Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 127712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Mercer squints his eyes at me. “Why would you say that?”
“Come on. She’s into you.”
“Again, what makes you think that? Because she’s never sent any signals.”
“You wouldn’t be able to pick up a signal if you had ten hands.”
He laughs. “That’s… dumb.”
“Well, you’re dumb too. She likes you. I can tell. She’d probably even be into your kind of kink.” His eyebrow shoots up. “Seriously. She told me she likes dark men.”
“What’s that mean?”
“You.”
He laughs again. As far as fights go, this one is no big deal. Mercer and I have thrown before. His swing has a lot more power than most people think. He boxed in undergrad. I laughed when he told me he was gonna be a boxer. But he said, “It’s a gentleman’s sport.”
I gave him that. He is a gentleman. At least in public.
In private, he’s just another deviant like the rest of us.
“Seriously though.” Mercer sets his drink down and folds his arms across his chest. “You need to stop.”
“No. I’m not stopping. It doesn’t make any sense to stop. We’re having fun.”
“Locke, this project is important. You do not understand—”
“Dude. I’m in the lab. I understand. But it’s all good, OK? I like her. A lot.”
“You like her more than me?”
“Don’t be a dick. No. You’re… you. I choose you over everyone, always. You know this.”
“And I choose you too. But right now, you’re choosing Olsen and Nova.”
“Ryan. Why can’t you get it right?”
“Whatever. Ryan. You choose her.”
“Listen, it’s just temporary, Mercer. You and I? We’re forever.”
“You know that’s not what I’m worried about. So why do you keep bringing it up?”
At first, I take this as a throwaway question. Just a deflection, that’s all. But given a moment to seriously consider it, I realize that he’s right. I do bring it up a lot. It’s like I’m trying to prove something to him when the days of proof—or anything, really—are long behind us.
And this is kind of a red flag. Because if I feel the need to prove it to him, it means I feel the need to prove it to myself.
It’s weird how all this brain shit rubs off. I’m not even into it, but after growing up with Mercer and spending the last several years here in the lab with him, the patterns are always right in my face.
We’re growing apart.
We are.
I’m never leaving this dude. Ever.
But we’re growing apart.
And he knows this.
He knows that Nova might make us both admit it, too.
Mercer stares at me. Daring me to say it out loud. But I’m not going to, and he knows it.
Instead, I say something else. And it’s perfect, really. It’s exactly what he needs to hear.
“You could get something out of this too, if you play it right.”
He ignores this. “Do you like her?”
“You know I do, Mercer.”
“And the three of you… fucked? Last night?”
I nod.
“Was it fun?”
“It was. Would you like a play-by-play?” I smile at him. More of a smirk, actually. Maybe this isn’t as bad as I thought. Maybe he’s just a little jealous. Maybe he wants in? That’s new. But hell, I’m up for it.
“I can practically read your mind.”
I scoff again. “So?”
“I’m not interested in that. I don’t want in on your ‘good thing,’ Locke.”
I throw up my hands. “Then what the fuck are you even talking about?”
He hesitates. Which is not like Mercer. At all. He’s the kind of guy who prepares for fights. Makes notes. Memorizes speeches. And he was here, all night long, planning this.
“What?” I ask. “Just say what’s on your mind.”
“Fine.” But he hesitates again. Recovers quickly though. “I would like to date her as well.”
I squint my eyes at him, confused. “I’m sorry, did you just say date her?”
“I would like to take her out. To the city. To the ballet, or the theatre, or… dinner.”
“You really want to date her?” I still don’t get it. “You could take me to the city, ya know. I’d dress up for you.”
I expect him to smile at my little flirt, but he doesn’t. “And you could’ve brought her to my bed, instead of Olsen’s.”
“Whoa. That was a burn. And I didn’t bring her anywhere. She came to us.”
“You planned it. You’ve been planning things with her since she first arrived.”
This… I can’t really deny. I’m a little bit infatuated with Nova Ryan.
But Silas Mercer is no infatuation. He’s an addiction. And even though I know this relationship we have is all kinds of never-gonna-turn-out-well, I’m not ready to walk away. I might never be ready to walk away.
I get up from the stool and walk around the island. He watches me as I do this, eyes locked with mine. I stand in front of him, take his face in my hands and kiss him. I kiss him the way I kiss everyone. With lust, and passion, and the promise of more.