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Standard disclaimer.
SAM
Mercedes' cheeks looked flushed and I found it so cute.
And I didn't normally do cute. Or at least I didn't...until now.
Now, I was all about the cute...the Mercedes kind of cute.
I knew, I should've felt like an ass, for saying what I did, but I didn't. I had no regrets. None whatsoever.
Heading up the porch steps, I realized, I had no idea what that said about me.
And I'd be lying to myself, if I said I didn't know what I was starting, because, I did.
I knew exactly what I was provoking, but I had no game plan, when it came to how this was going to end...no clue. And I always had a game plan.
Or, in other words, an exit strategy.
I'd always been a 'no relationship' kind of guy. Everyone knew that.
It wasn't that I ruled them out completely, but I didn't go there, unless I really wanted to go there.
Something really bizarre, had happened between Friday night and this morning, because, I knew I wanted to go there with Mercedes.
I couldn't put a finger on what exactly had happened, to cause that and I wasn't sure why it was even her. Why not Brandy or Mandy? Or Lana?
Never once, had they made me want to slam my face into a wall, and Mercedes had brought me to the edge of crazy, many times over.
Shit. I knew enough, to be honest. She gave as good as she got. She was smart, and when she wasn't pissing me off, she was funny.
And there were moments she could be the sweetest thing, and not just when she was falling asleep. None of that was news, but why now?
I honestly didn't have an answer for that.
"Holy crap," Mercedes breathed, staring up at the cabin, as she walked up the steps to the wrap-around porch. "How did you guys end up with this place?"
I stepped aside, as she stopped beside me.
Looking at the wide wrought-iron entry door and the floor-to-ceiling window across the front, the cedar log cabin was a mansion. It was big enough for more than just the four of us.
An entire soccer team could be housed comfortably in this place, and I was glad I wasn't going to have to fight a shit-ton of guys, for Mercedes' attention this week.
"My mom knows the owner," Caleb answered, shoving the key in the door.
His mom ran a hugely successful bar restoration company, which afforded some hellish contacts.
"So, we lucked out with this," he ended.
"I'll say," Mercedes said and grinned as she glanced at me.
I expected to be on the receiving end of one of her death glares, but the grin had reached her eyes, warming them.
"I cannot wait to see what the inside looks like," she finished.
Caleb pushed open the doors and a rush of cold air greeted us. Letting Mercedes head in before me, earned me an arched look, which I returned with a grin.
She shook her head, trying to disguise a grin, as she crossed the threshold.
Then, she came to a complete stop, and I nearly plowed into her back...definitely not in the fun way either.
"Sorry," she mumbled, stepping to the right.
An awed look crossed her pretty face, as she took in the high ceilings, the exposed rafters and the huge fans and skylights above the sitting room.
I couldn't believe, with the kind of money she came from, that this was the first extremely nice home she'd seen.
I'd have bet she grew up in something like this.
"It's beautiful," she said, and turned that grin to Shay. "Wow!"
"And you haven't seen the rest...Caleb's mom sent us pictures of it. There's a living room on the other side of the kitchen, then a sun-room, and that's not all, there are five bedrooms upstairs...three of them have their own bathrooms..."
"And there's a media room in the basement, fully loaded," Caleb added.
That caught my attention.
We crossed into a room, I wasn't sure had a purpose, other than to look nice. With its white wicker furniture and thick cushions in pristine condition, I would bet my pay-check, no one had ever used it.
The stairs leading up, were to the left, just outside the kitchen, and Jesus, the kitchen was bigger than my mom's kitchen and living room back at home.
Mercedes stared at the stainless-steel vent, hanging from the ceiling above the gas grill-top stove.
"I'm going to make this kitchen my bitch, the first chance I get."
Sitting the luggage down, I pushed my sunglasses up.
"You can cook?"
She shot me a long look.
"Yes. I can do things, other than drinking my weight in liquor."
Normally, I would've fired back with something equally biting, but I managed not to, and for that, I deserved an award.
"So what are you going to make me for dinner, then?" I asked.
"Ha!" she laughed, sitting the groceries on the counter. "Keep wishing for that. Never gonna to happen."
Shay grinned, as she joined Mercedes, helping her unload the groceries.
"That sucks for you, Sam, because she can really cook."
"Yep," Mercedes said, then shoved a large pack of ground beef in the fridge. "I can."
Leaning against the counter, near the sink, Caleb grabbed a water bottle from the stash, his girl was trying to put in the fridge.
"Her lasagna is banging."
I frowned.
"You've eaten her lasagna?"
He flipped the water bottle in his hand.
"Yes, sir. I have."
"That's fucked up," I muttered, oddly jealous.
