“Thank you, have a nice day.”

Morgan smiled as she pulled the receipt from the paper dispenser and handed it over to a middle-age woman in front of her.

It was coming close to the end of her work day. The store had been uneventful -to say the least- but it didn’t bother her because she'd spent most of her time restocking the sales floor and ducking into the backroom to text Justin from time to time. This was a radical change for her because she was used to reprimanding her coworkers who texted on their phones, not joining in with them. It put a little pep in her step knowing that she still attracted someone as handsome and mature as Justin - and with kid attached to her hip at that.

It was one thing being a single mother and date, but to be a single mother and date a decent man with a stable income, some common sense, and good hygiene seemed nearly impossible. With a little girl to raise she couldn’t settle for anyone less than spectacular. These days it was way too common to hear sad, heart-wrecking stories of woman dating a "good" man only to find out later on that the man had been lying, cheating, stealing, or God forbid molesting their child. But, she didn't have any of those issues with Justin. He seemed just as likely to kill anyone who hurt Chloe as Morgan did.

“Morgan, you ready to count down your drawer?”

The store manager was coming down the middle of the aisle, jiggling the store keys hooked to the side of her pants as she walked. Morgan smiled, giddy and ready to go. Justin was coming by her place in an hour, just before he started his shift for the night, so she could fix him a to-go plate for dinner. She figured he was getting tired of having fast food, and it was nice having someone to cook for other than Chloe.

Thirty minutes later Morgan was finally headed to her car. The weather was finally starting to cool a little - preparing for the Fall season- but it was still bright and warm even as sunset approached. She pushed her sunglasses up to the top of her head as she dug down into her brown shoulder bag searching for her keys. She glanced up briefly to watch where she was going, and did a double take at her Jeep.

She stopped dead in her tracks as her orbs scanned the side of the vehicle, then she blinked a couple of times to make sure what she was seeing wasn’t some crazy hallucination brought on by sleep deprivation.

Once she came to the realization that what she was seeing wasn’t a figment of her imagination all she could manage to say was, "what the fuck?”

On the side of her car, in large white block letters, the words 'Mall Cop Slut' had been written in spray paint. Without a shadow of a doubt she knew exactly who it was from: that son of a bitch, Devon. She couldn’t believe he would stoop so low. Spray painting her car for the world to see? Really? But, then again, he was a self-centered, ungrateful, ignorant child so she couldn’t put it past him either. He always found some way to aggravate her just when she thought she was getting everything in her life back on track.

“Morgan, girl, who the hell did that to your car?”

She turned her head to the side to see one of her co-workers, Melissa, walking out to her car to go home as well.

"Great," she muttered.

This is exactly what she needed; someone at work to see it and start up some gossip. What if it got back to her boss? Bringing drama to work could possibly cause her to lose her job. Then how would she support Chloe?

“I don’t know who would do such a thing. Someone must have got the wrong car,” she lied.

Melissa chuckled.

"Wow. Well, looks like someone is really pissed at whoever they attempted to get. I'd hate to be that cop slut. Do you want me to go get Ms. Peggy?”

“No, I got it. I’ll just call a friend to see if they can pick me up and I’ll figure this one out tonight.”

“Okay girl. Sorry you had such bad luck. I’ll see ya later!"

Morgan offered a tight smile as Melissa waved before climbing into her Toyota and heading out of the parking lot. With Melissa gone Morgan was left to ponder what to do and who to call. How in the hell was she supposed to pick up Chloe with those words plastered on her car for the world to see? There was only one person she trusted to call: Justin.

He answered on the third ring, and it didn't take long for him to get to her. She watched as he paced around the car with his trademark stoic expression, looking through her windows. What exactly he was looking for she didn’t know.

Justin didn’t say much once he saw the writing on her car, but he did flash her an apologetic look after his initial glimpse of it. It was brief, but it was there, so she knew it bothered him too.

“You should report this to the police.”

Morgan shook her head as she chewed on one of her chipped purple fingernails. She didn’t want to bother with the police right now - if at all.

“Right now all I want to do is get Chloe, go home, and figure out how I'm going to pay to have this car repainted.”

“Yes. Right after you call the police and report the vandalism. “

Morgan sighed.

"I just need to get Chloe from school. Right now.”

She turned on her heel and headed over to Justin’s car. She didn’t want to deal with the police and she didn’t want to deal with Devon. Justin was right when he said that Devon deserved to be reported to the police, but she didn’t want to be standing in the parking lot giving a report for everyone to see. That kind of attention was always negative, especially when it happens near the workplace. The whole thing was a giant hassle. It was a headache that she didn’t have the time or the money for.

On second thought, she would probably be able to handle the headache better than the feeling of Justin's eyes burning into the side of her face as he opened the car door for her. Shortly after he climbed into the driver seat and pulled out of the shopping area. This was the first time Morgan had ever been on the inside of Justin's car, and she had to admit it was nice. Clean and sharp. A lot like him.

The car slowed to a stop at a red light. Justin held the steering with one hand, his other resting on the armrest. He impatiently tapped his thumb on the leather twice.

"Why won’t you make him own up to his harassment?”

Morgan turned from the window, meeting Justin’s gaze as he stared back. She was beginning to understand some of his facial expressions and what they meant. This one was his 'I need answers before you piss me off' face.

“I just don’t have time to invest in playing tic-for-tac with him.”

“Nor do you have the time or money to cover up his kid antics,” he mocked.

She chuckled, and he shot her a look before changing lanes. Morgan pushed a few curls from her face with a sigh and turned back to the window.

