Page 80 of Count On Me

She slowly steps out into the hallway and I have to fight every nerve in my body to not run over and smother her in my embrace. She’s breathtaking. The dress is beautiful but all I can see is her. Her eyes are shining brightly under the matching red mask she has on and her mouth pouts a little as she flattens down the skirt of her dress. Angie clears her throat and I shake my head to force some words to form on my tongue.

“Edie, Eddie. Wow. You’re stunning. I mean, you’re always stunning, but you’re really stunning. Fuck. Lemme start again. Eddie, you look beautiful. Can I hug you?” My eyes lock with hers and the moment she nods her head, I stalk over to her and bring my hand to her cheek. I stroke my fingers along the smooth, porcelain skin and trace over the freckles that are visible and she shivers at my touch. “I’ve missed you so much, Eddie.”

Wrapping my arms around her, I crush her body against mine. Having her in my arms feels like home, and I don’t want to let go. Forcing myself to part from her, I look down and smile. Her eyes are wide and filled with love, and relief floods through after thinking I'd lost her for so long. “Are you ready to go? I can’t wait to hold you close and dance with you tonight.” She nods her head again and I smile. “You know I’m gonna need some actual words from you don’t you.”

She grins at me, nods, and I smirk back. When I place my hand on her lower back, relishing in the feel of her body clad in lace, my emotions nearly overtake my brain. Images of me peeling this dress off her, worshipping her and revelling in her crying out my name in ecstasy flood my mind. But instead ofallowing my base urges to take over, I lead her to the door as she looks over her shoulder and calls out to Angie, “See you later.”

I open the door for her, never taking my hand off her back and whisper, “Oh you have words for her but just head bobs for me.” Desire darkens her eyes and I know she’s remembering our time in the car, when she blew me away, pun intended. I clear my throat and quickly usher her down the hallway and outside to the waiting car, not wanting to get into that territory at the beginning of the night. I want tonight to be about reconnecting and being the couple we should have been all along.

The driver opens the car door for her and I watch as she elegantly lowers herself into the seat before jogging around to the other side to hop in next to her. I don’t want to miss a single second with her tonight. As I slide into the car and put my seatbelt on, she reaches over and laces her fingers with mine and I bring our joined hands to my lips and place a gentle kiss there.

“Thank you, Jaxson. For all of this. I’m sorry?—”

I press my fingers to her lips and silence her words. “Let’s leave the past in the past, Eddie. Focus on the present and our future. Just promise me one thing though?” My fingers are still on her lips so she nods her head at me to continue. “Talk to me. Tell me what you want, what you need. And I promise I’ll try my hardest to make it happen. I don’t want to be blind and miss what you need from me again and I promise to always tell you the truth. Starting with admitting you look so sexy that I want to strip you naked and devour you right here, right now.”

I watch as the pink tint of embarrassment flushes through her skin, down her neck and across her chest. My eyes gaze over her scar and I move my fingers from her lips, trailing them down her throat to run them across the raised pink flesh. “Does it hurt?” I instantly want to kick myself because of course it doesn’t, it’s healed.

But instead of scolding me, she shakes her head. “No. It doesn’t hurt. Just doesn’t look very nice.” I frown at her and she looks away from my stern stare.

I grip her chin with my hand and bring her face back to look at me. “Everything on you looks nice, Edie. Fuck that, everything is gorgeous on you because it’s a part of you. I don’t love how you got it, but I love what it stands for. Determination and strength. Wear it as a badge of courage, like the Lion fromThe Wizard of Oz.”

She smiles and brings my hand up to her mouth and kisses it. The feel of her lips on my skin sends a jolt through my body. I cup her cheek and she nuzzles into my hand. We stay like this, silently enjoying the comfort of being together, until the intercom buzzes and the driver tells us we’re here.

I pull my mask out of my pocket, place it over my face, turn to Edie, and smile. “You ready?”

She bites on her lip nervously. “I think so. That’s a lot of cameras, Jax.”

I shrug my shoulders and tell her, “That’s part of the game, baby. You’re not getting cold feet are you?” I chuckle to hide my anxiety because if Edie decides this is all too much, she really won’t like part one of my plan when it happens. And that idea terrifies me because I’m banking on her loving it.

“My feet are toasty warm, Jaxson Brady.” She releases the seatbelt and puts her hand on the door release.

I lean over and pop a kiss on her cheek just to see that pink tint again. And to distract her until the driver can position himself outside her door and prevent her from opening it. I don’t want her jumping out of the car directly into the fray.

As the driver blocks her window from the outside view, I quickly exit the other side. The flashes of light assault my eyes, but I smile politely at the photographers and head around toEdie. The driver opens her door and I step in to help her out, but she looks up at me with hurt flashing through her eyes.

I lean down and offer her my hand, and as she tentatively places her hand on mine, I whisper into her ear, “I was blocking you from their cameras so you could exit the car without anything being on display that shouldn’t be.” She turns her head slightly and looks me in the eyes and I mouth Hawaii. Her smile is brighter than all the flashes in the world and I love that it’s aimed at me.

“Brady. Brady. Who’s the lady? A new one for tonight?”

“Brady, over here Brady. You gonna love her and leave her like the others?”

“Has football's supposed bad boy been tamed by this gorgeous creature?” I turn my head toward the petite, dark-haired, female reporter who asked the last question, and smile.

“I was tamed the day I met my beautiful girlfriend when we were eight years old. I was just too stupid to realise it. She’s not only my best friend but also the love of my life.” I wrap my arm around Edie’s shoulder and bring her to my side and the reporter smiles.

“And what about you, Miss? Is he the love of your life?” She thrusts the microphone into Edie’s face and my fingers bite into her exposed shoulder desperately hoping she says yes.

“Always has been. No one compares to Jaxson Brady.” The reporter talks into her camera, and as we’re ushered down the red carpet, I squeeze Edie closer to me.

I lean down and let my lips brush the shell of her ear. “Did you mean it?” She looks up at me and nods and I can’t hold back anymore. I lower my head and, right there on the red carpet, I let my lips touch hers.

Camera flashes explode around us but it’s nothing compared to the fireworks I’m seeing behind my closed eyes. Her lips taste like forever. Like my very own addiction, and one I’ll neverovercome. One I know I’ll live with for the rest of my life because Edie is my reason for being.

What started off as a gentle kiss soon turns into something more. Edie is purring into my mouth, and if I don’t break away from her soon, I’ll be doing some very naughty things to her in front of the entire world. I reluctantly pull my lips from hers and love the little whimper she gives me. I smirk at her as she stares up at me, her lips swollen from our kiss, and pride swells through me. “Come on, baby. Let's go inside.”

As I grab her hand, she laces her fingers with mine. And this is everything I want in life. My Eddie.

48

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