Her eyes rounded, and she touched it gently. “You did this to yourself? Didn’t it hurt like the dickens?”
He smirked. “That’s a cute way of saying it hurt like a mother… But yeah. It hurt a lot.”
“It must have.” She touched it again. “Will it go away too?”
“I’ll be good as new. I think. I never asked my brothers if they had any scars before their reincarnations. You know what?” He walked her backward toward the bed.
She grinned. “What?”
“I think it’s time to stop talking.”
The backs of her legs hit the mattress, and she fell backward. While she giggled, he lay down beside her and stretched out. Tipping up her chin, he said, “I love you, honey. I may not be the most romantic guy, but don’t ever doubt that I feel it.”
“I won’t,” she whispered.
He bent to kiss her, and she responded instantly. He hoped he’d be able to give her a wonderful wedding night. Maybe not the all-night-long loving they gave each other on her birthday, but enough to hold her for a couple of months.
“I…uh…I brought something that will help me.” He rose, and she sat up.
Rummaging in his small duffel bag, he removed a long white box. He handed it to her and said, “It’s not a romantic wedding gift, but like I said, it’s more to help me out here.”
She took the box. There was a cellophane window displaying some kind of long-handled tube with a ball on the end. It was too big to be what she thought it was.
“I’m sorry if you already bought one of these from Julie at your toy party, but I’ve heard this is the best.”
“Is this aBob?”
“A what?”
“A battery-operated boyfriend.”
He laughed. “No. It’s more of aHim. A Hitachi intimate massager.” He took it from her, unwrapped the cord, and plugged it in. “No need to worry about batteries dying. I even brought an extension cord if we need one.” He pressed the button on the handle, and the thing whirred to life. Handing it back to her, he said, “Now I can go all night long.”
“Is this whole thing supposed to fit in me?”
Gabe burst out laughing. When he was able to calm down to a chuckle, he said, “No. It just takes the place of my hands and mouth. It gives you the kind of pleasure you can’t get with just my cock in you.” He cracked up laughing again.
She giggled. “Oh. Then I can’t wait to try it.”
* * *
After a surprisingly fulfilling and romantic wedding night, the morning Gabe hadn’t been looking forward to finally dawned. He and Misty dressed in jeans and sweaters and walked to the marina hand in hand. Most of his brothers and his father were already on Jayce’s boat.
His mother and sister-in-law Kristine were chatting on the dock next to the dinghy. It was tied to the fishing boat with a thick towing line. They looked up when the couple approached. There were no cheery greetings. He was grateful for that, because his and Misty’s moods were decidedly somber.
His mother strolled over to them. She stood on her toes, and Gabe leaned down enough to kiss her on the cheek and accept her warm hug. When he straightened his posture and watched Gabriella put her arm around his bride, he noticed tears in Misty’s eyes.
“Hey, none of that now. I’m not dying. Well, not permanently.”
Misty bit her lip and nodded. He could tell she was trying hard not to let the tears fall.
Gabriella rubbed her back and whispered comforting words.
Gabe imagined his mother was trying to bolster herself as well. He had to get going before he changed his mind.
“I take it I’m rowing?” he called up to Jayce.
His brother chuckled. “Nope. We’ll tow you. Just sit back and relax. Take care of my precious cargo, though.”
