Chapter 17

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Courtney

My eyes pop open when I feel soft lips against my bare skin. "Morning," I murmur as Merrick's arms tighten around me.

"Morning, baby. The sun is starting to rise."

"Then we should still be sleeping." I pull the cover up to my face and burrow in deeper. His deep chuckle warms me more than the blanket ever could.

"Just open your eyes and watch the sunrise with me."

"Too sleepy."

"Well, I guess I'll eat breakfast."

"Not hungry," I mumble, closing my eyes. We were up way too late last night, making out like teenagers. I think my lips are permanently bruised, but I'm not complaining. I loved every minute of it. However, I'm exhausted, and we don't have plans today that I'm aware of, so I'm most definitely sleeping past sunrise.

I know that I should wake up because Chloe gets married next Saturday, and my days waking up in his arms, in his bed, are numbered. I've been avoiding thinking about it at all costs. I keep pushing it to the back of my mind

I have to figure out how I'm going to live without him. I never had a choice where Merrick was concerned. I was always going to love him. It's as stress-free as if it were written in the stars. He's so easy to be around, so loving and attentive, and he treats me like I'm special, as if I'm someone of importance to him, not just some girl who works for his sister-in-law whom he agreed to help out.

That's where we started, but that's not where we are now. No, instead, I'm lying naked in his bed, while he trails kisses down my spine, trying to figure out a way to convince him to love me back.

My eyes are closed, but they pop open when I feel him press on my hips beneath the covers so that I'm lying flat on my back. I'm ready to ask him what he's doing when his lips press very low on my belly.

"I thought you were eating breakfast?" I ask, reaching down and running my fingers through his hair. I hear him chuckle before he pulls the covers down so that I can see all of him.

"I am." With that, he leans forward and runs his tongue up my center. I gasp because my sleepy brain did not think he meant that I was his breakfast, but I should have known. "Last night's dessert wasn't enough, baby."

Yeah, about that. So we might have done more last night than kiss like a couple of teenagers. He went down on me, claiming he was going to die of hunger if he didn't get to. Who was I to tell him no? I've wanted it since the night he tried, and I made him wait. So, yeah, he got his dessert and well, I did too. He tried to stop me, claiming last night was for me this time, but I was very convincing.

So, yeah, I'm exhausted and was not expecting this. When he sucks my clit into his mouth, I moan, and my quivering legs wrap around his neck.

"There you go," he murmurs, before going back for more. He slides one finger inside me, and I can't keep track of where he ends and I begin. Instead, I hold him to me, because I need more, and close my eyes. I focus on the feel of his mouth exploring me while he fingers me at the same time.

"Don't hold back on me," he demands.

"I—I'm not," I assure him.

"Come for me, baby, and I'll make you some breakfast."

"What if I want you?" I ask him.

"You can have me anytime you want, but your belly just growled."

Shit. I don't have time to be embarrassed because his mouth hovers over my clit, before he goes to work, and before long, his wickedly talented tongue and his fingers have me crashing over the edge.

Merrick doesn't stop lavishing me until my body stops trembling. He kisses over my belly, stopping to pay attention to my breasts, before lifting his head and smiling. "Morning, beautiful."

"We said that."

He wipes his mouth that's glistening from my release on the back of his arm. "We did, but I wanted to say it again." He leans in for a kiss, and my stomach growls louder this time. "Okay, okay, I'm going." He instead pops a kiss on my nose and climbs out of bed. I watch him as he tugs on a pair of boxer briefs from his drawer, before coming back to the bed and tucking me in, making sure the cover surrounds me.

"You stay here. I'll bring you breakfast in bed."

"I can come to the kitchen."

"Nope. Not today. I'll be back." He taps my thigh before standing and walking out of the room.

Tears fill my eyes.

One more week.

A week from today, Chloe marries the love of her life, and this will be over. We've never talked about what comes after, and I, for one, am too afraid to bring it up. I don't want to rock the boat. I want this time with him. If it's going to be the last, I'm soaking up as much of Merrick Kincaid as I can. Besides, I'll need these moments to last me a lifetime. I'm certain I'll never love anyone the way I love him.

Merrick owns my heart. He just doesn't know it.

"Are you really making me do this?" Merrick whines, making me laugh.

"Listen, mister. You said you needed stuff for your house. You have blinds and no curtains. You have, what, five bath towels? Your plates don't match and you were complaining that your pan was scratched to hell, and the eggs stuck this morning. This is what you wanted. You said you needed help getting everything you needed for your house. Oh, and you need furniture for the spare bedrooms."

