Worth the Effort Ch. 04

"Okay, so what do we do?" he asked after they'd settled at the table.

"I need to explain a few basics, but then we'll just play. I always find it's easier to just start playing than to try to lay out all the rules," she said. "We can play the first games openly, so I can explain how it works better.

"All right." She held up a deck of cards. "Here's your deck. It's a green deck, so all the creatures are earth-types."

Shane blinked. "I am lost already."

Morgan laughed and patted his hand. "It's not so bad, I promise, and like I said, if you don't like it, we'll just drop it."

Shane paid attention as Morgan laid out the basics of the game while shuffling each deck. His deck was green, hers was red. Each deck contained cards with landscapes on them—forests for him, mountains for her—and those cards were used to "summon" other cards from one's hand.

"And then I attack?" he asked.

"Right. You decide what you want to use to attack, and then I'll decide how I want to block, if I want to."

"All right." Shane nodded. "Let's give this a try."

Morgan walked him through the game and he felt he understood it well-enough to try a second round without her help. She won that one, but Shane put up a good fight for a newbie. They played two more rounds after that, which she also won, but he played better each time. He caught on quickly to the strategy of the game, and didn't seem bothered that he lost.

"So, tell me, and be honest," said Morgan as she collected the cards. "Did you enjoy it? Did you have fun?"

"You know, I did." He sat back in his chair. "I really like the strategy aspect. I can't say the fantasy creatures and all do a lot for me, but I like how it plays. And it moves along pretty well, too."

"Good." Morgan smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Next time, you introduce me to something you like to do."

"I don't have many hobbies," he said, "unless you want to hit the gym with me. Or help with my DIY projects."

She laughed. "I don't know that I'm a gym person, so I guess I'll have to help you with the house. That sounds like fun, really. And then I'll introduce you to more new things." On the other hand, she thought, maybe I should introduce him to a somewhat old thing that people like to do together. The idea of Shane's hands on different parts of her body was both delicious and distracting.

"Hey, Morgan, can you come out here for a sec?" Casey poked her head into the game room.

"Sure," Morgan said as she stood. "Everything all right?"

"Kind of. Not really."

Morgan followed Casey into the store area, apprehensive and glad to know Shane was behind her. The store was empty, not surprising given the late hour. "What's up?" she asked.

Casey gestured at Vincent, who was sitting at the staff table near the register. He looked up and Morgan's stomach twisted. He had a black eye, a cut on one cheek, and was icing his hand.

"Oh, my god, Vincent, what happened?" Morgan hurried over and sat down next to him.

"I was, ah, home with Jeremy and—" Vincent closed his eyes and took a breath. "—he hit me."

"He did what?" Morgan was shocked.

"Fucker," muttered Casey as she leaned against the counter.

"Yeah, he hit me." Vincent wiped at the corner of his eye.

As Morgan looked for a tissue, someone tapped her shoulder. She looked up to find Shane holding out a box. She smiled gratefully and handed the box to Vincent.

"Okay, first off, do you need a hospital?" asked Morgan.

"No." He shook his head. "No, really, I don't. I know I don't look great, but this is as bad as it is, and it's not worth a hospital." He gave her a wan smile. "I've had worse, you know."

"I know." Morgan nodded and took a tissue, but forced herself to focus. "Next, do you want to go to the police?"

"I—I know I probably should, but no." Vincent lowered his head to hide his face. Morgan reached over to hold his uninjured hand. After a moment, he looked up. "You know how it will go. They won't take it seriously, they'll probably even make fun of me. I don't have the energy right now to deal with it. I just want to get my stuff and leave."

"We'll help you, you know that," said Morgan. "We made plans for things like this, you helped us set it all up."

"Yeah. I just didn't think I'd need it." Vincent grabbed another tissue. "Jesus, I did not think it would get this bad."

"Wait a goddamned minute." Casey came over and squatted down next to his chair, equal parts concern and anger. "How long has this been going on?"

"Longer than it should have," said Vincent quietly. "I wanted to say something, guys, I did. But you have your own issues, and I thought I could handle it. I thought I could fix things, fix Jeremy, maybe. I'm a man, right? I wanted to handle it like a man."

"Christ, you are fucking something else." Casey's voice was tight and despite her words, she enveloped Vincent in a gentle hug. When she stepped back, she wiped at the tears on her face. "Okay, now I'm going to be in charge, all right?"

