Hold On (The 'Burg #6)(130)

“Oh…kay,” I said softly, slowly, cautiously, thrilled he seemed to have made a breakthrough with crap that was screwing with his head but wondering why we were on that subject now.

He slid my hand from his hard abs up to rest against his beating heart.

I held my stance and my breath when he dipped his face close to mine.

“Do not do anything stupid that will take away our happy,” he said quietly.

Oh.

Now I got him.

“I worried it wasn’t right, but Ryker—”

“Ryker does not love you in his tee in his kitchen, bitchin’ about his skillet. He does not love to make you laugh. He does not love it when you make him laugh. He might think your kid is the shit but not as much as I do. He probably wouldn’t give a f*ck that you’ve decorated your pad for the sole purpose of making Jefferson Airplane comfortable on the off chance they pop by, but I think it’s hilarious and it’s you and I love that too. I could go on. I won’t. What I’ll do is finish by sayin’ it’s best you don’t worry about Ryker when you should be talkin’ to me.”

“Point taken,” I said quietly, all he’d said making me feel giddier, warmer, and squishier.

Merry kept hold of my eyes a beat before he nodded.

“You don’t know anything about this guy?” he asked.

I shook my head but belatedly laid it out. “Just that he’s bad news. Ryker told me to steer clear. I heard him and his woman shouting, and she’d mentioned Carlito. And, well, uh…” I trailed off.

Merry pressed my hand harder against his heart.

He said nothing, but I got his gist.

“He asked me out,” I finished.

Merry stared at me, muttering, “Of course he has.”

“Well, until recently, I have been a dickhead magnet,” I explained.

“No, babe. You’re f*ckin’ pretty, you dress great, and you got a fantastic body. Pretty much any guy who has a functioning dick would take one look at you and want in your pants. That’s why he asked you out.”

And Merry gives me more.

“That’s a nice thing to say,” I murmured, even though it wasn’t.

It was a bunch of amazing, awesome things to say.

“I take it you said no,” he noted.

“I’m kinda seeing someone.”

His brows shot together. “This was recent?”

I nodded and added, “He hasn’t been living there very long.”

His head tipped slightly to the side. “He hit on you and he’s got a woman?”

“I think they broke up.”

“Mm…” he muttered strangely but said no more.

“Are you gonna go apeshit on me?” I asked, feeling hopeful that, since he hadn’t yet, he wouldn’t.

“No,” he answered.

Good news.

“Are you gonna go apeshit on Ryker?” I went on.

“Absolutely,” he answered.

“Good,” I mumbled, dropping my eyes to my hand on his chest. “I’m pissed he pulled Ryan into whatever he’s got goin’ down. He deserves scary apeshit-Merry.”

“Babe.”

I lifted my eyes back to his.

“We learn a lesson?” he asked.

I was not a big fan of him asking that question with the nuance he thought I was a little girl who needed the big man to educate her.

That said, I’d definitely learned a lesson.

Not to mention, I knew better.

The minute Merry and I became an us, I should have stopped keeping things from him.

“I’ll answer affirmative to that only with the warning that if any future communications hold a nuance of condescension, especially full scale of the same, they will be responded to with knee action requiring hours of ice downs and render our sex life moot for a week,” I declared.

“You got trouble living two doors down,” Merry fired back. “You essentially knew about it. Didn’t tell me about it, even though two seconds after we became an us, the first thing I told you was that you laid that shit on me. And you’re makin’ threats because you think I’m being condescending?”

“Yes.”

He studied me.

Then he grinned as he moved my hand from his heart, curling it around his side as his other arm curled around me, drawing me close.

“It’s good you’re f*ckin’ pretty and I’ve been in your pants and liked what I go so want to go back for more or you might get apeshit.”

It seemed like the crisis was averted, which was a relief.

At least for me.

Ryker was another story.

But I figured he could handle himself.

“I need to get back to work,” I told him. “Or to work at all, seeing as I didn’t even start. Ryan showed and I just let ’er rip.”

“Then I best let you go so I can find Ryker and tear him a new *.”

“Tear him a bigger one for me.”

He shook his head before he dipped it and touched his mouth to mine.

On the upswing, he muttered, “Came in for a drink with my girl.”

“You’re in luck. I’m a bartender and can see to that,” I replied.

“Can’t have a drink and go out and rip Ryker a new *.”