He glances over at me from the driver's seat before his eyes dart back to the road. "I hate shopping. I thought I could give you my card or some cash and you could buy whatever I need, or hell, order it online. Even better. No need to go shopping at all."

"The wedding is next weekend and we still have not done this. You have a beautiful home, Merrick. It's time to buy at least the essentials." I'm not backing down on this. This was my part of the deal, and I plan to hold up my end of the bargain.

"Fine," he grumbles. "Let it be noted that I'm not going to have fun today."

"What?" I gasp, placing my hand over my heart. "Are you saying you won't have fun spending the day with me?" I feign offense to his words. I know it's not me. The man really does hate shopping.

He pulls into a parking spot at our first stop and turns to face me. "No, baby, that's not what I'm saying. You know I love spending time with you. It's shopping," he groans, and I can't help but laugh. He sounds like a teenager not getting his way.

"Suck it up, buttercup. We're doing this. The more you cooperate, the faster we're out of here, and on to the next store, and then we get to go home. Back to your home," I add, because calling his place home causes pain to lance my heart. It feels like it could be home to me.

"You owe me," he says, pointing his index finger at me, before climbing out of the truck. I don't wait for him like I know he wants me to. Instead, I push open the door and climb down on my own. "Brat," he teases, pulling me into his chest and kissing my temple.

"This is what you asked for," I remind him.

"Baby, you've given me so much more than I ever could have imagined."

His words have emotions building in my throat. It's on the tip of my tongue to tell him he's my everything, but he's never hinted at this extending to after my sister's wedding. I may have found my confidence in these past few months, but I can't seem to find it within me to open up my heart, to expose it for him to crush if he says this has been fun, but it's run its course. No, I'm sticking to the plan.

I have a week until I have to walk away from the man who owns me, heart and soul.

"Now what?" Merrick asks. We just finished carrying in all of today's purchases. His living room floor is covered with bags.

"Now, we put it all away."

"I can hire someone for that, right?" he asks.

"No. We're going to do it. It won't take us long."

"I needed a lot of shit."

"It's not shit." I laugh. "These are all the things you need to live here," I remind him. Sure, he could have gone without curtains, but hanging them will make this feel like home to him. Not just four walls that contain his things.

"I've been living here just fine without all this."

"This shit, as you like to call it, makes this place a home."

"We're doing just fine," he says, tugging me into his lap. "I'm glad it's over, and you're right. It needed to be done. Thank you for putting up with me today. This never would have happened without you. My sisters-in-law would have eventually taken matters into their own hands once they saw everything I still needed. It was more fun doing it with you."

His words hit me in my feels. I had so much fun with him today and every day that we spend together. I want to tell him this could be our life, our future, but I keep those words locked up tight. Instead, I say, "Come on. Let's get this put away, and then I'll make you some dinner."

"Careful, Court, I'll be locking the doors and never letting you leave." He winks and kisses my cheek, before placing me back on the couch next to him. Standing, he grabs one of the bags to start unpacking.

I ignore the twisting in my belly at his words. I wonder what he would have said if I told him I was ready for him to lock the door and throw away the key. Shaking out of my thoughts, I stand and pick up a bag and we both get busy.

It takes us a couple of hours to get it all unpacked and put away, including hanging the curtains and placing the throw rugs in front of the doors. The dishwasher is running for the new dishes and utensils, and I washed all the pots and pans by hand.

"I'm going to take all this garbage out to the garage," Merrick says, surveying the bags of trash and boxes we broke down from today's purchases.

"You do that, and I'll start dinner."

"Thanks, baby." He leans in for a kiss, which I return eagerly before I get busy making us turkey sliders on Hawaiian sweet rolls.

"That was delicious. Thanks for cooking," Merrick says as he stands and takes his plate and mine to the dishwasher.

"They're my favorite and easy to make, and you're welcome."

"What are we watching tonight? Movie or series?" he asks as he presses the start button on the dishwasher.

"Series. Definitely. I have to know what happens next. It's been killing me," I confess.

Merrick laughs. "Okay, go get it pulled up. Do you want a beer? Water? Soda? Snack?"

"I'm stuffed, but a water would be good." I move to the living room and get the next episode of the series we've been binge-watching pulled up. Once that's done, I pull the throw blanket from the back of the couch and snuggle under it.

"You cold?" Merrick places two bottles of water on the coffee table before sitting next to me on the couch.

"No. I just want to snuggle. It's a security thing."

"Let me help with that." He tugs me onto his lap, pulls out the footrest for the recliner on his side of the couch, and makes sure we're both covered with the blanket.

I settle into his embrace and hit Play on the remote. There is nowhere else in the world I'd rather be.

