Page 75 of Damascus & The Wildfire
A laugh bubbled out of me. “Drop me at my house and I’ll meet you at your place tonight. How should I dress for this date?”
“Jeans and a leather jacket, if you have one.”
“Are you taking me to the clubhouse? Because I hate to break it to you, that’s not a date.”
I jumped as a palm came down on my ass just hard enough to surprise me—and turn me on. Heat coiled low in my stomach.
“Smart-ass woman. I’m taking you somewhere on my bike. Get in the truck.”
I gazed up at him as he opened the door for me. I’d never get used to the juxtaposition of hardened biker and sweet, yet commanding gentleman.
A few hours later, the wind whipped through my hair as I pressed my body tight against Merrick’s back, enjoying the rumble of his Harley coursing through my body. The vibrations traveled up through my thighs and into my core.
I leaned with him around each curve as he drove deeper into the woods. He slowed as he turned down a narrow dirt road and stopped in what appeared to be an abandoned park lot.
“Did you bring me here to murder me? I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts, and this seems like a good place to kill someone. Remote. No one close enough to hear me scream.”
Merrick shook his head with a smile. “Murder isn’t a first-date topic. I won't discuss the ways to kill someone until at least the third.”
I raised a brow. “I’m not going to ask if you’re serious.”
His only answer was to lace his fingers through mine and tug me down a short path. The trees broke into a clearing overlooking a lake, glittering under the fading light. A small table was set up with two chairs and wildflowers in a glass jar. A picnic basket and cooler waited nearby.
My heart pounded in my chest. “You did this for me? Is this the club business you supposedly had to take care of?”
Merrick pulled a chair out with one hand and tapped the back of it. “Sit,” he said —more command than request. “One of the Mavericks owns the Onyx Taproom. I needed time to get him to put together a picnic for us.”
I watched him pull small bowls from the cooler. He set one in front of me before taking a seat and settling with his own. “He told me these are called caprese bites.”
I snickered as I popped a balsamic-drizzled tomato into my mouth. “So, where are we?”
“My property. I bought it years ago. This is my favorite spot. Someday I want to build a house here. Our house, if you’d like.”
I raised a brow. “We’ve been together for like, five minutes.”
He shrugged. “I want you, Kenna,” he said, his gaze steady on me. “I want to watch the sun set over this lake with you every night and wake up beside you every morning. I want you wearing a cut of your own at the clubhouse beside Eva and Rhetta. Hell, I already know I want to marry you. I want to get down on one knee with a big-ass diamond and let the guys give me shit about how whipped I am. Tell me you don’t want this yet, and I’ll back off. I’ll slow down if you ask me to. But I know exactly what I want.”
I swallowed a bite of the salad as I tried to process his words. “It’s not that I don’t want that. But shouldn’t we date for a while? Then move in together? And then do all the other big stuff, like get engaged and build a house together? Likenormal people.”
“I’m not normal, and I don’t want to waste time following society’s rules.” He finished his last bite of the salad and watched me carefully, as if he expected me to run away.
But I was done running. “OK.”
His eyes lit up. “OK?”
I smiled nervously. “I’m in. Conditionally. We move in together while the house gets built. I’m not in a hurry to get engaged.”
Merrick cleared the table and handed me a plate with a pita filled with chicken salad. He sat before he spoke again. “I’ll have the prospects pack up your place this week.”
I bit into the pita and narrowed my eyes at him as I chewed. “Stop abusing your power. I’m packing my own shit. I don’t need them going through my things like you did.” I blushed. “I don’t need more men pawing through my panties or my toys.”
His eyes gleamed. “Got more stashed away?”
My face heated. “That’s none of your business.”
Merrick continued, undeterred. “I have a storage unit behind the clubhouse for whatever you don’t need to move into my place right now. Reaper might be able to have his crew get the house up in time for Christmas.”
I shook my head with a smile. “You’re insane. This is our first date. You should be asking me about my hobbies and favorite color, not moving in together.”
