Page 83 of On Merit Alone

Chapter Forty-Two

Ira

She loved me.

I knew there was a good chance that she might.

I don’t know how many times I had to tell myself that this feeling didn’t just come around every blue moon—that there was no way she would be able to deny the pull between us.

To call it anything other than what it was.

But there was always that doubting voice that worried maybe her trauma or the lies that she told herself would get in the way of her seeing that what we had was special. That maybe she wasn’t ready to love me.

All those doubts were cast aside the minute she said she did. I saw it happen in her eyes and felt that same shift in my heart. In an instant, Mer went from being the girl I was pining for to being the partner I would work every day to show my heart to.

To me, she’d become mine months ago. But like the fighter she was, she fought the reality of us. Today, she’d basically told me no more fighting. Today, she was accepting. Happily.

And just in time, too, judging by the impulsive but somehow perfect decision I was about to make.

As we pulled up to the flashing lights outside of our event, I felt nervous for the first time in a while. Mer joked that it seemed like I was proposing to her, but I wondered what she would think of what else I had to confess tonight.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw beautiful almond-shaped eyes staring at me. Their brown reflected the luminous rays now that we were nearing the red carpet.

Beauty wasn’t the only thing those eyes knew, though.

Me.

That’s what else they knew. And as she skated them up and down my person, they narrowed. “Why are you nervous?”

A smile pulled the side of my mouth at the same time that very nervousness pulled the strings of my gut. I tried my best to paste on a cocky glow, easing an eyebrow up and smoldering at her. “Have you ever seen me nervous, Six?”

She contemplated this. “At your mom’s when you broke a glass and were waiting to see her reaction. At my place, when Cash bumped the wall and jangled Grammy’s photo… and now.”

I swallowed. I didn’t really expect an answer. Leave it to me to fall in love with a shark with good eyes. She had me, and if she was determined, she wouldn’t set me free.

“I’m not nervous. Just ready to get this over with,” I said. Before she could point anything else out, I dipped a hand into my jacket's inside pocket and pulled out a leather canister. “Do something with me?”

Her eyes lighted on the flask as I opened it, her mouth screwing in amusement. “You carry alcohol in your suit like an old businessman?”

“Sometimes, you little wiseass,” I said with my own smile. Quickly, it sobered. “But seriously, there will be a lot of cameras and a lot of questions. I don’t want you to be too anxious.”

“So you’re medicating me with alcohol?” She raised a brow.

I raised a shoulder. “Seemed to work in that club. I’m still trying to get lucky tonight. ”

She batted my shoulder, laughing. Her eagle eyes slid to me again, chin tipping in the direction of the flask. “And what’s your excuse? What are you medicating for?”

I held her eyes. Those pretty, determined, intelligent eyes, and I wondered if I should just tell her now. I’d already made it clear to her that I wasn’t confused, and she seemed to get it. Maybe a large gesture wasn’t worth the turbulence.

Just then, a hand slapped over the window, two faces following as Stephens and Kivvey smashed them to my passenger side. We all jumped as the guys came into view. Rogers took up the back with his arms crossed, shaking his head. I knew he was smiling on the inside, though.

I gestured to them all out there. “Do I need any more reason than that to need a drink?”

She laughed. “I guess not.”

I nudged her. “I bet you didn’t go to one party when you were in college.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Shots, baby,” I said. “Take one with me?”

Biting her lip, she hesitated before her eyelashes fluttered in a soft roll. Taking the proffered flask, she brought it to her nose and took a sniff. And then she sniffed again.

“Tequila?”

I shrugged. “Makes you fun. Drink up, Six.”

A shot later for each of us and I was stepping out of the car. I officially had to get her on and off the red carpet soon. My girl was a bit of a lightweight.

Fresh night air surrounded me, peppered with the sounds of clicks and snaps from photographers' cameras. Soft music floated around, graceful and alluring. It was all the sophisticated dance of a well-thought-out event.

It was actually quite inspiring that such a beautiful event was born of the idea of providing for a cause of our choosing. Still, the most beautiful thing in front of me tonight was the woman on the other side of the door I was reaching for.

Pulling it open, I caught her dizzying eyes before I reached out and caught her hand. Merit’s eyes flashed with nervousness which curdled my stomach with this consuming need to make her comfortable.

