Chapter 22 #2
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.
What the hell had I just done? The couch was still warm where we’d tangled together, and I sank onto it, tucking my legs under me. Brisket hopped beside me and rested his chin on my leg.
Guilt crept in. For the man I’d once promised forever, whose ring still sat in my jewelry box.
For the friend who’d looked at me in confusion as I fled following our kiss, who had shown me nothing but friendship and respect for my boundaries.
And for Merrick, knowing the fire burning between us could destroy something between him and his best friend.
But beneath the nerves, there was a fierce certainty that I hadn’t felt in a long, long time. I wasn’t numb. I wasn’t broken.
I was alive, and I wanted more.
A block of ice settled in my gut as I walked into the clubhouse a few hours later. I caught Hatchet’s eye and gestured with my head to follow. I hadn’t yet seen Merrick, but I couldn’t pretend to be interested in more than friendship with Hatchet for a second longer.
His hand brushed my arm as he gazed into my eyes, the corners crinkling with concern. “Hey, doll. You ran off this morning. I’m sorry if I freaked you out. You good?”
I bit my lip. “We need to talk.”
Hatchet raised his brows.
“Can we step outside?” I didn’t wait for his response, turning and hoping he followed.
The clubhouse door closed behind us, echoing through the empty parking lot. I turned to face Hatchet and hesitated. I’d never had to reject someone I cared about before.
“I like you as a friend. But when you kissed me today, I realized that I just don’t feel that way about you. I’m sorry.”
Hurt flashed across his face before his expression shifted to a stony mask. “If that’s how you feel.” He shrugged, as if he didn’t care.
“There’s more I need to tell you.”
His jaw worked silently, his lips thinning as he pressed his teeth together. He absently ran his fingers through his short beard.
“I think there’s something between me and Merrick. I don’t know what yet, but we didn’t want to pursue it without telling you.”
Hatchet scoffed. “So you’re with Merrick?”
“I mean, I want to see where things could go with him. Is that OK? We don’t want to hurt you.” I reached for his arm, but he stepped away as he let out a sharp laugh.
“Does it matter what I think?”
I clenched my fists and pressed down the emotion bubbling in my chest. “Yeah, Hatchet, it does. I still care for you. And he does, too. He’s your best friend, and I don’t want to come between you.”
“You know what? It’s fine, Kenna,” Hatchet said, letting out a clipped laugh with no real humor. “It really is. It just sucks that you led me on for so long.”
Anger flared through me. “I didn’t lead you on,” I insisted. “I genuinely like you. I like hanging out with you. You’re one of like, three friends I have here.”
Irritation crinkled his face as he started to turn away.
I grabbed his arm, turning him back to face me. “I’m sorry. I really am.”
“It’s fine. We both knew I wasn’t looking for anything serious, anyway.”
I pursed my lips and blinked back tears.
“I’m going to head out. I’m not really in the mood to party tonight.” Hatchet spun around, heading for his bike. He peeled out, gravel flying behind him, as Merrick pulled into the parking lot.
I wrapped my arms around my body, willing the tears to go away.
Merrick closed the distance between us, and I met his concerned gaze.
He wiped a tear away on my cheek with his thumb. “Breathe, Wildfire,” he commanded. “You should have let me tell him.”
I shook my head. “I needed to.”
“He was pissed?”
I shrugged. “He was blindsided. He accused me of leading him on.”
Merrick leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “You didn’t. Hatchet says things he doesn’t mean when he’s angry. He just needs a ride to clear his head. Let’s go inside. You need a drink.”
He snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me tight to his side as we stepped back into the clubhouse. The room hummed with energy, loud voices, and gruff laughs.
As we approached the bar, Eva caught my eye. She raised a brow. Shit. My best friend was going to be pissed that this was how she found out about us. To be fair, there hadn’t been an “us” for more than a few hours, and I was still wrapping my mind around it.
Eva nudged Reaper, his glance following hers. Instinctively, he looked around the room—no doubt to see if Hatchet was present—before shifting back to Merrick with a question in his eyes.
“What do you want to drink?” Merrick asked, pointedly ignoring him.
“Whatever you’re having is fine,” I murmured.
Merrick placed our order with Leah as he gently stroked my back before moving his hands up to knead the muscles at the base of my neck. His thumbs worked in slow circles as I leaned into him.
He turned me to face him, wrapping his arms around my waist to pull my body against his. “Stop. Hatchet will be fine. Trust me. We’ll give him the night, and by tomorrow, he’ll be as happy as ever, with a blonde with big tits and no brain on his lap.”
I grimaced and let out a forced laugh. “I’m not sure how that mental picture is supposed to make me feel better.”
He squeezed my waist, then brushed his lips across my forehead.
Before I could respond, Eva strolled over and grabbed my arm. “Sorry, Merrick. I need to steal my best friend away from you for a few. She’s apparently forgotten to tell me a few things.”
I shot Merrick an apologetic look as Thane and Fuse surrounded him, and Eva pulled me to the quiet hallway.
“I mean this with so much love, but what the fuck is going on?” Eva asked, her tone insistent and confused.
“Um, so, Merrick and I are a thing.”
“Yeah, I gathered that. When did this happen?”
“Today. It’s a long story,” I explained, launching into the strange events of my morning and afternoon.
Eva mimed her mind exploding. “I thought for sure you’d hook up with Hatchet. I thought you might even be the woman to settle him down. It always seemed like you both had fun together.”
“We did. We do. But kissing him made me realize we couldn’t be more than friends. It felt like how I imagine kissing you would feel.”
Behind me, I heard a throat clear. We turned to see Reaper’s imposing form before us.
“You planning to kiss my woman?” he asked me with a smirk.
“I think I’ve kissed enough of my friends today.”