He chuckled. “This has been a long time coming.”
The thought of being alone all the years he was broke my heart. True, he had his family, but it wasn’t the same. I hated to think of all the loneliness he had endured. It was unimaginable. I traced the contours of his face and said the only thing I could think of, “I’m here now.”
“And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he supplied.
I smiled and glanced out the window of the plane. A few clouds hovered, blocking the bright stars. The city of Rome was beautiful from above. Everything seemed to be bathed in a warm amber glow. I saw the crumbling remains of the Coliseum. Its beauty never ceased to amaze me. I looked away from the window and back at Jonathon. He had relaxed into the chair and removed his jacket. I was amazed at how comfortable the dress was. I had wanted to change before we got on the plane, but Jonathon had whispered in my ear that he wanted to be the one to get me out of my dress. His words had colored my cheeks. They flamed red again at just the thought. Jonathon smirked, no doubt picking up on my thoughts. I yawned, suddenly very tired. I hadn’t got much sleep the night before, too keyed up on nerves, and it was catching up with me.
“Sleep now, principessa. I will wake you when we arrive. Plus, I need to find a hotel,” he smiled, already pulling out his cellphone.
I gulped. Jonathon and I hadn’t done anything since our first time. Neither one of us had said anything, but by silent agreement we had made the decision to wait again, until now. I was suddenly very nervous, which I knew was stupid. We had already made love, so what made this different? But it was different. I closed my eyes and in the process tried to quiet the thoughts pounding in my head.
I awoke to Jonathon’s gentle shaking of my shoulders. “Principessa we’re here,” he crooned.
I opened my eyes to see that we had landed. I was sure that I had an unattractive red streak across my cheek from the way I had slept. I stretched, undid the seatbelt, and took his offered hand. The man named Anton was waiting at the stairs. He gave me a smile and then Jonathon and I were descending the steps. I was about to take my first steps on French soil.
A silver Bentley Continental GT was waiting for us. Jonathon opened the door for me before climbing behind the wheel. The engine purred to life. “Oh, yeah,” Jonathon breathed in the scent. “I’ve wanted one of these. Maybe when we get home I’ll finally get one.”
I laughed. “Like you need another car.”
“That reminds me. You need a new car.”
“No, I don’t,” I scoffed.
“Yes, you do,” he replied.
“Sure,” I rolled my eyes.
He knew I was kidding and his laughter filled the car. We exited the airport and he wound through the streets like someone familiar with the city. “Oh my God,” I gasped upon seeing the Eiffel Tower.
He smiled. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“It’s amazing,” I replied, taking in the sight of massive structure. It was huge and lit up the night sky.
I gazed out the window at the Parisian night as Jonathon navigated the streets like a native. He turned down a street and then another before I felt the car begin to slow. He came to a stop in front of a hotel called, Hôtel Plaza Athénée. It was absolutely stunning. I know my jaw must have dropped open. Balconies were draped in beautiful cascading red flowers. The stone of the building, though old, was sparkling. The hotel was huge and seemed to stretch on forever. A man came and took the keys from Jonathon and another already had our luggage. Jonathon took my hand and strode into the hotel like he owned the place. Hell, for all I knew he did.
He strode confidently up to the woman at the check in. He spoke in fluent rapid French. They seemed to be arguing about something. A man I assumed to be the manager came over and got into it. He gesticulated wildly and appeared to be scolding the woman, who was really more of a girl, about something. Her face flushed as she turned and grabbed a key. The man typed at the computer rapidly before she was allowed to give us the key. Jonathon took it, smiled, and I assumed thanked them. The man with our luggage was disappearing around a bend as Jonathon and I climbed into the elevator. The elevator lurched to a stop and Jonathon turned to give me a huge smile before pulling me into the hallway. He practically dragged me down the hallway he was in such a hurry. He stopped in front of a door, slid the key in it, and twisted the knob. The door opened to pure luxury.
