AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you need to go in the bathroom?”
“No. I’m good. I just want to go to sleep.”
“Okay. Night.”
I grunt at him and he laughs again, softly closing the door behind me.
Damn, I wish I hadn’t gotten so drunk. I have a feeling that tomorrow I’m gonna regret it.
But not Merrick. I could never regret spending time with him. He seems sweet and gentle. And sexy as hell.
Which if I wasn’t so drunk might send me running in the other direction.
Luckily, I am. So I could care less.
I close my eyes and sigh, letting the dark room lull me to sleep, while I dream about dark eyes laughing and full lips smirking at me while I struggle to remember what the hell I said to him to make him laugh.
CHAPTER2
Merrick
My fingers trace out the early morning picture of the boat at the dock with the sunlight broken across the rippling water and the white of the sails just being unfurled as the other boat pulls away. Crimson and gold tint the cool of the morning with warmth and light. But it doesn’t make me happy.
Nothing does. I crumple up the damn paper and frown. It’s not right. None of it’s right. I don’t like the way the fucking light looks coming off the water. It’s too rigid, not…gentle, or maybe….fuck! I slam the paint brush down on my palette and grip my long hair, growling under my breath.
I don’t know what it’s not but it’s not fucking right and I can’t get my head out of my ass enough to figure out what the hell is wrong with it.
I glance down at my watch and wince when I see the time. I need to go pick up Onyx. A smile tilts my lips when I think about the bright-eyed redhead. Whenever I think about her hair, my fingers absolutely itch to paint her.That color!Shit! I don’t know what to call it but it’s the most glorious vibrant red I’ve ever seen in my life, the springy curls tangling around her head last night when she stumbled around, singing off-key and waving her arms around…well, like a drunk!
But I like that about her. And the artistic flair that you could just tell she had was amazing. Her jewelry was flawless. That pendant was made out of the most beautiful stone I’d ever seen. Perfectly cut and polished to a shimmering glass shine. And the teardrop shape made it special. Most pendants were a round or oval shape. Sometimes even a square. But that glistening teardrop in the violet-blue that threw refracted beams of light off her bountiful chest in the dimly-lit bar was mesmerizing. That rich blue caught the deeper flecks in her aqua eyes and I couldn’t look away.
Pale and with a multitude of freckles across her dainty nose, curves for days and a sassy attitude that I sensed was covering up something else, I needed to know more.
Her voice was like the soft chime of bells or maybe even wind chimes on a breeze. I cock my head when I think about her soft murmurs and the way she laughed.
She’s something else. Something I want to get to know more. Something that appeals to me on a strange level.
I hit the inn and stomp up the stairs. I’m just in time to see Onyx come traipsing out, her steps unsure and a look on her face like she isn’t sure what she’s doing.
“Hello, Onyx.”
She startles and squeaks, her brow crinkling in confusion. “Do I know you?”
I put a hand to my chest and try not to take it personally. She was pretty drunk. “You’re hurting me, baby. I can’t believe you don’t remember that special night!”
Her face turns as red as her hair and I have to hold in a laugh as she growls and grabs my hand, dragging me out the front of the inn.
“Excuse the hell out of me,”she hisses and pushes me behind a clump of bushes. “I can’t believe that you said that! I may not remember that much from last night but I know that I didn’t sleep with anyone.”
“You agreed to have breakfast with me this morning,” I say, relenting. She’s fun to tease though.
She studies me, her eyes darting up and down my big body. “Merrick?” The way she says it makes me think that she doesn’t actually remember if that’s my name or not.
“Yeah, Red. How are you doing this morning? Made it through the night without hurling all your cookies?”
Her gorgeous aqua eyes sizzle with annoyance. “I did indeed. Not for lack of trying,” she mutters under her breath.
I snort and then suck it up when she glares at me.
