Chapter 15

15

KANNON

M erritt sat on the floor in the dining room. The new vinyl flooring had been put down and the guys were going to be working in the living room next. The interior of the house had been painted, making it look brand new.

I looked down at her from my spot at the top of the ladder. The new ceiling fan I was putting in had been one she picked out. Alone. I told her we could head to Home Depot together, but she had been insistent she would order it online and I could pick it up or she would have it delivered.

She was avoiding me. We were five feet apart and she was acting like I didn’t exist. I couldn’t figure it out. She had thawed to me the other night but now she was surrounded by ice again.

The guys were out picking up the appliances, so it was just the two of us. I thought maybe she would loosen up like she had the other day. I thought maybe she was just shy or didn’t like Wes and Luke. I didn’t know why, but I assumed that was the problem.

But now I knew otherwise.

Her laptop was open in front of her, fingers flying across the keyboard as if the speed of her typing would keep me from noticing how hard she was avoiding me. Her hair was up in some kind of messy bun, little strands falling loose, which I found sexy as hell. She was wearing a loose shirt, splattered with white paint. She insisted on helping yesterday by painting the trim in the garage. I was pretty sure her sudden interest in painting had more to do with her trying to find an excuse to stay away from me. The woman was acting like I had cooties.

I finished securing the fan and climbed down the ladder. She continued ignoring me, which wasn’t new. What was new was how much it bugged me.

“Merritt.” My voice was calm but firm, cutting through the silence like a blade. Her fingers froze mid-keystroke.

She glanced up, her expression wary. “What?”

I took a step closer. “Did I do something to piss you off?”

Her lips parted, and for a moment, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. “What? No. Why would you think that?”

“Because you’ve been avoiding me all week,” I said. I squatted in front of her to get eye level. “Ever since the other night, you’ve been trying to keep from being in the room with me.”

“I’m in the room with you now.”

“Are you?” I asked.

“We’ve been busy rebuilding a house,” she said. “And I’m still trying to keep up with my responsibilities at work. I’m busy.”

“Are you freaked out because we actually had a good time?”

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. “No! I’ve been busy.”

“Busy avoiding me,” I pressed. “I thought we turned a corner or something, but now it’s like I’m just some random guy fixing up your house.”

“You are fixing up my house,” she muttered, her tone defensive.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Cut the crap, Merritt. We’ve known each other too long for this. If you want to keep things professional, fine. But don’t pretend like you didn’t have fun the other night. I know I did. It’s been a long time since I could say that and actually mean it.”

Her face softened, but she still wouldn’t look at me. “I’m not mad at you, Kannon.”

“Then what the hell is going on? Why does it feel like I’m being punished?” My voice rose slightly. I took a deep breath to rein it in. “Was it because I made fun of your feet? Because they’re not that big. It’s just fun to tease you about them.”

She shook her head. “No, everything is fine.”

Memories of Leah flooded in, unbidden and unwanted. This was exactly the kind of thing she used to do. One minute, we’d be good—better than good—and the next, she’d be cold, distant, impossible to read. I’d spent years trying to figure out how to be the man she needed, how to keep her happy, but I never cracked the code.

I twisted myself into a pretzel trying to make her happy. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. I apologized for shit I didn’t know I did and shit I didn’t remember doing. I hated that feeling, like I was standing on quicksand. There was no way I was going to do that again.

I shook my head, forcing the thoughts away. Leah was gone. This wasn’t about her. Merritt was not Leah.

“Talk to me, Merritt.”

Her lips pressed together, and she looked like she was wrestling with herself. “Did you finish the sink in the master bath?”

I blinked. “What?”

“I need to finish cleaning that bathroom,” she said. “If the sink is fixed, I’ll go do it.”

“That’s not what we’re talking about,” I said, frustration tinging my voice. “Merritt, I’m trying to understand what’s going on with us.”

She sighed, a long, weary exhale as if the weight of the conversation was too much. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just… complicated.”

“Complicated how? Because from where I’m standing, it looks pretty simple. You’re avoiding me. If there’s a problem, let’s just tackle it head on. We’ve always been able to talk about anything.”

“That was a long time ago, Kannon. We’re not fifteen.”

“Exactly. We’re twenty-eight and should be able to talk like adults. It’s not like we’re speaking different languages. I know you, Merritt. You can talk to me. Is it the house? Do you not like the flooring we picked out? If you wanted the other stuff, you should have spoken up. But anything can be changed if you want.”

“It’s not the floors,” she said. “I like the floors. You were right. They look good and they make the place look a lot bigger.”

“Then what is it?” I asked. My frustration was hitting a new high. I was ready to put a hammer through the newly painted walls. I stood up and paced for a few seconds. “You know what, never mind. Fuck it.”