“Jonathon,” I gasped, twirling around to take in my surroundings. “This is… Wow.” The room was gorgeous. It was done in muted gold and pale blues. It was so calming and the furniture screamed pricy. A wooden desk with gold accents was angled against a window. The desk looked like something a queen would use. A lavender colored blanket was draped over a pale blue chair. The bed had an antique touch to it, like the other furniture, and the wall behind it was draped in luxurious fabric creating a cozy feel. The bedding was thick and plush. Sitting on the bench in front of the bed was our luggage. I kicked off my shoes and the carpet was plush beneath my toes. I ran across the room squealing like a little kid when I noticed the view. The Eiffel Tower glittered in the night sky.
I jumped up and down and bounded into Jonathon’s arms; who had taken a seat in one of the chairs. “You are the best husband, ever,” I crushed my lips against his.
He chuckled. “I take it you like it then?”
“Like it? I love it! It’s perfect,” I hugged him.
“Mmm,” he hummed, grazing his nose along the top of my head, inhaling the scent of my shampoo. I turned to look him in the eye. His eyes were heavy with lust and I knew mine must be that way too. Suddenly, my previous fears seemed juvenile. This was my husband. I crushed my lips to his and dug my fingers into his golden hair. He groaned and picked me up, placing me on the bed. I sat up and ran my hands over the planes of his perfectly smooth, sculpted chest, before I began to unbutton the white shirt. My fingers were shaking and I couldn’t get them all undone. Sensing my struggle Jonathon pulled the shirt off and tossed it in the corner. He leaned down and his nose nuzzled my neck. “This was the way it was meant to happen,” he breathed against my sensitive skin making me shiver. I wanted to agree but I had lost all sense of myself and in the process my voice. His smooth chest, his chiseled abs, stared me in the face. For a moment I forgot to breathe. This was nothing like our first time. Then we had been rushed, excited, and scared because of the impending doom about to strike. This time… We were alone, married, and had all the time in the world. This was special. Jonathon was right, this was the way it should have happened. We should have waited. My breath hitched as his cold hands lightly trailed my back and then began to unbutton my dress. Before undoing the last button he kissed the back of my neck. The dress slid to the ground. I closed my eyes and when I opened them he stood in front of me. “I love you,” he vowed, “until the end of time.”
“For as long as we both shall live,” I whispered and pressed my lips to his.
* * *
Jonathon’s fingers trailed fire and ice down the naked skin of my arm. His lips pressed into the crook of my neck. I snuggled closer to him. I could see the sun beginning to rise. His fingers intertwined in my hair and he leaned over to look into my eyes. I could see how happy he was and my heart soared. I was beyond happy, too. I hadn’t known it was possible to be this happy. “Kylie,” he started.
“Shh,” I pressed my finger against his lips. “Just hold me.”
Words would never be able to do justice to the amount of love we had shared. It was perfect. He smiled. “I think I can do that.”
“Good,” I scooted closed, pressing my naked skin against his. Despite the coldness of his body I wanted to be touching him. He kissed my forehead and held me to him. I never wanted to leave this bed. Here, we were safe and alone. I didn’t want to break the bubble that seemed to surround us. It felt wrong somehow to be this happy. People were out there suffering and here I was the happiest girl alive. But nothing could ruin this moment for me.
My eyes drifted closed and I do
zed for a while but I could still feel the perfect planes of Jonathon’s chest pressed against my face and hand.
When I woke again the morning light showed brightly through the windows. Jonathon was in the same position as he had been when I went to sleep. His hand traced lazy circles on the skin of my back. “What do you want to do today?” he whispered into my hair as his nose trailed the skin of my cheek.
I stretched my stiff limbs and said, “I don’t know. I’m sure you know the city way better than me.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged, tracing the curve of my lips with his index finger, “but this is the first time I’m here with someone I love.”
“Well, aren’t I special,” I grinned.
“You most definitely are,” he kissed my forehead and my eyes fluttered closed.
“I definitely want to see the Eiffel Tower up close and after that I don’t care. I just want to be with you,” I confessed.
He smiled, “That is a delightful answer, because I know I’m really going to regret leaving this bed.”
