He catches my wrist and brings my fingers to his lips, kissing each one while holding my gaze.
"I like this," I tell him, water streaming between us. "Being on theElysium. Being here with you."
His mouth curves. "Yeah?"
I nod. "When I first saw her in that marina…" I trail off, still unable to articulate it. The sheer scale of his wedding gift for me. I'd stood on that dock and stared, overwhelmed at how thephotos hadn't done her justice. Not even close. “I’d never seen anything so beautiful.”
He strokes my cheek, his gaze warm. "That's how I feel every time I look at you."
"Then I guess it's a good thing you married me."
He chuckles, low and soft. "Yes, it is. It's a very good thing."
We kiss and caress each other under the spray for a long while, then take turns washing each other's hair. After we're done and dried off, I pull on a simple sundress while Nick settles for linen pants and a white shirt he leaves unbuttoned.
I drink him in with unabashed appreciation. The view of his muscled chest, the dusting of dark hair on his newly tan skin, the glint of his gold wedding band as he runs a hand through his damp hair. I can't imagine I'll ever tire of admiring my sexy, gorgeous husband. I let myself look even longer, and he catches me at it, one eyebrow lifting.
"Keep that up and we're not making it to breakfast."
"Tempting," I tease back, even as my stomach rumbles.
“Come on, wife. Let’s get you some nourishment.” Nick’s hand finds my belly, lingering there. “You too, little one.”
His tender tone melts me, and it’s all I can do to resist the urge to tear all his clothes off and push him back onto the bed for another round. Is it pregnancy hormones making me so insatiable? No, it’s just the way I always feel around Nick. Fortunately, I’ve got several more weeks to have my wicked way with him before we return home.
As if he can read the direction of my thoughts, Nick gives me a wry smirk before he takes my hand and leads me up to the deck. The shift from the cool cabin to open air hits me as we climb the companionway into the vast brightness of a Mediterranean morning.
The teak deck is warm beneath my bare feet, the sails billowing overhead against a sky so blue it almost hurts. TheMediterranean stretches endlessly in every direction, its surface glittering like scattered diamonds, and the salt breeze lifts my hair as we settle into the cushioned seating near the bow.
A crew member immediately starts setting out breakfast: fresh fruit, pastries, omelets, coffee for Nick, herbal tea for me. The attendant withdraws just as discreetly and then it's only us again, alone with the horizon and each other.
I reach for a croissant and start buttering a big chunk of it. I pop it into my mouth, and I can't hold back my pleasured moan as I munch on the flaky, delicious bite. The rest of the pastry is gone in mere seconds. Nick's eyes warm as he watches me fill my plate with enough breakfast to choke a lumberjack.
"Don't say it," I warn him around a mouthful of omelet.
He holds up his hands, chuckling now. "I wasn't going to say anything."
I narrow my eyes at him. "You were thinking it."
"I was thinking how beautiful you look. Happy." His hand brushes my knee beneath the low table, casual and warm. "I was thinking I like seeing you enjoying a nice meal with the breeze in your hair and the sun on your cheeks."
"I like it too," I admit, reaching for another croissant.
My appetite has finally returned—and then some. This morning, I woke without any queasiness at all, and the relief of feeling normal, of wanting food, is its own small gift.
Nick pours his coffee and reaches for his tablet. I arch a brow, but I know he can't completely check out from real life. That restless mind of his needs something to chew on, even in paradise. Beck has been keeping us apprised of the situation with Nadiyah, not to mention all the other Baine International business concerns, handling all of the details so we can enjoy our time away.
I sip my tea and watch Nick scroll for a few moments, his screen filled with today's headlines from the New York businesssection. But then something catches his attention. Surprise flickers across his face before a low chuckle escapes him.
"Well, I'll be damned."
"What is it?"
He turns the tablet toward me. The headline reads:
ROTH HOSPITALITY EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT
Skimming down to the article, I read the first line.
