Chapter 25 - Ace
If You Love Her - Forest Blakk
* * *
We travel in almost silence, listening to the slow songs of the playlist I started making for Nova soon after we first met. It's an eclectic mix of classic, popular and indie music, more focused on the vibe of the song and not the artist. We still have an hour before sunset, and we should be arriving at the mountain resort in forty minutes which means I have enough time to set up the additional lighting I have in the truck to make her more comfortable, along with a few extras to make it special.
The objective is not to have sex.
I bet a million dollars that no man has ever said that on his wedding night. But the fact that we’re here, married, and she asked to kiss me has already beaten any expectations well out of the park. I was hoping one day we might get there but as I sit here now, I can't help but want every part of her desperately. The way her lips felt pressed against mine, the smell of her strawberry shampoo teasing me in the wind, and her taste.
She tasted like mine.
I keep sneaking glances at her, my wife. The woman of my dreams who chose me as her person in front of our loved ones.
“Ace, you're drooling.”
She sasses, leisurely looking over at me.
I take hold of her hand, intertwining our fingers as we cruise to our destination.
“I’m not drooling,”
I say, attempting to sound confident. To be honest, I could have been drooling and not felt it.
“Aghhh put the window up, it's cooler this far into the mountains, I don't have anything to cover up with,”
she says, pulling her hand free and shying away from the cold wind blowing into my truck. Mumbling a quick sorry, I quickly put my window up, satisfied that I couldn't feel any drool on my chin from the blast of cold air.
Smirking, I look over and catch her shaking her head, a small smile on her face. She is breathtaking, still sitting in her wedding dress, looking like a goddess next to me.
How did I get this lucky?
Quickly taking her hand again, I kiss the back of it, letting my lips linger on her warm skin.
“Can you believe we’re married? Really married, love. I'm just living out my wildest fantasy, waiting for my brain to catch up.”
Pulling our interwoven hands back to her, she repeats the same motion I just made and kisses the back of my hand. Bringing it up to her cheek, looking over at me as I try to concentrate on driving but wanting to give her all my attention instead.
“Promise that it won't change anything between us?”
She says the words almost timidly and I'm tempted to pull the car over and hold her in my arms, reassure her that no matter what, we're in it together.
But I don't. I take a long look at her, as long as I can risk without losing my concentration while driving. The level of affection and touch we have shown each other today has been a lot and I don't want to push her any more.
“I promise, darlin'. It’s you and me against the world, forever.”
***
“Nova I swear if you open your own door right now I will withhold all the chocolate I have for you.”
Pulling into the small car park in front of our room for the night, I can't even begin to understand why she would think opening her own door would be even remotely acceptable. Occasionally, over the years, the situation has called for her to open her own door, but of all the nights, why she would assume I would allow it, is beyond me.
Mumbling that she was just trying to help was such a poor excuse, that I keep my eyes trained on her as I slowly move around the truck bonnet.
We’re staying in a resort a little off the beaten track, just on the other side of the ranges. When I made the reservation, this was the only room available so we’re roughing it in a little studio apartment. I say roughing it but it has a king-size bed, kitchenette and fireplace, along with the most breathtaking view. I tried booking one of the private cabins but they were all taken. That's okay though, because now we’re here and I can see the area for myself, as well as the faint twinkle of where those cabins sit on the other side of the lake. We are, without a doubt, coming back here.
Opening her door, she swivels to face me, her legs hanging loosely by my arms. Reaching out, I slowly drag my hands up her calves, a small grin forming on my face as I look at her.
“You couldn't even shave your legs for our wedding, aye, love?”
Her face morphs from smug happiness to shock in less than a second and I take the opportunity to throw her over my shoulder while she squeals that she didn't know it was her bloody wedding day. Laughing as her small fists attempt to rain down on my back, I can't help but provoke her even more.
“I have a knot in my left shoulder if you can massage over there a little.”
“You’re a dick, you know that,”
she huffs. Bringing her back to my front, I hold her in my arms bridal style.
“Keys in my chest pocket. You want to unlock it so I can have the honour of carrying my wife over the threshold,”
I say, grinning down at her.
Gods, she is beautiful.
“You don't need to, I mean, only if you want to,”
she says a little timidly.
“Nova. Darlin'. I am your husband. Your Pop even said I was your husband, so that means things are gonna change a little. Part of my new job description is to rub your feet at night, make sure there are blueberry tampons under the bathroom sink and carry you over the threshold on our wedding night.”
