Surviving

by Ahren Sanders

  He lets it go, and we all watch it float away over the ocean until we can’t see it anymore. Then we turn and walk back to the patio where are guests are watching us.

  Kendall fixes Raven’s makeup quickly, and we leave to finish our pictures. The celebration is underway when we return, and we’re immediately engulfed in well wishes. The DJ announces our first dance, and I pull her to the small dance floor and hold her so close I can feel our hearts beating together.

  “Sparkle, is this everything you wanted?”

  “More. This has been the most magical day of my life. Thank you.”

  “It’s me who should be thanking you, Mrs. Collins.”

  “I really like the sound of that.”

  “Good because you’re stuck with it the next seventy years or so.”

  “You really are too good to me.”

  “Get used to it, I’m gonna make all your dreams come true.”

  “You already have.”

  Hearing her say it makes my heart melt even more. Fuck, I can’t wait to get out of here and make her my wife in every way.

  *****

  Finn

  “Can I have this dance?” I break in on Raven and Ryan.

  He gives me her hands and backs away as I pull her to me.

  “You are a beautiful bride.”

  “Thank you Finn, thank you for everything.”

  “Raven don’t you know by now I would do anything for you?”

  “I feel the same about you. But I am so thankful you agreed to be part of my special day. At first Declan thought I was being cruel, but I really needed you standing up there with us.”

  “I’ll admit Rave, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel being up there watching you marry another man. But after listening to your vows, I know you picked the right guy. He really loves you, and I believe he’ll take care of you forever. You two are meant to be together.”

  “Finn Black, you are going to find the love of your life one day.” Raven says as her eyes fill with tears.

  “No waterworks, RJ, I can only hope to find what I saw today. No matter what happened, my time with you was the best in my life, but you were meant to be Mrs. Declan Collins. And I am very happy about it.”

  “Thank you, I love you.”

  “You too, Baby Girl, you too.”

  Chapter 49

  Honeymoon

  Raven

  What is that buzzing sound? I reach over to the nightstand to try and find the annoying culprit, but there’s nothing there.

  “Sparkle, we have to get up.” Declan says quietly against my neck.

  “We just went to sleep.”

  “We got three hours in, I promise you for the next week, we can sleep as much as you want. But today, we have to get going.”

  “Why so early?” I ask burying my head under the pillow to hide.

  “First, I want to take a bath and order breakfast. Then we have to get back to the condo and get the rest of our luggage and say goodbye to our families. Our shuttle to the airport leaves at twelve-thirty.”

  “Um hmm.”

  “Sorry babe, but it’s really not my fault. I blame it on the outfits.”

  I smile remembering last night. When Declan dragged me away from our reception to the waiting car, he practically mauled me in the backseat. Our room at the Ritz was more like a suite, which was a shame because we wouldn’t get to enjoy it.

  I wanted to change into my wedding lingerie at once, but Declan insisted on taking off my dress. Once he saw my strapless bra and matching lace panties, he attacked me right against the bedroom wall. It wasn’t the most romantic way to consummate our marriage, but he made up for it later when I was able to show off my nightie.

  The entire night we spent in each other’s arms. After the first time, it wasn’t rushed or hard. We made love every way possible until we crashed around six this morning. There wasn’t one inch of my body Declan hadn’t kissed, licked or caressed. Now I needed sleep, and he wanted me to get up and socialize?

  “Declan, I didn’t get to keep the outfits on for more than a few minutes. Come up with another excuse.”

  “Okay, I blame it on the sexy vixen wearing the outfits. Better?”

  “I suppose. How much of a chance do I have to convince you to let me sleep another half hour?”

  “I guess that’s possible but then it would cut into our ocean front breakfast on the balcony.”

  I turn over and look at the view of the Atlantic Ocean out our window and realize I can sleep later. Declan grins at me and goes into the bathroom. I hear the water running and throw back the sheets. After I brush my teeth and wash my face, I sink into the tub in Declan’s lap.