"Look, Justin, I appreciate you picking me up, but I really don’t want to talk about this right now. It's been a long day; I'll deal with this later. As of right now, I'm just trying to wrap my head around how I'm going to get to work tomorrow.”

“I’ll take you. “

"I have a split shit tomorrow, and you have that gun qualification thing."

“So, take my car.”

“That range is an hour away. How are you going to get there? You've been going on and on about it for a week, I'm not going to let you miss it.”

“I’ll get there.”

"How?"

"I'll get there."

His tone cut the dispute short.

"So, you going to file a report?”

“No," she snapped.

“Why?”

“Because."

“Because what?”

“I don’t have time for it.”

“You don’t have time for it? That’s a great reason,” he scoffed.

“Just drop it, please. I have a headache.”

“Because of him,” he muttered.

“No, because of this conversation.”

Morgan rolled her neck and ran a hand over her shoulder. She could feel the tension headache beginning to grow. He was adding to her stress - which was the opposite of what he usually did.

“Look Morgan, he is going to keep bothering until you stop backing away with your tail between your legs all because you don’t have the energy.”

Morgan huffed. She knew that. She already knew everything he was saying, and didn’t need him to give a lecture right now. If he really needed something to do with his mouth she could think of a few other options that were much more useful and exciting than arguing.

Before she could respond Justin swung into a parking spot in front of Chloe's school. Morgan threw open the door, trying to escape the conversation. To her disappointment Justin climbed out of the car as well and started to follow behind her.

"We'll finish this conversation later, but I want to come with you.”

She nodded as he moved to her side, and they walked up the steps into the school.

It didn’t take it long for them to walk back out with Chloe, walking hand-in-hand with Justin, talking a million miles an hour. Morgan walked in front of them, carrying her daughter's backpack filled with arts and crafts projects that she'd made during daycare.

She was so grateful that she had Chloe had distracted Justin from their previous conversation. She needed a minute to think without Sergeant Knows-It-All in her ear. Justin quickly moved to open their car doors as they climbed inside. Morgan turned her head to remind Chloe to buckle up, but Justin was already at it, making sure she was secure. She couldn’t help but smile even though she was just as frustrated with him as he probably was with her.

After they were all settled Chloe continued on with her one-sided conversation while Justin drove. Morgan met his eyes when they paused at a stop sign, and he gave her a look that showed their conversation wasn’t over by a long shot. She sank back into her seat and stared out the window - only chiming into the conversation when Chloe addressed her directly.

Morgan couldn’t make sense of Devon, she really couldn’t. She thought his little run-in with Justin would have been enough for him to leave her alone, but apparently all it did was give him something new to gripe about. In a perfect world he would disappear. She always prayed that he would do something ridiculously stupid and get locked up for a long time. Then they could have some peace and stability.

Twenty minutes later the tires rolled over the speed bumps of the back parking lot and Morgan realized her quiet time was coming to an end. She was still trying to figure out a way to delay their conversation. Thankfully, Chloe kept the distraction going as soon as she opened her door.

"Mommy, can I have a snack when I get inside?” She was standing hand-in-hand with Justin on the sidewalk.

Morgan shook her head, lifting her purse onto her shoulder.

"Didn’t you have a snack at daycare?”

“You forgot to put one in my backpack."

They had been running a little late that morning because Morgan overslept. She'd been up late talking to Justin, of course. He'd been telling her about his job in the Marine Corps, and the different positions he'd held before becoming a Staff Sergeant. She briefly remembered her phone beeping and flashing red, indicating that the battery was low before her eyes closed from heaviness.

“Okay, but right after you get started on your homework.”

Morgan reached out and fixed the bow in the back of Chloe's hair; anything to avoid Justin's gaze. It was time for him to lay off because his stares were starting to aggravate her.

Once she retrieved their things from the car Morgan dragging along behind them, watching as they interacted with each other. It brought a smile to her face at how Chloe was so comfortable with Justin. He didn’t intimidate her the way he did Morgan. Chloe was completely smitten with him, and it seemed that Justin was equally taken with her - though Chloe was more open about it.

The innocence of a child.

Morgan shuffled behind them, simultaneously digging into her purse to retrieve her keys. Her hand wrapped around the cold metal, and she looked up just in time to see Justin stop short in front of her causing her to collide with his back.

"Justin, I’m walking here,” she joked, moving to the side.

His arm shot out, blocking her forward motion and she frowned. His eyes remained forward when she looked up at his face and she followed them to her cracked front door.

Why was her door opened?

“Did you lock the door before you left this morning?” Justin asked.

His voice was different. He wasn't Chloe's playful Justin or her libidinous Justin, this was marine Justin and he meant business.

“Yeah," she spoke softly.

Justin looked at her, and she nodded as she took Chloe's hand from his.

"You may want to take Chloe to your grandma's place to get a snack.”

Morgan agreed, but Chloe groaned loudly.

"Mommy! I want to stay with you and Mr. Justttiin!” She whined.

“You'll just be with Grandma Sara for a little bit. She hasn’t seen you all week. Maybe you can ask her to cook you some of her famous peanut butter cookies.”

Morgan was trying her best to sound excited about the idea, but Chloe wasn’t having it. Her boney shoulders slumped.

Justin interjected for her.

"It will only be for a few minutes. Then we can eat dinner, and maybe we can all go for some ice cream after.”

“Really?! Can we mommy?” Chloe jumped up and down in excitement.

“Yes. But, only if you promise to eat all your dinner tonight, and get to bed with no fuss.”

Chloe quickly agreed.

”Alright, let’s go.”

