And were anxious to do again.
Chapter Nine
As Eric and Dana entered the lobby, they were greeted with smiles and congratulatory greetings from strangers, as well as the hotel staff.
Since Eric been a groom before, he knew what to expect in this type of setting. But it still caused a bit of unease. It wasn’t only the attention. It was another reminder of the commitment he’d made, the promise to love, honor and protect the woman he’d just married.
The honor and protect part was easy. But love? He didn’t take that word lightly. He knew better than anyone what it entailed. Joy. Beauty. Pain.
He glanced over at Dana. She was standing next to him at the check-in desk, with a happy expression on her face. Unable to help himself, he reached out to touch her cheek. She was so vivacious and so damned sweet.
She kissed the palm of his hand, and he realized how “in love” they probably looked to those around them. Funny, how easily things could be misperceived.
One thing was certain. Eric wanted to bed his new wife. He wanted to lose himself in the luxury of her body, to take of her freely.
She shot him a sultry smile, letting him know she was thinking of how freely she wanted to indulge in him, too. His zipper went unbearably tight. She’d already driven him crazy with the cake feeding, and now she was doing it again.
They finished checking in and took the elevator to their room.
“Are you going carry me across the threshold?” she asked, as they stood outside the door. She playfully added, “I suggest that you lift me while you can.” She made a big belly motion in front of her, teasing him about her pregnancy.
Trust Dana to crack a joke. He laughed and scooped her up, glad that her humor was infectious.
She squealed and gave him a loud smacking kiss. “Exactly what the bride ordered.”
“Now all I have to do is figure out how to get the door open.” He struggled to balance her. “I think I should have unlocked the room first.”
“No problem. I can help.” She took the keycard from him. She even turned the handle, making it easier for him to carry her inside.
He went straight for the bedroom and tossed her on the bed. She hit the mattress with a delicate bounce.
“Check out this place,” she said, looking all aflutter. “It’s swanky.”
Yeah, it was. He’d seen pictures of it online when he’d made the reservations. But he didn’t care about the decor, at least not at the moment. His agenda was to get her naked.
Then he remembered the bellhop had yet to deliver their bags. Room service was supposed to be on its way with complimentary goodies, too.
“Is this a honeymoon suite?” she asked.
“It’s not a honeymoon suite, per se. This hotel doesn’t have those. Instead they offer honeymoon and romance packages, which includes this type of accommodations.”
“What else does the package include?”
“A fancy breakfast every morning. A massage in the couple’s room in the spa.”
“Oh, my goodness. I’m in heaven. Are we really going to be here for two full days?”
“Yes, we are.” He’d chosen a hotel that was near the zoo since that was where Dana wanted to go on their honeymoon. “Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries are also part of the package. But I told them to bring a bottle of sparkling cider, too.”
She grinned. “For your preggers wife.”
Damn, she was cute. At the wedding she’d drunk water during the toast. “I also told them to replace the strawberries with cherries.”
“So that’s the cherry treat you mentioned earlier.” She waggled her eyebrows. “How decadent of you.”
A knock sounded at the door, and Eric prepared to answer the summons. But before he walked away, he motioned for Dana to wait for him, on the bed, just as she was.
After everything arrived and there would be no more interruptions, Eric returned to Dana with the room service tray.
“Should we have this now or later?” he asked.
“Now.” She sat forward. “Then we can mess around with the taste of extra goodness on our lips.”
“I like how you think.” He opened the cider and poured her a glass. He popped open the champagne for himself and sat next to her.
They sipped their drinks and ate the cherries, and every time he bit into one, he imagined burying himself deep inside her.
“These are delicious,” she said, with a little orgasmic moan.
He ate another one, blood pumping its way to his groin. Being with her was going to be delicious. She was his cherry lover, his daisy bride, his go-for-it honeymoon partner. Maybe love wasn’t part of the equation. But lust most certainly was.
This aspect of being married felt good, and he relished the allure that came with it. He leaned forward to kiss her. She met him halfway and their lips met. The taste of sensuality shivered through him.
The extra goodness.
He went to work on the pins in her hair, removing each little ornament with care. Her shiny blond locks, as soft and warm as sunlight, tumbled into his hands and slipped through his fingers.
“Let’s stand up so I can undress you,” he said. So he could peel away the silk to get to her skin.
She obliged him. She stood before him, looking like the bohemian bride he’d once called her. The dress had a zipper in back. He got behind her and worked it free. The gown opened with ease, exposing the curve of her spine and lacy white undergarments.
He came around to the front, anxious to take the dress completely off. As he slid the garment down, she smiled at him. He’d never met anyone who smiled as much as she did.
He kissed her, softly, just because it felt right. She kissed him, too, tugging him closer. By now, the dress was pooled at her feet.
