AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. Okay…” I poured the eggs in the skillet and popped the bread in the toaster. It was slightly unnerving having someone so openly observing me. “I’m sure we can figure something out for you.”
“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Another perky question to incite an unhealthy amount of teeth grinding.
What was on the agenda? Now that my target was taken care of, I needed to get started surveilling the next man on the list. Among other things…
“Probably some phone calls and administrative things. We can just take tomorrow easy.” Within minutes, I had the eggs dished up with the toast buttered lightly. I usually ate at the island or in my office, but with Merrick here, it seemed more polite to take him to the dining room.
No, I’d take him to the living room. At least there I could turn on the TV to distract him from the questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
I poured two glasses of water, handing one to him, before grabbing my plate and moving to the living room. His quick footsteps, falling softly to the same beat as mine, made me realize my mistake. I should have given him the tour, that way he wouldn’t feel inclined to follow me everywhere.
Snorting, I dropped into the oversized leather chair and clicked on the lamp. He would have stuck to my side regardless.
“Here, pick something for us to watch,” I said as I tossed him the remote. Daddy had always hated the internet, threatening to get rid of it from time to time, but how else were we supposed to do our work and keep a pulse on the news?
At least a few years ago, I was able to call in a favor with the network to set us up with a VPN, among other things to hide our presence.
“Oh man, this is a lot of pressure. I promise, no porn or true crime. I think we’ve had enough of both for the evening.” There went that damn smile again. At least I couldn’t see the startling hue of his eyes under the dim lamp light.
I was quickly beginning to think I was a sucker for blue eyes.
Merrick surprised me by landing on an improv show on one of the comedy channels. It was oddly entertaining, though some of them were much better than others at thinking on their feet. I found myself laughing along with him, but more, I was torn between watching Merrick watching the show and the show itself.
When he laughed, he laughed with his whole body. The openness and the warmth didn't seem remotely manufactured. I'd spent a lot of time observing people. The way they could smile but it never reached their eyes. Or how they could appear to be listening yet their gaze was a million miles away. Merrick was very much in the present.
Issues with attachment?
Was it like a baby duck imprinting on the wrong animal for its mother? Or something more? I needed to know more about Merrick. More about his issues. He needed protecting.
More than once, he smothered a yawn as we continued watching what appeared to be a marathon of these shows. He wasn't going to bed until I did. That made my decision. I rose to clean up my plate and the water glasses. Not to be left behind, he drifted after me. I washed up everything. Some habits were so ingrained. I washed, then I dried them and the soft cheesecloth I used removed my fingerprints.
Then it was wiping down the cabinets and the counters. Anywhere we'd touched. Merrick especially. I'd take care of the remote in a bit. He didn't question me, but the weight of his observation was omnipresent and not smothering. I didn't have time to examine that too closely.
I needed to get him to bed and asleep, so I could get some work done. I also had some bloody clothes to dispose of. Trust would take time and right now, it seemed as important to protect him from me, as it did to protect him from everything else.
At the door to his room, I pushed it open. His duffle sat on the bed. He hadn't done anything else. So, when I'd gone to change, he'd what? Put his bag down and then returned to the hallway to wait? Just another line item to add to the list of traits I'd been cataloging since we met. "Do you need anything else? I have spares of toothbrushes and such. But the bathroom should also be stocked with all the basics."
Call me weird, but I liked having the house ready to go and always set up. When I left, we erased the signs of our presence, but always left it model perfect. It was good to come back after a long road trip to finding everything where it belonged.
"No," he said, but his eyes held elements of concern. "Should I set the alarm for any time in particular?"
"No," I told him with a sharp shake of my head. "Sleep. It's been a long evening. I'll see you in the morning." I kept my tone firm, no nonsense, and more an order than a suggestion.
"Sleep well, Vienna." His soft smile filled me with the most unusual warmth. When he took a single step forward, it broke the spell binding us in place and I backed up. Had he been about to kiss me on the cheek?
Odd didn't begin to cover it.
"Probably too soon, sorry," he murmured. "Sleep well." The last he repeated before retreating into the room. I stood there in the hall after he'd closed the door and tried to make sense of those past few minutes. Shaking it off, I filed it all away for dissecting later. I'd barely made it two steps when his door opened again. "Vienna..."
I glanced over my shoulder to find him holding out a small slip of paper.
"Sorry," he said, sheepish and perfectly adorable. "You said you needed my sizes."
Our fingers brushed when I turned to take the slip of paper from him. A deliberate choice on my part. I didn't often seek contact with others. Hugs or kisses were the most my father had ever been able to share. One or the other. Never both.
Contact either came when I was sparring, seducing, or slicing someone's throat. This was none of those things. A tingle went up my arm and I nodded to him without glancing at the paper. "Thank you. Good night, Merrick." Then I had no idea what possessed me but I added, "Sweet dreams."
I didn't turn back this time and I caught the click of his door a few seconds after I closed my own. Light sleeper or hard? Insomniac? Or dropped right off? I had no idea how long it would take him to settle and how hypersensitive he would be to new surroundings.
