“They said the Junta leader, Alexander, had it booked and said he was thrilled to be able to do the leader of the Sárkány a favor, so he moved his vacation elsewhere.” Elias shrugged. “I didn’t question the gift.”
“Now I’m the Sárkány leader. I told them I didn’t want that title or responsibility. Give it to someone that’s used to it, like Boudicca or Drest.”
“It seems you’ve gotten it.” Anthony led the way to the master bedroom, in the front of the house. It was striking, following the light, airy colors of the rest of the house. The view from the balcony, streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, was breathtaking.
I plopped down on the enormous bed to watch the ocean and sank into the blankets on the obviously expensive mattress. “This is heaven. Come feel.”
Anthony launched himself from across the room and bounced twice before landing beside me. “Thisisnice!” He flopped around a few times until he was settled with his head on one of the pillows. “Why don’t we have a bed like this?”
“I’ll get right on it,” Elias said as he sat beside me. “How are you feeling?” he asked as he put a hand on my belly. “Little man, okay?”
“You’re both so sure it’s a boy. I still say girl,” Anthony said from behind me.
I grinned at them both. “I’m great, wonderful! Let’s go swim before it gets dark.”
Anthony sat up and scooted over until he was pressed against my back. “Are you sure there isn’t something else you’d rather be doing?”
He moved my hair to the left side of my neck and pressed his lips against the right side. His lips shot a bolt of lightning directly down south, and my interest in the pool waned.
“I can’t imagine what else we could do.” I turned my head so that his lips were presented with my hair, and I was looking at Elias. “Do you have any ideas?”
The pupils of Elias’s eyes widened, the iris in each narrowing to almost nothing. I pulled back, bumping into Anthony. “Elias! Your eyes!”
Anthony chuckled when Elias blinked a few times. “He’s aroused, Coya.”
“I’ve never seen him do that before!”
“Well, Riley, it’s been a while, and I’ve been dreaming of you for weeks. I’m so excited that you seem to want me again, I feel like I could lose control.”
Anthony rubbed his hand over my back soothingly. “When was the last time you ate, Elias?”
Elias rubbed his eyes. “Sorry, Riley, I’m trying to make it stop. Ithasbeen a while since I’ve eaten, I was so wrapped up with getting home then planning our trip. I just left Bolivia this morning, and now here we are.”
I felt like a dunce. He was exhausted and hungry, and I’d just realized I didn’t even know where we were. “So, um, where are we anyway?”
Elias chuckled, “I wondered when you’d ask.”
“I was so happy to see the beach and the house!”
“It’s okay, Riley, we loved how excited you were. It was nice to see some joy on your face after all the stress we’ve been through.” Anthony started kissing my neck again.
“We’re in Bali, Riles.”
“Indonesia?” My heart sank. I’d thought I made myself clear that I wanted to stay close to home. “I thought maybe Florida, or possibly California. I didn’t want to go so far from home!”
“Riley, relax. With portal travel we can be home in minutes. We just have to call Cindy and she’ll be here in a jiffy.” Elias tried to placate me, but I was already mad.
“Why couldn’t you listen to my wishes?” I knew my voice sounded whiny, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You just do whatever you want to, don’t you Elias?”
“I thought I was doing whatyouwanted. I mentioned portal travel, and you perked up, and I thought that was my green light to go wherever.”
I fought back tears as I listened to his perfectly reasonable words and placating tone. I was being irrational. I took a deep breath and counted to five. “I’m sorry. You’re right, this is wonderful.”
Anthony leaned back into my neck. “How do you feel now?” he asked, breath whispering over my skin.
Shivering, I tried to gauge my emotions. I was still turned on, but also still felt like crying. It might not make the best combination for our first time together in so long. “Let’s have that swim.”
Elias smiled at me, and Anthony tore his lips from my neck with a groan. “All right, Coya. Whatever you want is what you get this weekend.”