I stomped out of the house and went outside. The porch creaked under my weight. That needed to be handled soon. Wes and Luke were going to start painting the outside of the house tomorrow. The weather looked like it was going to be perfect for the job. The roof was patched and was ready for the replacement shingles.

I took a few deep breaths in an attempt to clear my head. I didn’t know why I was letting her get under my skin. I shouldn’t care if she was cold to me. She would be going back to Miami in a couple weeks anyway. It was just a house, just a project. But damn it, it wasn’t just that. I knew it, and deep down, I think she knew it too.

I walked back into the house. Merritt’s laptop was still on the floor but she wasn’t there. I could hear her in the bathroom. I walked down the hall and spotted her with the yellow rubber gloves on and her ass in the air. She was furiously scrubbing the tub.

“Merritt,” I said. She didn’t stop scrubbing, didn’t even look up. “My temper got away from me. Can we please talk about this so I don’t lose my mind?”

Finally, she paused and sat back on her heels. “Please don’t make me say this.”

“Say what?” I asked. Now that I knew something was for sure wrong, I had to know more.

I crouched down next to her, trying to meet her gaze. She looked like she was absolutely miserable. I didn’t know how to help her.

“I had a sex dream about you, okay?” She blurted out the words on a rushed breath.

I blinked a few times, not sure I heard her correctly. The words had tumbled out so fast they could have easily been something else. I tossed them around in my head a few times and no matter which way I tried it, I heard what I heard.

It hit me like a freight train. My eyebrows shot up and then I burst out in loud barking laughter.

Her face turned bright red, her eyes wide with a mix of embarrassment and indignation. “I never wanted to tell you that, you nosy jerk!”

I was laughing so hard I had to wipe a hand down my face to catch my breath. “Oh, Merritt,” I said, grinning at her. “You just made my day.”

“Ugh,” she groaned, pulling the gloves off and tossing them on the floor. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. You’re too immature. You’re never going to let me live this down.”

“For the record,” I said, dropping to my knees in front of her. “I appreciate the honesty. I thought I had done something wrong. But it sounds like I did something right .”

“Shut up.”

“Just so I’m clear, was I good?”

She glared at me. “Go home, Kannon.”

“Oh, come on.” I smirked, leaning forward and poking her thigh. “I’m just curious. If it was a dream, I need to know if I lived up to expectations. I have a reputation to uphold.”

She rolled her eyes, scrambled to her feet. “I regret everything. Now that I think about it, it was a nightmare, not a dream.”

“Regret implies it wasn’t worth it,” I shot back, enjoying how flustered she was. I got up and stood in front of the door.

“Kannon,” she warned.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“Move. I will not hesitate to spray you with Windex.”

The tiny bathroom felt even smaller. It was just me and her. She dreamed about me. A sex dream. There was no way I was just going to forget about that. I wanted to know all the dirty details. Did her erotic dreams match mine?

“Just tell me one thing,” I said, dropping my voice to a low rumble.

“No.” Her voice was sharp, but there was a spark in her eyes.

“Yes.” I grinned like the devil himself, loving having her at my mercy. “It wasn’t missionary, right? I’m not a basic fuck. If I had you?—”

“Kannon!” Her voice was a high-pitched mix of shock and outrage. She swatted at my shoulder, her face so red she looked like she might combust.

I laughed and stepped out of the way. She planted her hands on her hips. “You’re inappropriate, infuriating, and?—”

“And you’re adorable when you’re mad,” I interrupted stepping into her space a second time. She looked up at me, her glare unwavering, but I saw the corner of her mouth twitch. She might be embarrassed but she had the dream.

And then she told me about it.

“Go. Home,” she said, poking a finger into my chest.

“Fine,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. “But only because I’ve got a dinner reservation to make.”

“What?” she asked, confused.

I walked out to the living room with her following behind me. I grabbed my jacket and put it on, stretching my arms out to get just the right fit. “We’re going out tomorrow night. Consider it a celebration.”

Her brows furrowed. “A celebration of what?”

I grinned over my shoulder, my hand on the doorknob. “You having a sex dream about me, of course. We need to commemorate the occasion.”

She groaned. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Yes, you are. Don’t bother doing your hair. The helmet will just mess it up. I like helmet hair. That’s what I dream about.”

Her eyes widened again. “Stop it! Stop trying to embarrass me.”

“I don’t have to try,” I said. “It’s already done. When you dream about me tonight, make sure you’re naked. And it’s going to be doggy style.”

Merritt’s mouth dropped open, a perfect ‘O’ of astonished annoyance. For a second, it seemed she would actually throw something at me. Luckily, there was nothing particularly throwable within arm’s reach. “You are unbelievable,” she spat out.

I saw the flush on her cheeks. I knew she was thinking about it. When she went to bed, that was the image that would be in her mind.

“See you in your dreams,” I said with a wink and walked out to my work truck.