Page 51 of A Forever Love
“Is hugging random men another one of the quirky habits you picked up in college?” Her cheeks flush, likely recalling me finding out about her smut collection. She cannot convince me that it’s anything else. However, what she doesn’t know is that I spent the entire night envisioning her reading those books, tucked under the covers. She’d have to be a saint not to get turned on given the explicit language.
I’m so lost in my indecent thoughts that I don’t even realize Merida has stopped walking. She tugs on my sleeve. “Carter!”
When I look at her, she motions across the street.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I grind my teeth together.
Shawn Hades crosses the street with a huge smile on his face. He looks over his shoulder for a second, but I don’t get a chance to follow as Merida says, “You seem to have some sort of infatuation with us, Mr. Hades.”
That’s my girl.
The smile on Shawn’s face drops, possibly because he expected rudeness from me and not from Mere. But ever the serpent, he recovers fast. “You don’t know the depth of it. But I’m not alone today.”
The words have barely left his mouth when Hades turns around. A tightness grows in my chest when I spot Jason Gibson, out of his suit and in black track pants and a neon yellow T-shirt partly soaked in sweat, with a petite woman beside him in a matching outfit. He waves at us, looking awfully chipper and excited for so early in the morning.
“Now this is what I call a wonderful surprise,” Jason exclaims as he approaches us. “Carter, meet my wife, Sandra. And this, my dear, is Carter King, the CEO of the largest security company in the state.”
I’m about to introduce Merida as a friend when that asshole Hades beats me to it.
“And this lovely lady is Merida Adams, Carter’s girlfriend.” Hades tips his head toward Merida as I clench my fists to my sides. The desire to throttle a man has never been this great as he touches even metaphorically the best thing in my life with his jealous and mean spirit.
Before either of us can interject, Gibson extends his hand. “I’m absolutely thrilled that someone has finally tamed the great Carter King. His ruthless reputation is the only thing standing in his way of making history.”
Merida gracefully shakes hands with Gibson and his wife. This is another moment when I realize how much she’s changed in the last four years. She’s no longer a gawky teenager who used to look at me for support or permission whenever we ran across any of my friends.
Now, she holds out her perfectly manicured hand with beautifully painted pink nails, which have tiny lilies on them. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Shawn Hades, on the other hand, seems to have a death wish today, as he says, “We are all curious about the girl who finally bagged Carter King’s heart. Aren’t we, Jason?”
“Of course.” Jason nods, being an innocent accomplice to Hades’ scheme. “In the business world, this guy is often characterized as a ruthless workaholic. I’m happy to see him find time for other important things in life.”
I don’t bite at Gibson’s words because I know that man and everyone else in the industry is waiting to get a rise out of me. However, Shawn Hades may have found an opening by involving Merida.
“Oh, I quite like the ruthless side of him. I’ll take a hardworking man over a spineless crybaby any day.” Merida’s voice is light, like ringing bells, as if she couldn’t be happier rebutting the stupid statement.
My chest inflates with pride as she raises an eyebrow toward Hades, but a second later, I stiffen when she loops her arms around mine. Not in a way she used to when she was kid, but she really drapes herself around my arm, and the first thought in my head is, she fits perfectly.
“To answer your question, Carter is my person. He might be ruthless toward the rest of the world, but he’s a softy when it comes to me.” Her eyes light up as she looks at me, making my heart practically ricochet against my rib cage. “Only last night, he surprised me with a bookshelf delivery after spotting a few of my favorite literary classics in a box. We spent hours arranging my books, even though he isn’t much of a reader. He even read and thoroughly enjoyed a few pages.”
I cough to hide my surprise. Literary classics?
“Alright, Mere. Let’s not go overboard.” I try to take a step slightly away from her, but she mirrors my movements, staying glued to my side.
“He’s quite a private person and prefers to keep his personal activities discreet,” she continues, lightly tapping my chest. I find myself staring at her and her hand, where it rests on my suit jacket.
The Gibsons, especially Sandra, gaze at us with starry eyes. “You two are an adorable couple.” She loops her arm through Jason’s, resting her head on his chest.
In response, Jason kisses her forehead.
Before I can fully adjust to witnessing this unfamiliar, softer side of a man who’s known for being a cranky SOB in business, Merida follows Sandra’s lead and places her head against my chest. A sensation shoots down my spine at the contact, like a rush of heat begging to go somewhere.
“That must have been quite a book,” Sandra says. “What was it?”
This time, it’s Merida who ends up coughing at the innocent question. I can’t hide my amused smile as I witness her discomfort. Her eyes are as wide as saucers, and her cheeks flush as she looks at me. Eventually, I take pity on her. “It was one of those health and fitness books. You know, focusing on body movements like stretching and promoting healthy diets, like nuts and seeds.”
The color on Merida’s face deepens to match my crimson tie.
“That sounds interesting. Text the name to Jason, Carter. I’d love to check it out.”