hadn't noticed the irritation in my voice. "I mean, no rush. You can stay as long as you need."
"Oh. Um, okay."
I heard her roll over, and the sound of a sleepy sigh as she got more comfortable. A few minutes of agony passed before she shifted again and I tried not to picture what she looked like nestled in my bed.
"Dylan?" Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, low and sexy as hell with the huskiness of sleep.
"Yeah?"
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Morgan. Sweet dreams."
She murmured something unintelligible. A few minutes later, the quiet sounds of her breathing drifted through the darkness to tease me. I rolled over and punched the thin pillow, then bunched it under my head and gritted my teeth.
It was going to be a long fucking night.
Chapter Six
Morgan
I paused in the middle of the sidewalk and glanced at the address scrawled on the scrap of paper in my hand. Jacqui's boutique was supposed to be on Conti Street. As far as I could tell, I was on the right street—but I didn't see anything that looked like a boutique and the numbers on the buildings I could see weren't close to where I needed to be.
I shifted the heavy gown from one arm to the next and swiped at the hair that had fallen in my face. It was nearly the end of October, it shouldn't be this hot. The temperature wasn't totally miserable—meaning I wasn't in immediate danger of melting—but the air was heavy with moisture, more than I was used to this late in the year.
Did it get humid in California? I'd have to look into that because if it did, I might have to pick someplace else to go. Not that I was going anywhere anytime soon, not without any money. I was hoping Jacqui might be able to help with that by taking the gown off my hands. And if not Jacqui, maybe Dylan could—
I pushed the thought from my mind as a wave of guilt washed over me. I was not my mother and I would not use him that way, not after he'd already opened his home to me. My only excuse for even having the insane thought, no matter how brief it may have been, was exhaustion. Physical, mental, and emotional. It had been a long forty-eight hours, with more upheaval than I was used to.
Which probably explained why I slept so soundly last night. Actually, last night was probably the best night of sleep I'd had in...well, forever. And to top it off, Dylan had fixed me breakfast.
Nobody had ever fixed me breakfast before. Nobody.
Which was all the more reason for me to get out of here. It would be entirely too easy to get caught up in the idea of playing house with Dylan. He was cute. Funny. He had dimples in his cheeks and scruff on his jaw.
And he had a tattoo. On his chest.
On his broad, muscular, hard chest.
The sight of all that healthy skin had almost rendered me speechless, and not just because I hadn't expected to see it. I hadn't, of course, but I wasn't stupid enough to ask him to cover it back up, especially when it was almost as delectable as the plate of food he'd been holding out to me.
What woman in their right mind wouldn't want to be served breakfast in bed by a half-naked, very fit, very attractive, man? All the more reason for me to get the hell out of this town.
But first I had to find Jacqui's store.
I turned around and headed back toward Bourbon Street, wondering if I had passed it already. No, I couldn't have. Jacqui had clearly said it was past Royal Street and I was there now. I hadn't gone far enough yet.
I swallowed a small sigh of frustration, spun around once more, then continued along Conti Street. There! Finally. I stepped closer and frowned at the sign.
Chaotic Creations.
Well, that was different. Did she even do any business? I didn't see how she could when it was almost impossible to find the place. Even with the sign, it wasn't very obvious that there was a shop here. And there certainly wasn't a hint at what was being sold inside.
I readjusted the gown in my arms and pulled open the door, a little surprised at the tinkling bells overhead that announced my presence. Cool air washed over me, offering momentary relief as my eyes adjusted to the dim interior.
I looked around, not bothering to hide my