Page 157 of Cherry Beats

With one last look at Rhett, I mouthed a thank you, and then I turned to Presley. My Presley. The man whose eyes were focused solely on me as I surged forward—jogging at first only to turn it into a sprint that sent me towards the main stage. Coops stepped out of my way. Hawk, too, and then I was pushing past equipment, scrambling to reach him.

I didn’t care about the crowds.

Didn’t care the song wasn’t finished.

I didn’t care about anything other than him.

I moved with precision, knowing where I needed to go, and just as I climbed onto the platform that Presley was on, I heard the song finish, heard the crowd cheer, and I saw Presley jump up from his stool to catch me as I threw myself at him and wrapped my whole body around his as tightly as I could.

He caught me, taking the brunt of it, his body unshifting as I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. I wanted to hug him so hard, I could make him burst.

First… I wanted to kiss him.

My lips landed on his with a heavy crash, the urgency so powerful and potent, I felt on fire. Heat rose in my cheeks, toes, fingers, chest, face, and most noticeably, in between my legs as I tightened my thighs around his waist and got lost in his lips.

The world could have been in flames, and I wouldn’t have noticed anything beyond him and me.

He was all I felt, all I tasted, and I knew in my heart, he was all I’d ever need.

Gasping, he pulled away, his breaths ragged as one arm held my arse and the other pushed fingers into my hair and held on tight.

“You did all this for me,” I whispered, tearing my gaze from his swollen lips up into his bright, intense eyes. “Forme?”

“There’s nobody elsebutyou, Tess.”

A single tear slid down my cheek, my happiness too alive to control.

“You’ve got to promise me you’ll talk more and drink less, Presley,” I croaked.

“Okay.” He smirked.

“You’ve got to promise me there’ll be no more secrets.”

“Okay.”

“And you’ve got to promise never, ever to forgive me if I selfishly run away from you again.”

“Okay,” he said softer, lower, his eyes darkening as he drank me in.

“I don’t deserve you,” I told him quietly, bringing a hand up to push some hair behind his ear so I could run a finger down his chiselled jaw. “But I’m going to take you anyway… if you’ll still have me.”

“A lifetime with my best friend? Hmm. I might have to think about that. Sounds fucking awful.” He smirked, swaying us from side to side.

“Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!” the crowd chanted, the noise growing louder and louder, reminding me where we were and what I was interrupting. I glanced at them, just a never-ending view of muted light mixed with camera flashes.

“Not everyone hates us being together, do they?” I whispered in his arms, unable to believe the love we were getting as I turned back to him and felt him twist his fingers in my hair.

“It wouldn’t matter to me if they did. All that matters now is you.”

I smiled brightly.

“And us.” He beamed right back at me. “If you’ll forgive me.”

“Let’s forgive each other,” I said softly before I gave the crowd what they wanted, leaned in and pressed my lips to Presley’s again.

With that kiss, I gave him my promise of forever.

I let him taste my regrets and savour my return.

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