I blushed, and his smile widened at my reaction. We extracted ourselves from one another’s arms and started to dress. The diamond headband was still in my hair, though it was slightly askew. I took it off and handed it to Jonathon. “Can you put this somewhere safe? Diana lent it to me and I can’t stand the thought of losing it.”
“Of course,” he reached out to take it. His eyes widened. “This was my mother’s,” he whispered in surprise.
“I know,” I rubbed his arm in comfort. “Diana lent it to me. She said she wanted your mom to be there with us.”
Looking choked on emotion Jonathon took the headband and placed into the hotel’s safe. “Let’s go,” he took my hand, the sadness was gone from his eyes now, and he was smiling. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
The Eiffel Tower was massive up close. I had thought I would never get the chance to see it, but here I was standing underneath its arch, kissing my husband. My fingers traced the shape of his wedding ring and I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at our hands. It felt like the ring was supposed to be there. Like I would be naked without it.
Jonathon’s hand cupped my cheek and his silver eyes met my green ones. “I love you more than you’ll ever know.” Looking into his eyes I didn’t doubt his statement. I felt the same way. I felt like our love was so much more, beyond that of normal people, ours was the love of fairytales, of stories, so extraordinary it shouldn’t exist. But it did. I had never been in love before but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the love of soul mates was much more powerful.
I got a tourist to snap a few pictures of Jonathon and me in front of the Eiffel Tower before he led me on to the next adventure. We walked hand in hand along the Seine. Although my eyes took in the sights, they kept flickering back to Jonathon, and every time I looked his eyes were glued to me and a smile played on his lips.
We came to a little café and my stomach rumbled. Jonathon smiled, and stepped off the sidewalk, taking a seat at one of the outdoor tables. In no time a waiter appeared and took our order. When the food was brought out, I began shoveling it in my mouth. You would have thought I hadn’t eaten in days.
“You know it’s really embarrassing to go somewhere and eat a huge plate of food when you don’t have something. It makes me look like a pig. I think people are staring at me,” I whispered conspiratorially to Jonathon.
He knew I was joking so with a smile playing on his lips he motioned the waiter. He ordered something in French and the waiter disappeared. “Now you won’t feel so out of place.”
The waiter returned with a plate of food and a coffee. I rolled my eyes. “So, now you have a big plate of food that you’ll never eat. What a waste, Jonathon.”
He chuckled. “Well, you said you didn’t want to be a pig.”
“Oh, goodness,” I sighed, causing him to laugh. We left the café with the box of food that Jonathon hadn’t finished.
We strolled around the city and returned to the hotel at sunset. My feet were killing me and I wanted a nice hot bath. I kicked off my shoes once we reached the room and practically ran into the bathroom to start the tub. I deposited a load of bubbles into the water and watched it fizz. The bathroom screamed luxury. Everything was gold and blacks with a few muted tones of blue to match the rest of the room. I didn’t want to even begin to think what it must cost a night. I knew the price would make me ill and that’s the last thing I wanted to be.
Jonathon came in to rub my shoulders. “Mind if I join you?” he breathed against my ear making me shiver. Red colored my cheeks.
“Of course not,” I replied. He smiled knowing he had flustered me although it wasn’t really that hard to do.
I stripped my clothes and hoped the red flush hadn’t spread to the rest of my body as I climbed into the scalding water. The bathtub was huge, more than enough room for two; it was practically a swimming pool. With his back turned to me Jonathon eased his clothes off. My eyes were riveted to his body just like his had been to mine. He slid down into the water and gave me a self-conscious smile. I found it endearing. I leaned across the bubbles and kissed him. “How did I get so lucky?” I asked him.
“I think I’m the lucky one,” he supplied.
“I guess we’re both pretty lucky then,” I smiled.
He smiled and asked, “So do you want to stay here tomorrow or are you ready to move on somewhere else?”
“Jonathon, I’d be happy if we stayed in this room and never left, for the next month,” I grinned, swirling a finger through the bubbles.
“I love you,” he chuckled. “You’re more perfect every day.”
