20. Celso
CHAPTER TWENTY
Celso
I t’s been two weeks since our wedding and my life has never been more perfect.
Neve is everything I’ve ever wanted - and more. She is so much more.
Her smile lights my heart on fire. Her laughter sets my entire body alight.
I hate being away from her, and when I do have to leave I rush home, excited to see her again.
I couldn’t imagine my life being better than it is right now, but despite that - it seems to get better each day she opens up to me a little more.
She is waiting for it all to fall apart. I don’t understand why she would think that, but I guess she does not know how hard I fought to get her. How many years I’ve waited to have her by my side. She’s here now, she belongs to me and I will never, ever let her go.
“Are you ready?” I ask, waking into the bedroom. Neve is doing the final touches to her hair, pulling a few strands free for her mess bun so that they can curl around her face. I lean against the doorframe and watch her. I love to watch her. Those tight jeans hug her ass and hips in the sexiest way and her little crop tops shows off the right amount of skin to tease me.
She is wearing her leather boots, the caramel ones. The sweet tone of them matches her light hair.
“Are you breaking those boots in for our honeymoon?” I grin.
“It’s so hard to get dressed when you don’t tell me where we’re going. I chose this.” She waves her hands over her body. “But what if you’re planning on taking me to a five-star restaurant and I look like a homeless person when I walk in there?—”
She scrunches her nose at me. I love it when she does that.
“My love, you look like Miss Universe no matter what you wear. And I don’t know how many times I have to tell you - you should wear whatever you are in the mood to wear no matter where we’re going.”
“Well - I was in the mood to break my boots in a little so they are more comfy when we hike through the wild jungles of Peru.”
I push myself off the doorframe and walk over to her. “And Cambodia.” I grin, kissing her. I let my hand run down her back and over her ass. Squeezing her cheeks I lift her, and she wraps her legs around my waist. I kiss my wife in the way she deserves to be kissed. I kiss her to let her know how beautiful she is and that I would do anything for her.
When I set her down again her cheeks are rosy and pink, and her lips are plumper than they were before. She smiles and narrows her eyes at me. “Where are we going?” She asks, reaching up and brushing her fingers over my jaw. Her tender, quiet touch makes me want to throw her onto the bed and cancel all our plans. It makes my heart overheat and my body alive with desire .
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
The drive doesn’t take us long.
I’ve booked the top of the tallest building in the city. There is a telescope, a glass dome and a look-out point. Beneath the glass dome I’ve had them set up a table for a private dinner and we can spend our evening up there watching the stars, looking across the ocean and being together.
I have decided that once a week for the rest of our lives I will come up with a romantic and unique date idea for us. Of course, every day I want to have a date with her. But some are quiet date nights at home. Some are afternoon dates, walking through the park and eating ice-cream. Some are adventurous and some are calm. All of them are more special to me than any other time of the day when I’m not with her.
I want to make something as simple as going to the shops together a thing to enjoy. Life is short and once you’ve found the person, you can be obsessed with - you should never let a moment of your time with them be wasted. I savor every second I have with her - and I will for the rest of my life .
Neve looks unsteady when we get to the rooftop and I guide her to the edge to see the view. She clings onto me a little tighter and I realize she’s scared.
“You don’t like heights?” I ask, worried I’ve made the wrong choice. “But how can you not like heights if you want to hike to ruins and fly helicopters?”
She giggles, her face looking pale. She’s terrified.
With her fingers gripped onto me she shakes her head. “No, you don’t understand. Or you half do - um - I’m terrified of heights - but I love the idea of challenging myself to overcome it. Like right now, I know I’m safe, but the vertigo makes me dizzy and my stomach is in such a knot I want to throw up.”
“I’m so sorry.” I say, wrapping my arms around her. “I didn’t know. We can leave right now, and I’ll take you somewhere else.”
“Celso - this is amazing. This is perfect. I want to be up here. I might be a little jittery near the edge.” She is grinning, looking proud of herself .
“You want to be a little scared?” I ask her, amused.
