Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fourteen
Eddie
“Wow!” It’s the only word I can muster because my brain’s turned into a soggy fucked up mess of ‘what the fuck just happened?’ Sex has never been that good—never. We achieved things in the last hour that I’ve only ever jerked off to.
She’s soaked, T-shirt sticking to all the best parts of her, face permanently smiling as she stares up at me with those lustful bedroom eyes.
I probably look like a complete disaster, hair drenched by the rain, flopping over my brow as I puff out quick erratic breaths. Our eyes meet in complete exhaustion, the euphoria affecting us both.
Her fingers tangle in my hair, pushing the strands away from my face as the most beautiful smile appears, dimpling her cheeks ever so slightly.
The strength in my arms wavers, quaking as I try to regain control of them. My forearms ache, every part of me is spent. But it was all worth it just to know she came away from this satisfied.
She’s quiet, staring at me strangely, almost looking terrified. “Are you okay?” I question, afraid I may have broken her.
She shakes her head. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
“Me neither,” I whisper, gently tugging her underwear up her legs before helping her to her feet.
Thick and undeniable desire pulses between us, our breathing evening out to regular breaths instead of uncontrolled lust-driven gasps.
There was so much I wanted to do to her, so much more I could give.
She’s everything to me, and she has no fucking idea.
God, what I wouldn’t give to show her that my world starts and stops with her.
That the closest to Hell I ever felt was that month I spent without her.
If she only knew how my heart shattered into shards of jagged glass that morning after waking up next to Pippa, the pieces still sharp and impaling.
How could I ask for her forgiveness when I haven’t even forgiven myself?
That at any moment, serrated lies will carve up this happy bubble we’ve created, popping it forever, leaving us both numb, bruised, and bleeding.
I’d take a lifetime behind bars before witnessing that kind of betrayal in her eyes; to know that I’m the root of it all.
I started this when I fucked Jinafer, she tried to even the score when she fucked that dude in Vegas…
but Pippa… that’s an ending I’m not ready for.
Not now. Not when I finally have Amber again.
Reaching out, my hand whispers over her flushed cheeks, wishing things could’ve happened differently, that we weren’t stuck dodging the secrets floating silently between us.
“Are you okay?” she questions as her hand lightly brushes over my stubble, eyes begging for answers I’m just not ready to give. “You look so sad.”
The truth sticks to my tongue like thick peanut butter. Each word is right there, right on the tip of my tongue. Telling her is the only way to cleanse me of my sins, to possibly save this ship before it fully sinks.
She’s urging me to tell her with her eyes, needing to know every bitter lie no matter how bad they taste. And I could tell her… I really could, but the universe has other plans.
The sky opens above, the gentle drizzle turning into a sudden, furious downpour, one that keeps me from saying anything more. Rain crashes against the earth, soaking us in seconds, but I barely feel it. Grabbing her pants from the hood, I clench them in my fist, knowing that we can’t stay out here.
“Come on,” I shout, taking her by the hand, tugging her through the darkness toward my house. The car can’t be saved; it’ll have to wait here until morning.
“Eddie, it’s pouring out,” she screams just as a bright flash of light illuminates the sky, a loud crack of thunder following soon after that has us both cowering in fear.
My grip on her hand tightens, racing through mud and wet grass up the slippery slope that leads to my home, our crazy asses still half naked.
She falls to her knees a few feet from my door, another bolt of lightning striking a few yards behind us, the electricity igniting the air.
Her scream is smothered by another roar of thunder, and before she can protest, I have her in my arms, hugging her tighter than I ever have before.
I’d die before I let anything happened to her.
Her hands dig into my shoulders, head buried against my chest as I kick in my back door, carrying her to safety.
Remnants of rain shuck off our bodies, creating large pools beneath our feet. Both of us are out of breath and afraid, but in that moment, our eyes meet in silent wonder, knowing that as long as we have each other, anything is possible. Even surviving the storm.
Heavy silence hangs between us, both of us shivering, neither of us smart enough to grab our coats from the car.
