Page 28 of Forever and Ever

Merry shakes her head and holds back a laugh. “Maybe.”

Next time I tattoo her, it will just be the two of us. I don’t like how Blaze spent four hours staring at her tits while I worked. Or that he had the balls to ask her out on a date right in front of me. She might not be mine, but there’s no way in hell I want her to be Blaze’s. She thinks she’s a bad girl? Well, he’s a bad guy. Even if he’s a good friend, the dude has legally questionable connections.

“I should unpack,” Merry says, looking at her things sitting by the door. “I need to work on a couple of songs tonight and figure out what I want to start recording first.”

“Let’s get you settled.” I head to the entryway.

“If you try to stick me in your bed, God help you Noah Hayes,” she says with a smirk, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Wouldn’t dare, sweetheart. The day you climb into my bed, it will be your decision and well worth the wait.” I wink at her and don’t miss that she swallows hard at the comment.

Grabbing the handle of her suitcase, I roll it down the hall, noticing she keeps a safe distance between us.

It’s not like we haven’t been alone together before. We’ve shared the bed in my hotel room on more than a few occasions, albeit fully clothed. But ever since Merry walked into my house, she’s maintained a safe amount of space, and I can’t help but wonder if she doesn’t trust herself not to close it.

Although, that’s probably wishful thinking.

“Here we are.” I stop outside one of the guest rooms and roll her bag inside.

Merry’s eyes look from the guest room to the end of the hall, where my room is only one door away.

“I figured you’d put me on the other end of the house,” she says, looking back at me and tucking her hands in her pockets.

“This is the only guest room with a bed. Bachelor, remember. So, unless you’d like to stay in the poker room or movie theater, this is what you get.”

She scans the room, her eyes landing on the far wall. “Good thing I brought my headphones.” She looks back at me with a tentative smile. “Wouldn’t want to lose sleep over all the moaning.”

She moves to take a step inside the room, but I throw my hand against the doorframe, stopping her, and caging her outside as her big brown eyes look up at me.

“Let’s get something straight.” I promised myself I’d keep my composure, but clearly that was a pipe dream. “I’m not going to be fucking other people under this roof as long as you’re here.”

Merry’s breathing is quick, but she tips her chin up and faces me with the strong determination I’m used to seeing in her.

“Okay,” she says.

I lift my finger under her chin and rub my thumb just below her puffy cherry-red lips, wishing I could sink my teeth right into them. “And you won’t be either.”

Dropping my hand, I walk away before she can respond because I’m not willing to hear it. I don’t care if it pisses her off. I don’t care if she’s a free-spirited single woman who can do whatever the fuck she wants. She’ll have to go elsewhere. No one is going anywhere near her under my roof.

Because fuck that.

She can call me controlling, jealous, or whatever else she wants.

Or she can leave.

I close my bedroom door behind me and lean against it, tipping my head back and knowing this is probably the worst idea I’ve ever had. Unrequited love is fucked up enough when I can’t escape her on tour. But to live with her, even temporarily, is a whole other mess.

I hear her close her bedroom door and finally peel myself off my own, stripping my shirt up and off in one swipe. Walking over to the mirror, I stare at the dark rings tattooed around my right forearm. Twenty-six years old and I’ve still only got two of them.

One for my record deal.

One for my sobriety.

And I can’t help but wonder if anything else will matter enough to add a third. By this point in my life, I figured there would be a lot more worth celebrating than managing to get myself out of bed every day.

Guess I was wrong.

My phone pings, and I pull it out to see a text lighting up the screen.

---