They separated so she could step out and away from the fabric. But she didn’t pick it up off the floor. She let Eric do that. He lifted it up and draped it across his hands. Then he walked to the closet and hung it up. He even rezipped it. He knew how hard she’d searched to find a gown that suited her, so he was doing what he could to treat it with reverence.
He returned to her, and she said, “You’re so gallant.”
“Not that gallant.” He was too excited to give her undergarments the same special care.
Eric unhooked her bra and got rid of it. When he cupped her breasts, her nipples went instantly hard. He thumbed each one.
They kissed again. The hunger inside him turned to an ache. While their mouths were fused, he reached down and touched her in the most intimate of ways. He liked the feel of her flesh next to the lace panel of her panties. But when that sensation got to be too much, he removed her panties and discarded them.
She was naked. Lusciously bare. He resumed the foreplay, watching her as he did what he wanted to do. Her eyes were half-closed. She looked hot and dreamy.
Bridelike, he thought.
Did he look husbandlike, too, standing here in his tuxedo, giving her pleasure?
As he brought her to climax, she rewarded him with the same erotic little moan as when she’d been eating the chocolate cherries.
That was just about all he could take. In the thrill of the moment, he yanked off his own clothes, took her to bed and climbed on top of her. They kissed like mad, eager to consummate their vows.
They made love without protection. This time there was no need for a condom. They mated with flesh-to-flesh urgency.
He couldn’t begin to count how many positions they tried or the things they did and redid to each other. All he knew was that their wedding night was on fire.
* * *
Dana lay there afterward, wondering what had hit her. A Mac Truck of a man, that’s what—the hottest, sexiest, wildest man who ever existed.
She
said, “I’m never going to be the same again.”
He leaned on his elbow. “It was pretty crazy.”
“It was positively sinful.” She rolled onto her elbow, too, trying to steady herself. “We should do that again sometime.”
“If we dare.”
“I do kind of feel like I’m going to die.”
Darkness flashed in his eyes. “Don’t say that, Dana.”
Her heart clenched. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it literally. I was just, you know...”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s tough to hear, even jokingly. I couldn’t bear to lose another wife.”
She blinked at him. She knew that he didn’t want to be married and that he’d wed her out of duty, yet somewhere deep inside, he was already worried about losing her? It made her feel more attached to him. “You’re not going to lose me.”
He backpedaled. “I shouldn’t have made a fuss. You can make whatever jokes you want. If you feel like you’re going to die after great sex, then we should just laugh it off.”
True. But neither of them was laughing. At this point, Dana wasn’t sure how she was supposed to deal with his emotions. This was their first night as husband and wife, and already she was fretting about how to interact with him.
Fix the broken? Good luck with that, she told herself.
She changed the subject. “I’m excited about going to the zoo tomorrow.”
“That’s good. I want you to enjoy yourself.”
“I love zoos. Won’t it be fun when we can take Sweet Bean when he or she is older?”
“We used to take Kaley there when she was little.”
We. Him and his other wife. Normally Dana didn’t mind him making references to Corrine. But at the moment, she wished that she had Eric all to herself. Still, it was foolish to expect him to stop referring to his past, especially since he’d been doing it all along. Besides, wasn’t it better for him to talk openly, rather than keep his memories bottled up inside?
“What were Kaley’s favorite animals at the zoo?” she asked, encouraging him to say whatever he wanted.
He rewarded her with a smile. “The monkeys. She used to mimic them.”
“I can see Kaley doing that. Even now.”
He laughed a little. “She is expressive.”
“What about Corrine? What animal did she favor?”
He seemed to be thinking back on it. “She liked the big cats.”
“I can see why. You’re rather big and catlike yourself.”
“Are you flirting with me, Miss Cherry?”
She waved her new diamond, reminding him that she was a properly married woman now. “The name’s Mrs. Cherry, and yes I am.”
“That sounds weird, doesn’t it? You being a Mrs.” He went serious. “Mrs. Reeves.” He tilted his head. “Are you going to use my last name or keep your own?”
“Truthfully, I hadn’t really thought about it. Maybe I’ll do it the hyphenated way. Dana Peterson-Reeves. That has a nice ring to it.”
He didn’t comment on whether he liked the sound of it. But he did reach out to skim his fingers down her arm.
“What’s your favorite animal at the zoo?” he asked.
She appreciated the question. She appreciated the warmth of his touch, too. “The penguins. I like how they waddle.”
“You’ll be waddling before too long.”
She poked him in the ribs. “Is the daddy-to-be teasing the woman he impregnated? Where are your manners?”
“It’s fun teasing you.”
“Then by all means, tease away.” She liked this side of him. She liked it very much. Eric could be adorably playful when the mood struck him.
“I’ll buy you a toy penguin tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll have them in the gift shop.”