Morgan squeezed Casey's shoulder. Her friend had been in an abusive relationship and knew what Vincent was going through.

"So, here's the plan," said Casey. "You're coming home with me, and you'll stay with me and Astrid. Tomorrow, when you're up for it, we'll talk with Astrid and get some legal advice. I don't want you going back to the apartment alone, you understand? Your stuff is replaceable, but you're not."

"Casey, it won't—" began Vincent.

"No, don't tell me it won't be that bad, or he won't. Because you don't fucking know that, and I'm in charge, remember? So we're going to do things safely and not take stupid fucking chances. Got it?" She choked up a little, which took the edge off her words.

"Got it." Vincent gave in. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now come on, let's get you cleaned up and get more ice." Casey led him to the back, where they kept a fridge in their breakroom that had some ice packs in it. There was a first-aid kit as well, which was mostly used for paper cuts but would be put to more serious use now.

Morgan watched them go, her stomach still knotted but slightly better than it had been a few minutes ago.

"Hey, you okay?" Shane took Vincent's seat and handed her a tissue. "That looked rough."

"Thanks." This time she let the tears fall. "It was. Christ, I can't believe Jeremy hit him. Vincent is so sweet. I wasn't crazy over Jeremy, but I only met him a couple of times so I figured I just didn't know him." She wiped her eyes. "It sounds awful, but really, this could have been so much worse."

"I thought those guys who were here before might have jumped him," Shane said. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"I wondered, too." Morgan nodded. "I was checking our social media earlier. I must have reported over a dozen threatening tweets and Facebook posts."

Shane shook his head. "I'm sorry. That must be awful."

"It's not great. We're having another game night, and then my book signing, and I don't know what we should do about security. I guess we could have someone stay by the door, but god, Shane, I don't want people to go through body scanners to come buy comic books."

"Of course not." He rubbed her arm. "I'll help, if you like. Maybe I can take guard duty that night, free you and Casey up to run the games. Maybe Evan can help me, or my brother."

"You know, I may take you up on that." Morgan took a breath and dabbed at her eyes, relieved that she felt back on an even keel. Having Shane around definitely helped with that. "Thanks, for everything."

"Happy to help." He ran knuckles down her cheek and it was all she could do not to shiver.

"You can get going if you want," she said. "I'm going to tell Casey to go, and I'll stay and close up."

"What time do you close tonight?"

"It's Thursday, so nine o'clock. And it's eight already, so not too much longer."

"Is there anyone else here?" he asked. "Josh? Sharon?"

"No." Morgan shook her head, then covered a yawn. She was drained after the shock of Vincent's situation. "Normally we would, I don't like to have anyone here alone. But it was me and Casey tonight. It's not long, though, so I'll be fine."

"I'm going to stay," he said. "I don't like the idea of you being here by yourself. What if Vincent's boyfriend—ex, I suppose now—comes around?"

"I hadn't thought of that." Morgan considered. "My reflex is to say he won't, but you're right. There's no sense in taking chances."

"Damn straight," said Casey as she and Vincent emerged from the back room. "Did you think I'd let you stay here alone? You either leave with me, or Shane stays."

"It's okay, he'll stay," said Morgan.

Casey blinked. "You're not going to argue?"

"No, not tonight." Morgan shook her head. "I wouldn't expect anything else would happen tonight, but we all know that's just wishful thinking."

"You should close up now, anyway," said Casey. "There's no one here and I don't think closing up forty-five minutes early will break us."

"I'm really sorry, guys," said Vincent. "I didn't mean to make things more difficult for anyone else."

"Stop," Morgan said gently. "You didn't. Jeremy made things difficult for you, and we're here to help you get out of that." She hugged him. "I'll just say one last thing. You said it's happened before. I want you to find someone to talk to about it, okay? A counselor or therapist or whatever. We'll help you however we can, but this needs more than just venting to your friends."

"Okay." Vincent nodded. "I'll see what I can do. It's just—it's hard to think past tomorrow, you know? Or the next hour, even."

"I know, I just don't want you to put it off," Morgan said. "You go at the pace you need. We'll be here."

Shane cleared his throat. "I don't want to butt in, but I just wanted to say I've gone to therapy myself. If you want, I can recommend someone, or talk to my therapist and see who they recommend."

