Mr. Edwards (Mr. #2)

Prologue

Carlee won’t even look at me. Not a glimpse. I know because I haven’t been able to take my eyes off her all night. It’s been over two years since I’ve seen her, two fucking years, and I’m still not over her. I thought she was the one, the woman I’d spend the rest of my life with.

How could I have been so wrong?

I loved her with everything I had; I thought she loved me too. I even got down on one knee and professed my undying devotion to her in front of my entire family. That’s how much she meant to me. How sure I was of our union.

Not even twenty-four hours later, she handed back the ring and told me she was sorry. Fucking sorry. That’s all I got. No explanation, no reason, no glimmer of hope for a second chance, just a measly two words.

She ripped my damn heart out.

She crushed me in the worst possible way.

Yet, here I sit, still pining for the woman I can never have, still loving her even though she doesn’t love me back.

I’m pathetic .

The last time I saw Carlee was at Charlotte’s christening. We were asked by Ashton and Emma, our best friends, to be her godparents. I tried to talk to her that day, but she said it wasn’t the time or the place. I’m still waiting for that conversation.

After Carlee broke off our engagement, she disappeared. She quit her job, moved out of her apartment, and vanished into thin air. I even hired a private detective to track her down but to no avail.

I’m not letting her walk away from me tonight.

Not a chance in hell.

I want answers.

I need to know why.

That’s what kills me the most. I’ve gone over that day in my head umpteen times, including the weeks and months prior, and nothing stands out. There were no signs, no rhyme or reason. What we had was strong. We were tight. We were fucking happy. You can’t fake that shit. Can you?

“Could we have the bridal party join the happy couple on the dance floor?” the master of ceremonies announces over the microphone, pulling me back into the present. His request has adrenaline thundering through me.

Here’s my chance. It may be the only one I get.

I rise, and Carlee tentatively does the same. We both move around opposite ends of the bridal table, meeting in the middle of the dance floor. My heart is hammering in my chest. I’ve dreamed of the day I’d get to hold her again, I only hoped it would be a mutual amalgamation, not a forced one.

Carlee bows her head when I come to a stop in front of her, but I don’t hesitate, snaking my arms around her waist. This is the closest I’ve been to her in years. It’s both terrifying and thrilling in equal measure. One wrong move on my part and I can fuck this all up.

She makes no attempt to pull away, so I close the small distance between us, tightening my embrace.

It feels like old times.

I never want to let go.

Our union has her body trembling under my touch; she can deny it all she wants, but she’s still affected by me.

I bring my face down, burying it in her hair and inhaling deeply. She smells amazing, just like I remember. Her scent has always been my drug; I’m like an addict craving the next hit. It’s been too long.

“You look stunning,” I whisper, moving my mouth close to her ear.

Stunning is an understatement. Spectacular, breathtakingly beautiful, a damn goddess—all those words and more come to mind, but none of them can do her justice.

“Please don’t,” she replies with a shaky breath.

“Please don’t what? Be honest. That’s rich coming from you.” It’s a low blow, but the hurt I hold inside is still as strong as ever. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get over what she did to me.

Tilting her head back, she makes eye contact with me for the first time in what feels like forever.

She’s so goddamn pretty.

I scan over her face, her flawless skin, her bright hazel eyes with specks of green and gold mixed throughout them, her petite, perfectly sculptured nose with the smattering of freckles that I’ve missed… her plump, full red lips that I’m aching to kiss. After all this time, she is still able to steal all the air from my lungs.

“I miss you,” I state, not meaning to confess that but unable to stop the words that effortlessly pour from my mouth. “I miss you so fucking much, Carlee.” I used to call her sunshine because she shone so bright… she was the light in my life. My world was plunged into darkness when she left.

Tears rise in her eyes, yet she doesn’t look away.

The sadness I see within them is palpable; it tugs at my wounded heart.

Does she miss me too?

I’ve tried to let her go and move on with my life. Fuck, have I tried, but for some reason, I can’t. I still love this woman with everything I have, even after what she put me through.

Does she feel the same? If I’m honest, the past few years have had me questioning if she ever truly loved me at all.

We stay in this position for the remainder of the song—me holding her as she stares up at me. Neither of us moves despite the fact we should be dancing. I don’t care how ridiculous we look. All I care about is being here with her.

It reminds me of the first night we met when I briefly held her for the first time. It was on the dance floor in the middle of the club. Just like then we were so lost in each other that dancing was the last thing on our minds.

I’d give anything to go back to that night. It was one of the best of my life.

The song ends, and my stomach sinks. Our time is over too quickly, but I don’t want to let her go. I want to stay locked in the moment, with her, like this, until the end of time.

Carlee makes the first move, looking away and breaking our connection. When she removes my arms from around her waist and steps back, turning to flee the dance floor, flee me , I’m hot on her heels.

I follow her across the backyard and into Ashton’s parents’ house. The sound of her shoes clicking against the marble floor echoes off the walls as she runs down the long corridor.

When she reaches the bathroom, she slips inside. I hear her strangled sob as she goes to close the door, but I stick my foot into the gap just in time.

“What the hell,” she says as I force my way inside. Her fingers wipe furiously under her eyes trying to hide her tears, but it’s no use, I’ve already seen them. Did she honestly think I’d let her run again? “Get out!”

“Not happening,” I reply, closing the door and locking it behind me.

I turn to face her, and Carlee’s eyes go wide as I stalk in her direction. She slowly backs away until she hits the far wall, leaving her nowhere else to go. I’m on top of her in a flash, caging her in with my arms.