  He runs his fingers over the tattoo on my wrist. He’s unusually quiet for the first time since we said our vows.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “A few things, my mind is full. First thing that comes to mind is how incredibly beautiful you looked walking to me. Our vows, your tribute to my mom, the whole reception. I’m hoping it was exactly what you wanted because I know it wasn’t the church wedding we originally planned.”

  “Declan, it was more than I wanted. If I had my way, we would probably cancel the party in May. The day was perfect. I couldn’t ask for more. And todays the day.”

  “What do you mean?” His face is full of confusion.

  “Today is the three weeks. We’re married.”

  A huge grin spreads across his face and I turn around to face him. Without a word, I lift up and position myself over him. I lower slowly feeling every inch of his hardness fill me. He sits up slightly and puts his hand on my ass cheeks urging me forward.

  Instead of sliding up and down, I move back and forth. The movement rubs my tender clit against his skin causing friction that makes my stomach roll with anticipation. I put my hands on his shoulders to steady myself and continue my slow assault on him.

  “Jesus Christ, what are you doing? Your tits are harder than I’ve ever seen, your muscles are clenching me tight, and I feel us skin to skin. I’m not going to last long.”

  I continue my rocking movements feeling everything he does. I’m close but want to try something I read about. I reach one hand around and grab his balls. He shoots up, and the scraping of his apa pushes me over the edge. I scream out in pleasure, and he groans against my neck. He hugs me close for a few minutes until our breathing returns to normal.

  “Now we dirtied up our water. Need to move to the shower.” He says kissing a path along my neck.

  “Okay, now we need to hurry. I’m not missing my balcony breakfast.”

  “Oh silly girl, why do you think I woke you up so early? This was part of my morning agenda. We have plenty of time.” He winks as I move off him and stand. I lead him to the shower, which has a double showerhead and allows for us to both clean up with no more distractions.

  The condo is quiet when we let ourselves in. The sliding glass door opens, and Ember and Robbie come in with their coffee mugs. When Ember sees us, she goes still, and her face turns pink. She’s wearing Robbie’s tuxedo shirt from last night, which hangs to her knees. You can’t tell if she’s wearing anything else.

  Robbie is in his sleep pants and loose t-shirt. He isn’t affected by our presence at all.

  “Hi guys, we were coming in to get some more coffee. Want some?” Ember asks walking to the kitchen.

  “No, thanks. We came to get our stuff and say goodbye to anyone who’s awake.”

  “RJ, you left a bunch of fools at a party with an open bar. Not too many people are going to be awake.” Robbie informs me.

  Declan follows Ember to the kitchen where he gives her a hug and she giggles.

  “What the hell is that about?” Robbie sneers.

  “Please trust me on this, you don’t want to know. I promise no matter what you think, you absolutely DO NOT want to know. Just as I will not want to know one day.”

  He must believe me because he drops the subject. I know Declan was personally thanking Ember for
the nightie.

  I give them both hugs and kisses while thanking them again for everything. My brother holds me extra tight for a little longer than necessary, and when I pull away there’s happiness on his face.

  When we get to our gate in the Miami airport, there’s no way Declan can hide our destination anymore. We’re going to Aruba! There’s only forty five minutes until we board, so I download a few things on my iPad for us to watch and read on the flight. I email Jay, the reporter, and the photographer our notes on the article and the pictures we approve.

  Declan and I both get text alerts and see a message from Amber that includes Jay and Mike too.

  Amber: Story broke. Someone posted a picture from reception. It wasn’t someone we know–another hotel guest. Confirm or Deny?

  Jay: A, Mike and I will be in office early tomorrow, can this wait?

  Amber: I’ll try to contain and push off. Would recommend statement 1st thing. The website is flooded with comments. Good and bad. We need to control this.

  Declan looks at me waiting for my response. I nod my head and text them all back.