Morgan pulled Chloe down the walkway, the little girl starting to ramble on about what flavors ice cream she was going to get. Morgan glanced back over her shoulder just in time to see Justin pull a small handgun from the waistband at the back of his black cargo pants.

Her jaw dropped.

She hadn't even known he had it!

He kicked the door open with a tap of his foot and peered in before stepping inside.

It didn’t take long for Morgan return to her front porch sans Chloe. Justin was waiting on her, posted up against the wall with one boot on the stucco.

"Someone paid you a little visit," he said.

Morgan frowned. It didn't take a genius to figure out who he was referring too. She pushed past him, walking into the living room. The area was completely trashed. Everything that had been neatly put in its place before she'd left that morning was now scattered over the floor.

As they moved further into the apartment her stomach began to turn. She looked into Chloe’s room, finding it untouched. But her own bedroom looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Nothing had been left untouched. Morgan sighed deeply as she pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation.

“This is not my day," she whispered. "This is so not my day."

She heard Justin move behind her as his boots crunched on broken glass in the carpet.

"I've got to get this cleaned up before I bring Chloe back."

She heard a scoff, and looked up into stern blue eyes.

“You got to be kidding me right?” He questioned.

“What?”

“You cannot clean this up right now! You need to call the police and file a report.”

Morgan pushed past him, walking back into the living room.

"I can’t do that. It’s not worth it.”

"What do you mean it’s not worth it?" Justin was hot on her heels. "Morgan, he just tagged your car, and now he's violated your personal space. That is a not only a violation of your privacy, but trespassing, stalking, and breaking and entering.”

Morgan began to pick up toys and laundry from the floor, but Justin pulled them from her grasp and dropped them back on the carpet. She was contaminating the crime scene. She could tell he was growing more and more frustrated with her by his forcefulness as he pulled her way.

“I don’t want Devon to think that anything he does stops the show in my house. He isn't out to get me, he wants the attention and I’m not going to give him any.”

Morgan shook herself from his hold and went into the kitchen to start getting things ready for dinner. She heard the front door slam shut and heavy boots stalk through the dining room.

“Cut the shit Morgan," Justin said roughly. "This man came into your home! This is the place where you are supposed to feel safe and he totally fuck that up.”

Morgan waved him off, trying to busy herself by pulling ingredients out of the fridge.

"I’m over this, Justin! I’ll think about this later, right now I need to get dinner ready."

“No! You can’t seriously be thinking about staying here tonight. It’s not happening.”

Morgan pulled a pan from the cabinet and slammed the door shut.

"Where would you like me to go, Justin?! I can’t go to my grandma's house because you know she's a lightweight hoarder and there's no room."

"Light weight hoarder," he mocked. "A hoarder is a hoarder is a hoarder."

Morgan ignored him.

"I’m not going to Char's because I have enough drama in my life, I don't need to sit and watch someone else’s. I don’t have the money for a hotel room - not to mention to car repair I still have to figure out. So, no, Justin, all I need to do is clean this house and go on about my business. I am not giving Devon the satisfaction of thinking he even slightly hurt me. So you drop the shit! This is my problem, not yours.”

There was silence for a long while. Morgan wondered if she'd finally pushed him as far as he would go. Then Justin started to chuckle in disbelief, causing Morgan to eye him strangely.

“You are a piece of work Morgan.”

She cocked her eyebrow.

"Excuse me?”

“I know you are a great mother...”

Her eyelids lowered suspiciously.

“...But you are also selfish as hell.”

Whoa.

“Come again?" She questioned.

Justin folded his arms over his chest.

"That whole little rant doesn’t mean shit. Not once did you even mention Chloe.”

She cringed.

“It's one thing if you don't care about your safety - which you obviously don't - but I would've at least expected you to be concerned about Chloe’s. If you don’t recall there was a little scene right outside not too long ago where he put his hands on you. Here, let me jog your memory: he picked you up and fucking threw you across the lawn in front of your child. The same child that he's oh-so-eager to spend time alone with. Now, if that's not an indicator of what this fucker is capable of I don't know what will. But you keep brushing it off and brushing it off, as if shutting your eyes and tuning it out will make him disappear. Guess what Morgan: it’s not going to happen!”

Morgan swallowed the lump that had begun to form in her throat, and the pan in her hand started to shake.

“Even if you try your best to ignore him I assume he knows you a little better than you're giving him credit for; seeing as you two were together for a while. He knows this shit is secretly driving you crazy, and he also knows you clearly have a problem with your pride. But this isn’t about just you, Morgan, it’s about Chloe too. You've got to keep her safe.”

Morgan let out a shaky sigh as tears began to form in her eyes.

"I know."

She dropped her head as tears streamed from her eyes. When she lifted her head again her eyeliner had smeared around her lashes, and her pouty lips were frowning full force.

"I’ve tried to keep the peace. I really have! I’ve tried to reason with him because I wanted to keep him in her life. He and I both grew up without our fathers, and I didn’t want that for her. Even if we weren’t together I was hell-bent on keeping him in hers. I guess somewhere down the line he just stopped giving a fuck. Or, maybe he never did.”

Silence fell again, accompanied with Morgan’s sniffle. Justin reached out, wanting to consol her. He hated to see her so sad - especially over some useless douche bag. Morgan stepped into his side, and he wrapped his arms around her fragile body as she buried her face into his chest; clinching the sides of his black cotton t-shirt.

“Even though he doesn’t care, I care," he said quietly. "You can come stay at my place for the night. I've got plenty of room.”

Morgan simply nodded and hugged him tighter.

