Page 106 of The Merger

“I knew it!” I laugh. “You tried so hard to play the tough guy, but I knew you knew my name.”

His mouth comes to my ear, his breath hot against the shell. “And now I know a lot more about you, my favorite being how you taste.”

“Keep it up and you’ll be proving that via a quickie at my house.”

“How much more do I have to say to ensure that happens?”

I smile, running a finger down his stubble. “You already did.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gannon

“It’s a sansevieria trifasciata, also known as a snake plant.”

I run my fingers down the waxy leaves, replaying the day Carys strutted into my office with this thing in her hands. It feels like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.

What did I do before she came into my life?

Did I cook dinner alone? What side of the bed did I sleep on? Who picked out my ties in the morning?

It’s been three weeks since the gala and we haven’t spent a full day apart.

I’m getting too used to having Carys making an absolute mess of my life in the best ways. She leaves water glasses all over the house. The cap is never back on the toothpaste, and I don’t know how there’s any hair left on her head considering the strands I find in our bed, the shower, and on top of the vanity.

But, God, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I march to my desk and find my phone buried under a pile of folders. Her name is at the top of the list. I press the green button and listen to it ring.

“Hey,” she says, her voice bright.

“How did your meeting go?”

“Great. Super great, actually. Things got a little mixed up, thanks to Margot, and I was supposed to be meeting her restaurateur friend and not the artist on the east side. So I had to do a little maneuvering to make it to my destination on time, but I pulled it off.”

I grin. “Of course, you did.”

She rambles on about ficus and ferns, and I listen and try to keep up. Plant terminology becoming a part of my daily vocabulary. The only reason I try to remember it is because it’s important to her.

And she’s important to me.

“Anyway,” she says, “they both hired me! I’m sending them contracts tonight and we should be good to go.”

“Good job. I’m so proud of you.”

She pauses, and I can almost hear her smile. “Thanks, Gannon.”

“So when are we celebrating?” I ask, meandering around my office. “I want to take you out to dinner. Someplace nice.”

“Yes! I can wear the purple dress from the Waltham gala again.”

“Or, you could go back to the store and buy the green and black dresses you returned.”

She laughs. “How do you remember those?”

“You obviously don’t remember how hot you were in them.”

“It’s been, what? Two weeks? Three? I barely remember what they looked like.”