  Me: All–Confirm. Put together statement and let us review. Details not important unless someone already released. Need to also tell the magazine so they can make changes to the article and get our story out ASAP.

  Amber: Got it. Will have it ready soon.

  Me: On our way to ARUBA!!! I will have access tonight to review but can’t make any promises after that. Sun, sand, sex on the beach–the cocktail 

  Jay: RJ–We’ve got this. Go enjoy. By the way, you make a beautiful bride.

  Declan: Yo! I’m right here. Don’t flirt with my wife.

  Jay: Can’t be flirting if it’s the truth.

  Declan starts to reply, and I yank his phone out of his hand. I send a response that we are boarding and get in line. I shouldn’t be surprised that we are in first class. At first, I think it’s ridiculous, but when the other passengers pass us a few look at Declan with recognition, I’m thankful. We get a quick text from Amber telling me to check my email. She’s put together a press release and wants our approval.

  Declan Collins, lead singer for the local rock band Sayge, married his longtime fiancée Ravenel Hayes on Saturday. The two exchanged vows in a small ceremony on a beach in Florida surrounded by family and friends. Sayge currently has a Top 40 hit, “Surviving” that is climbing the charts...

  She goes on to tell about the upcoming summer tour and gives the website for more information. I reply that we are fine with it and to let Charlie know, so she can inform our families then turn off my phone. Declan orders us a drink and we sit back and enjoy the flight. For the next six days, it’s the two of us in a tropical paradise.

  *****

  The sun shining through the small break in the curtains wakes me. Declan is wrapped around me snoring lightly. This is our third day in Aruba, and we have spent the majority of our days on the beach and our evenings enjoy the local nightlife. So far, Declan has only been recognized once, and the couple didn’t make a big deal out of it.

  I had only talked to my mom once to make sure everyone got back to Nashville okay. As suspected, once the news of our marriage released my parents were again bombarded by calls and emails. But now it was people congratulating us and making sure we were still having the party in May. We only talked a few minutes before Declan insisted I hang up.

  Today, we set up snorkeling lessons and then were going on an excursion to the reef. I personally was scared to death of water creatures, but I was assured sharks were only on the other side of the island. Not sure why this made me feel better, but I figured the locals knew what they were talking about. I knew we only had about two hours before our lessons, so I needed to wake Declan up.

  Since we got here on Sunday night, Declan was insatiable. Each night I thought I may get to sleep in my new lingerie but once he saw it, he peeled it off and attacked me. Then we fell asleep wrapped up in each other.

  “Declan, sweetie, we need to get up.” I nudge him gently. He groans and pulls me tighter. I run my hand behind me over his hips and to his growing erection. When I touch the tip, I slide up and down with my fingernails and feel his breath coming in pants against my shoulder.

  “Is it that time again?” his sleepy voice is soft and quiet.

  “If you want to have sex before we get up and go to our lessons, I think we have to wake up now. If not, then you can go back to sleep.”

  Pressing his hips against my lower back, he kisses my shoulder blade. “It’s not a question of if I want to. I meant is it that time again for me to slip into you, which has become my favorite place to be in the world. Sex three and four times a day is spoiling me.”

  “Yeah, baby, it’s that time again. And I’m getting spoiled too.” He rolls me under him and slides right into me. My body is in tune with everything that’s him. I get wet with just his voice, his whispers, or the feel of his breath against my skin.

  He kisses me deeply and takes his time. By the time he finishes, I’ve had two awesome orgasms and am unsure about getting out of bed at all. I’m high on all things Declan. He smirks and pulls me to the shower.

  Thursday and Friday we don’t leave the resort. I finish several books that I’ve wanted to read, and Declan writes. At one point I doze off in my lounge chair, and he slides in next to me. He pulls me close and lays my head on his chest. We watch the sunset, and I decide between Florida and now Aruba, I definitely want a beach house.