“I told you I would protect you. I meant that."

***

Justin unlocked the front door, kicking it open with his steel-toe boot before stepping into the darkness. His hands were filled with plastic bags from the grocery store, so he had to navigate his way to the kitchen counter before he could turn on a light. Morgan and Chloe were hovering in the hall behind him, Morgan holding the rest of the bags and Chloe clutching a pink bag stuffed with pajamas, DVDs, and toys.

"How can you see where you're going?"

Justin turned to look back at her, one of his eyebrows raising sharply. He knew she wore glasses when no one was looking, but her vision couldn't have been that bad, could it? There was light flooding in from the hallway - not the same as having the afternoon sun outside your window- but it was enough to guide you to a light switch.

"You're blind, aren't you?"

Morgan narrowed her eyes in the general direction of his voice.

"You're mean."

She heard him chuckle, and then a light flicked on illuminating the apartment.

"Come on in," he said.

Morgan looked around at the sparsely decorated walls and oversized sofa setup in front of a needlessly large TV.

"Clean. Minimal. Exactly what I'd expect from you."

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad."

"Neither," she said. "Just fitting."

Morgan moved to the small kitchen on the left, setting the bags down on the gray marble counter. After packing two small bags with clothes and necessities for the night she'd insisted they stop by the store once Justin admitted that he was out of basically everything except Gatorade and cheetos. He had offered his car and his home to them, and called in sick for the evening to stay with them. The least she could do was cook him the dinner she'd promised.

"It's getting late," she said. "Chloe, start homework while I cook dinner. You can sit right here at the dining table so I can supervise."

"I can help her," Justin offered.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I want Mr. Justin to help me, Mommy."

"No, we already ruined your night-."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take a home cooked meal at home over microwaved leftovers with Dale any night. Let me help her."

"Please Mommy? We won't play around."

"Yeah, we won't play around." Justin nodded in agreement with Chloe, then wiggled his eyebrows at Morgan.

"Well," Morgan finally replied. "If Justin wants to help you that's fine with me."

"Yes!" Chloe exclaimed, flinging her backpack onto the table.

Justin wiggled his eyebrows again.

"I guess we know who her favorite is."

Morgan rolled her eyes. As if Justin had a chance of even coming close to her level.

"Uh-huh. Enjoy it now, because I get her back after dinner."

***

Morgan was leaning back against the arm rest of the sofa. Chloe and Justin had done her homework, then entertained themselves with games while Morgan cooked. For the first time in years Justin had sat down and eaten at his own dinner table. Afterwards they'd all changed into their pajamas for a bedtime movie.

On the screen Dory and Marlin were navigating through a jellyfish garden, and Justin's carpet was covered with scattered pictures scribbled from crayons and random Barbie accessories. Morgan's eyes were narrowed into tiny slits as she stared at Justin, her jaw set in stone. He was trying his hardest to ignore her and not burst out laughing.

Chloe was tucked under his arm, drooling onto the fabric over his stomach. She'd been adamant about not feeling sleepy, but half an hour into Finding Nemo she'd started snoring.

"What?" Justin asked finally, a chuckle escaping through his lips.

He couldn't take her stare boring into his cheek anymore.

"Nothing," she snipped. "Just noticing how you're all cozy over there, cuddled up with my daughter. I'm always the one to cuddle her to sleep."

Justin shrugged dismissively.

"I can't help it if she knows where the comfy places are."

Morgan huffed, crossing her arms, and he laughed again.

"You'll have her all night," he said. "You and Chloe can take my room, I'll crash on the couch. Do you want me to carry her in for you?"

Morgan shook her head.

"You don't have to do that," she said. "She'll be okay out here."

Justin's brow furrowed.

"I love my baby with all my heart, but she kicks the shit out of me in her sleep," Morgan explained. "She doesn't need that much space, and this thing is practically the size of an extra long twin anyway."

"Hey! Don't hate on my sofa. After a long day a man needs to be able to come home and relax in a comfortable environment."

"Right, by texting me during kill cams while you sit on your butt playing Call of Duty and eating Top Ramen with linguisa."

This time it was Justin's turn to narrow his eyes. Clearly she knew entirely too much about his personal life.

"First of all, gourmet Top Ramen is a culinary delight. I have a unit full of guys that will back me up on that," he said. "And second, maybe you should stay out here with Chloe."

Morgan simply smiled. He had an impressive poker face, but considering the way his sex drive was, she doubted he'd really let her sleep in the living room while he occupied a cold bed all by himself.

"Are you tired?" He asked.

"Yeah," she replied honestly. "It's been a hell of a day."

"You got that right."

His mind reeled back over the day's events. He'd started off preparing for another boring shift, only to get a phone call from Morgan that ended in a night off, Disney movies, and a little girl sleeping in his lap. Talk about a turn of events.

Justin sat up, slowly easing Chloe down onto the fabric. She grunted and squirmed a little, but eventually she settled down and curled up into a tiny ball among the pillows. He stood over her, his usually stone expression softening.

"Are you sure she'll be okay?"

"She'll be fine," Morgan assured. "Believe me, she knows how to call me when she needs me."

After turning off the TV and leaving on a soft night light Morgan took Justin's hand, pulling him away from Chloe and toward the open door to his bedroom. He took one last look at the sleeping girl. Morgan had been right about the size of the sofa. Chloe was lost between the pillows and plush blanket.

Turning his vision forward, he found Morgan's frame in the dark as she sashayed toward his room. Her long curls swung gently with each step, and she glanced back over her shoulder with a soft grin. He felt himself grin back before he could help it. His hand was warm where her fingers wrapped around his, and the sensation travelled up his arm and into his chest.

