Chapter 28 Merrick
MERRICK
Itry not to question the decision I’ve made as I haul Marietta’s plastic tubs to the room Iron Jack designated for me when I patched in as a prospect.
I push the door open with my shoulder and bend to flip the switch with my elbow.
Light floods the space. I haven’t paid too much attention to the rooms, but as I set the bins on the floor of the empty closet, it’s time to look at what home, sweet home will be for two weeks.
The bed is shoved in a corner, full sized, smaller than I like, the mattress covered in a plastic sheet. I guess there is bedding somewhere. Marietta brought some into the bunkhouse.
A dresser sits along the wall opposite the closet. There’s a random wood chair in the corner and a narrow desk under the window. Just the basics.
I’ll have to stop by my house and grab some things, but it won’t be tonight. Hell, I don’t even have condoms here.
And with that thought, was Marietta about to bareback last night? We need to have a discussion before we move forward.
At the thought of it, my dick twitches. I guess it’s happening. Hopefully, it doesn’t hurt her. At least I can be more careful than she might have been holding on to a pole.
Diesel might notice if I don’t go home. Our houses are next door to each other. He doesn’t know about the raid, but I should give him the heads up.
I sit on the edge of the bed to text him.
Me: Bar all right?
Diesel: Slow night.
Me: Cool. I’ll be staying at the clubhouse for a while. Club shit.
Diesel: Anything going on?
Might as well get one part handled. Marietta will tell Symphony anyway, and she’ll tell Diesel.
Me: Marietta hookup.
Diesel: Finally. Be careful.
Me: Check.
That done, I shove my phone in my back pocket. Now, I have to be in search of condoms.
Half of the club was in the kitchen when I passed through, listening to Fancy and Iron Jack tell the story. But Hoss is in his room. He hasn’t gotten his lock back. He leaves it cocked open.
I rap on the doorframe.
He looks up from where he sits on the bed, shoving a pencil up his cast. It must itch.
“Bothering you?” I ask.
“Yeah. Sucks. Need something?”
“You got a party hat or two hanging around? I’m shacking up in a room for tonight.”
His grin gets large. “You gonna rail one of those ladies you hauled in? That was fast.” He opens a drawer by his bed and extracts a long string of condoms.
I shrug. “Maybe.”
He tosses the wrappers to me. “Have fun.”
“Thanks.”
I back out. The less said, the better.
I stop by my room to drop the condoms into the top drawer of the dresser. When I turn around, Marietta’s arrived, pulling a big suitcase behind her.
She pauses when she sees me. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Her tall, slender form is lost in the miles of gray sweats. She looks like she always did on her balcony back when I had guard duty. Casual. At home.
“I’m not sure where to put everything,” she says, shifting the bag in front of her.
“I stacked the bins in the closet. It’s decently sized.”
She peers in. “You’re right.”
“You can take the dresser. I won’t need much space.”
She walks over to it. “I’ll leave the top drawer for you.” She opens it and must see the condoms, because she closes it quickly.
“I’m going to get more of my stuff,” she says.
“I’ll go with you.”
She holds out a hand. “Can we go separately for a moment? I’m not quite ready to deal with anyone’s comments. Maybe in the morning.”
I get it. “Sure.”
She hurries out, and I stand in the doorway watching her go. Only when she’s heading back with another suitcase do I go to fetch more bins.
It only takes three trips to move it all. Marietta brings in sheets, pillows, and a blanket from the linen closet.
“I washed all these myself, so I know they’re clean,” she says. “The linens weren’t in the best shape when I first came here. I ended up pulling all of them and washing them fresh.”
“I’m sure you’ve been a big help.”
“It’s been fun.” She sets the pile on top of the dresser. “I guess we can take that plastic off. It’s to keep it from getting dusty when no one is using a room.” She glances back at the open door. No one’s passed by. They’re all either in their own rooms, talking to Iron Jack, or already on patrol.
I head for it and slowly push it closed and twist the lock.
She lets out a long, slow breath. “This is it, I guess. Should we make the bed?”
“Yeah.”
I help her remove the plastic cover, and together, we put on the fitted sheet, flat sheet, and a plain blue blanket. Everything smells fresh and laundered, driving away the staleness of the room.
She glances at the dresser. “Did the room come with condoms, or did you procure them?”
“I borrowed them off Hoss.”
She sucks in a breath. “So, he knows?”
“Right now, he’s assuming I’m taking advantage of one of the women we brought in.”
“What? Who would do that?”
“Apparently, Hoss thinks I would.” I lean against the wall, arms crossed. “But I thought we should have condoms, even though last night, you were skipping them.”