He nods, nudging closer to me.
“A lot of things make sense now.” I chuckle.
“Why? Because challenging myself makes me happy?”
“No, because I think fear turns you on.” I whisper.
In a moment of realization her lips part and her eyes widen.
“That’s not true—” She stammers. But I can feel her body, the heat against mine, the way she presses into me.
“It’s true, my angel, and it’s why we are so good together. And tonight, when the stars fill the sky, after sunset - I am going to push you up against this railing and fuck you.”
Her entire body shudders with pleasure as my words course through her.
I chuckle again and pull her away from the edge towards our table beneath the high arched glass dome. It’s going to be an incredible night .
Early on Wednesday morning I get a call from Dalila. This surprises me because she hasn’t spoken to me since the wedding. Even on the few times I’ve seen her in passing at my father’s house - she wouldn’t even look at me.
“Dalila.” I answer cheerfully.
“Dad says you two should come for dinner on Tuesday night next week.” She snaps.
“I’m happy you called.”
“Listen, don’t fuck with me, Celso. I’m still furious. I’m only phoning because dad made me phone you.” She slams the phone down on me and I grin. Well. It’s better than nothing at all. She really is angry though. I’ve never seen my sister so angry. And she’s never gone this long without talking to me.
But I have a feeling that once Neve comes all the way around and accepts my love for what it is - when she relaxes and admits she wants this as much as I do - my sister will see that her friend is happy, and she’ll come around too.
It’ll take a little time, but I think I’ve already proved to myself how patient I can be - and how wonderfully it pays off in the end.
The whole rule about not dating our sister’s friends was only because she was scared it would frighten her friends away - after that incident when Dalila was in high school. But that’s not how it is with Neve. This is forever. When they both see that things will change.
My sister and Neve hang out a lot. Or at least they did before the wedding. I’m tense when I realize that in the last two weeks they have spent no time together, and that is because of me. No wonder my sister sounds extra angry.
I head upstairs to the sun room where Neve is reading in the early morning light, little dancing wisps of steam pour from her coffee into the fresh morning air.
“Dalila called to let us know about a family dinner next week.” I say, walking towards her and standing alongside her chair, threading my fingers through her curls.
“Ok, it will be nice to see her.” Neve says, her eyes wide and beautiful .
“Actually, I thought maybe you should spend the day with her, if you want to. Go shopping or for lunch or whatever you want to do. I know you two enjoy spending time together.”
I hand her a credit card.
She takes it and stares at it. “What is this?”
“It’s your card. It’s linked to my account, there is no limit.”
She looks uncomfortable for a moment, biting at her lip.
“Neve, you’re my wife, that means I take care every single thing you need or want.”
“Thank you.” She says, setting the card down on the side table next to her. “I would love to spend the day with Dalila. I’ll call her now.”
“Come have breakfast with me first though. I can make us crumpets with honey or caramel sauce.”
“Mm. Caramel. Salted caramel.”
“Done.” I smile, brushing my hand under her chin and tilting her face towards me. I lean down and kiss her. “I’ll miss you all day.” I whisper against her lips .
After breakfast Neve gets dressed and Dalila comes to fetch her. I told her she can take any of my cars she wants to until she decides what car she wants for herself, but she said it was ridiculous for her to get her own car when I have five sitting in the garage. I didn’t tell her about the others I have in the warehouse. Maybe I’ll order her something as a surprise.
But today she was happy to have Dalila fetch her and I think Dalila was over the moon to get the invite and was already driving her before Neve was even finished breakfast.
I wave as they pull out of the parking area and Neve waves back while Dalila sticks her tongue out at me. So immature. I chuckle.
While Neve is out today, I am going to head over to the travel agent and get every brochure on Peru and Mexico that she has available. Neve and I can plan our adventure. Maybe I should get the Asia brochures too, in case she would prefer to go there. I want to give her all the options to make it the most perfect honeymoon imaginable.
Neve deserves the entire world - and I want to be the one who gives it to her.