Page 62 of Flowers To Give

“No. I didn’t tell Mr. Radison he’s here,” she leans forward, adding, “Yet.”

Jeremy looks over to Yana who raises her brow in surprise. He puts down his eating utensils and stands up. Starting to head for the office, Sheila calls after him, “You’ve got fifteen minutes! No funny business!”

All but running for the head office, the shadows are long against the ground as the sun rapidly sinks and makes the sky colorful in its shaded wake. Opening the door to the warmly tinted lamp that illuminates the well decorated office, Merle sits in a chair across from Sheila’s desk. Jeremy steps into the space,heart pounding hard while being bathed in the sunset’s warm light coming through the slatted shades.

Merle stands, smiling at Jeremy and saying, “I couldn’t stay away. I had to come see you.”

Regaining some of his breath, Jeremy responds, “I’m glad you did.”

“Have you given anymore thought to what I said?” Merle steps forward expectantly.

Jeremy shrinks slightly at the intense gaze, nodding, “I have. But I’m still not so sure.”

“I understand, it’s a big decision,” Merle reaches out for Jeremy’s arm, “But you have to admit, it’s kind of exciting.”

Looking over Merle’s sharp features set against his gentle expression, Jeremy can’t help but feel disarmed. He’s spent such little time with Merle but has this urge to trust him. He leans into the touch on his arm, saying, “If it were just you and me then all this would be so much easier.”

Merle casts his eyes downward, “It’s Clark, isn’t it? He made a pretty bold claim the other day.”

Face twisting, Jeremy tells him, “He’s got this hold on me.”

“He’s also a huge mess,” Merle points out, “You and I would have a clean break. We could start a life together. We could leave right now.”

Jeremy glances away, “I can’t now.”

“Why not? What’s stopping us?”

“I can’t just pull the rug from underneath Barry like that,” Jeremy explains.

“That’s the guy that respects your boundaries, right?” Merle nails him, “What’s so special about him?”

Shrugging, Jeremy replies, “I feel really comfortable with him.”

“Comfort isn’t love,” Merle insists.

Peeking back up at Merle, Jeremy asks, “What do you know about love?”

“I know I could get there with you,” Merle responds matter of factly.

“How? How are you so sure?”

Merle’s hand comes up and cups the nape of Jeremy’s neck, pulling him closer as he says, “You tick all my boxes. I feel obsessed. I’d do anything to get you in my bed.”

It’s hard for Jeremy to forget how good of a time he had with Merle on that beach and in his hotel room. He swallows down his accelerated heartbeat and manages to respond, “That does sound nice.”

Merle’s eyes soften, flicking down to Jeremy’s mouth. Leaning forward, Jeremy can’t think twice about whether this is smart of him before they’re kissing. Their lips slide together and Merle’s tongue quickly tests the waters, licking at Jeremy’s lips and into his mouth. Jeremy pretends like he’s kissing Clark and it fools his heart for only a moment. He still thinks it could work with Merle, though, as long as they never kiss. Tongues circling around each other briefly, Merle slips his mouth away and smiles fondly.

“Pack your bags, babe,” Merle says, the hand on his neck caresses the short hairs there, “We can leave tonight.”

His head suddenly hurts, hating the idea of leaving like that. He shakes his head, “No, I have the rodeo this weekend.”

“You do? You’re competing?” Merle sounds interested.

“Yeah,” Jeremy admits.

Merle leans forward, “Can I come?”

Mind fuzzy and unable to think up a reason why not, Jeremy says, “Of course.”