“Thank you. That will make tomorrow even more special.” Encouraged by his romantic behavior, she curled up next to him. Maybe fixing him wouldn’t be that hard. Maybe he would settle into being her husband because he was naturally the husband type.
“Dana?”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to tell you that I removed my wedding picture with Corrine from the mantel.”
“You did?” She’d assumed that it was going to remain as it was. “Where did you put it?”
“In a box that has a bunch of other old photos. I knew it wasn’t right to leave it up anymore. I even told Corrine it’s what I should do, out of respect to you. I talked to her about it when I was at her gravesite.”
“Thank you for thinking of me.” As for him telling Corrine, she simply accepted that as part of the status quo.
“Ready to sleep now?” he asked.
She nodded, and he turned out the light.
While they settled into a spooning position, Dana closed her eyes, anxious to wake up with her husband by her side.
* * *
Eric got up before Dana and headed for the shower. Afterward, he prepared to order the fancy breakfast that came with the hotel package, but when he returned to bed and saw his wife, he stalled. She looked positively green.
She said, “I normally keep crackers by the bed, but I was having such a good time with you last night, I forgot to get them out of my luggage. And now I’m so nauseous I don’t want to move.”
“I’ll get them.” He tore into her suitcase and rummaged around. Her stuff was crammed in there. “I can’t find them.”
“Keep looking.”
He finally located the saltines and brought them to her. He opened the box, too. He remembered how ill Corrine had gotten from the cancer treatments. But he warned himself not to panic. Dana’s sickness was associated with life, not death.
But it still affected him, stirring up horrific memories. He wanted to make Dana feel better. He wanted to do something besides sit here and watch her take birdlike bites.
“How long does it take to go away?” he asked.
“Twelve weeks, they say. But I don’t really know for sure.”
“I meant each morning.”
“It varies. Some women have bouts of it all day. I can’t even imagine that.”
He touched a hand to her brow. He felt helpless, and he despised that feeling. “Do you want anything else?”
“Sometimes hot tea helps.”
“I’ll make some.” He hurried up with the task, fixing what he hoped was a mild brew.
He held out the cup and she took tiny sips.
“If I get up and run to the bathroom, you better move out of my way.”
“I will. But if you want someone to hold your hair back while you throw up, I can do that, too.”
She actually smiled. “That’s the sweetest, ickiest thing a man has ever said to me.”
“I just want you to be okay.”
“Then tell Sweet Bean to knock it off.”
“Knock it off,” he said to her stomach.
She laughed, then moaned. “Oh, God. Laughing wasn’t a good idea.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Just don’t talk to me for a while.”
He sat in a chair near the bed. By now she was bunched into a ball.
She gave up the fight and raced past him and into the bathroom. He would have preferred to hold her hair back than to sit here and do nothing. He could hear her retching.
He had to keep reminding himself that it was the baby and not anything serious. But his experience with Corrine wasn’t helping the logical side of his brain to cope with having a sick wife.
Dana emerged a short while later, with her skin pale and her face damp from where she’d obviously splashed water on it.
She said, “I should be all right now.”
She didn’t look all right to him. “We’re not going to the zoo today.”
<
br /> “Don’t spoil my fun. I just need to rest for a bit.” She got back into bed. “I was like this yesterday morning, and by late afternoon, I was walking down the aisle like a goddess. I swear, Eric, I’ll be fine.”
She spoke the truth. An hour later, she was hungry for breakfast. So he ordered it, and when it arrived, she ate like a little piggy. He’d never been so glad to see a woman wolf down her food.
“Told ya,” she said. “I’m the picture of pregnant health.”
And he was the picture of a guy too freaked out to be in this situation. His nerves were nearly shot. “I don’t even want to consider what’s going to happen later on.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you’re in labor and having those horrible contractions.” He’d seen reenactments of childbirth on TV with wives yelling at their husbands and blaming them for the pain. “I don’t think I’ll be able to handle you screaming like a banshee.”
“I’m too good-natured for that.”
“You think you’re going to be the exception?”
She flicked a chip of toast at him. “Yep.”
He shook his head. She was something else. “I’m not having a food fight with you.” He was too freaked out for that, too.
“Then for goodness’ sakes, have a drink.” She cracked open the mini bar and spiked his orange juice with a shot of vodka.
They both looked at the cocktail and laughed. It was absurd to be presented with a screwdriver at this time of the day. But even so, he went ahead and belted it back, using it as a reward for surviving his first morning of having a pregnant wife.
* * *
Dana and Eric walked around the zoo, and although she was enjoying their surroundings, she was still aware of how her pregnancy was affecting him. She didn’t know what to do to get him to loosen up, at least not completely. With Eric, there was always an underlying edge.
“Are you ready for some ice cream?” he asked.
“I’m always ready for something sweet.”
“I’ll get it. You can sit here and relax.” He motioned to a bench near the zebra habitat.
“You don’t need to keep babying me.”
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