Reaching around her, he flicked the switch by the door, filling the bedroom with light. When she stepped inside he closed the door behind them, but was careful not to lock it. An air of awkwardness started to settle in as he moved to his usual side of the bed. Morgan, following his lead, moved to the other. They both realized in that moment it had been a long time since they'd slept next to someone - and had never slept with each other.

Morgan watched as he stood on his side of the bed and pulled his shirt over his head before starting to undo the knot in his pajama pants. She ran a nervous hand through her hair.

"What's wrong?"

She shrugged.

"You'll think it's silly."

"Probably."

She ignored him.

"I've never undressed in front of you before."

He looked up through his eyelashes.

"You know we've had sex, right?"

"That was different."

Justin snorted, dropping his pants and shamelessly revealing a pair of green and blue stripped boxer briefs. Morgan's eyes landed on the thin patch of hair just above the waist band that lead up to a pack of lightly toned, perfectly tanned abs.

"How?"

"It was dark, and you were distracted."

"So? I still saw you."

"No, you didn't."

Justin paused, mid-reach to pull back the covers.

"I saw you," he repeated. "I always see you."

A moment of silence passed. Morgan didn't budge and he didn't bother trying to hide the roll of his eyes. Then he turned and moved over to the light switch, flicking it off.

"Better?" He asked.

"Much."

"I can still see you, little girl," he said, walking to his side of the bed.

She heard him pull back the covers and climb in, sighing when he relaxed against the sheets. Morgan tried to shake off her nerves, shimmying out of her pajama bottoms. They dropped to the floor and she climbed in bed beside him, pulling up the blankets.

All was quiet and still for a moment, each wondering what would come next. As much time as they'd spent talking and texting, they hadn't spent as much time together face-to-face.

Almost simultaneously they both rolled onto their sides to face each other. Morgan tucked a hand under her head as she tried to find his features in the dark.

"Look at you," he said. "You really are blind."

"How would you know? It's pitch black in here. You can't see either."

"Yes, I can," he insisted. "I told you, I see you perfectly."

He reached out with a slender finger and tapped the tip of her nose.

"Nose.... Eyebrow.... Cheekbone...."

His finger followed his whispers, tracing the lines of her face. They paused on her bottom lip, then his hand fell away, landing next to hers on the pillow. He found a few loose strands of her curly hair and started to twirl them absentmindedly.

"Thank you for helping me today," she said quietly.

"You don't have to thank me."

"I do. You don't have to be as nice as you are."

"I'll make you pay for it later."

A smile passed over her face.

"I'm sure you will."

He snorted.

"Never heard you tell me to stop."

Morgan didn't reply. It was true, she'd never tried to stop his sexual advances - and she probably never would. Everything about him was intoxicating - his lips, his arms, his hips, the muscles that wrapped around his lower back and ran down to his butt. And beyond the sex there was his smile, his eyes, his secret playfulness, the underlying protective instinct in his nature.

Just thinking about him brought a smile to her face; counting down the seconds until she saw him always made her pulse quicken. She felt like a teenager - a love struck girl who was navigating her first summer romance with a boy.

But, she had no idea how he felt about her. Justin was never open with his feelings. He was sure to let her know how much he hated PT, how bad MREs sucked, and how he wished Dale would join his unit just for 24 hours; but the topic of their relationship was never much of a discussion. However, it was obvious that he liked her, right? She was there, after all.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes," he answered automatically.

He didn't have to think about it. She could ask him anything.

"But, you have to be honest."

"Oh, God."

"Stop it," she hissed.

He kept quiet, but she saw his toothy grin in the dark.

"What do you think of me?"

He paused before asking, "what do you mean?"

"When you think of me, what comes to mind? What do you think about how I look, my personality, my... complicated life. What do you think of me?"

Justin turned, looking up at the shadows stretched across the ceiling. He took his time, carefully choosing his words. Morgan's heart started to beat triple time. Did he really have to think that hard about it? Maybe he didn't like her as much as she'd thought after all.

"Well, I think you're gorgeous," he answered finally. "You're smart, funny, and an amazing mother. You're also kind, and very sweet."

Morgan turned to look at the ceiling, struggling to hide the rapidly growing smile on her face.

"Sweet? I don't think anyone's called me sweet since the second grade."

"You're sweet," he repeated. "In fact I think you're just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen."

Morgan turned back to him, letting his words soak in. Devon never talked to her like that - never complimented her in any meaningful way. It felt good to finally hear something nice from someone.

Justin -in general- was going above and beyond. Helping with the car, letting them stay the night. Then he'd been so good with Chloe: playing with her before dinner and cuddling her until she fell asleep. Now, here he was, whispering sweet words to her in the dark while his fingers lazily twirled her hair.

He was perfect.

She put a hand on his cheek, wishing more than anything she could see the flakes of hazel in his blue eyes.

"Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?"

"Ehh, for the most part I suppose," he shrugged.

"Why do you think we met?"

It was another question he had to think about. She sure was philosophical for a single mom barely making above minimum wage. He'd seen her up late some nights with her bedroom light on. Now he knew what had been keeping her awake.

"You needed help," he answered finally. "You need someone to help you, and I can."

"It's that simple?"

He nodded.

"Most things in life are simple. It's people that make shit complicated - especially you women."

Morgan glared.

"I'm kidding! I can feel your laser eyes giving me the death stare."

"Good. Feel it. Feel my annoyance."

He let out a low snort.

"Oh, you got something I wanna feel alright."