"You're staying here tonight, right?" Merrick asks a few hours later. We've just finished another season of this series we started on Netflix a few weeks ago. It's late and I'm surprised we're both still awake after all the running and work we did today.

"Is that okay?"

"Is it okay if I hold you in my arms while we sleep?" he counters.

"Always, Mer."

"Exactly. Come on, baby, let's go to bed."

Together we walk through the house, shutting everything down, making sure the lights are off and the doors are locked. When we get to his room, he turns on the lamp on the nightstand. Without a word, he grabs the hem of my tank top, and I lift my arms for him, letting him undress me.

Tears feel like fire burning behind my eyes, because this is our moment. Finally. I can feel it. This is the moment I give everything I am to this man. Just in time for me to have to walk away. I blink back my tears, focusing on what's happening between us.

Once I'm stripped bare, I do the same to him. Neither one of us has said a word, but we don't need to. We're letting our actions speak for themselves. Merrick slides a large, calloused hand behind my neck and angles for a kiss.

I meet each of his lazy strokes of his tongue with one of my own. We're not in a hurry, regardless of the way my pulse is racing and the butterflies that are having a party in my gut. We're both content to take our time. I don't know why he's taking it slow, but for me, I want to savor this. My first time making love to Merrick Kincaid. I can't help but wonder if it will also be my last.

Breaking our kiss, Merrick trails his lips along my neck. I shiver at the contact of his lips against my skin. His hands are everywhere as he lavishes me with kisses. When he reaches my breasts, he tests their weight in his palms before swirling his tongue over my nipple and sucking it gently into his mouth. He nips with his teeth and soothes the pain with his tongue. All I can do is bury my hands in his hair and hold on for the ride I'm certain this is about to be.

He moves to the other breast and I can't take it. I need to touch him too. Keeping one hand buried in his hair, I drop the other to palm his cock. He hisses a breath but otherwise says nothing as he continues nipping and sucking at my breasts.

I don't know how long we've been standing here, fondling one another. It could be seconds. It could be hours. I've lost all track of time. Nothing exists to me but the man with his mouth and hands all over my body.

He stands to his full height, but I don't stop stroking him. His hands frame my face, and he stares into my eyes. I melt under his gaze. I'd give anything for him to look at me like this for the rest of forever.

"I want to make love to you," he says huskily. "Will you let me, baby? I don't have the words, but I want to show you. Let me show you." There's a plea in his tone, but it's wasted on me. I'd never deny him anything.

"Please."

His mouth descends on mine, and he kisses me so deeply that my tears threaten to make themselves known once again. He bends and lifts me into his arms, bridal style, and I squeak out my surprise, making him chuckle.

"I got you, baby. Always." He carries me a few short steps to the bed and places me in the center. He drops a peck of a kiss on my lips before standing and reaching for the nightstand drawer.

"Merrick."

He stops and his eyes find mine.

"Nothing between us."

He smiles. "My girl is telling me what she wants. Are you protected, baby?"

"I'm on the pill, but you knew that. And I'm negative. It's been over a year since I've been with anyone, and my last check-up was six months ago."

He nods. "I did know you were on the pill, but I had to ask. I'm negative too. Been about the same time for me, and I had my annual physical at the beginning of the year."

"And if I wasn't on the pill?" The words are out before I can think better of it. "Pregnancy is a concern always. Nothing is one-hundred-percent," I remind him.

"I'm not sure I would care. I've never gone bare, and the thought of being inside you with nothing between us is a craving I didn't know I had until this moment."

"I've never either." I smile because I'm sure he guessed that. "I want it to be you."

"This changes things."

My heart skips. Does this mean he's going to tell me he wants us to stay real?

"Okay."

He gives me a soft smile, and I'm certain there's something in his eyes that looks a lot like love, but I could just be seeing what I want to see. Maybe I'm projecting my feelings to see them in his eyes.

"There she is." He smiles softly. "Baby, I know I'm not going to last when I feel your warm pussy milking my cock. That means I need you to come for me before we get to the finale. Just in case."

My heart sinks, but I nod, letting him know I agree. "I'm yours. Take what you need."

"What I need is for you to come on my tongue."

"Okay." I give him a cheeky grin that does nothing to squash the pain I'm feeling in my chest that I'm going to lose him. I force that thought from my mind because I don't want to miss a second of this time with him. I already know it's a memory I will pull up for years to come.

I'll never love anyone the way I love him.

Merrick moves to the bed and settles between my thighs. He pushes my legs apart and grins up at me. He doesn't say a word, but yet again, he doesn't need to. His eyes tell me everything I need to know. He plans to devour me, and I'm here for it.