Mercedes giggled, as she looked at me over her shoulder.
"Maybe you should've been nicer to me, huh?" She turned back, picking up the case of beer and shoving it onto the bottom shelf of the fridge. "Then you'd be all up and familiar with my lasagna."
"That's not what I want to be all up in," I said under my breath.
She stiffened.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just clearing my throat." I ignored Caleb's wide-eyed gaze, as I picked up the luggage. "But guess what? I have your stuff and I'm going to pick your room for you."
She whipped around, arms on her hips.
"You are not picking my room."
"Oh, yes I am." I took a step back and waited, as Shay and Caleb exchanged looks.
Her eyes narrowed for a beat and then our gazes locked.
With that, I wheeled around, heading for the stairs, not even attempting to keep the grin off my face, when I heard her curse.
I was acting like a fourteen year-old boy, desperate for attention. And I was...desperate for her attention, that is.
Like a kid with a new toy, I didn't want to share her with Caleb and Shay.
A few seconds later, Mercedes was right behind me.
"I'm picking my room," she insisted.
"So, you say." I climbed the steep stairs at a rapid clip.
She groaned.
"You're a tool, Sam Evans. And your legs are too long. And you walk too fast."
I laughed as I reached the landing. When I glanced down, she was still several steps below me.
"It's not my fault your legs are short."
"My legs are not short." She finally joined me at the top, her cheeks flushed from exertion. "Your legs are just abnormally long. You have freak legs."
"You know what they say about long legs..."
Her eyes rolled.
"They do not say that about long legs."
"They do in my world."
I stopped at the first door and elbowed it open, revealing a massive room, with a bed big enough for the four of us to sleep comfortably in.
Across from the bed, a huge-ass TV hung from the ceiling.
"I think this must be the master," I said.
"Let's leave that for Shay and Caleb," Mercedes said.
She closed the door, and then strutted forward, opening the next door.
I didn't see it, but she huffed and then closed the door. The same with the next, and I guessed the third time was a charm, because, she squealed, as she pushed the door open.
"This is mine," she declared.
My brows rose as I followed her, and I had to give it to her. She had good taste. The bed was large, not as big as the master, but nice. The room was rustic...exposed beams in the ceiling, and the wood-paneled walls, were painted grey.
She skipped into the room, placing a purse the size of a baby, on a chair situated in the corner.
Then, she headed straight for a large white door.
Thrusting it open, she clapped her hands together.
"Oh my God. This bathroom...I could live in it."
Setting her suitcase on an old wooden trunk by the door, I dropped my duffel on the floor with a thunk and followed her over to the bathroom.
"Damn!" I leaned against the door-frame. "You could sleep in that tub."
"I could...I just might," she said, then turned and looked up at me, smiling widely.
Something tugged in my chest, causing me to straighten, as she whirled back around to the bathroom.
"It's a claw-foot tub. I've never actually used one of them before or seen one this big. It's kind of...romantic," she said wistfully.
I said nothing as she opened another door, which was an adjoining bedroom.
"Oh, this bathroom must share with these two bedrooms," she said.
Closing the door, she brushed passed me, back into the bedroom. A peachy scent trailed after her, like a lure.
"This place is really nice. Caleb's mom has good taste," she remarked.
"Yeah."
I watched her walk over to a standing mirror, and of course, that meant, I watched the way the snug jeans hugged her shapely ass. Mercedes definitely was not lacking in that department..at all.
Shaking my head, I turned and walked around the bench, placed in front of the bed and glanced at her.
She raised her brows, as if she knew my intention and dared me to carry it out. And I did.
I power-bombed the bed and stretched out across the center. And I only had to wait about three seconds, before she responded.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting comfy." I folded my arms under my head, as she froze in front of a dresser. "This bed is nice."
"And it's my bed," she challenged.
"No, it's not. It belongs to whoever owns the house," I pointed out gamely.
"No shit, Sherlock, thanks for clarifying." She glanced at the open door and then, amber-colored eyes met mine. "Thanks for bringing my luggage up."
I winked.
"You're welcome."
Interestingly, she sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth for a moment.
"That was me saying nicely, it's time for you to get the hell out of my room."
"I know."
Both brows flew up.
"And you're still here?"
"I am."
She took a step forward and then stopped.
"Don't you have anything to do? Like go explore the rest of the house? Snap-chat pictures of your dick to random chicks? Annoy someone else?"
"Not really." I paused. Needless to say, I'd never sent anyone pictures of my penis, but now, I kind of wanted to send one to her. "Guess what?"
She eyed me, as she shuffled closer to the bed.
"You're a total chicken butt?"