“Suck up,” I stuck out my tongue and he laughed. I dunked under the water, wetting my hair, and when I came up for air I saw that he had disappeared. “Jonathon?” I asked the empty room.
Unexpectedly, vice-like hands gripped me around the waist. I squealed. He came up out of the water at that moment shaking his head like a dog and showering the room in a splattering of water. I couldn’t help but laugh and then his lips crushed mine disabling the next giggle about to escape. “I love you,” he put his forehead against mine.
“You’ve mentioned that a few times,” I gasped as I collapsed into his arms as he pulled my dripping wet body from the water. He held me against his chest as he carried me to the bed.
* * *
We stayed in Paris the next two days, hardly leaving the room at all as promised. Where did I want to go next? Greece. We boarded the plane and took off, leaving Paris behind us. I hoped that we might return one day when we weren’t so preoccupied. Even now, that we were on the plane, we couldn’t stop touching each other. It was impossible. It was as if we were both afraid that if we weren’t touching the other might disappear. I had never before felt so content in my life. The last year and a half had been hard on me and now all of this was so normal…I needed normal. It almost didn’t seem real. It felt more like a dream. How could I be so lucky? But then again, I guessed I wasn’t all that lucky. I’d had my fair share of sadness. I leaned my head against the seat.
“Sleep,” he commanded. “Because if I have my way with you there won’t be much sleeping once we get there.”
“I like the sound of that,” I tried to fight my closing eyelids.
He chuckled and stroked my hand, relaxing me further. My eyes finally closed.
I awoke to the soft murmurs of conversation. I opened my eyes to see Jonathon roaming the cabin of the plane with a phone pressed to his ear.
Seeing me awake he hung up.
I raised my eyebrows and asked, “Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” he smiled. “Just conversing about your surprise.”
“Oh, really?” My eyebrows rose further.
He plopped into the seat next to me. “Yes, and I’m not telling you anything so don’t even bother asking questions.”
“I’ll be on my best behavior,” I batted my eyelashes, causing him to laugh.
“You bett
er be or else I might have to spank you.”
“Is that a promise?” I asked with a grin.
He smiled, “It is now.”
All of a sudden I could feel the steady descent of the aircraft. This had to be the best honeymoon ever. Anywhere I wanted to go? How many people got that opportunity?
We exited the plane and a white Jaguar XKR was waiting for us. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Jonathon whistled appreciatively. “I might have to get one of these too when we get home,” he slid behind the wheel. I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my lips. I knew by now there was no point in saying anything.
The car purred to life and he stepped on the gas. I quickly buckled my seatbelt. The tiers of many white houses shone brightly in the morning sunlight. I leaned against the black leather seat and pulled out my sunglasses so I wouldn’t have to squint. Jonathon with his sensitive eyesight had put on dark sunglasses before we even left the plane. I took in the cool blue color of the Mediterranean as its white caps sparkled like diamonds in the glittering sunlight. Jonathon opened the car windows and a warm breeze filtered in. He looked over and smiled at me and his teeth sparkled in the light. He turned onto an obscure dirt road that seemed to run parallel to the ocean. My hair whipped around my face and into my mouth. “Phff,” I swatted my hands trying to get the hair out of my mouth. Jonathon chuckled. I had never liked riding in a car with the windows down. Laughing still, he closed the windows. “Thanks,” I smiled appreciatively.
“No problem,” he continued to chuckle at me.
He drove through a thick copse of trees that seemed to grow thicker and thicker.
Ahead I could see the trees begin to thin and a lightness that wasn’t there before. Jonathon glided the car around a bend and then the trees opened up to a large modern all white beach house. It was huge, though not as big as Jonathon’s family mansion. It was all one level and spread out over a large expanse of beach and covered in floor to ceiling glass I wondered how there would be any privacy. It was so close to the water that I could literally run right into the Mediterranean. Jonathon pulled into a carport and hopped out of the car to get my door for me, before popping the trunk and getting our luggage.
Forever (Fallen Series Book 3) Page 7