“What?” His brows furrow in question. His confusion looks almost painful.
It takes a second for it to click. You can see the process of him replaying the words in his mind. His eyes go from squinting to wide before he stares down at my lips.
“Why did you look like you liked the sound of that?”
“Let’s get you inside.” I change the subject, once again holding my arm to him.
He ignores my invitation, instead wrapping his arm around my shoulders, leaning into me. I inhale his scent, and it’s all I can do to focus on helping him into the house, not wanting either of us to fall.
When we make it to the top of the stairs, he doesn’t move to let go. We continue through the front door toward the room Merric stays in when he visits.
“Are you coming to bed with me?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No, I just didn’t want you to fall again. You’d probably take out a wall in here if you did.”
He mumbles and nods in agreement, seemingly trying to come up with something to say to argue my point before deciding on, “You’re right about a lot of things tonight.”
He pulls back, dropping his arm from my shoulder to look down at me. His body sways slightly, his eyes losing focus before staring into mine. A small light at the end of the hallway illuminates the space enough for me to make out his expression. One thing you’d quickly learn about Merric is how he keeps his cards close to his chest. It’s hard to get a read on him or know what’s on his mind.
With a small chuckle, Merric says, “I’m probably going to regret this in the morning.”
For a second, I think he’s talking about the drinking, then his hand reaches down between us to lace with mine. Before I have an opportunity to question it, he’s taking a step back to lean against the wall, pulling me with him.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he murmurs, his other hand reaching to grip my waist, pulling me closer to him. “Is this wrong? Is this not what you want?”
He spreads his legs apart, giving me space to step in closer. My heart slams in my chest, beating wildly. My fingers grip the front of his button-up shirt, needing something to hold onto, wanting to keep myself anchored to him in this moment.
He’s still wearing the dress slacks he wore to the funeral earlier. My body is pressed against him, and I swear I can feel his arousal growing between us. I rub my legs together, and the slightest of movements causes Merric to groan.
“It’s not wrong,” I whisper. “I’m here, Merric. I’m not going anywhere.”
He grunts, his fingers digging into my hip, the other tangling into my hair, pulling me into him. Desire burns in his eyes. The heat in his stare is so intense, I have to remind myself to breathe.
When he leans in to kiss me, I lose all sense of reality. Right and wrong. Good and bad.
Nothing in this moment matters but me and Merric. When his lips connect with mine, I tell myself there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do to live in this moment with him forever.
He breaks our lips apart, his forehead pressed against mine, and we struggle to catch our breaths.
“I’ve never craved someone as much as I do you,” he moans.
I reach my hand up, dragging my nails through his hair, pulling him back to me. This time when he kisses me, I tell him without words he’s not alone.
We’re engulfed in sin together, and Lord help me for loving how good it tastes.
Chapter One
“C’mon, you stupid… piece… of crap!” I huff an exasperated sigh, tugging the suitcase out from beneath the pile of clothes and boxes stacked in my closet.
I’ve never claimed to be the most organized person in the world. Speaking truthfully, I’m the complete opposite. I’m always losing things, waiting until the last minute to get anything done, and I’m usually the last one to arrive. I’m constantly in a rush. I’m a mess of chaos, and most people in my life have come to accept that it’ll never change.
This is precisely why I have no time to be dicking around right now. I’m running late, and I don’t have the time to spend digging out my suitcase. Merric will be here in less than ten minutes, and I can picture the fury on his face when he finds me not ready to leave.
Sweat drips from my brow, using my hand to fan my face. The heat in my dorm room is set ten degrees higher than it should be, adding to my frustration.
I heave the suitcase on my bed and toss in everything I’ll need over the next week, from my makeup bag to my toiletries, extra clothes, and a few pairs of shoes. I almost forget my dress shoes, adding them to the pile.
Supermarket Sweep is airing old episodes on Netflix, and somehow, over the sound of cheering, I’m able to hear the distinct yet muffled sound of my phone ringing.
“Shit… where are you at?” I blurt out to no one but myself. I lift the blankets and suitcase on my bed, running my hand over my mattress, feeling around for the vibration. It’s about to hit my voice mail when I spot it between my bed and nightstand.
I swipe the screen to answer. “Yellow?”
“Oaklyn? Are you all right?”
“Hi, Mom, nice to hear from you, too. I’m fine.” Gripping my shirt, I shake it, trying to create some airflow to cool me off.
“You sound like you’re out of breath. Were you jogging? You do realize Merric is going to be there soon, right? Did you even start packing yet?”
I want to roll my eyes at her question. She has so little faith in me. Of course, she’s calling to check in, assuming I won’t be ready. We both know it will only piss Merric off more.
“As a matter of fact,” I boast, smiling to myself at the chance to prove her wrong. “I was just finishing up as you called.”
“Really?” Her response is a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
“You should have more faith in me, Ma! I’ve been living on my own now for what, three years? I think I’m finally starting to get a hang of this whole adult thing.”
Considering I called her two days ago to ask her what would happen if I washed a shirt that said, “dry clean only,” it may be a bit of a stretch to be asking for faith, but she seems to let it go.
She chuckles. “Well, I’m glad because I spoke to Merric earlier this morning when he was heading into the office. He had some business he needed to tend to before he headed this way but asked for me to pass along he would be there to pick you up around five o’clock.”
I turn to glance over my shoulder at the clock above my TV. It reads 4:58, but I set it ahead intentionally. I can always use any help I can get.
The move forces me to get a good look at myself in the mirror, which hangs just next to my TV. It’s a good thing I still have a few minutes; this heat isn’t doing me any favors.
I don’t usually care what I look like, not that I have anyone I’m trying to impress, but I haven’t seen Merric since his dad died three summers ago.
Our parents got married the week before my seventeenth birthday after knowing each other for three months. Merric’s father Maxwell had moved from Myrtle Beach to Richmond. He was there to oversee the opening of the new location of Paine and Thorne Investment Management.
Merric had graduated from college the year before and was positioned to follow in his dad’s footsteps. When Maxwell moved to Richmond, Merric stayed in Myrtle Beach, learning the ropes from Maxwell’s business partner Erik Paine.