He’d waited until the last minute to wake her, after spending the last two hours and forty minutes furiously bouncing his leg and tapping his thigh with his fingers. The anticipation of their destination, his plans, their plans, made him wish he could get in a good session of hard, physical exertion to work off his nervous tension.
The bus he’d chartered to get everyone from the capital pulled through the gate of the Historical Park. The ruins where they planned to have the wedding loomed ahead.
“Hmm?” Rhees stirred, raising her arms up in a long stretch before she smirked. “I didn’t sleep well last night. My snuggle buddy wouldn’t snuggle with me, and to top it off, he shook his leg all night, vibrating the bed—kind of like he’s doing now.” She opened one eye, her gaze going directly to his bouncing leg.
“Sorry, I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t chance touching you.”
“Hmm?”
“Snuggling—I couldn’t chance it. I’ve been a little wound up, but now I’m just so relieved I didn’t screw it up.”
The bus came to a stop and the driver opened the door. The people in the seats ahead of them, all friends from the island, and a few from the States, made their way off the bus.
“Mmm . . . it’s close.” She looked up at him and smiled adoringly. He kissed her cheek.
“Yeah, I know.” His lips made their way to hers and he kissed her passionately.
“Wow. That’s some kiss,” she said breathlessly when he finally pulled away.
“I’ve been holding that in for a while, my promise always in the back of my mind. But I figure I can’t get too carried away—well, I fully intend to get too carried away later tonight, after I make you a new promise—my vows.”
He kissed her again and they both moaned deliciously, pawing at each other as much as possible with a bus seat armrest between them. She finally sighed uneasily, and Paul pulled back to check on her.
“You’re scared.”
“No.” She dropped her gaze. “I’m not freaking out, I promise, but maybe—maybe, I am a little nervous.”
“I know, and that’s okay.” He put his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forehead to his lips. “We’ll take it slow. We’ll go at a pace you’ll be comfortable with.” He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “It’ll be my first time, too.”
Her confused eyes darted up to meet his. “Liar.” She smiled like she thought he’d only said it to tease her.
“Serious. One hundred percent.” He gave her a little more time to be confused, taking a second to enjoy watching her try to figure it out before sharing his recent thoughts.
“As in, your first time in months?” she attempted to clarify.
He shook his head, still with a look on his face to suggest he had a secret.
“What is on that brilliant mind of yours?”
“Okay.” He grinned. “I’ve had a lot of sex with a lot of women. You know that.”
“I don’t care about that. You know I don’t.”
He nodded in agreement.
“I’ve had sex. That’s all it’s ever been. But tonight will be the first time—” He pressed his lips to her forehead again. “With you—I plan to make love to you. It won’t be just sex.” He paused to clear his throat, and then panted out a laugh, surprised at himself for getting emotional.
“I can’t wait to have you, take my time with you, for you. I plan to make adoring, tender, glorious love to you, as my wife, my partner for the rest of my life, the most exquisite woman I’ve ever known, the only woman I’ve ever loved. So yes, my beautiful Danarya, it will be my first time, too.”
She blinked a few times, never taking her eyes off him. She took a breath, and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. Her eyes welled up instead, as she nodded in understanding, before she buried her face into his neck, and they embraced.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She shook her head against his shoulder, trying to get a hold of herself. “You’re so perfect,” she choked out.
“I’m far from perfect.” He glanced down, uncomfortable with the description. “I got that out of a fortune cookie.”
She let out a half laugh, half sob and they gazed at each other for a second, smiling giddily like two kids overcome with puppy love.
“Not perfect, but I’m better than I was. You’ve made me a better man than I’ve ever been.”
She reached for his cheek when Taylor’s voice broke the spell. They hadn’t noticed he’d boarded the bus again and stood, looming over them.
“Glad you two are blissfully in love, but that selfish sentiment has made you oblivious to the rest of us.” Taylor and Paul locked eyes as Paul tried to decipher how much his friend had heard. Taylor gave nothing away, but the somber look in his eyes didn’t match his words. “We have needs, too. We’d just like to get this mushy stuff over with so we can get drunk and work on finding our own destinies. I’ve seen at least four of the local girls out there, waiting for me to declare my undying love for them . . . behind the storage shed.” Taylor laughed.
Rhees made a disgusted noise and Paul rolled his eyes.
“I’ll go take care of the last minute details.” Paul leaned over to give Rhees a quick peck on the lips. He looked her over, as if taking her in for the last time, but then smiled so big, he worried he’d pull a muscle in his cheek—but he couldn’t stop. “This is it.”
“Yeah,” she said back with her own excited smile.
“I’ll tell the girls to come and help you get dressed,” Paul said as he ushered Taylor off the bus.
Wet: Part 2 Page 34