Page 41 of Just Say When

I needed to get out of here.

Abruptly, I turned from the mirror and grabbed my jacket. “I need a minute.”

“Are you alright?” Chloe asked. “It’s okay if you’re not. My car is right outside.”

I laughed. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine. Really. I just need some air. I’m going to check on Pirate.”

James nodded like this made perfect sense. To her, it probably did. Horses were a refuge for both of us. “All right.” She checked her phone. “You have thirty minutes until it’s go time.”

Guests were already milling about when I quietly sneaked past the main house and up to the barn. Pirate greeted me with a head bob. He let me rest my cheekagainst his white face for approximately two seconds before he started snuffling my jacket pockets for treats.

“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled. “I didn’t come empty handed. I’ll trade you a carrot for a little affection. Seems fair.”

“Is that all it takes?” an amused voice asked behind me.

I spun around, my hand on my heart. “Jesus, Brax. You scared me. What are you doing here?”

“Marrying you, supposedly,” he said on an extended drawl. “Hopefully I didn’t get the date wrong.”

I tried to give him an exasperated look, but it was hard to summon the requisite emotion when he looked so ridiculously good in that suit. His blue eyes rivaled the cloudless sky for brightness, his shoulders were broader than ever, and his chiseled jaw and cheekbones looked like he’d had the bones sharpened even further just for today.

I suddenly felt a little awkward about myself. A little self-conscious. Like maybe I wasn’t fancy enough for Suit Brax. I should have made more of an effort, done the big white dress and all that.

“Fuck, you’re pretty,” he whispered.

I grinned, feeling much better about the whole thing. “Thank you. But you’re not supposed to see me before the wedding. What are you doing here?” I asked again.

“Looking for you.”

“Well, you found me.”

“Yeah, I did.”

I stared at him, waiting. His gaze dipped from mine, and he rubbed the back of his neck. Was Brax…nervous? That couldn’t be right. Brax was never nervous. He was always sosure. Sure of himself, of his surroundings, of how things should be. Sometimes he was wrong, but even then, he was sure of how to fix it.

“Here’s the thing, Essie. In twenty minutes, the magistrate is going to sayyou may now kiss the bride, and I don’t think that’s something we should do for the first time in front of an audience.”

“Oh.” I blinked. Somehow that had not occurred to me. “I guess we could tell him to skip that part?”

His head snapped up on a low growl. “No, we are not going to skip that part.”

“Braxton Hale, are you saying you want to kiss me?” I put my hands to my hips and studied him through narrowed eyes. “What happened totoo much, and not enough? Hmm?”

He glared right back. “Get your ass over here, hellion.”

I took a step, but apparently it wasn’t fast enough for his liking, because he hooked an arm around my waist and brought me flush against his chest. Now I was the nervous one, breathless from the heat and strength of his body.

This close, it was hard to get my bearings. I looked athim and saw my past, present, and future swirled together. The best friend I had adored, the jackass who irritated the life out of me, the man who in approximately twenty minutes would be my husband—he was all of it. He was everything.

He rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip. “You’re not wearing lipstick.”

“Not yet. I didn’t want to risk smearing it.” My words came out soft and breathless.

“Good.” His face came so close all I could see was the blue of his eye. “Because this might get messy.”

The words ghosted against my lips and I shivered.

And then his mouth was firmly on mine and all I felt was heat.

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