“I’m on birth control. I thought for sure I’d be busy by the time I finished grad school.” She sinks onto the bed. “And obviously, nobody’s given me VD yet.” She picks at the knee of her sweatpants. “Are you saying we should use them for you?”
“Maybe. I haven’t been tested in a while. Won’t have time if we’re handling this tonight. But we don’t have to. We can wait.”
“I don’t want to wait.” Her voice catches, and that note of upset strikes a chord deep in my gut.
I sit on the bed beside her. I’m not used to emotional talk, but she’s clearly in need of something. I can’t just stick it in her and leave in two weeks. “Before we go through with this, can we talk about where you see this going?”
She clasps her hands tightly together. “I don’t know. I want it done. If it’s not … not good … we can fake it for two weeks, you know, fake being together. But it will still be done. Everyone will know.”
I see. She’s not vested in this. I’m just the tool. “All right.” Clearly, she needs me to take the lead here. I’m not sure if I should go alpha male and pull her down or put on the charm first.
But she stands up and begins pacing the room.
“I mean, I’m not in love with you. Right?
No, of course not. I’ve been infatuated with the idea of you for a long time, since that first night at the bar.
And definitely when I flashed everyone. And that night at the grand reopening when I said I wanted to be a bunny.
” She pauses, gesturing to open air. “And then I was here, and you were closer. I think the dancing put me over the top.” She keeps rambling, repeating herself, as if she needs convincing to get started.
Yeah, alpha male it is.
I’m at her in two strides and lift her into my arms.
She lets out a tiny squeak.
“Just like a mouse,” I tell her and cover the distance back to the bed.
I act like I’m going to toss her onto it, but at the last minute, I crush her against my chest. She snatches at my neck, holding on.
I laugh. “You’re mine tonight. I’m going to do what I want.”
Her eyes go big and round, two pools of blue. “Will it hurt?”
“Maybe for a second. But I’ll make you forget.”
“How?”
I tilt back so that she falls against me, and I can capture her mouth. My lips tease her until she opens for me, and I taste her, burgers and coke and that unique flavor that is all Marietta.
Her hands stop clutching and wrap loosely against my skin. She’s soft in my arms, all flannel and fleece.
Then she smacks my shoulder over and over again.
Is she having second thoughts?
I pull back. “Are you okay?”
She kicks up a leg. “Please take my bunny slippers off. I can’t stand doing one more thing with them on.”
This makes me chuckle. “Afraid you’ll corrupt their innocence?”
“I’m quite sure rabbits get more action than me!”
I could move to the bed, but I don’t yet. I set her on top of the dresser and step back, lifting one of her legs as I go.
It’s a long, long leg in the gray sweats. The bunny slipper fully encases her foot, ending in a stretchy sock-like material around her ankle.
I push her sweatpants up to reveal the top of the slipper as well as a few inches of her smooth shin. I lean down to bite the newly exposed part of her.
“Hey!” she says with a laugh.
I slide the slipper off her foot.
Her body is warm under all that heavy fabric. I encircle her ankle with my fingers. “You have delicate bones,” I tell her. “Your ankles would have made men weak in the knees in the Victorian age.”
She laughs. “But not big, muscled bikers in the twenty-first century?”
I bite her again. “Maybe.”
She crosses her remaining slipper on top of the naked ankle. “Please divest me of the bunnies.”
“Divest you, huh? I can divest you of more than that.” I jerk the slipper off. Then in a swift motion, I grasp the bottom of her sweatshirt and yank it over her head.
She’s naked beneath it. The mass of fabric hangs on her ponytail, pulling the elastic band out. Her hair falls in chaos over her shoulders.
Her gaze lifts to meet mine. Her eyes are heavy. She likes me playing a little rough.
“I’m not done.” I slide a hand beneath her ass and lift her, pulling the elastic of her sweatpants down. I plop her back onto the dresser in only her panties, dragging the sweats down her legs and tossing them to the floor.
“Spread those legs,” I order her. “I know how strong and flexible you are.” I lean close to her ear. “I’ve seen what you can do.”
Her breath is hot on my cheek. She sits taller, and her legs go wide on the dresser top.
Her panties are pale pink, a slightly lighter shade than her nipples. My dick strains against my jeans.
“What happens next?” Her voice is high and wobbly.
“Nothing new. Not yet.” I press both thumbs to the crotch of her panties.
She closes her eyes. “Yes. Like that.”
I tease her through the satin, sliding up and down the ridges and valleys.
She writhes against me, her back arched.
I take a nipple in my mouth and keep up the pace. I know her. I can make her come easily from a touch. I’ll do it once, twice, maybe three times before I take her since I don’t know how she’s going to respond to my dick in her this first time.
This part will be all about her.