Whiskey Barrel. All was fine and well until a waitress dropped a bottle of vodka a few feet away from me. It was the reminder I needed to never let myself get so drunk again.
Merric attempts to press his hands against the ground again. His body sways as he tries to climb to his feet. I take a step toward him before he curses at me under his breath to back up.
“You’re going to end up cutting yourself. Stay back.”
He holds himself there for a moment, his ass in the air before he stands upright. A proud grin breaks out across his face, and I can’t help but do the same at the sight of his smile.
I chuckle. “Well, looks like you’ve had a good time tonight.”
He nods, winking at me, holding his fingers up in a mock salute. “You. Are. Riiiiight,” he slurs, each word spoken pointedly.
This side of Merric totally contradicts the man I’ve known him to be. There’s a part of me that wishes I could see this side more often, although with less alcohol involved.
The smirk on his face and the glimmer in his eye is completely different from any way he’s ever looked at me before. The heat behind it has warmth spreading throughout my body.
“C’mon.” I extend my hand toward him. He pauses briefly, eyeing it before letting whatever held him back go. He sidesteps the broken glass, stumbling before he reaches out, accepting my hand.
“We’ll pick it up in the morning. It’ll be fine,” I reassure him. His warm fingers slip into mine, squeezing them lightly.
Heat radiates up my arm; the calluses on his fingers incite thoughts of all the places he could touch me. It sends shivers through my body, and I’m grateful Merric is too intoxicated to notice.
He trips a bit as we make it to the stairs leading up to the front of the house. I pause, taking the first step, holding my arm out to help him.
“Like you could do anything to support me. If I go down, it’ll be on you.”
Arousal pools in my belly, my cheeks flush from the proximity to Merric and the weight of his words. I don’t think he meant how they came out, but I purse my lips together to hide the desire showing on my face.
“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.