Cooper (The Family Simon #6) - Juliana Stone Page 0,67

and that the worn wooden planks beneath her feet had been recently refinished. Wallpaper still adorned three of the four walls, and the door to her immediate right led to the bathroom.

Heart picking up speed, Morgan stood trembling. How long did she stand there like an idiot, naked and exposed? She had no idea. It could have been a few seconds or a few minutes. Eventually, her gaze fell back to the mirror, and her large eyes stared back at her.

For someone who’d avoided the sun like the plague over the last few years, she wasn’t as pale as she thought she’d be. Nope. Her skin still tingled from a night of lovemaking and… Her gaze narrowed as she peered closer. Good God, was that whisker burn on her inner thigh? Cheeks warm, she stood straight and, with a now-critical eye, studied the image reflected back at her.

Her long legs were no longer muscular, honed from hours of track, but they were toned and athletic. She was softer now, rounded in the hips, probably from age and the fact that she no longer ran, but her stomach was flat. She trailed her fingers down her lower belly, groaning once more when she spied the telltale signs that Cooper had spent more than his fair share of time downtown.

She’d never had big breasts, but they were firm and rounded, her nipples a light shade of pink. Her hair hung down past her shoulders, and with trembling fingers, she shoved a large chunk of it behind her and turned slightly, eyes on the dappled, damaged skin that covered her right side, shoulder and arm.

No longer was it a shade of angry red. Not like the last time she’d actually studied herself this way. The skin grafts and surgeries had helped, and yet the imperfection was still hard for her to take. She would have turned away, except Cooper sidled up behind her and slipped his strong arms around her waist, effectively trapping her against him.

Slowly, her gaze moved upward until she met his in the mirror. For a moment, she caught sight of something that made her freeze. It wasn’t pity or disgust. It was pain. A reflection of her own.

Never had she felt so exposed, and she swallowed thickly, trying to get rid of that damp lump that kept appearing at the most inconvenient times.

His arms tightened, and she felt the heat of him as he drew her backward. He dropped a kiss to her damaged shoulder, and her heart hurt at the sight. Suddenly rocked by a hoard of emotion and memory, she began to tremble.

“It was a car accident,” she said, the words finding their way out, even though her throat was tight and her teeth clamped down. “I was home from school. Had just won a big meet and was eligible to qualify for the Olympics.” She paused, fighting the tears that stung. “I was so happy. Nathan was coming home, and I…I had everything I wanted. Until I didn’t.”

She paused, hating the taste of bitterness and fear. God, she was so sick of it.

“We’d gone shopping that day. My mom and I. She didn’t want to go. The weather was bad, and they’d been saying all day another storm was coming our way, but she’d promised to buy me a new dress for my engagement party, and I had to have it that day. Nathan and I were announcing the following evening. We were at the mall for a few hours and left the city for home at four o’clock. I remember the skies were angry gray, full of snow clouds. And the winds were high. So strong it whistled and whipped ice pellets at us. I can still hear that sound. It’s one of the reasons I hate New England so much.”

She exhaled. “Mom wanted to stop at a small town up the way. She knew the storm was worsening, but I wanted to see Nathan so bad, I begged her to let me keep going. Told her we’d be fine. Told her the truck was four-wheel drive and nothing could touch us. We were ten minutes from home when my cell phone pinged. I knew it was Nathan. Knew he was worried because we were nearly an hour late with the storm.”

Throat tight, she pushed back that damn lump and plunged forward. She hadn’t told anyone this. Ever.

“I glanced down at my cell. I had it nestled in the compartment between the two front seats.