“You know I can kick your ass, right?” she declares, and a smile tugs at my lips as I’m reminded of her ninja skills.

“Nothing you can do will hurt me more than you already have, sweetheart,” I retort, bringing my face within an inch of hers. “I’m not letting you out of here until I have answers.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” she says, raising her chin and straightening her spine.

“Well, I have plenty to say to you.”

“I don’t want to hear it, Grayson.”

“Tough.”

Her eyes bore into mine, and I can feel the warmth of her breath caress my skin. I inhale her air as we remain frozen in a silent standoff.

Reaching up, I cup her jaw. I’m through playing games. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me,” I demand. Unsurprisingly, she remains stoic. “Tell me you don’t love me goddammit because I still love you, Carlee. I’ve never stopped.”

She intakes a sharp breath, and my lips are on hers before it even registers in my mind. I’m half expecting her to knee me in the nuts or flip me over until I’m flat on my back like she’s done on more than one occasion. But she doesn’t. Instead, she fists her hands in the lapels of my tuxedo jacket, pulling me closer and kissing me back.

She kisses me back.

Our mouths, our tongues, and our hands are everywhere. Two and a half years of pent-up frustration all released in a feverous kiss. My cock is so hard for her, it aches.

Moving her hands in between us, she fumbles at the belt buckle on my trousers. My fingers skate up her back, dragging the zipper of her dress down until it’s pooling at her feet.

The moment she has my cock freed, I lift her. “Wrap your legs around me, babe,” I say against her mouth. I don’t have time to remove her panties, so I push them aside, burying myself balls deep inside her in one quick thrust.

“Fuck,” I grate out as my head falls back, resting between my shoulder blades. I’m fucking home. “I’ve missed your pussy... Christ, you feel so good.” I withdraw to the tip before surging back in. Her arms slide around to the back of my head, her fingers tangling in the short hairs at the nape of my neck as I bring my lips back to hers. “Please tell me this pussy still belongs to me?”

“There’s been no one else,” she says against my mouth.

What?

Pulling back, my eyes meet hers. “No one else since me? ”

“No one else.”

“Sunshine.” Does she have any idea what that does to me? I can’t even tell you how many nights I lay awake going insane with jealousy thinking another man was touching what’s mine.

I only wish I could say the same. I didn’t go near anyone else for the longest time, I couldn’t. She was all I ever thought about. All I wanted. And even though she was the one who left me, it felt wrong to be with someone else.

Over the past year though, when the realization finally sunk in that she was gone and never coming back, I did everything in my power to forget her. I’ve tried to fuck her out of my system. I’ve tried to hate her. But it’s all to no avail. None of the others made me feel a fraction of what Carlee does.

Not even close.

Desperation claws at me as my lips crash back into hers; I savor her taste, her touch, her scent.

My movements quicken as I pound into her possessively. Mine. Each thrust takes us higher. The room is filled with the sounds of our bodies slapping together, mixed with our carnal cries of pleasure. This is raw, unadulterated fucking at its best. That crazy, overpowering feeling of hunger that only she brings is an agonizing reminder of everything I’ve lost.

Her heels dig painfully into my back, the sting sending heat rocketing up my spine. But I welcome it. She feels incredible. I’ve never felt anything more perfect than her. She was made for me.

I’m teetering on the edge, not sure how much longer I can last. “Let go, sunshine, I need to feel you come around my cock. ”

Moments later, her pussy spasms as she throws her head back and screams out my name.

My fucking name.

It’s enough to send me spiraling over the edge. “Fuck, Carlee… fuck.” My body stills as my hips jerk forward, spilling myself deep inside her. Staking my claim. Marking my territory.

Mine.

She’s fucking mine.

I rest my forehead against hers as we both try to catch our breath. I came in here to talk, I never expected this to happen. Trust me though, I’m not complaining.

“Tell me you still love me… that we can be together again. That we can try to get back what we once had. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’m sorry. Do you hear me? I’m so goddamn sorry. I need you in my life, babe. I feel empty inside without you.”

I know I’m putting it all on the line here, setting myself up for heartbreak again, but she needs to know. Cupping her face in my hands as my thumbs gently skate over her jaw, I draw back. It’s only then I realize she’s crying. She looks so sad, so broken. It tears my heart in two.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. Whatever it is, we can get through it together… just like we used to.” The pad of my thumb rises, softly brushing the tears from her cheeks, but my words only seem to bring on more. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t.”

“Please,” I beg.

“I have to go.” She unravels her legs from around my waist, placing her feet back on the floor. I stand there stunned as she pushes on my chest.

I take a step back, giving her space. “That’s it? You’re going to walk away from me again?” My eyes bore into hers as I silently plead for her not to say it… not to go.

Please, I fucking need you.

“I’m sorry,” she cries, burying her face in her hands as a sob breaks free. “I can’t do this… I can’t be with you.”

Her words have me seeing red, literally. How could she?

“You know what?” I say in a tone so calm it surprises me. I tuck myself back into my pants as I try to tame the fury that’s now raging inside. “Fuck this! And fuck you. I thought you were worthy of my love… I was wrong.” With that, I turn and storm from the room.

I don’t stop until I’m out the front door, across the drive, and seated in my car. I may be in the middle of my best friend’s wedding, but I can’t stay… not now.

The palm of my trembling hand rubs over my chest in an attempt to relieve the crushing ache that’s now settled there.

I start the engine, back out of my spot, and roar down the long driveway and out the front gates.

I can’t be here.

I can’t be near her .

I’m so fucking done.