“We’re telling him tomorrow,” I said flatly, taking a hard swig.
Merci leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “I thought we agreed to wait.”
“He deserves to hear it from us. Not from someone else. And definitely not from accidentally seeing something he can’t unsee.”
“Like tonight?” she teased.
I gave her a look that silenced her smirk. “Tomorrow. No more secrets.”
She exhaled. “Fine. Let’s get in the shower. We need to clean up these scratches.”
Thin scrapes covered both our arms from our run through the woods. After cleaning them and gently applying antiseptic across our bodies, Merci pressed a gentle kiss to my lips.
“In hindsight, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“No shit.”
“I just don’t want Merrick to cut your dick off. I kind of like it.”
I ran my fingers through her hair. “We’ll tell him together. We’ll let him be pissed or disappointed, or whatever. Kenna can run interference. You can stay here while he processes.”
She huffed a laugh. “Not sure if that’s going to make things better or worse.”
I shrugged. “Better for me, at least.”
* * *
The next day, I anxiously showed up at Merrick’s doorstep, ready to spill the truth. The house was empty, minus Brisket barking at me through the window. I shot him a text, and he responded, saying that traffic was bad and he and Kenna would be home in about an hour.
I sat on their porch steps, trying to think about how to prevent the implosion of our friendship. I’d crossed a line. From the start, sisters and daughters were off limits to brothers in the club. The rule, created by their father during his tenure as president, was always meant to protect Merci.
She pulled up in her truck and blinked at me through the windshield.
“You were going to start without me?”
“He’s running late.”
“Good,” she said, brushing past me to head inside.
I followed her up the stairs without thinking. She tossed her bagon the bed, turned, and leveled the gaze that always unraveled me. She stalked closer and ran her hands down my chest. I caught her wrist and pulled her close, feeling the hammering of her pulse. I bent down to kiss her, and she hummed against my mouth.
“How much time do we have before he gets here?” she murmured.
“Maybe forty-five minutes,” I said, a rough groan leaving my throat as she pressed against me.
“Plenty of time,” she said, pressing her body against me in a way that shattered any rational thoughts left in my mind.
We hit the bed in a tangle of limbs, clothing hitting the floor, and hot skin brushing under the cool sheets. I forgot the clock entirely. Forgot everything except her. Until a roar cut through it all.
“What the fuck?” Merrick’s voice thundered through the air.
My stomach dropped. I didn’t even have to turn to know that he’d seen too much despite the sheet covering our bodies.
“Shit,” Merci squeaked. She pulled the sheet high against her neck.
Merrick stood, arms crossed and eyes blazing through me. “You’re fucking dead.”
Merci glared at Merrick. “Get out,” she ordered, her voice steadier than I expected. “We’ll come downstairs to talk. Like adults. With words, not fists.”
