Chapter Twelve
AMBER
ONE WEEK LATER
I glanced up from the steamy romance novel I had been reading to steal a peek at my sleeping husband.
Husband.
I still couldn’t believe he was all mine and that I was now Amber Wilson. He had surprised me with a trip to an island not too far from our home for a month-long vacation. It had been just a week since the wedding, and it felt amazing for it to just be me and him, no one else around to disturb the tranquility and peace of our honeymoon.
The strong smell of sunscreen and salt lingered in the air, casting a sense of ease around me.
I checked his face for tension and found none, my eyes trailing over his features to the new beard he was growing just for me. I knew he’d probably shave it once we got home, but I was enjoying it while I could. It felt particularly nice between my thighs as he worked me to completion before sliding inside of me each night.
I continued raking my gaze over him, appreciating the view of his slowly rising and falling chest with a light dusting of brown hair covering it, down to his abdominal muscles that were still just as toned as the day he came home.
“Checking me out again?” His sexy, half-asleep voice interrupted my thoughts. I jumped in surprise, a blush staining my cheeks “You know the room isn’t that far—just through the lobby and up the elevator.” He hadn’t even bothered opening his eyes yet, but a smirk was playing on his lips. “Then, I can do whatever has you blushing, baby.”
I playfully hit his arm, feeling my blush deepen all the way to the roots of my hair. This man had become an absolute sex addict since the wedding.
“How about you walk your fine ass to the bar and get me another drink?” He scowled but got up, rolling his shoulders as he did. My belly swooped as his muscles rolled and flexed. God, he was fine as hell.
“Do you want to try something else?” he asked, flicking his eyes to my empty drink glass.
“Rum punch, baby.” I smiled, watching him tread through the sand to the tiki hut bar and wait in line. The sun was glistening off his broad, tattoo-covered shoulders. Oh, how I loved that sexy man of mine… my husband. Still didn’t feel real.
Closing my eyes, I let the sounds of the water crashing against the champagne-colored shore wash over me. The high-pitched laughter of children and the live band playing soothed my soul.
“What has you grinning like a crackhead?” Ryan’s big, strong hands wrapped around my shoulders, and he placed a kiss on my lips before pulling back. I looked up at him through my lashes as I relaxed into his hold.
“I’m happy here,” I quietly confessed. I knew we still had three weeks here, but I was already dreading returning home. Returning to reality.
“Guess I’ll just have to bring you here a couple times a year, buy some shares in the resort, and then, we can come whenever you want.” I leaned up and kissed him, sucking his bottom lip and gently biting it. I loved this man with my whole heart.
“Don’t tease me,” I whispered against his lips before closing the distance between us and kissing him again. He swiped his tongue along my bottom lip before biting down and then sucking my lip into his mouth all in one motion.
All too soon, he pulled away, and I was blinded by the spring sun. He grinned at me, his eyes dancing with happiness.
“How about a dip? Bring your drink.” He stood above me and held out a hand. He knew I’d been scared to go into the water. I’d avoided it for a week, scared of jellyfish, sharks, and of course, what happened to Celine, getting dragged away by the waves. “I’ll protect you,” he promised, wrapping his fingers around my shaking hand. “Trust me, baby.”
I did trust him. It was the ocean and all its creatures that I didn’t trust.
He yanked me up, giving me only a moment to grab my coral-colored rum punch with a yellow tiki umbrella poking out of it. My book slipped onto the chair as I stood. My feet sunk into the cool sand under our umbrella, and I let him lead the way to the water.
We stopped at the edge of the water, where the sand was moist, and my toes sunk further just as a wave of ice-cold water rushed over my feet. I shivered, my heart slamming against my breastbone. “One step at a time,” he encouraged me, a tender, patient smile tilting his lips.
The water retreated as we walked a little further in. I took a swig of my chilling drink as the next wave washed over us, all the way up to our knees. I leaned into him as the icy feeling settled in my blood. The water was such a relief to the spring heat, even if I was filled with trepidation.
“I’m so proud of you, Spitfire.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. The water retreated again, but this time, he took the final plunge and fully immersed us into the cold, refreshing water.
I latched onto his arm with my free hand and closed my eyes, fear slicing through me. “I’m so scared, Ryan.” I was trembling, clinging onto him.
“You’re doing it, Ames. You’re in the water.” He grinned at me, so much pride and happiness gleaming in his blue eyes. “There’s nothing to be scared of anymore.”
“What if a shark comes and takes a giant chunk out of my leg?” He laughed, his chest vibrating against my ear as I buried myself further against him.
“Then, I’ll still love you.”
I pulled away to look at him and slap his chest, earning a deep chuckle. “You dick! I wanna keep my whole leg!”
“Babe, you love it,” he teased, drawing me back against him. I wound my legs around his hips, my breath hitching in his throat when his hard cock pressed against my warmth. “And now, my sweet girl, I want to kiss you.”
That blush was back. “There are people watching us,” I hissed.
“It didn’t stop you before.” He tilted his head, his nose brushing against mine. A wave jostled us, and I held onto him, a squeal escaping my lips.
“I don’t like this.” I told him. “Let’s go back to the room. I promise to show you a good time,” I whispered against his lips, tasting salt and rum as our breaths intertwined.
He hummed. “Or I could get you off right here,” he murmured before claiming my mouth. My fear of people seeing us evaporated as he fucked his tongue into my mouth. He tasted of whiskey, and it was intoxicating. Moaning, I ground against him, my chest already heaving.
A soft groan rumbled from his chest as he slid a hand down my back until he was teasing them hem of my swimsuit bottoms. I shivered, a whine crawling up my throat. “Ryan…” I begged, my lips brushing his. “Please stop teasing me.”
He growled and dove back in, claiming my mouth again in a kiss that was even hotter than the last. Slipping his hand into my bottoms, he cupped my ass and rocked my hips over his hard length, and I almost fucking sobbed. He felt so good. It wasn’t going to take me long to fall over the edge. Not with his thick length rubbing over my clit with each stroke and roll of our hips.
“Ryan. Ryan—please. Close,” I panted, my brain almost incapable of coherent thought.
He kissed me again. “Let go for me, spitfire. Let me see you fall apart. Come for me, baby.”
I shattered . He swallowed my broken cry as I came undone, my head feeling all floaty and my muscles going lax. He kissed me soft and slowly, almost lazily, as I floated in his hold, trusting him to protect me and keep me safe.
“I love you,” I murmured, resting my head beside his, our cheeks pressed together. I cupped the back of his head, stroking my fingers through his dark hair.
He tightened his arms around me. “You’re my entire world, spitfire.”