tip of my tongue.
“Do you know when or where you’ll buy a house? I know you’ve been traveling a lot lately, but eventually you should have more time at home, right? Wherever you choose for that to be. Have you thought about it? Do you want to live in New York?”
“Would you live in New York?” he asks, surprising me.
“Me? Why?”
“Just curious,” he replies.
“I know that was our plan when we were kids,” I say with a short laugh. “But I haven’t thought about that in a long time.”
“Do you like living in Chaparral?”
“I do. It’s nice here, and it’s still close to home.”
“Hmm.”
We fall silent again, and when I open my mouth, I ask him the very thing I said I wouldn’t.
“Have you told the guys yet?”
Merrick clears his throat. “No, not yet.”
I nod my head. “Yeah, I figured.”
He releases a breath. “Well, I was gonna invite you to come to King’s Tavern tonight. Are you interested?”
“Ugh, alcohol.”
His deep laugh makes me smile. “Just drink water.”
“Fine. When?”
“Park at your mom’s and I’ll meet you at eight.”
“Ugh, that smells awful,” I say, making a face at Merrick’s glass of whiskey.
He licks his lips. “But it tastes good. Wanna suck the flavor from my tongue?”
I shift in my seat as Merrick grins at me. “No, thanks.”
“Liar.”
Two women hesitantly approach the booth, walking up behind Merrick.
“Looks like you got a couple fans,” I say with a nod.
Merrick angles his head over his shoulder and gives them a grin that lets them know they can come up.
“Hi,” a pretty brunette says with a nervous smile.
“Sorry to bother you,” the redheaded one says. “But it’s kind of a once in a lifetime situation.”
“It’s all right,” Merrick replies, still smiling.
“Can we get a picture with you?”
“Yeah, of course.”
The redhead looks at me briefly. “Want me to take it?” I ask.
“Oh, yes. Thank you!”
Merrick stands up and gets in between the women, draping an arm over each of their shoulders while I stand in front of them and take the picture.
“Thank you,” the women say simultaneously.
“No problem,” Merrick answers, sliding back into the booth as I hand them their phone back.
I watch as the redhead elbows the brunette.
“Um. Are you gonna be in town a while? We were wondering if you might want to hang out with us.”
I scratch my nose to hide my smile.
Merrick keeps his smile in place. “Sorry ladies. I’m gonna be pretty busy, but it was nice meeting you.”
After the women have gone back to their table, I grin at Merrick, but he just shakes his head. “Don’t say anything.”
“What? I have nothing to say.” I mull over my thoughts for a few seconds. “Do you think guys will come up to you if you come out?”
He fixes me with a look. “Would that make you jealous?”
“If guys propositioned you?”
He nods.
“Would I be in a position to be jealous?”
“Don’t answer questions with questions.”
“I’d like to think you wouldn’t take up any offers if you were in a relationship with someone.”
“Not someone, Ali. You.”
He takes a sip of his drink as he watches me trying to fight off my smile.
“Would you be jealous if guys came on to me?” I ask.
His eyes narrow. “Did someone come on to you last night?”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
Merrick growls which makes me laugh. Guess that answers my question.
“You didn’t take anyone up on any offers, did you?”
I give him a look that says you should know better. “I’m still waiting on one particular offer.”
His lips curl up on one side. “You want me?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions,” I say after rolling my eyes.
“I want to hear you say it,” he whispers huskily.
“Why? You already know.”
He glances around before leaning in. “You know it makes my cock hard to hear you beg.”
His words set my body ablaze, and my dick jumps at the thought of Merrick getting hard.
“You know I—”
“Hey fuck face. I’ve been texting you,” Sky says, appearing out of nowhere.
The two of us lean back in our seats as Merrick pulls his phone from his pocket and looks at the screen.
“Sorry, I had it on silent.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he says, sliding into the booth next to Merrick. “Jay said he’d be coming by. Carlos is with his girlfriend, I think. One last fuck before we head back to sex island.”
Merrick snorts. “Sex island?”
Sky shrugs and looks around the room. “Those two girls are eye fucking the shit out of me.”
I glance over and laugh. “They were just over here asking Merrick if he wanted a threesome.”
“What?” Sky asks, his