Morgan smiled up at him. Her eyes watered a bit but she let it go. She couldn't think of another guy she'd dated who would have done such a thing.

"Thanks, Shane." Vincent nodded. "I'd appreciate that. You can text me the information whenever you get it."

"I'll get your number from Morgan, if that's okay," said Shane.

"Sure, that's good. I'm not sure I'd even remember my number right now."

"Come on, let's get you home," said Casey. "I've called Astrid, she's waiting for us with milk and cookies. I want alcohol, but that's probably better."

Morgan gave Casey and Vincent each a last hug. Vincent shook Shane's hand, but Casey surprised Shane with a hug of her own. He looked over at Morgan, startled, but then smiled and patted Casey's shoulder.

"He's passing the test," Casey said to Morgan as they walked out. "I'd say he's a keeper."

"What test?" asked Shane after they'd gone. "I didn't know there was a test. I didn't study."

Morgan chuckled as she locked the door and turned off the "open" sign. "Some things are just pass/fail, and no amount of studying will help."

"When I was in high school, I used to have those dreams about showing up unprepared for a test," said Shane. "I'd go to the wrong room, or the right one but it was a different subject than what I studied for, stuff like that."

"If Casey was here, she'd ask if you dreamed about showing up naked."

"You know, I think she would." He shot Morgan a grin. "How about you?"

She shook her head but couldn't help a blush. "No comment."

"But you want to know, don't you?" he teased.

"Maybe." She walked back to the counter to close out the register. "But you did pass. She's right."

"I don't quite get what I did." He leaned against the counter as she began to total up the drawer.

Morgan paused her counting and considered before answering. He might think it was silly, or too emotional or something, but she opted for honesty.

"You were a nice person," she said. "You didn't question Vincent about anything that he said, and you offered to help. You may not realize it, but that's a lot."

"It didn't feel like a lot, but I was happy to help."

She shook her head. "It was more than you think. It takes a lot of courage to admit what Vincent did, because so many times people don't believe you. They wonder what you did to deserve it, or provoke it. I've been there; I dated a guy who was verbally abusive. He would get really angry when he didn't get his way and would say just awful things to me.

"When I broke up with him and told my family why, Jenna was the only one on my side. Brianna—and I realize it was Brianna—asked what I had done to piss him off, she was sure it was my fault. My parents thought I was misreading things, because of course he had only been nice around them."

"Oh." Shane looked thoughtful. "I didn't know."

"Casey was in an abusive relationship too, physically abusive. Because she's gay, no one wants to even hear about it. Two women? A lot of people don't believe there can be abuse in that situation."

"That's terrible. She seems to have come through it, though, and I bet you helped."

"I tried." Morgan smiled. "I hope I did. You did help tonight, and I appreciate it. It means a lot that you'd help my friends even though you don't know them well." On impulse, she stepped over and kissed him. "So thanks."

Shane caught her arm as she moved back, then pulled her back, but gently, his expression inquiring. Morgan nodded and he closed the space to kiss her again. She leaned into him and linked her hands behind his neck. His tongue traced her lips and she sighed. She responded, parting her lips and letting him explore. His arms tightened around her, and she sank into the warmth and strength of his body.

After a moment, she broke the kiss but not without some regret.

"I like that," she said, "but I better finish up here."

He smiled and kissed her lips, this time a quick but soft touch. "Okay, but don't take too long."

x-x-x-x-x

Shane waited while Morgan finished with the register and put the money in a locked bag, which went into a safe in the back room. After that, he waited while she turned the deadbolt and pulled the gate down in front of the door. His mind was on that kiss, and how he'd like more of it.

"All set?" Shane asked. He took her hand and was pleased to see her smile.

"Yep." She dragged a hand through her hair. "Jesus, I'll be glad to get home. I can't believe I am such a drama magnet lately. In a cosmic sense, it's very unfair. I don't want drama. I just want to sell my comics and play my games and—" She squeezed his hand. "—to spend time with you."

"I like that idea." He tugged her closer and kissed her. "How about we go to my drama-free house and spend some time together?"

Morgan smiled and kissed him back. "That sounds great."

When they pulled up at his house, Morgan gave a low whistle as she stepped out of the car. "Wow, Shane. This is really nice."

