Good. I hadn’t added anyone to Daddy’s list, but in this case, I wouldn’t have been above it. “You don’t have any other family? Friends?”
He shook his head once in a hard clip. “No, no family. And no good friends either. None that have stuck over the years.” There was something in his voice that sounded one part dejected and two parts resigned. Then, he brightened and tossed a smile my way as he propped an arm along the window. “So, you have me all to yourself.”
“Lucky me,” I murmured, but couldn’t quite keep an answering smile from slipping over my face. This guy was deranged, in a sweet kind of way, that was irresistible.
Merrick grinned as if he were the lucky one. And really, he was. I’d saved his ass. Although it could arguably be said that he “saved” mine first. At least in his mind.
“You never did say where we were going.” It was more of a statement instead of a question.
“Oh, I didn’t?” That was because I was trying to figure out the best possible way to drop him off safely, while constantly monitoring my surroundings for any minute detail that seemed out of place. “Do you own your parent’s place? Is that where you want me to take you?”
It was dark now. I could drop him off quickly, without anyone the wiser, depending on where they lived.
“I sold that house when I went into rehab. I was doing my part to get rid of unhealthy attachments,” he said casually as if I wouldn’t question everything about that.
“You had an unhealthy attachment to your parents’ house?” I asked as my eyebrows climbed. Was this man abused at some point? That evoked more emotion than I found comfortable.
“Not to the house, no. It was part of my self-induced therapy. Then, one of my therapists kindly pointed out I might have jumped the gun, since I didn’t secure another residence first.” He gave a shrug. “I form attachments too easily and that’s a problem for some people. Apparently going the other way and cutting off attachments to things wasn’t the way to go either.”
I sighed. I wanted to help this man, but I couldn’t take him home with me. That was throwing out everything my father had drilled into me from childhood.
Slanting a quick glance at Merrick, I sighed, my resolve softening for this man with every passing second. The streetlights briefly illuminated his strong features from the straight line of his nose, his proud chin, and an overabundance of dark lashes framing painfully honest eyes.
He caught me staring and the smallest smile graced his full lips. He was every temptation I avidly avoided.
“I guess we’re going to my place,” I said evenly.
Merrick beamed and adjusted in his seat. “Sounds good. I can’t wait to see where you live.” And the man actually sounded excited.
“But Merrick...If I take you home with me, there are some rules we have to discuss first.”
3
Merrick
"I like rules," I offered immediately, then rolled my eyes at myself. "Clearly, I like rules. I liked being in my program. Why? Rules. I know you didn't ask, but what I'm trying to say is that I like structure, and rules provide structure."
"So, you're amenable to rules," she said without even a hint of irony. If anything, amusement filled her voice. Or maybe I just hoped it was. Seriously, she was gorgeous and thoughtful and she'd just offered to take me home with her, which meant I could keep looking after her.
Hashtag win in my book.
"Very," I promised. "Whatever they are, I'll follow them. Within reason." I tacked that last bit on because what I wanted to do was follow her. Make sure she was safe. If the rules meant I couldn't do that, I might have a problem with it.
Hopefully, that was a non-issue for us, but it was always better to lay things out in the beginning. Boundaries, they called them during our sessions. Boundaries and expectations.
"I'm intrigued," she murmured, her gaze on the road, while I had the perfect view of her profile and the play of light over her features. She was both ethereal and earthly, the best of both worlds. "How do you define ‘within reason’?"
Scratching the side of my neck, I grimaced. Damn, I hadn't thought she'd go right to the jugular on that one. "Probably more subjective than anything else. It's kind of like porn."
That earned me a side-eye.
"You know, maybe you can't define porn, but you know it when you see it? I'm really not a hopeless pervert, I promise." I ran my hand over my mouth, maybe if I just locked it there, I'd shut up.
Her laughter, however, spilled out of her like a glorious reward. The husky sound of it raced over my skin and left my ass clenching and dick so hard. I'd forgotten just how much the blood rush added to the heightened sense of arousal. "If I had any worries about you being a pervert, Merrick, I'd never have invited you back to my place."
Still, the laughter lifted each syllable as she spoke, and left me a starving man when she finished. All I wanted to hear was that magical sound again and see the soft look of genuine surprise on her face.
"How about this," I offered. "You tell me the rules and if I have any issues, we discuss it."
She slanted a look toward me. I swore her lashes seemed to dip to keep her eyes mysterious, before she looked at the road. "My rules are nonnegotiable."
My heart sank.
"If you can't agree with them, you can't come home with me."
I frowned. If I didn't go with her, it would be impossible to protect her. "How non-negotiable is non-negotiable?"
"Very," she murmured. "These rules are etched in stone and written in blood."
Well, that was extreme. "In that case, I'm going to say they are very important to you."
"Yes."
"Then they're important to me." Granted, it was a split-second decision, but she was important to me. I took a deep breath. If necessary, I would find a way around the rules if it meant keeping her safe. I apologized, mentally, in advance. "What are the rules?"
Twisting her hands over the steering wheel, she drew in a breath that slowly expanded the delicate cage of her ribs. She was so tiny. Again, relief washed over me that I had stumbled across her at the right moment.
“The first rule, don’t talk to strangers. Ever. About me or you, even if it doesn’t seem important. The most insignificant details can shed more light into a person than they realize.”
“Don’t talk to strangers?” An ironic smile fought its way onto my face.
Her lips twitched, as if she knew how ridiculous that sounded as she said it. I mean, she already broke one of her own rules.
“You’re the exception. And it was a one-time thing. Can you agree to that?”
I rubbed my chin as I thought this over. I almost asked in what context, because surely, I’d have to talk to someone if I bought a soda at a gas station or something equally mundane. But I understood what she was trying to say. “Yes. What else?”
“No matter what the situation, you listen to me. Even if your gut rebels against it, trust that there’s a reason for the decisions I have to make. Otherwise, I can’t promise to keep you safe.” The fire-filled glance she cast my way told me this was one of those non-negotiable rules she had forewarned me about. She might have been serious about talking to strangers, but her desire to burn this particular rule onto my soul beat at me.