So, hand in hers, I tapped my breast pocket and gave her a sly look. “If you need another hit, Jones, you know where to find it.”

This brought a brilliant laughing smile from her lips, and that was the precise moment I decided to tug on her hand and drag her out of the car.

She landed against my chest to keep her balance, but the alcohol was already hitting my little lightweight and she just giggled as she used me as leverage to right herself straight again.

When she looked up, she looked at me. When her eyes shone, they shined for me. When she smiled that wide laughing smile, she smiled for me. And it had me looking down at her with a grin of my own as camera after camera took our photo in droves.

“I guess we’re out in the open,” I said in a low voice close to her ear. All around I could hear people calling my name, vying for my attention and also calling for Mer too.

Noticing it for the first time, she blinked around herself, her mouth going into an “o” of realization. Her eyes went wide in slight panic.

She tried to take a step away. Easily, I looped my arm behind her back and guided her toward the main paparazzi pool where people were stopping to pose and get their photos taken.

As we waited our turn, Mer fidgeted nervously. Then we were up and in the middle of the carpet, the craziness just getting more intense. The lights shined brighter, the voices louder and more demanding.

“Ira!”

“King!”

“Are you two an item? ”

“Is that Merit Jones?”

“When did this start?”

“Can you confirm your relationship?”

This was crazy. Wasn’t this thing for charity anyway?

How the hell did there get to be so much publicity?

My question was answered as I saw Ryan Carmen watching on from the entrance of the building, his hands in his pockets as he glared at us.

Still weird, and still had no idea what was going on there, but…

But my main focus was a fidgeting girl who was suddenly ducking her head and shying away from the attention.

She was trying to make a quick escape, but just as she did, she stumbled slightly off balance. Since I already had her in my arms, she didn’t fall.

I dipped my gaze along her perfect body to find the issue. It was a loose strap on one of her heels. Nothing broken, it just needed to be strapped back on. So crouching down, I dropped to one knee and patted it softly. Peeking up at her, I almost laughed as she looked down at me incredulously.

“What the hell are you doing?” she whisper-hissed.

“Fixing your shoe. Now hold onto my shoulders,” I said, dipping down to grasp her ankle gently.

She looked around herself nervously before spearing her eyes down at me. “No.”

“No?”

“No! Ira, get up!”

I smirked. “Hold onto my shoulders, Merit, or I’m throwing you over them. Your choice.”

She looked around again before murmuring a colorful curse just for me, but ultimately leaning down to plant her hands along my shoulders.

Just as it always did, her touch brought a tingle of awareness and rightness over my skin.

I ignored the heat it conjured and focused on pulling her shoe over my knee so that I could re-clasp the strap along her ankle .

It was done in mere moments. Then, I picked up her ankle and set her foot firmly back on the ground before lifting up and straightening my suit.

On the way up, I gave her cheek a quick peck just like I always did, unable to resist her soft skin on mine. The crowd around us went wild with an uproarious murmur of questions.

“Ira!” she whined her response to all the attention, as if she was being tortured.

Well damn, I was really going to torture her now.

Turning back to the crowd, I squinted into the light. “What was it you asked?”

“We asked if you could confirm that you and Merit Jones are in a relationship?” someone repeated. “ Officially .”

“Ah.” I nodded. Leaning my head down to Mer, I smiled.

Right before I kissed her.

Gentle, with my hand on her cheek to keep her focused on me.

Quick, because this part of our relationship wasn’t really anyone else's business. But not too quickly because I didn’t want there to be a doubt in anyone’s mind, especially hers, that Merit Jones was my girl.

That I was hers. I belonged to her. And I was damn proud of it.

Pulling away, I smiled like a cat that caught the canary. Merit mirrored it in a more bashful, more embarrassed sort of way as she turned her profile to the cameras and hid her face in my shoulder.

I simply raised my eyebrows toward the cameras. “Confirmation enough?”

“Hell yeah!” someone yelled, and everyone laughed.

I chuckled too as Merit promptly began dragging me away with a hand wrapped around my back collar. We slowed as we neared the front entrance of the train station, the large arching doors making everything look grander. And a windblown, scowling Ryan still waiting for us.