Chuckling, I rolled onto my side, facing her and said,
"That was pretty lame."
"It was." She shrugged, moving closer. "I'm not ashamed. I excel at being lame."
"Nah, that's not what you excel at."
A frown creased her face.
"If you say drinking is what I excel at, I won't be responsible for my actions."
"You excel at distracting me and driving me crazy. Not necessarily in a bad way...sometimes, but not always," I admitted.
Her eyes widened, but nothing that I was saying was a lie.
"You also excel at being beautiful," I finished.
Her lips parted.
"You..." She shook her head. "...are still not getting laid."
I laughed, but then, my gaze dipped over the pale blue tank top she wore and the way her full breasts stretched the material snagged my attention.
With great effort, I lifted my gaze.
"I'm picking the room next door," I declared.
Heat suffused her face.
"Of course you are."
"I think it's awesome we'll be sharing a bathroom. We can bond," I said, smiling at her, the kind of smile that drew girls from across the bar, like bears to honey. "I think we need to bond."
"I...I don't agree," she quipped, and I realized my smile wasn't working on her. Figures.
"Yes, you do."
She folded her arms, and the swell above her top increased. Shit! I needed to stop staring at her breasts.
"There are other bedrooms with their own bathrooms," she stated.
"I like that one."
"You haven't even seen the other bedroom, Sam."
I grinned.
"I know I'll like it."
Clearly exasperated, she stared at me and gave a quick shake of her head and her curls bounced everywhere.
A moment passed, before she said anything.
"What are you up to?"
"Nothing." I patted the spot next to me. "Come here."
One brow rose.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because, I want to ask you something."
"And you can't ask me while I'm standing here?" She shifted her weight.
Sticking out my lower lip, I patted the bed again.
"I can't. I need you here, close to me. It's the only way that it can be."
"You are ridiculous." Her voice was soft.
"Maybe."
A long moment stretched out between us and then with a heavy, obviously annoyed sigh, she walked to the bed and sat by my legs.
"Happy now?"
"Nope." Reaching out, I grabbed her arm and tugged her down beside me, before she could do anything. "Now I'm happy."
Part of me expected Mercedes to pull away and bounce off the bed, but she did neither, and I took that as a positive sign.
When her lush lips parted on a soft inhale, the need to taste those lips punched through me...hard. I wanted a real kiss, not one she'd forget.
The power behind that desire, shocked me. I didn't get it, but I didn't want to question it in that moment.
She was close...she smelled damn good. And we weren't at each other's throats.
"What did you want to tell me?" she asked, leaning on a side.
My gaze followed the shape of her lips.
"I didn't want to tell you anything. I wanted to ask you something."
The corners of her lips twitched, as if she were fighting a smile.
"What did you want to ask me?"
Our faces were inches apart when I looked up.
"What are you making me for dinner?"
Mercedes blinked and then she laughed...loudly and deeply, an infectious, rich laugh, that warmed my skin.
"I'm going to make these hamburgers I saw, on Kitchen Nightmares. They used minced onions, breadcrumbs, and more. They're really good."
Aww man, another thing that was cute. She got recipes off of a reality TV show.
"I'll grill them."
"You might have to fight Caleb for control of the grill," I said.
"I can take him."
Her top slipped down her arm, revealing the pale blue strap of her bra. I couldn't help it, I reached between us, slipping my finger under the edge of her tank top, and as I drew it back up her shoulder, the backs of my fingers glided over her skin, causing her chest to rise with a deep breath.
Her eyes widened, and I swallowed a groan, when the tip of her tongue darted out, wetting her lower lip.
Neither of us spoke, as I straightened her top.
Emboldened by the lack of protest, I trailed my hand down her arm, reveling in the feel of her soft skin. I stopped where her hand rested on her leg.
"What...what are you doing, Sam?" she asked.
Such an important question, but truth was, I really didn't know, because, it wasn't about what I was doing right that second. It was more than that, and as I'd realized earlier, something had shifted between Friday and today, and I really wasn't sure what the fuck that meant, or why...or any of that.
So I smacked her ass.
Seemed legit.
A shriek squeaked out of her, as she jerked into a sitting position, with the cutest damn glare fixed over her features.
There it was again, the word cute.
"You mother..."
"No, Andy, I'll be a father one day. I'm a boy. You're a girl." Rolling off the bed, I hopped to my feet and cast a grin in her direction. "But right now, I'm going to go check out this pool I haven't seen yet."
For a moment she didn't move or speak, and I wasn't sure she was even breathing, but then, she flopped onto her back.
Raising one arm, she extended her middle finger and flipped me off.
I laughed, went for my duffel bag and headed for the room next door...my room.
Stay safe!