"Thanks. It needs a lot of work, but it's livable." He realized he hadn't had anyone over to his house, except for his siblings and Evan. Even his parents hadn't been invited. His mother would only criticize and his father would ignore it, so he didn't see the point.

He took her hand and they walked to the porch. He put an arm around her while he unlocked the front door, and he liked the way she felt against him.

She chuckled as they stepped inside. "It reminds me of the TARDIS."

"The what?"

"Sorry, it's a TV show, Doctor Who." She smiled. "The Doctor's spaceship, the TARDIS, is bigger on the inside than the outside, and my point was that the inside of your house is not what the outside might suggest. Never mind, just where my head goes sometimes."

"Is your head as messy as my house?" he asked, then winced at his own words.

She laughed. "My head is probably worse, but your house looks fine." Morgan wandered around the living room, looking at the few photos he had up. "It's a work in progress, so I wouldn't expect it to be perfect. Besides, it's not really that messy."

"Most of the mess is in other rooms," he said. "I want to do more work in here, but I'm not sure what yet. So I work in other areas. When it warms up a little I'm going to work on the deck outside."

"Casey would love this place," Morgan said. "She'd have all kinds of ideas."

"I bet." Shane gave her a wry grin. "I can't even imagine all the ideas Casey would have. I'm not sure I want to."

Morgan laughed. "Oh, Casey's mostly just talk. Mostly. She's a softie under it all."

"You know, I do get that impression." He came over and pulled her against him, enjoying how she leaned into him in response. "So, you okay?"

"Yeah, I am." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for inviting me over. I needed company."

Shane tightened his hold on her for a moment and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"How about some wine?" he asked.

"A fine idea." She followed him into the kitchen and looked around as he poured red wine into glasses. "This is a great kitchen. Astrid would go wild. She's all into remodeling. She'd probably do this for free if you'd let her."

Shane glanced around, looking at the kitchen with fresh eyes. The cabinets were just brown wood, with some dings, but nothing a little elbow grease and time couldn't fix. He was surprised to realize he was pleased both that Morgan liked it, and that she thought her friend would too.

"Thanks," he said. "I think I'll be keeping a lot of what's here. The cabinets are in good shape, I was planning to take the doors down, then sand and stain and varnish them. Maybe a reddish color. I'm not sure what kind of flooring I want."

"I would have no idea where to start," said Morgan. "I know nothing about renovations or remodeling or anything like that."

"My first stepfather, my sister's dad, he was a good guy, and he taught me a lot, but I'm also learning as I go."

"Well, if you want help, I can help. Just show me what to do." Morgan finished her wine. "On the other hand, I know what it's like to have a project you want to do yourself, so if you don't want help, that's fine too. I'll just watch."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "You'd watch me work?"

Morgan grinned. "Why not? I bet you're all hot and sexy when you're hammering and sawing and whatever else without a shirt on." She paused and then blushed. "I think I've had too much wine. I'm channeling Casey." She paused again. "Sorry?"

Now he laughed and pulled her to him. "So now I know you think of me as sexy, and without a shirt on. I'm flattered."

Morgan gave him a sly smile as she nestled her body against his. "I know you think of me in a bikini. Does that mean you think I'm sexy too?"

In answer, Shane bent his head and kissed her with serious intent. Her lips parted and he took advantage, groaning as he tasted her, the warmth and wine combining to something more intense than he'd expected.

The broke for a second, breathing hard, and then Morgan kissed him back.

He hadn't expected her to feel this soft, he thought. He rubbed her back and she made a satisfied sound. His hands wandered a bit, to her sides and her hips, and all the curves to be found.

Dragging his lips from hers, he moved to her neck. She gasped as he ran his teeth along the length of it, pausing to run his tongue over the curve at her shoulder.

He could feel Morgan's heart racing and was sure his was keeping pace. She ran her hands over his chest and even through his shirt it sent shivers through him. He wanted to feel her hands on his bare skin, and his on hers.

He kissed his way back to her lips and they paused again for a moment.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"More than okay." She gave a husky laugh that went straight to his groin.

"I'll stop whenever you want," he said, "but I'll be honest, I'd really like not to stop."

"How much of a mess is the bedroom?" she asked.

"The bed's clear."

"That's the important part, then." Morgan grinned and kissed him again. "I'm game if you are. Safe, protected and prepared."