Page 81 of The Merger

“I mean it.” He slathers mayonnaise on four pieces of bread. “It’s the joke of the family. I can kick their ass at golf, but that’s it.”

“It seems they’ve never seen what you can do in bed.”

He looks up, and we exchange smiles.

My chest warms at our secret—because no one can ever know we’ve slept together. I can’t even tell Courtney because it could get back to Tate. But tonight was exceptional and a night I’ll never forget, and I’m happy it was with Gannon.

“Your house is gorgeous,” I say, looking around again. “How big is this place?”

“Too big.”

“So specific.”

He turns a burner on, placing a cast iron skillet over the flame.

“It’s about eight-thousand square feet,” he says, his back to me. “Six bedrooms and nine baths.”

I flinch. “That’s a lot of space.”

“It’s a lot of space,” he repeats, his voice fading away. “I bought this place ten years ago and think about selling it and moving into something smaller all the time. But I really like the peace and privacy, and moving seems like a headache that I don’t need.”

He works quietly, adding the bread and cheese to the skillet. Then he pours a glass of tea for each of us. I offer to help, but he refuses, ordering me to relax.

I’ve never seen Gannon so calm. He almost always wears a scowl, and I thought a permanent wrinkle lived on his forehead. But tonight, he’s different. Tonight, there’s a softness in his shoulders and I’ve seen him smile more in the last few hours than I’ve seen in the years we’ve known one another. He’s laughed. He’s been playful.

Is he always like this at home? If so, why is he such a prick when he’s not here?

“What?” he asks, catching me staring at him.

“I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

I rest my chin in my hand. “I was just noticing how different you are here from how you are in the office.”

“Oh.”

“That’s it?Oh?” I sit up when he slides me a plate with my sandwich. “You don’t have an explanation?”

“I do. I’m just not giving it to you.”

He takes his plate and tea and heads for the couch.

I gather my things and follow him. “Why not give it to me? Come on. I’m curious.”

“Have I not given you enough this evening?”

“Well, okay. Fair.” I sit beside him and grin, placing my glass on the coffee table next to his. “I can’t believe you eat on this thing.”

“Why? It’s a couch.”

I trail my hand over the leather. “It just looks very expensive.”

“It is very expensive.” He takes a bite of his sandwich. “But why bother having it if you aren’t going to use it.”

Again, fair.I take a bite of my sandwich, too.

“How’s Plantcy going?” he asks. “Are you getting further away from going back to insurance?”