Morgan laughed, opening her mouth to give him a flirty, witty reply but his hand touched her cheek, sliding back into her hair.

What he'd said had been a joke, but there was nothing funny about the way he was looking at her now. In the dark she could only make out elements of his face: the bridge of his nose, the curve of his jaw, the slight hollow under his cheekbone. Years of crawling in the dirt and training in the sun had created faint lines across his forehead and light bags under his eyes. But even in the dark he was as handsome as ever. He trailed a rough, callused finger down her cheek. A hypnotizing cologne of sweat, wood chips, and body wash wafted in the air around her.

He leaned down, slowly pressing his lips to hers. At first his touch was feather light. His kiss was barely a peck, and his hand moved to rest lightly on her hip. He kissed her sweetly; innocently. His fingers grazed the fabric of her underwear, ever so slightly picking at the elastic band, and he tried to be as slow and delicate as he could.

With each kiss his desire grew deeper, and he struggled to keep his composure. He wanted her in the worst way. His hands were aching to hold her, his mouth dying to taste the rest of her. She had looked so good prancing around his kitchen with her hair up in a bun and sauce smeared on her cheek. Now she was captive in his bed, wearing just her panties and a tank top.

But, Chloe was in the other room, and today had been eventful - to say the least. He didn't want to push her too far or overstep any boundaries, yet he wanted to be close to her. He needed to be close to her.

Morgan reached out, her hesitant fingers landing lightly on his chest. It was warm and firm under her touch. Slowly she let her fingers glide over him, first toying with the cold metal tags around his neck, then tiptoeing down his abdomen. He quivered under her touch.

The hand that had been resting on her hip disappeared. Instead, it smoothed up her back until his arm was wrapped around her. Then, he yanked, sliding her across the sheets and flush against his body. He held her close, his kiss growing deeper as he leaned into her. Morgan tried to keep her gasp of surprise to herself. Even when he was gentle he was rough.

He kissed her with his own special rhythm - a skill all his own that he'd perfected over the years. It was an intoxicating cycle of lips and soft touches that left her spellbound and enchanted as his tongue dipped into her mouth to tangle with hers before withdrawing again. He moved to her neck, finding the sensitive spot below her ear. He used his tongue with expertise, sparking sensations that pulsed up and down her body. He shifted his weight, pressing her deeper in the bed, and her nails scratched down his back.

"Justin," she purred his name.

She felt him twitch under her touch, a low deep growl rumbling in his chest. His eyes closed, and he took a second to regain his composure before looking her in the eye.

"Are you sure?"

They were dangerously close to the point of no return. He knew exactly what she wanted, because he wanted it too. Every bit of reserve he had was slipping. Sleeping Chloe was become a more and more distant thought. All he could think of was Morgan half-naked underneath him; her smell, her skin, her noises.
Morgan nodded yes.

"You have to be quiet," he cautioned.

"Don't make me be loud."

Rather than respond with words he leaned in for another kiss. He began toying with the hem of her tank top, and obvious sign that he wanted it off. Morgan pulled the fabric over her head, and he began a slow kiss down her body. He kissed her shoulder, the side of her breast, her stomach, her hip. He'd never been so tender with her before. She felt treasured and appreciated.

When he got to her underwear he didn't bother checking for permission again before gripping the sides and pulling them down to her knees so she could kick them off.

He shuffled around under the blankets, ridding himself of his boxers before he moved on top of her, settling between her legs. His sides were cold and smooth against her inner thighs. Even though he rested some of his weight on his elbows he was still solid and heavy. His lips found hers again, their tongues dueling back and forth as their hips ground to a similar beat. She could feel him firm against her, tauntingly close to her entrance. Her pulse was racing, juices flowing. She was impatiently awaiting his next move, still too nervous with him to make one of her own.

Finally his hand slide between them, moving past her stomach, to her pelvis. She felt something soft and sturdy move past her lower lips. It was gliding up and down her slit, silently searching. Then suddenly, without warning, she was being stretched open. Her head flung back against the pillow, a moan frozen in her throat. He got a rise out of watching the surprise in her face, the honest reaction to that initial influx of pleasure. He watched with satisfaction as her back arched; the angle growing more dramatic the deeper he went.

"Slow," he whispered. "I'll go slow."

Morgan heard him, but as usual, replying was easier said than done. She wanted to tell him that it really didn't matter how fast or slow he went. In many ways slower was worse. Now she had the time to feel every hot, pulsating inch of him as he thrust in and out. He filled her completely, then took his time withdrawing, only to do it again and again. Her nails dug deep into his back, her teeth biting down on his shoulder.

Her orgasm came like a Mac truck out of nowhere - hitting quickly and mercilessly. Deep waves rolled over her, generating in her hips, vibrating down her legs and up her arms, and finally radiating out her fingers and toes. Justin could feel her thighs begin to flex and tremble, and he pulled back to look at her face. Her chocolate eyes were half closed and slowly rolling back into her head.

She didn't know that he was barely keeping his resolve by the skin of his teeth. Her insides were squeezing and contracting, and growing wetter by the second.

Desperate to distract himself he thought about his rifle while he waited for her to come down from her high. He imagined counting the number of rounds in his magazine, and envisioned cleaning the barrel in the barracks in Europe. When her limbs fell like dead weights against the mattress he looked at her again.

Her mocha skin contrasted with the stark white sheets, and she wore the sweetest little sideways smile as she watched him in the dark. He had to bite back his own moan when he started to move again. She pulled her legs up, wrapping them about his waist and interlocking her ankles. Justin lowered his head, his forehead resting on her.

