if I can, Finlay
Campbell, I'll watch over ye both from where I end up.” Finlay
nodded slowly, and he would save his displeasure of hearing her
morbid thoughts for another time. Carla was far too sick, and
fragile, to do anything at the time but sleep. The woman did just
that before Finlay even left the room.

The
next morning, Carla Sinclair was gone. It was Burke who had found
her, and it was he that had called the proper authorities to see to
her body. Finlay, who felt the loss more than he thought he would,
planned an elaborate funeral that only he and Sean would attend.
That fact had also added to his determination to give Cameron
everything that Carla never could.

“Her
sister... she'll be here soon?” Sean and Finlay left the
service and headed straight to their favorite pub. It was there that
Finlay had explained that Carla's sister hadn't been told about the
passing, per Carla's instructions, and that she would be there in a
few days days. “I'm sure yer ready to put this all behind you,
mate.” Sean ordered them both a drink, then gave his friend a
soft pat to the back. Finlay shook his head, and looked right into
Sean's eyes.

“Thing
is... if she's no' good enough for the wee one, I'll not give him to
her.”

Chapter
Eight

Morgan
had spent the previous evening in the company of Luis and Luis, as
well as a small staff of housekeepers. She'd learned that her class
three was unlike any other in that he enjoyed mingling with his staff
as much as she most likely would have in his situation. She enjoyed
the stories over dinner of how Luis' father, and his butler, were so
close that her client's father had named his first and only child
after him. It was a beautiful story, and explained why they shared
the same first name, and the entire night was spent with Morgan
smiling and laughing at all of the stories that were told by the
elder Luis. She had also had all the time in the world to look her
client over, without being obvious.

Luis
was nearly a head taller than Morgan, which she liked, and on the
thin side. She compared his build to Gio, but slightly more
muscular. His hair was dark, but not quite black, and his eyes were
a beautiful mixture of browns with a touch of green that she could
only see in the natural light. He hadn't shaved for a few days, and
the neat short growth had added an edge to the man that smiled
easily, and made him even more attractive. Yes, he was even more
handsome than his photo, but his personality was even better than his
beauty.

The
following morning, Morgan was smiling all over again at the memory of
their long meal and conversation while she stood in a shower that was
suitable for at least three more people. It was nice to have that
kind of space, and was difficult to leave after she'd washed herself
completely.

She
dressed slowly, since she'd actually gotten out of bed before Luis,
and thought about everything she knew about the man as she took her
time in getting ready for the day. Luis was laid back, and funny,
two traits that she loved in any person. He also didn't see himself
as being any better than his staff, which obviously came from his
parents and the upbringing they'd given him. They had passed away
several years prior, but their memories filled the mansion at every
corner, and that made Morgan almost feel as if she'd met them as
well.

There
was an especially nice memento at the top of the stairs, in the form
of a seven foot high oil painting of Luis' grandmother, Leta. It was
done for her eighteenth birthday, which also turned out to be her
wedding day. Morgan had never seen a more beautiful woman in her
life, and probably not one that looked more incredibly happy. She
had small tight curls that framed a flawless oval face, and hair
darker than the blackest of nights, that flowed in shallow waves down
her back and arms. The smile that was captured was the most eye
catching part of the amazing piece, and Morgan could feel the love
that she'd had for her groom on that very day.

In
front of that painting is where Luis found her after he'd climbed out
of bed, and where he watched from a distance as she took several
photos of his young grandmother, and tried to listen as Morgan
whispered sweet words to a woman long gone.

Luis
slowly approached her from behind and placed one hand on her
shoulder, then pulled the hair away from her ear with his other hand
as he leaned in closer. Morgan tensed under his touch at the initial
surprise of feeling him behind her, but then quickly relaxed again.
The sweet warm vanilla scent of her still-damp hair nearly drove him
mad, but he bit his lip and kept himself under control. In her ear,
he whispered, “I'll have a duplicate made, if you'd like.”