  For our last night, we’re going to a local upscale restaurant suggested to us and then a casino. When we finish showering, I kick him out of the bathroom and start my process. I think about how Harper would do my makeup and try my best to replicate it. After an hour, Declan knocks on the door and tell me he has a glass of wine waiting for me. As tempting as it sounds, I’m not walking out until the last possible minute. I open the door a little and snatch the glass before he can see me.

  “Sparkle, what are you doing in there? We have to leave in fifteen minutes.”

  “I know babe, trying to finish up. I’ll meet you on the balcony in a few minutes. Why don’t you call Cooper back and tell him about our ideas for the Festival next month?”

  “Because I’m on my fucking honeymoon. He can wait. I cannot! Hurry up.”

  “Okay.”

  I get the dress out of the bag and slide it over my head. It is a strapless form fitting baby-blue mini-dress with cut-outs along the stomach. The dress has a shimmer because of the silky material. My shoes are silver platform wedges. I open the door a sliver and peek out. He’s on the balcony drinking a beer and watching the water.

  When I slide my arms around his waist, he turns around to kiss me and goes still.

  “Absolutely not. That dress barely covers you.”

  “Dec, I’m not changing. Get over it.”

  “Then I’m canceling our reservations.”

  “No, you’re not. We’re going to eat.”

  “You looking like that, I know what I’m gonna eat. What about you?”

  I swat his arm. “Don’t be crass, we’re both going to eat ‘dinner’ and go gambling.”

  “Raven, don’t test me.”

  “Fine, I’m going to wait on the car. You can stay here.” I back away slowly allowing him to take in the dress and shoes and see his expression. His eyes heat up, and he knows I’m not backing down.

  “Sparkle, I’m telling you now, this is not a good idea.”

  “It’s a sexy dress that I’m wearing for my ‘Rock Star’ husband on our honeymoon. Why would you worry?”

  “Rock Star, huh? We back to that?”

  “Yep. I’m not changing.”

  He stalks to me pinning me against the wall. “Okay, Raven, we play your way. You’re not leaving my side tonight. When we get back here, I’m tearing this dress to pieces then you will know exactly how this ‘Rock Star’ feels about your outfit.”

  “Is that a sideways compliment?”

  “No, it’s straightforward. You
look amazing and fuckable.”

  “Hold on to that. Let’s go.”

  He holds me close to him for the entire evening. When we get to the casino, I run to the bathroom quickly and decide to play the slots for a few minutes. My luck goes up and down, but I quit when I’m up fifty dollars. When I return to the blackjack table, it’s surrounded in people. Declan eyes me, and he is angry but when I sidle up next to him, he calms down. He seems to be doing well with the amount of chips I count. After five more games, I’m bored. I try to back away, but he holds me closer.

  “If you leave again, I’ll spank you. Where the hell were you?”

  “I won fifty dollars on the slot machines.” I’m very excited to win for once.

  “We’re about to win a shit load of money. A lot more than fifty dollars. Don’t move.”

  I roll my eyes but start paying attention to the game. He wins a few more hands and then motions to cash out. The dealer calls over the manager and he counts our chips and ushers us to the cashier. Once Declan gets the money, he goes back and tips the dealer and leads me to the dance club.

  When it’s time to leave, a limo picks us up out front and drives to a remote area where all I see is beach. We stop, and Declan helps me out of the car. He leads me to an area that is decorated with tea lights and a blanket on the sand. There is a champagne bucket icing a bottle.

  “What is this?” I ask breathlessly.

  “This is me and you having a night alone on the beach.”

  “But how?”

  “One of those guys I was playing with owns this land and also recognized me. We have three hours alone out here. I promised him tickets to the Boston show.”

  I look around and get bold. I start to take off my shoes and he stops me. “No, babe, the only thing coming off is your panties. I’m fucking you in that dress and those shoes on the beach.”

  My mouth waters as he leads me to the blanket and stops. I undo the buttons on his shirt and pull it off.

  “I’m going to take complete advantage of the hours we have here tonight. Relax and let me take care of you.”