She covers herself, tits poking through the flimsy fabric of her already soaked shirt, blushing when she realizes she’s still exposed.
The soft rouge sightly brightens in the flickering flame dying in the fireplace, and right then, she couldn’t be any more beautiful.
“How did I get so lucky?” I whisper, diving in for a sweet kiss, enjoying how our lips meld together like molten hot metal.
Her body begins to violently shake, the chills taking over. It’s freezing in here; her chattering teeth are a dead giveaway. “Give me one second.”
She watches me as I cross the room and throw more logs onto the fire, waiting patiently until it’s burning hot again.
I motion for her to join me, enjoying the view as she carefully makes her way across the living room, unable to cover herself.
She stops inches away from me, hair drenched and hanging in wet ringlets around her face, body so cold she’s barely standing.
There’s only one way to warm her, but there’s something I need to do first. Something I should’ve done a long time ago.
Her blush deepens as my hand runs over that cute apple-swelled cheek, and she nuzzles my palm with adoration. “You’re even more beautiful in the firelight.”
Her warm smile dismantles every strength I have. Boulder sized lies sit on my shoulders, weighing me down, pushing me even further into this hole I’ve dug myself in.
Just tell her the truth… do it now before it’s too late.
She breaks the torturous silence by changing the mood, forcing me to laugh, even though I’m silently tormenting myself. “When I said I wanted to have sex in the rain, I didn’t mean running naked through the storm,” she jokes.
Her grin is infectious as I hold up her wet pants, realizing I should’ve given her more than just her panties.
“Do you think anyone saw us?” I’m not sure why she’s whispering, but my fingers gently lift her chin, forcing her to look me in the eye.
“Just Zeus and whatever other gods are looking down at us with jealousy in their eyes.”
Her eyes flicker with that familiar lure, one that I know will lead us straight to the bedroom. This! This is how sex should be between us all the time. She’s never looked at me this way.
“Wait here for a second, please,” I instruct before disappearing into my bedroom. When I return, I catch her widened eyes scanning my newly organized living room, searching for the disheveled mess she’s used to.
The piles of dirty clothes have been washed, folded and tucked away.
The stench of old stale pizza and beer no longer lingers in the air, it’s been replaced by the fresh scent of pine and cleaning solution used to deep clean this pigsty I like to call my home.
It was time to be more practical with things…
romantic. Before I even left my house, I prepared it for an evening she’d never forget, complete with rose petals scattered over the ground in varying colors, shapes, and sizes, a newly acquired white shag rug my mom helped me pick out, and a warm fire started in the fireplace I had swept out last week.
New Eddie… means a new relationship.
I return holding a bucket of cold champagne, two empty glass flutes, and something else she has yet to see.
She’s attentive the whole time, watching my movements as I place the items on the table and use the remote to start my “In the Mood” playlist. Britney Spears blares through my speakers instead, outing me unintentionally.
“Whoops, you didn’t hear that.”
She giggles. “I so did.” Silently judging my cleaning playlist that’s full of only the best fast paced songs and dance tracks.
Changing the song, the music switches to a soft romantic melody, creating the mood we both are looking for as I bend down to grab a bottle of champagne, reeling her in with a flirty wink.
“Who are you?” she asks playfully. “What have you done with my Eddie?”
My cheeks redden with nerves as I pop the cork on the bottle, trying my best to look suave, but failing miserably as the cork smashes into one of my pictures on the wall, breaking the glass just as suds billow from the top of the bottle and splash onto the floor.
“Shit,” I grumble, fighting to pour the liquid into the glass. “Remind me to clean that up later.”
She giggles even louder, eagerly taking the flute of champagne from my fingers as I tip my glass to her and smile.
“To us.”
Our glasses clink before we each take a swig, our gazes never wavering from the other.
“To us,” she mumbles, taking another swig from her champagne glass. She erupts into endless shivers, the frigid temperatures affecting us both.