"You don't want to let me go?" He breathed.

Morgan shook her head and held onto him tighter, her legs locked about his waist and her fingers splayed across his shoulder blades. She felt the muscles in his back stretch and coil with every thrust. There was a low growl in her ear as his impending orgasm grew. His breathing was labored and erratic, his skin slick with sweat. She knew it'd finally hit when his pace slowed, opting for depth over friction. For the first time, she could focus on his orgasm. The other times she'd been too far gone with her head in the clouds.

She could feel him jerking and throbbing inside her with each spurt. He was trembling beneath her fingers, completely lost in his own haze. He stayed cradled against her, riding out each intimate wave until he relaxed - totally spent. His head dropped to her shoulder, his breath warming her neck. Her short nails started a lazy pattern on his back.

Seconds passed, then minutes, and he stayed that way.

To Morgan it felt like an hour before he moved. Truthfully his weight had started to smother her, and she hadn't had a full breath of air in awhile. But, she liked holding him. She hadn't cuddled with anyone like this in a long time.

He rolled over, falling onto his back beside her. She looked up as he raised an arm, inviting her to curl up at his side. They both sighed with content when her head landed on his chest. Their bodies molded together -arms encircling torsos and legs intertwined- and they slept that way for most of the night.

***

Justin threw himself down on the ground in the doorway, jamming his shoulder into the wall. Luckily it was made from mud and sticks rather than brick and mortar, but it still hurt like a motherfucker. Flashing lights lit up the hall as the insurgents barricaded in the bedroom fired through the wooden door. SSgt Willings' men were assembling themselves in the living room; moving the hostages away from the firing, and radioing to command for backup and instructions. They couldn't return fire to assist Justin's pinned down unit because they'd be completely vulnerable and exposed to the enemy. It was up to SSgt. Timberlake to diffuse the situation.

 

Laying on his belly Justin slithered to the doorway, poking his head out just enough to see the target. There was a large hole blown into the door from the flying bullets. He could make out three men, one firing a small caliber handgun and the other two manning a military issued M249. They had to have commandeered that from a downed vehicle, or illegal arms market.

Assholes.

He slithered back into the safety of the room and turned to the seven pairs of eyes looking to him for guidance.

"Wilson! Billingsley!" He called.

The two best friends came to him immediately, each dropping to a knee in front of him; their rifles were ready, fingers on the triggers.

"Sir?"

Justin raised a hand, patting Billingsley on the shoulder.

"Light 'em up," he told him.

Cpl. Billingsley and LCpl. Wilson nodded, dumping their rifles and reaching into the pockets of their vests. Justin moved further into the room with the other men. He looked down, checking the rounds in his magazine as Wilson pulled the pin on the first of three hand grenades.

"Fire in the hole!!"

The grenade sailed through the air, down the hall towards the offending door. Seconds later a defining boom shook the building, piercing their ears and raining dust from the ceiling on their heads. Justin threw up an arm, shielding himself from the rocks and debris.

"Marines!" He yelled into the sudden moment of silence. "Get some!!"

A hand flew up, slapping Morgan across the face and jarring her from her sleep. She shot upright in bed, blinking with surprise as her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. Her cheek was on fire, hot and tingling as her eyes watered. What the hell had just happened?

"Oh, God."

She looked to her left and Justin was sitting up as well. His bare chest rose and fell with heavy labored breaths. The lights shining in from the streetlamps reflected off the sweat on his forehead and the metal around his neck. His eyes were wide and glossy as he watched her. He looked utterly bewildered.

"Morgan, I'm so sorry."

"W-w-what?"

"I'm so sorry," he repeated.

"It's okay," she heard herself while getting up from the bed.

She hadn't even thought about it before saying it. All those years with Devon, after while apologizing just became automatic.

"No, it's not," he muttered, angrily throwing back the blankets and climbing to his feet as well.

"Fuck!"

"Shh!" Morgan chastised.

She went to the mirror above his dresser and leaned in close to examine her face. While it hurt she didn't look too much worse for the wear. Justin let out another curse and started to pace the floor on his side of the room, roughly running a frustrated hand over his face. Morgan cracked the bedroom door, making sure Chloe was still sleeping before closing it again. Then she moved toward Justin, stopping a foot or two away.

"It's alright," she said again, trying to reassure him.

"Let me see."

Justin didn't wait. His hands reached out, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her closer. He gripped her chin, tilting her face up. She watched at his eyes wildly searched her face, growing more and more disappointed with himself as he picked up the faintest red hue under her eye.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated. "I was just..."

Justin's voice trailed off, leaving them to stand in silence. His soft thumb smoothed back and forth over her cheek, wanting to soothe the ache away.

"You were just what?" Morgan inquired gently.

Her heart was beating quickly, fueled by the adrenaline of pain and confusion. Justin felt her tremble under his touch and he sat down on the bed to drop his head into his hands. He'd hit plenty of people in his time, but never a woman he cared for. He felt horrible. Despicable. He'd never wanted to hurt Morgan. It broke his heart that he had; and it would kill him if she was afraid of him. He saw the fear hiding behind her penetrating eyes when Devon came around and he never wanted her to look at him like that.

Morgan was hesitant as she sat down on the bed, leaving a space between them. He was silent and unmoving as the mattress shifted under her weight. At first she didn't know what to say or what to do. He was visibly upset, and she didn't know whether that called for space or coddling. Maybe staying with him tonight had been a bad idea.

"Justin-."

He interrupted her, turning toward her as his eyes plead for understanding.

"Morgan, I would never hurt you. You know that, right? I would never hurt you or Chloe."