“They’re not blueberry, they’re just regular. I swear Mila should never have talked to you about periods,”
she says, rolling her eyes and sliding her hand into my jacket pocket, retrieving the room key. Leaning over slightly, she inserts the key, pushing the door open to reveal the small but luxurious space. Lifting her higher in my arms, I lean my face a little closer to hers, quickly checking if there is any hesitation from her before gently pressing my lips to hers. Her hand reaches up and cups my face, and I can feel her lips smiling as I pull away from her.
“I love you, Nova Wilson.”
The use of my name alongside hers makes my heart skip a beat as I carry the most beautiful woman over the threshold and into our first night as husband and wife.
“Wow. I forgot about that part. I'm not a Davis anymore. It's a little more liberating than I thought it would be to shed the expectations of that name.”
She flings her arms out, kicking her legs at the same time, shouting out into the small room, elation filling the space wholeheartedly.
“I would have given you my name sooner, darlin', but I think it was meant to be like this.”
Grinning down at her still in my arms, she feels the shift in my hold and she grabs onto me.
“Ace, don't you dare!”
With little effort I throw her onto the large bed, her body bouncing at least twice as both of our laughter rings out. Everything about this day has been perfect. Not a negative thought between us. Unless you're counting the complete and utter stress of this morning and not knowing if she would accept my real offer of marriage ... but I'm not.
Quickly leaving her to check out the room, I run back to the truck to get our bags. Returning to see steam flowing out of the bathroom door.
“Ace ... can you help me, the zipper is stuck.”
Her voice calls out and I drop our bags at my feet, taking a tentative step toward the bathroom door. Her zip is stuck, just her zip. This is not the moment.
Do I want it to be?
No. Ultimately I don't. She deserves more than a bathroom quickie in a small studio apartment. This is not a new request from her either. The number of times I've helped her in and out of different clothing over the years is more than I can remember but the second she became my wife, when she said I do ... everything changed.
“Ace, hurry up, will you? I want to have a shower before we have dinner.”
I can hear the tiredness creep into her voice. A sign of a long day coming to an end and it’s enough to bring me out of the pressure I was feeling. A situation I was reading more into than I needed.
Nothing has changed between us. Everything has changed.
Quickly crossing the room, I step into the bathroom, coming to stand behind her as she faces the mirror, removing the earrings she was wearing. Looking at our reflection, I am again left breathless by the situation I find myself in.
Nova is my wife. Mine.
She smiles back at me, not shying away from my stare as I cement this image to memory. Continuing to look at her, I bring my hands up to her waist, a sharp intake of breath, my only clue that my touch has affected her. I drag my palms slowly around her, the warmth of her skin radiating through her dress. Our height difference means I have to dip down a little to spread my fingers wide across her soft stomach before finding the zip at the back of her dress with my other hand. Never breaking eye contact I slowly pull the zip down, her breath hitching slightly when my fingers graze the bare skin of her lower back. Touching her this way is seductive. A slow dance of what could be happening between us.
Tenderly, I reach for the right strap of her dress that rests almost at the crook of her neck. My fingers caress her skin like a gentle breeze, showing her how much more I want but I will never use her like her past. It is the opposite of what we will be.
Pushing the strap to the edge of her shoulder, we both watch as it falls, the soft swell of the top of her breasts now visible in the light. I drag my fingers along the same path of the strap, bringing them down the length of her arm and up again. Moving her hair over her left shoulder, I take a quick glance in the steadily fogging mirror. I can see her mouth slightly parted and her pupils blown. A sight of pure lust looking back at me. Her fingers tightly hold onto the edge of the vanity basin, her knuckles turning white with the force of her grip.
The feminine curve of her neck is exposed to me and I drop my head, placing a series of soft kisses along her shoulder. I can feel the goosebumps on her skin with every press of my lips. Her breath stilted with each touch. The mirror has now fogged over as the steam of the shower fills the room. We can still see the movements of our bodies, her back arching from my touch.
“Take as long as you need, my love. I’ll sort dinner and have everything set up for when you get out.”
I try to say the words calmly but there is no way to hide how husky my voice has become by that simple expression of love to her. Nodding her head in response, I quickly check she has fresh towels and see there are two fluffy robes hanging up as well. Chuckling at the idea of her coming out of the bathroom like one of those fancy women from those housewife shows we watch. Closing the door I quickly adjust my hard cock. It doesn't bother me and I'm not ashamed of how my body reacts to her. The big difference is I will never take from her, something I'm confident she knows. Anyone who tries to will meet the swift edge of my blade or one of the bullets in my gun.