“You always have.” Reaching up, I stroked the backs of my fingers over his cheek. “From the time we were teenagers on the beach, you’ve always looked after me.”
His smile was brilliant, and then his eyes slid shut as he began moving slowly within me. The slide of his flesh into mine was somehow more sensuous, more erotic, than any fast and furious coupling. My breath came faster, my chest rising and falling rapidly. Nicky’s jaw clenched, and I could feel that he was holding back, waiting for me to find my release.
Slipping my hand down between us, I rubbed my fingers over my own slick folds. When I touched Nicky, too, at the spot where we were joined, he groaned loud and long, losing his tightly-held control and unleashing the full fury of his need.
His reckless abandon sent me spiraling into pure ecstasy, my climax gripping every part of me until all I could see were showers of light and all I could feel was us. Nothing else existed in that moment except Nicky, me, and what we’d created between us.
Afterward, as we held tight to each other in the slowly swinging hammock, Nicky swept back my hair from my face.
“This is our new beginning.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “This is starting over. What came before wasn’t wrong, and it wasn’t bad, but I made mistakes, and I’m not going to make them again. I promise you that here and now. This is my new vow to you, Kyra.”
“Nicky.” I cupped his cheek in my hand. “Sweetheart, you might not make that mistake again, but you’ll make other ones—and God knows, I will, too. Probably many more than you.” I touched my fingertip to his lips. “That’s okay. Life is a series of mistakes and missteps, with moments of perfection and good choices between them. The point is that as long as we come back to each other between mistakes and figure out how to make them right, we’ll be fine. We’re going to grow together, Nicky. Right now, lying here in this hammock with you, I’m not the same person I was when we met in Maine just over two years ago. I’m not the same person I was when I moved to London last year. Good God, I’m not even the same person I was when we got married seven months ago. And this time next year, we’ll both be different. But we’ll get there together. Loving each other, forgiving each other.”
Nicky laughed softly. “All right then, oh, wise one. Then let me say this. My renewed promise to you is that I will love you whoever you become, and if you make mistakes, I will forgive each one. And when I make them, I will come to you and ask your forgiveness and understanding. How is that?”
I sighed happily, replete with drowsy satisfaction and relaxation. “That, my love, is the most beautiful vow you have ever made me. And so I make it right back to you.”
Lying there together as the sun dropped below the horizon, painting the beach and the sea in vivid oranges and reds, we fell in love all over again, and in its imperfection, it was indeed made perfect.
COMING BACK FROM OUR HONEYMOONto London in early summer had been hard enough. But returning to foggy, drizzly, cold winter England after two weeks on a tropical island was absolutely brutal.
“Remind me again why we can’t be ambassadors of Her Majesty somewhere that is perennially warm and sunny?” I groused to Nicky as we dressed in the dim morning light.
“We could. Or at least, we could ask about it.” He shot me a grin, leaning over to tie his shoes. “But you know, even paradise can wear thin after a while, I imagine. You might find yourself missing fog and chilly temps.”
“That’s doubtful.” I perched on the bed next to him, laying my head on his shoulder. “But I’ll be all sappy and shit and say that anywhere you are is paradise for me. That means if London is where you have to be, I’m here, too, for the duration.”
“Your loyalty and steadfast love are appreciated, darling.” He kissed my forehead. “And you look gorgeous. Let’s go, before I’m overcome by the temptation to drag you back into bed and forget about this visit.”
I groaned. “Now you’re just being mean, dangling that possibility in front of me.” I glanced at him hopefully. “I could say I’m sick. Or that you have a headache and we thought you needed rest.”
“Nice try, sweetheart, but we both know that we have to go.” He offered me his hand. “Let’s get moving. The sooner we get to Windsor, the sooner we can come home again.”
Nicky wasn’t wrong; I did know, as well as he did, that we had to make the trek to Windsor. When we’d made the decision to fly to the island for Nicky’s recovery and spend two weeks there on our own, we’d realized that it would mean missing the traditional Christmas festivities with the rest of the Royal Family. That wasn’t something that was ever undertaken lightly, but given the events of the past year, Her Majesty had been quick to give us her blessing.
The only caveat had been that we agree to spend our first weekend back with the rest of the clan at Windsor, so that the family could see for themselves that Nicky was alive and well. That was why this morning, a mere three days after landing in London, we’d packed overnight bags and were on our way out of town again.
I had to admit that I had a soft spot for this particular royal residence. After all, Nicky and I had gotten married in St. George’s Chapel here last year, and I’d spent the week before the wedding with my family at Fort Belvedere, a house on the grounds of the estate. Despite the vastness of the castle itself, the rooms where we gathered as a family were cozy and comfortable.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh greeted us both warmly in the sitting room after we’d arrived and settled into our room. Her Majesty held her grandson at arm’s length and studied him critically.
“Yes, you look much better,” she declared after a moment. “Your color is back, and so is the sparkle in your eye.” She smiled at me over Nicky’s shoulder. “That means he’s going to keep you on your toes again, Kyra.”
I laughed. “I’m counting on it, ma’am.” I performed the required curtsy before I stepped forward to kiss the Queen’s cheek. “Hello, Granny. Thank you for having us this weekend.”
Her Majesty squeezed my hand. “Thank you for coming. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to leave the sunshine and sand behind.” She cast a fond glance at her husband, who’d resumed his seat on the sofa. “I remember those days, when we were a young married couple, stationed down at Gibraltar. Philip and I hated to return to England, no matter that it was home. There was such a lovely difference in being down there.”
“We were tempted to stay,” Nicky admitted, waiting for his grandmother to settle into her wingchair before he drew me down on the loveseat next to him. “Kyra was angling for an ambassadorship to somewhere tropical.”
I glared at Nicky, my face going warm, but the Queen only laughed. “I’m afraid there’s a long list of people ahead of you for those spots, Kyra, darling. But I’ll tell the secretaries to keep you both in mind when they’re setting up the calendar for overseas trips. We’ll try to make sure you’re considered for representing the Commonwealth in warm places, not cold ones.”
“I do appreciate it, ma’am.” I exchanged a glance with Nicky. “But for now, we’re happy to be home, and glad to be with everyone this weekend.”
“The rest of the family will be arriving shortly,” the Duke said. “But we wanted to have a few moments alone with you both before the onslaught of children and noise.”
“Not that we mind either, of course,” added the Queen. “But you have had a very challenging few months, and we thought it would be good to chat a bit and make sure you’re both all right.”
Nicky reached for my hand. “Thank you, Granny. I definitely wouldn’t want to repeat these past months, but we’re going to be just fine, I think.”
