Breakfast was laid out—fresh fruit, pastries she recognized from her own bakery, coffee that smelled divine. And beyond the terrace, a private beach stretched out, white sand meeting impossibly blue water.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"Not as beautiful as you." He pulled out her chair. "Sit. Eat. Then I plan to spend the entire day showing you exactly how much I love you."
"The entire day?"
His smile was wicked. "And night. And tomorrow. We have the whole weekend, and I intend to use every minute."
They ate slowly, feeding each other bites of fruit, talking about nothing and everything. The anniversary of their wedding, yes, but also the months that had led to this moment. The fights and reconciliations. The slow building of trust. The moment everything finally clicked into place.
"I should have told you I loved you sooner," Sidharth said, his fingers intertwined with hers across the table. "Should have said it that first night I felt it."
"When was that?"
"Honestly? I think I started falling for you that night I found you baking at 2 AM. You had flour on your cheek and chocolate on your fingers, and you looked so passionate, so alive." He brought her hand to his lips. "I didn't recognize it then. Told myself it was just attraction. But looking back, that's when you started breaking down my walls."
"I was in love with you by month four," she admitted. "Maybe earlier. But I knew for sure after you took care of me when I was sick."
"I was terrified." The confession was raw. "You were so fragile, so vulnerable, and all I could think was that I'd already let myself care too much. That losing you would destroy me."
"You're not going to lose me." She squeezed his hand. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I know. But sometimes I still wake up scared. Like this is all a dream and I'll wake up back in that cold house, alone, before you."
"Then I'll just have to keep reminding you it's real." She stood, moving to straddle his lap, her robe falling open. "That I'm real. That this is real."
He groaned as she settled against him, already half-hard. "You're going to be the death of me."
"What a way to go."
She kissed him, pouring a year of love and passion into it. His hands slid up her thighs, pushing the robe off her shoulders until it pooled around her waist. The morning sun was warm on her skin, the ocean breeze salt-sweet.
"Inside," he growled against her mouth. "I need you in a bed where I can do this properly."
"Why wait?" She rolled her hips, feeling him grow harder beneath her. "We're alone. Private beach. Who's going to see?"
His eyes darkened with lust and something more primal. "You want me to take you right here? Where anyone with a boat could potentially see?"
"There's no one for miles. You made sure of that." She bit his lower lip. "And the thought of you taking me out here, under the sun, where we're technically exposed but actually completely safe... it's hot."
"Fuck." He stood, her legs wrapping around his waist, and carried her to a large daybed on the far side of the terrace. It was positioned for privacy but still exposed to the elements—sun, wind, the distant sound of waves.
He laid her down, his body covering hers, and took his time. Kissed every inch of exposed skin. Used his mouth and hands to drive her wild. When she was gasping, begging, he finally pushed inside her with one smooth thrust.
"God, you feel incredible," he groaned, his forehead pressed to hers. "Always so perfect for me."
"More," she demanded, nails digging into his shoulders. "Harder."
He obliged, his thrusts becoming deeper, faster. The daybed creaked beneath them, the cushions soft against her back. The sun beat down, warm and bright, and the possibility of being seen—however remote—added an edge to everything.
"Touch yourself," he commanded. "I want to watch you come."
Her hand slid between them, finding her clit. The added stimulation made her gasp, her back arching.
"That's it," he encouraged, his eyes locked on where they joined, watching her fingers work. "So fucking beautiful. Mine. All mine."
"Yours," she agreed breathlessly. "Always yours."
