Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Merrick lifted his glass of wine. “If you tell Will I just said that, I’ll deny every word.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“I don’t think I ever actually apologized for the way I treated you at first. So I’m sorry.”
I smiled. “Thank you. But you can’t appreciate the beauty in someone without seeing the ugly. You just got your ugly out of the way to make it easier to appreciate the good parts.”
His eyes swept over me. “I’m not sure that’s always true. I haven’t seen any ugly side of you.”
Oh wow. That made my belly feel all mushy. You know what goes good with mush? Wine—lots of it. So I drank half mine down.
A few minutes later, we’d both emptied our glasses, and Merrick yawned.
“What time zone are you on right now?” I asked.
“I have no damn idea.”
“Welp, on that note, I think it’s time for me to let you get some sleep. Are you sure you don’t want the bed? I really don’t mind the couch at all.”
“I’m good. But thank you.”
I went and grabbed a blanket and pillow from the guest room and returned to set them down on the couch. When I got to the doorway, I stopped and looked back over my shoulder. “Thanks again for, you know, saving my ass.”
Merrick’s eyes dropped to my butt, and his lips formed a dirty grin. “Anytime you need to drop your drawers and bend over a knee bare assed, I’m your man. Let’s just say, it wasn’t miserable for me.”
I winked. “I might’ve enjoyed it a little myself.”
CHAPTER 15
Evie
Holy shit.
The next morning, I froze mid-step as I walked into the living room. Merrick was sound asleep on the couch, one arm slung across his forehead partially covered his eyes, but that was pretty much the only part of his body I couldn’t see. Well, that and one foot covered by the blanket I’d given him last night, which was now bunched up in a ball at the bottom of the couch.
And I couldn’t stop staring.
He wore only a pair of tight, black boxer briefs. I grew hot taking in his sculpted eight-pack, narrow waist, and the sexy V carved into his beautiful, tanned skin. Not to mention, there was a pretty large bulge in those skin-hugging underwear. Merrick Crawford was a sight in a suit, but this… This was next level. At any second, he could’ve opened his eyes and found me staring, but I was pretty sure even that wouldn’t have stopped my ogling. Some guilty pleasures were worth the consequences.
Damn. I might have to go back to my room for a little while, or maybe even take a cold shower.
But then Merrick shifted on the couch, and I held my breath while he settled in. I waited for him to open his eyes and find me drooling like a teenage girl. When he didn’t, I blinked myself back from my fantasy and managed to put one foot in front of the other and make it to the kitchen.
Fifteen minutes later, I sat at the table, drinking a cup of coffee and fantasizing about my boss’s body, when the door swung open. Merrick seemed surprised to see me.
“Oh, hey.” He raked a hand through his bed hair, which really worked for him. “What time is it?”
I pressed a button on my phone. “Seven thirty.”
He now had on his dress pants from last night, but still no shirt, and the top button of his slacks was unbuttoned. A thin line of hair led from his belly button down into the waistband of his underwear. It didn’t matter that he was now wide awake and standing only a few feet from me, my eyes had a mind of their own. They took a slow tour up and down his body. It was impossible for Merrick to not see it.
He shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t have any clothes until my luggage gets here.”
I tore my eyes away and lifted my coffee mug to my lips. “It’s only fair that you show a little skin after last night.” I pointed over my shoulder. “There’s coffee made.”
After Merrick poured his caffeine fix, he took the seat across from me.
“How did you sleep?” I asked.
“Pretty good. You?”
“Not bad.” It had taken me forever to fall asleep. Visions of me lying over Merrick’s knee, without a piece of glass in my ass, had played in my head over and over.
“I checked on Kitty just now. She’s still sound asleep.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I checked on her earlier, too. The doctor prescribed a pretty strong pain medication, and it makes her sleepy.”
“Ah... Well, that explains it. She’s usually up early.”
I sipped my coffee. “I was looking at flights on my phone before I got out of bed. There’s a five thirty direct into JFK this afternoon, if you want me to stay today so we can try to talk to her about going to a gynecologist.”