“Okay man, will do.” I agree, watching him take off down the hallway toward the elevator before letting the door close.
Charlie steps out of the bathroom without waiting for me to signal the all clear, her hair now tied in a messy bun on top of her head.
“The one fucking time I need him to not come to my room, he does.” She throws her hands up in defeat. “What do I do?”
“They are all downstairs right now. I’ll check the hall and make sure you’re clear. Slip into your room, change so it doesn’t look like you slept in last night’s clothes and when everyone comes back up and sees you are alive and well, just tell them you went down to get something to eat early because you woke up fighting off a mild hangover.”
“Okay. I can do that.” She gives me a nervous smile before pointing toward the door.
Cracking it open, I stick my head out and look both ways, pulling the door the rest of the way open when I see the hall is completely empty.
“You’re good.” I signal, reaching out to grab her forearm just as she passes me.
She stops abruptly and hits me with a soft gaze.
“I don’t regret it. Even with all this.” I smile, laying a kiss to her lips before releasing her arm.
She gives me a heart stopping smile and then quickly takes off down the hallway, slipping inside her hotel room just a few doors down in the matter of seconds.
Letting the door go, I press my back to it seconds after it latches closed. Running my hands through my hair, I let out a long slow exhale, not able to fight the smile that pulls at my mouth.
No matter how bad I feel about lying to Gavin, nothing, and I mean nothing, could possibly taint the happiness fucking sprinting through my veins right now.
Fuck me.
This girl has me good.
I am so fucked…
Chapter Eight
Charlie
Slipping inside my room, I make quick work of changing into a tank top and yoga pants before heading into the bathroom to brush my teeth. My heart is pounding a thousand beats a minute as I splash my face with water, trying to wash away any evidence of where I spent last night.
Wiping my face dry with a hand towel, I catch sight of my wide eyes and flushed cheeks in the mirror and immediately start laughing. I don’t know if it’s because I’m so incredibly happy-giddy this morning, or if everything is just now catching up with me and all I can do is laugh about it.
Exiting the bathroom, I crawl up my bed and collapse down onto the pile of pillows that line the top. I close my eyes and let out a deep sigh, only able to give myself seconds to bathe in the afterglow of my night with Paxton before the door flies open.
“Where the hell have you been?”
I roll onto my back to see my clearly too protective brother hovering just at the end of the bed.
“What do you mean?” I play stupid because I’m not supposed to have any idea he’s been looking for me.
“This morning Charlie. Last night.” His irritation is evident in his tone.
“Um, not that it’s any of your business but I went down and played the slots for a couple hours last night.”
“So where were you this morning then?” His eyes narrow on my face, daring me to lie. I know that look all too well.
“Getting something to eat.” I give him the most annoyed look I can muster. “I woke up with a small hangover and needed something on my stomach.”
“Fuck, you had me worried sick.” He instantly relaxes, his shoulders sagging forward slightly.
“You need to get a grip.” I shake my head.
“Well fuck Char; I didn’t know where the hell you were. What would you like me to do?”
“I don’t know; trust that I’m old enough to take care of myself.” I roll my eyes, pushing into a sitting position.
“I do trust you.” His words cause the lingering guilt to resurface full force. “It’s other people I don’t trust. We’re in Vegas Char. I just need to know where you are so I know someone hasn’t snatched you up and dropped your dead body somewhere in the desert.”
“Seriously?” I roll my eyes again, not able to stop myself.
Leave it to my big brother to assume that I’ve been killed and dumped because I wasn’t in my room when he thought I should be.
“Don’t fucking look at me like that. It’s my job to make sure you’re safe.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest.
“No.” I shake my head, mirroring the arm crossing stance. “It’s your job to realize that I’m old enough to take care of myself and live your own damn life. I survived just fine on my own in New York. I think I can manage.”
“But now you’re here and if you think for even one second that I’m gonna drag you all the way to Vegas with us and then not make sure you’re safe, then you don’t know me very well at all. Look.” He pauses, dropping his arms and letting out a slow exhale. “I’m not trying to be some crazy over-protective big brother. I get that you’re all grown up now Char, I do. But you’re still my sister and the need to protect you will never go away completely. Just make sure next time you decide to disappear that you shoot me a text or something first, just so I know you’re good.”
“Okay.” I groan, flopping back down onto my back. “Now will you leave me alone and let me try to get a little more sleep.”
“Fine. But don’t forget you’ve gotta be up and ready to go in about four hours.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I roll into the pillows, throwing my hand in the air to wave him off.
I hear another deep exhale before the door to the hotel room opens and then latches closed just seconds later.
I didn’t actually intend to really go back to sleep but the moment my eyes close and the silence of the room engulfs me, I feel myself slipping away.
Visions of last night flood my mind as I teeter on the cusp of awake and asleep. Paxton. The way he touched me. The way he kissed me. The way he made love to me over and over again until neither of our bodies had the strength to go on.
I can see his face, his eyes, his smile. The way he held me close to his chest, whispering how beautiful I am, how good I felt in his arms, how he was never going to let me go again. I fell asleep to the sound of his voice and even now I’m not sure if I’ve actually awoken from the dream.
Certainly this can’t be real. There’s no way Paxton is finally mine. But even as I slip into unconsciousness I know it is. I can feel it. I can feel him. And I know that no matter what happens next I can handle it, as long as I have him by my side.
****
“You ready?” I smile at Kimber, fixing the sparkling tiara head piece that sits on top of her head—holding her veil in place.
“I think so.” She lets out a shaking breath and gives me a nervous smile.
“Relax.” I take her hands in mine, feeling more optimistic this afternoon than I have maybe ever. “You’re marrying an incredible man.” I reassure her. “He’s part of my family, and now so are you.”
Her eyes flood with unshed tears for the hundredth time in the last hour.
“Thank you.” She squeezes my hands before pulling me into a hug.
“Enough with all the mushy stuff.” Angel reappears through the door that leads out into the chapel. “You ruin your makeup and you’re on your own.” She playfully warns, wagging her finger at Kimber who releases me and steps back.