Chapter 7 - Hailey
Hailey
“Ihad no idea you could cook,” I said as I took a bite of chicken.
“I would hardly call this cooking. I threw a few things together in a pan,” Merrick shrugged from where he stood at my kitchen sink, washing dishes.
“Don't discredit yourself. I’ve seen some culinary disasters in my time, and this is far from it. Somehow, you even managed to make green beans taste good. Do you know how hard that is to do? I mean, they’re green beans.”
He turned and raised a brow, chuckling lightly. “I just used a few light seasonings.”
“Yes, but you also did that thing where you dumped it in the ice! I was watching.”
He laughed harder, placing the last dish on the rack and pulling off the rubber gloves he was wearing. “That's called blanching. It's not exactly rocket science. How long have you been living on takeout?”
“I plead the Fifth?” I barely bit back a grin. “What? I grew up with a Papaw who cooked green beans until they were mush, so who can blame me for not liking them?”
Merrick sighed, a deep, long-suffering sound, as if that thought physically pained him. “I didn't think I would need to give a healthcare worker a lecture on how important it is to occasionally eat something green.”
“Do as I say, not as I do. That’s my motto.” I beamed. “Thank you for this, though, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to keep food down; this bug is really getting to me.”
Even though I still felt sluggish and exhausted, I couldn't help but smile. There was something about bantering with Merrick that made me feel lighter. Usually, at the firehouse, he was so quiet and reserved. This version of him was easy to talk to, a gentle comfort just being in his presence.
I was enjoying this new side of him—a lot.
“You know you don’t need to stay and clean my kitchen,” I insisted.
If I had more strength, I would’ve been standing up and physically pushing him out of the room, but I still felt shaky on my feet, despite the delicious food. This separation shit was getting so old.
Merrick shrugged, smirking. “I would just be cleaning the kitchen at the firehouse. Let's face it, those idiots are far messier. This is practically a vacation.”
I snorted. “Have you been smoking something? I don't think any sane human being would refer to cleaning a kitchen as a vacation.”
Merrick laughed, drying his hands on the towel slung over his shoulder. “I never claimed to be sane.”
My eyes trailed over those broad shoulders. I didn't think I’d met a single firefighter in my age range who wasn't annoyingly handsome. They all had these perfectly real bodies from all the exercise they did. Being in shape was a necessity, not vanity, but it still looked damn good on them.
Then again, the appeal of firefighters was waning somewhat, considering I’d had a brush with a convict firefighter and wound up bonding with him.
What would it have been like if I had bonded with Merrick instead?
I swallowed, nearly choking on my food. The thought had popped into my mind before I could quickly shake it out.
I hardly knew the guy. I shouldn't have been thinking about bonding with him.
I mean, sure, I was attracted to him. I had been for a while, but I needed to remind myself about the oh-so-important permanent nature of bonding.
My current predicament was entirely my fault for getting ahead of myself with the attraction.
Still, he’d fed me, which was more than the alpha in the alleyway had done, even if what he had done was… Nope, I couldn’t go there.
Merrick’s smile dropped as he looked me over. “You really are looking rough, Hails.”
Hails. Nicknames usually infuriated me, but there was something about the way he said it that made me feel warm and mushy. I wanted to hear him say it again and again. But that was probably just the separation sickness talking. My omega needed something to make her feel better.
“I'll get over it in no time,” I assured him, but my words rang false.
He faced me, leaning back against the counter as he held intense eye contact. “If you're in trouble, you know I'll help you.”
“Me? Trouble?” I waved off his concern. “I never get in trouble.”
He raised a brow. “I seem to recall an instance where you got in the face of a husband who was on the warpath and ended up with a broken rib.”
“And he ended up with a broken nose. Thank you very much for that, by the way.”
The man in question had been a piece of shit who was beating his wife. A neighbor had called an ambulance when they realized what’d happened to her, and the piece-of-shit guy had tried to stop us from giving her medical attention.
I’d taken far too much pleasure in breaking his nose.
On the upside, the wife had moved far away with her kids and was living her best life now. She still sent me text updates every now and again. Sometimes we really helped people. Best part of the job.
“Yes, but you jumped in instead of waiting for the police or one of the firefighters to step in. I would call that trouble.”
“I would call that simply being a decent human. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”
“Of course, I would have, but we have something of a size difference, now, don’t we?” Merrick gestured between us, looking at me pointedly.
“You don't have to remind me. I know you're a big boy.” I smirked, popping another green bean into my mouth.
Merrick’s eyes narrowed, and his smoky oak scent intensified. Without intending to, I’d done something, and my insides quivered. Not in fear, but in anticipation.
Down, girl!
All of a sudden, my kitten was horny and wanted attention. Had bonding made me even more susceptible to hunky alphas? Maybe I was trying to seek out a connection because my mate was a piece of shit who was incarcerated and ran away.
Yeah, it was totally that and not the fact that Merrick was handsome as fuck, caring for me, and even cooking for me.
Real convincing, Hailey.
Despite the nature of my job, I was still an omega through and through, and having someone care for me… It made my omega preen with happiness. I wanted to help people and do my work during the day, but at night, the idea of having a pack to pamper me?
Well, that was the dream.
One that had been shattered by Preston.
“Just like I said. Trouble.” Merrick looked at me a moment longer, something burning in those dark eyes, then turned back to the drying rack and put the dishes away.
“That’s a matter of opinion." I chuckled, putting the now-empty plate on the coffee table and hunkering down into my little sofa nest. “By the way, have you heard from Elliot recently?”
Melody had been in a fire a few days earlier; her rescue had been burned to the ground by her moronic brother, and I wanted to check in on the situation.
“She’s doing as well as you would expect. They’re all doting on her.”
I nodded. “Fitz texted me and asked if I could go over there tomorrow and change her bandages. She got burned in the fire. It’ll be nice to see her again.”
“That sounds like a good plan. But for now”—Merrick put the last cup in the cabinet, then spun on his heel, striding toward me—“I think you should move this party to the bedroom, so you can get more rest. We both know how important it is when you’re sick.”
My eyes widened, and I looked around myself, scoffing. “I just got comfy! The couch is fine.”
“The couch”—Merrick narrowed his eyes, leaning over with his hands out—“isn’t a good place to sleep all night, and you know it. Come on.”
I wanted to argue. I really did, but I was too damn tired.
The food coma was setting in now that my belly was full.
I sighed, taking his hands as I forced myself up from the sofa.
But before I could fully stand, Merrick was sweeping me into his arms. Squeaking, I gaped at him, cradled against his broad chest bridal style.
“What are you doing?” I blurted out.
“You said you were comfy. Figured I’d make the transition as painless as possible.”
I was speechless. All I could do was stare up at him as he carried me to the bedroom and then set me down in my bed, pulling the covers over me as I got settled against the pillow.
People didn’t pamper me. I was all on my own, and most days, that was fine. I was used to it, and I was independent enough to appreciate the advantage of never having to compromise.
But this? This was nice. Nicer than I cared to admit.
“Get some rest,” Merrick said, pulling the covers around my chin, then turning off my bedside lamp. “I’ll make sure the apartment is good to go before I head out. Just…text someone if you need more than just sleep. I put my number in your phone. I don’t mind helping out. Okay?”
I was still so astounded, but I nodded, glancing over at my cell as it charged on the nightstand.
“Will do. Umm…thanks, Merrick. You didn’t need to do all this, but I really appreciate it.”
He grinned softly, straightening so that he could turn to leave. “Anytime, Hails.”