Page 133 of Crash & Burn

I look up at him, leaning my back against his front, focusing on him and him alone.

“I love you, raindrop.”

He looks down, pressing his lips to my forehead, my chest aching from the tenderness of the act. “I love you, sunshine.”

Chapter 45

Mia

The summer of planning we had talked about four months ago has come and gone, and tonight is the last night before Drew and Emmett become husband and wife.

Even though I stopped drinking, my buzz is still strong, hitting me harder as Eddie walks me to my hotel room.

After joining our friends again, sitting in the lounge chair, leaning into the crook of his shoulder, his arm around me, the drinks from earlier in the night caught up to me, and it wasn’t until we stood up to leave that it all hit me.

“No more white wine or tequila for you, huh?”

“Shut up. I can handle my liquor,” I say, proving myself wrong when I touch my dress where pockets would be. My stomach drops, and I slap a hand to my forehead. “I lost my wallet.”

Eddie laughs as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out my pink card holder. “You gave it to me on our walk to Cityscape, remember?”

Nope, but I don’t tell him that.

Instead, I snatch it from him, pulling out my one room key.

It takes me more times than I would like to admit to open up the door, somehow not timing the swipe of the card with the turning of the door handle. Eddie tries to hide his chuckling, but he doesn’t do a good job.

I finally stumble inside, but Eddie stays in the doorway.

“You’re not coming in?”

“My room is two doors down, and I don’t want your brother to wonder where I am.”

“He’s out with what’s-her-face,” I reply, still a little bitter he doesn’t want to introduce me to his girlfriend, even though I have no room to be bitter. I haven’t introduced him to my boyfriend.

Not that they need much of an introduction.

I cross my arms, pouting and shamelessly resorting to guilt-tripping.

Eddie laughs, looking up at the ceiling of the hotel hallway before taking a few steps towards me, not yet closing the space like I would like him too.

“You need sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow in your bridesmaid dress.”

“I want to sleep withyou.” I say, uncrossing my arms.

“It’s not a good idea. We don’t want to get caughtthisweekend, of all weekends.” He is trying to stay strong, but I can tell his willpower is wavering the more I beg him to stay.

I know he is right, but in this moment, the combination of seeing his flushed cheeks and buttoned dress shirt, revealing the tan skin of his chest. His internal struggle of wanting to take me to bed but also be the responsible one and not risk my brother catching us and ruining the wedding weekend.

I blame the alcohol in my system for making me want to be selfish and not think about the consequences to our actions, but I know it’s not. It is Eddie. The only part of my life I have ever been selfish about is him. Not overthinking every downfall, not worrying about every conclusion, not thinking myself into a panic attack at the thought of what could happen if we don’t work out.

With Eddie, it is easy to be in the moment.

He makes me forget all the thoughts constantly spiraling in my head.

I close the space between us, reaching out to grab his hand, pulling it to rest around my waist. I snake my arms around his neck, pulling his lips down to mine. “Stay,” I whisper against his lips.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for, sunshine.”

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