There’s a blanket on my couch, and I quickly grab it, placing it around her shoulders to give her more warmth. Mesmerized, I watch as some of the flames dance in her eyes, the vulnerability an invisible lure reeling me in.
She laces her fingers in mine, staring up at me with a look of true devotion.
“I love you,” I whisper, cupping her cheek, noticing how cold she actually is. “God, you’re freezing.”
“It’s okay,” she says meekly. “This is nice, Eddie. Really nice.”
This is it. The time is now.
She slightly gasps, her grip on my hands strengthening, almost as if she knows what’s coming next.
That grip only wavers when I slowly lower myself to one knee, staring up at her with every ounce of my soul, producing the small box I had hidden behind the bucket on the table.
The last ring I bought her was cheap and didn’t cost me a thing, this one has more meaning.
This one she will treasure for a lifetime.
“Amber,” I begin, my voice catching slightly as nerves claw their way up my throat. Inside, I’m unraveling. My heart is pounding as my hands tremble with fear.
What if she says no?
What if she leaves me this time?
Gulping, I push those fears away, keeping my eyes locked on hers. “What we’ve had... it’s been a rollercoaster. The highs have felt like we’re flying above the clouds, and the lows have felt like we’re crashing with no parachute.”
I pause, swallowing hard.
“We’ve both messed up. God knows I’ve made mistakes I’d give anything to undo.
But when I look at you, really look, I don’t see any of that.
I just see you. Absolute perfection steering a rowboat through a sea of chaos.
I walked away from you, and it was the worst mistake I’ve ever made.
I didn’t just lose you. I lost the best parts of myself.
And I swear, Amber, I’ll never let that happen again.
From this moment on, I’ll always put you first, before my family, even before my dreams. Because the only dream worth living is the future I see with you. ”
My voice thickens with unaltered emotion.
“Maybe I was too young and stupid to realize what I had when I had it. But these past few weeks have changed me. I’ve had to face parts of myself I didn’t want to see, and somehow, through it all, I came out with one truth I can’t ignore.
I love you with every beat of my shattered heart, and the thought of losing you again kills me in ways I never thought imaginable. ”
I inch closer, heart literally sitting in my throat.
“I’ve asked you this before maybe a hundred times in my head, and more than a few out loud.
But never like this. Never with all the right reasons in the right moment.
You deserve everything, Amber. And if you’ll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life trying to give you just that…
everything I can. So, will you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honor of becoming my wife?
We can ride this insane, beautiful rollercoaster all the way to the end together. All I need is for you to say yes.”
Tears bubble in her eyes as I pop open the box, presenting her the ring her mother gave to me at Christmas when she wasn’t looking.
Yes, her mother did get her a gift, she just didn’t realize it until now.
It’s the same one her father gave her mother when they got married, the one Amber’s had her eye on since her mother went downhill, and has been afraid she’d sell it for drug money.
“Is that… my mother’s ring?” her voice clogs with emotion, a sob already starting as the tears start to spill down her wet cheeks.
I nod, sliding the golden band up her finger, the perfect diamond glittering in the fire’s light.
“Eddie, how? How did you get this?”
Shrugging, I just smile. “I have my ways. You haven’t answered me,” I remind her, my nerves rattling my bones like maracas.
Her eyebrow slightly lifts in realization, and the brightest smile raises the corners of her lips. “Of course I’ll marry you, Eddie. You can ask me a thousand more times and the answer will always be yes.”
Relief washes over me as I quickly jump up, embracing her with the strength of a hundred men. We stay that way for minutes before the chills shake through us both.
“Okay, as much as I would love to sit here by the fire, I think a shower or a hot bath is what we need to bring our bodies back up to temperature.”
She nods, nibbling on her lip in the sexiest way.
“Only if you promise me that this time I can be in charge.”
“In charge of what?” I question, noticing the way her smile turns wickedly upward.
“Of fulfilling your darkest desires.”
And before I can protest, my little temptress steers me toward the bathroom, dropping the blanket and the rest of her clothing as she goes.