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I could see in the bathroom, directly across the spacious floor to the clawfoot, hammered brass tub in the far corner. It was classy, like the rest of his dark oak and multi-paneled mirrored bathroom. And it was definitely not empty.
Merrick was in it, hazy through the steam. Or was it smoke? His naked arm hung over the edge, a cigarette in his fingers. His head was back, eyes closed. The shadow of stubble was stark over the lower half of his face and his hair was rumpled, more curly than usual.
My God, he had shoulders for days.
Tanned, muscular, a brush of freckles over his skin. His exposed neck was just…beautiful. Lightly dusted with stubble under his chin and over his jaw.
Speaking of hair…he had the perfect amount trailing up between his pecs. I couldn’t see much lower than the middle of his chest, but…God, it was delicious.
My nipples tightened beneath my tiny dress.
He released a sigh and every nerve in my body stood to attention. Then his opposite arm lifted from behind the tub and he took a drink from…a beer?
Merrick didn’t drink beer.
And he definitely didn’t drink cheap beer either. Yet, here he was looking exhausted and partaking of what he would consider pure trash. I’d seen Merrick smoke a cigarette on occasion and that always shocked me. But this was on another level and it felt more intimate than seeing him naked.
The world had gone mad.
I remained rooted to the ground. Unsure how to get myself out of his room.
He sighed again, leaning forward, and stood abruptly. Panic burst in me and my heartbeat exploded. I saw a glimpse of his bare chest and his abs, glittering with water. Dusted with dark hair. Ridged all the way down to his…no, I was absolutely not letting myself look down there.
A little shriek split the silence. Was that from me? Panicking, I clapped my hands over my face.
The beer bottle fell to the ground.
Smash.
“Clara!”
I kept my eyes firmly shut. “I’m sorry, Merrick. I thought there was someone in the house because the door was open. I’m so sorry, I’ll leave.”
But I couldn’t leave because my eyes were shut and I couldn’t open my eyes because Merrick was naked. I heard the towel rack clatter and his footfalls on the floor.
“Can I please open my eyes so I can leave?” I whispered.
“Hold on.”
There was a short silence. The most uncomfortable of my entire life. The door creaked.
“You may open your eyes,” he said.
I obeyed gingerly. He’d turned on the bedroom light and I could see every inch of him in high definition. Big, strong shoulders. A delicious flat stomach. A trail of hair going from his navel down to the towel around his waist.
“Clara,” he said.
“I’m so sorry, Merrick.”
His lips parted and his eyes ran over me briefly. Then his hand came out and took hold of my jaw between his finger and thumb. Bending my face back and looking into my eyes.
“Are you drunk again?”
I shook my head. “No, I only had a bit to drink with Candice. I promise. She can back me up.”
He gave me a look that made me feel small. Brows lowered, eyes stark, energy boring into me. Then he cleared his throat and blinked rapidly.
“I’m going to go,” I whispered, turning on my heel.
