Page 61 of Damascus & The Wildfire
Merrick remained stoic. I shifted my gaze to the floor.
“Look at me,” he commanded. Merrick tilted his head and raised a brow. “How did it feel when you kissed me?”
I swallowed hard as I searched for the words. “Like the world stopped turning and my heart started beating again.”
A smile crept across his face.
“Um, what about you?” I bit my lip. “If you just want to be friends, I understand. I’m sorry if I crossed a line, I just?—”
Merrick cut me off, crushing his lips to mine again before pulling back and cupping my face with his hands. “It feels like every moment I’ve spent with you, tinder has been added to a smoldering flame. When our lips touched, you ignited something inside me. Like a wildfire crossing the plains.”
We stumbled to the couch, and I pressed him to sit down before straddling his lap. His hands moved down, cupping my ass as we kissed again.
I rolled my hips, and the move drew a low sound from his chest—half groan, half growl. His hands wrapped around my waist, guiding me as I moved slowly against him. He slid a palm under my shirt, the callouses of his hand scraping my skin and sending shivers through my entire body.
I moaned and pushed his cut over his shoulders before I pulled at his shirt, tugging it over his head and tossing it away. I ran my fingers over his pecs and arched my back as his hand began moving up my thigh. Then Merrick stilled.
I looked at him in question.
His forehead fell to mine and he sucked in a ragged breath. “If we take this any further, I won’t have the control to stop.”
“I don’t want you to.”
He squeezed his eyes shut like he fought to restrain his desire. “Neither do I, but does Hatchet know how you feel?”
I grimaced. “No, I don’t think so. I was hoping he’d noticed the lack of heat as well, but he looked confused when I ran away.”
Merrick laughed. “Hatchet doesn’t do subtle. And he’s a man. If we want to see where this goes, we tell him before anything happens. We owe him that much.”
I sighed. I appreciated Merrick’s loyalty. I really did. But at this particular moment, I wanted him enough not to care.
“Do you?” I asked, uncertainly. “You want to see if there’s something real here?”
“I know there’s something real. And I think life’s too short to wait. But I don’t know if you’re ready.”
I glanced away, knowing he meant Alec. “I want this. I think …” I paused, gathering my thoughts. “I think I need you. I can’t keep living like I’m buried next to Alec. And when I’m with you, I feel whole. But Hatchet …” I hesitated, my chest tightening. “He’s your best friend. He’s one of my best friends. I don’t want him thinking I’ve been playing games.”
“We can tell him at the clubhouse tonight, Wildfire,” Merrick insisted.
I blinked, caught off guard. “What did you just call me?”
He smirked. “Wildfire? It suits you. You’re an unstoppable force.”
I sighed. “Fine.” I tried to shift off his lap, but he held me in place, stealing another kiss. I ground my hips against him, and he groaned.
“Wildfire,” he warned.
“I know. Nothing can happen yet.” My body ached for more.
Gripping my hips, Merrick gently pushed me off his lap. He stood, adjusting himself with a sheepish grin before leaning down for another kiss. “I have to go. I’ll see you at the clubhouse. I’ll talk to Hatchet.”
A knot of anxiety twisted in my stomach. “Do you think he’ll be mad? I don’t want to come between you two.”
Merrick shook his head, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “Don’t worry about that.”
He pulled his shirt over his head and gave me one last lingering look, then slipped out, leaving me breathless.
The door clicked shut. I pressed my back against the wall and brushed my fingertips across my lips, still tingling from his kiss.