"Of course," she breathed, scooting closer. "Justin, of course I know that. It was an accident. I think you were having a nightmare."

"Yeah."

"What was it about?"

Justin was quiet for awhile. His shoulders slumped and his eyes diverted to the floor as his fingers picked at the old comforter on the bed. Part of him wanted to tell her; to open up about the things he saw in his dreams, the flashbacks he got while patrolling the grounds alone at night. But, what if she didn't understand? What if thought he was crazy? What if she left him?

Morgan reached up with one hand, stroking a finger down his cheek.

"Justin, what were you dreaming? You can tell me."

He looked up at her, letting out a sigh so deep he must have been holding it for years. Then he leaned forward, resting his torso against hers. His head went to her shoulder, his nose burrowing in the curve of her neck. His arms encircled her waist, long fingers pressing into her back.

He couldn't tell her. Not yet.

Morgan's arms wrapped around him instinctively. She could feel him; feel his sadness, his worry, his internal struggle with what to confess and what to keep secret. She cradled him, gently rocking from side to side the way she would with her daughter when she had bad dreams in the middle of the night. Her fingers started to toy with the short brown hairs of his buzz cut, running down his neck to the thick, tense muscles in his back.

Morgan realized for the first time that she wasn't the only one in need. This marine needed help too.

***

Justin groaned as his body came back to consciousness. His eyes weren't open, but he could feel the sun's muted rays on his forearm as it lay strewn across the pillows. The TV in the living room was on, broadcasting SpongeBob's obnoxious laugh. Justin opened his eyes, squinting at the light. It was definitely morning. The sun was high over the apartment complex.

He looked to his right, finding an empty rumpled space where Morgan had been. She wasn't there now, which would explain why the smell of cinnamon and bacon was teasing his nose.

After climbing out of bed he rolled his shoulders, unknotting the muscles in his neck. Then he shrugged a discarded t-shirt over his head and strolled into the living room. Little Chloe was still in her nightgown, laying on the floor watching Patrick and SpongeBob embark on their latest adventure.

"Hi Mr. Justin," she smiled.

"Hi Chloe. How did you sleep?"

Too engrossed in her show, Chloe turned back to the TV as if Justin hadn't said a thing. Justin chuckled to himself. Normally that question would have ignited one of her twenty minute monologues, but this morning she wasn't nearly as interested in him.

Turning his attention to her mother, Justin stepped into the kitchen; standing behind Morgan as she flipped French toast on the stove.

"Morning," she heard him grumble.

His lips pressed a kiss against her temple. She turned to smile at him, and he frowned. He wasn't looking at her; his sight was focused on the light bruising on her cheekbone. He opened his mouth to speak and she held up a hand.

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm fine, and if you apologize to me again I'll scream."

That brought a temporary smile to his face, then he looked down at the stove.

"Did we buy bacon last night?"

"No, I found this in the freezer."

His brow furrowed.

"Did you check the expiration date? I haven't bought bacon since the first time I deployed to Bahrain."

Morgan paused in her word, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"2007," he clarified.

"Well, it's definitely not that old so you must have bought some on one of your P&R's or something."

"You mean R&R's?"

"Same thing," she shrugged.

"Not really," he sounded, swiping two pieces of bacon from the plate and stuffing them into his mouth. "Must have been my Dad."

"Papa Marine?"

"Don't ever let him hear you say that. He'll enjoy it too much, and I'll never hear the end of it."

Morgan laughed, slapping his hand away when he reached for another piece.

"You'll spoil your breakfast."

Justin rolled his eyes, reaching for another piece anyway.

"Doubt it."

When she reached out to slap his left hand away again he struck with his right, effectively reaching around her back and grabbing it with a different hand.

"Justin! No!"

"Too late. Got it!" He smiled, a chunk of mashed up meat between his teeth.

"Gross."

He did a double take, his mouth frowning with distaste.

"Bacon is never gross."

Morgan rolled her eyes and went back to her French toast. Even when he was wrong he was still right. Were all Marines this way?

"No work today?" He asked.

It was after 9am. Chloe should have been at school, and Morgan should have been long gone at work.

"No, we're taking a mental health day to handle all of this D-E-V-O-N car business. Monday morning we'll start fresh and rejuvenated."

While she spoke Justin had wandered to the fridge, pulling out the jug of newly purchased milk and pouring it straight into his mouth.

"What are you guys up to this weekend?"

"My first thought would be 'clean'. Did you forget about how my apartment looked last night? Why, what are you doing?"

Justin cleared his throat, picking at the paper towel resting under the bacon strips.

"My unit has this annual thing, like a family barbeque. It's bullshit; the speeches are boring, but the food's good and there's some kids Chloe's age. Would you want to come?"

Morgan paused in her cooking, setting the spatula on the counter before turning to him.

"To family day? With you?" She asked.

Justin's brow furrowed again.

"That's the idea," he said. "Unless you have other devil dog friends I don't know about."

"No, You're the only dog in my life at the moment," she giggled. "But, sure, we'd love to come. Is it on base?"

"Yeah, it's out on the fields. All the guys will be there."

"Sounds like fun. I can bake more cookies. Just let me know what time, we'll be there."

He smirked, the corner of his mouth raising slightly.

"Thanks," he said. "So, anything I can do to help?"

Morgan nodded, picking up a plate with three cooled pieces of toast.

"Yes. You can make sure she eats this, and doesn't just write her name in the syrup with her fork."

Justin took the plate, and another piece of bacon, and gave her his trademark smile.

"Yes ma'am."