Page 15 of Merci

Crazy thing was, the closer we got to my home, the less I wanted to be away from him. It seemed Hammer felt the same way because when he pulled into the driveway, he made no effort to get out and open my door. When I looked over at him, seeing that he was already looking at me made me blush.

“Let me out,” I ordered quietly. Softly.

“In a minute. Why you in a rush?”

With a huff, I looked out of the window. “I don’t like long goodbyes. Makes it harder to get the inevitable over with.”

“Goodbye for now, but it’ll be good night soon. No front door kisses. It’ll be me putting you to bed.Ourbed.”

“You’re so confident, huh?”

“In this? Us? Absolutely.”

The surety in his tone demanded I look over at him. It felt like magnets drawing us to one another, connecting our lips again. When a quiet moan escaped me, I was glad Hammer had the discipline to pull away because I didn’t. Even with all the discipline in the world, he released a shaky breath as he got out of the car and walked over to my side. We walked to my front door hand-in-hand, and it was crazy to me that I didn’t want him to go. Still, we said our goodbyes before we shared one last kiss.

For a second, I leaned against the door after locking it behind me and basked in how good it felt to be in Hammer’s presence. I wasn’t sure how long things were going to last between us, but I planned to fully enjoy the time we had.

10

HAMMER

“Hammer,” Merci called, and I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was confused.

“Yes, Ms. Merci?” I replied, pulling out the last of the seasonings I wanted to use on my meat before putting it on the grill.

She’d agreed to join me this evening so we could talk and get to know each other better. As much as she laughed at me a few nights ago, I was serious about what I wanted our first date to be. It was going to have to be throughout the week because her weekend was packed with five events—two she was hosting, and three she’d planned. I loved that she not only had her own profitable business but that she loved what she did. A woman with her own money was always a treat for me. I loved spoiling her more than she spoiled herself.

“You’re eating all this cheese dip at one time?” she confirmed, looking at the large bowl of Rotel I’d poured for myself.

“Yeah, and don’t be tryna count my calories,” I grumbled, washing my hands.

“I’m not tryna count your calories, but I am concerned about your arteries.”

A bark of laughter escaped me. I wished I could say she was being dramatic, but itwasa large bowl of dip.

“Aye, not too much on ya man now. I eat healthy for the most part. Let me enjoy myself this evening.”

“You got it, Mr. Freeman,” she said sweetly before lifting her hands in surrender. “Can I at least make some sides to go with the meat?”

“Yeah, but you might have to order what you want. I think the only vegetable I got here is some spinach.”

“Do you ever cook, Hammer?” she asked, opening my refrigerator.

“Maybe once a week. I don’t really have time to do anything but breakfast. Usually, I eat lunch and dinner out, or I eat what my mama cooks.”

She nodded her understanding before returning to the island and sitting next to me. “Let me see your phone.”

I slid it to her and rattled off my password with no hesitation. She went to my Notes app, and I figured Ariel had told her about me starting a list of her favorite things and foods. I guess she wanted to see it for herself because she cooed before giving me a hug and kiss.

“You’re sweet. You keep surprising me.”

“I just wanna make sure you’re satisfied,” I confessed, and that earned me another kiss.

Merci ended up doing a grocery order for the things she wanted to cook, and we chilled until the order arrived. When she started on the sides, I went outside to fire up the grill. I took my shirt off and didn’t really think too much of it until she stepped outside and gasped while I took a swig of my beer.

“Bae,” she whispered, hand covering her mouth. “What… What happened to you?”

Even though I didn’t see what she was talking about, I knew. It followed me every day of my fucking life. My shoulders sagged as I sighed and turned back toward the grill.