Silver Dove (Silver #2)

by E. J. Shortall

  Becki laughed. “Oh, Amber, Amber, Amber, forever the prude. This stuff is for the both of you to enjoy together, not for your one handed reading pleasure. You are on your honeymoon, live a little.”

  “Hey, what’s going on over here? What’s the joke?” I looked up into the laughing eyes of my husband and immediately pulled the bag behind me out of sight. Becki noticed and snatched the bag from me and stood. As she walked past Craig she shoved the bag into his hands, telling him, “Congratulations, enjoy and you’re welcome,” before walking away chuckling.

  “What’s this?” Craig asked and before I had a chance to snatch the bag back, he had it open and was looking inside.

  Craig

  That wasn’t your typical toaster or saucepan wedding gift. I pulled a set of fur lined, leather handcuffs out of the bag and raised a questioning brow to Amber, dangling them from one of my fingers. My beautiful wife’s face turned the same shade of deep pink as the tropical flowering shrub behind her. “Um, not quite the wedding gift I was expecting,” I said trying to contain my smile.

  “Give me that,” Amber snapped, pulling the cuffs and bag from my hands.

  “What’s the matter, Pingu? Were you expecting saucepans from Becki?” I bit on the inside of my mouth to mask the smile that was growing wider by the second. Oh my poor innocent bride.

  She pouted. “Oh hardy, ha, ha, Craig, very funny.” In a subconscious move she had pulled the bag of goodies into her chest and was hugging it tight. This, of course, sent me over the edge and I couldn’t contain the laughter any longer. “It’s not funny, Craig,” she grumbled.

  “I have to disagree with you, Mrs Silver, I find it hilarious.” She smiled and her eyes lit up. My laughter ceased abruptly, morphing into a sudden pressure across my chest and an inability to breathe properly. Mrs Silver. Amber Silver. Mrs Craig Silver. No matter which way or how many times I said it, each time it was like a sucker punch to the chest. She had taken my heart and shocked it into a quivering wreck, as unused to love as it was. Now every time I thought about her finally being mine, it was being shocked. She was bringing me back from the lifeless existence I’d had before her.

  “Are you ready to go and say goodbye to everyone? I need to spend time alone with my wife now.” I took a step and stopped in front of her, leaving a short distance between us. Her hand twitched on the bag she was still clutching and I knew she wanted to reach out and touch me. I felt the same. But for now I wanted to build the tension, I wanted for Amber to feel that same burning desire that I did.

  Looking down into her eyes, glittering in the low light of the lanterns surrounding the small courtyard, I could see her need, her love. I saw her, my Pingu. “I need to take you off to our own little piece of paradise and help you out of this dress.” I ran my finger along the top of the dress, skimming across the upper swell of her spectacular breasts, and felt her shiver in anticipation. “I need to take my wife to bed and make love to her for the very first time,” I said tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Okay,” she whispered, closing her eyes and tilting her head into my touch.

  I continued to trail my fingers down her arms, feeling goosebumps break out across her skin as I did so. I gently pulled her toward me and brushed my lips across hers. “I love you Mrs Silver.”

  With a final skim of my lips across hers and a gentle tug with my teeth, I’d planted the anticipation seed and watched it bloom as I stepped away from her. Her eyes fluttered open, feeling the loss of contact, and she blinked at me. “Craig?” she questioned, sounding almost pained.

  Stretching my arm out in front of me, I gestured for Amber to come closer which she did willingly. With her hand in mine and our fingers twined together I kissed her knuckles and started walking us back toward our waiting guests.

  “Wait!” Amber stopped abruptly so I turned to face her with a questioning brow. “What do I do with this? I can’t carry it out there. People will want to know what’s inside.” Laughing, I took the bag from her and kissed her again quickly before re-joining our friends and family.

  I’d told my mum before I went off to find Amber that we would soon be leaving. When we re-joined the party we found she had gone all Sergeant Major and had everyone lined up near the waiting car that was going to take us off to our own private sanctuary. For the remainder of our honeymoon we would be staying in a secluded villa, just Amber and me, and very little clothing. That was my definition of paradise.

  “Craig, why is everyone standing by that car? Are we going somewhere?” Amber looked up at me in confusion. I hadn’t told her all of my plans for us whilst we were there. I’d let her believe we would be staying in the hotel for the duration of the holiday. I was sure everyone else would have a fantastic time there, but I wanted to enjoy my wife, alone, with no distractions.

  I kissed the tip of her nose and then tapped the side of it. Giving her a wink, I told her without words that it was a surprise.

  As we made our way down the line saying goodbye and thank you to everyone for travelling the thousands of miles to join us. Not that Amber knew it, but when arranging everything I’d personally contacted everyone and asked them to join us, telling them it was all on me. I’d wanted all of our closest friends and family to be here with us, knowing it would mean a lot to Amber, and I was prepared to pay whatever it cost to make sure that happened. Seeing the beaming smile on her face as we talked with everyone was proof enough for me to know I’d done the right thing.

  Eventually we came to Mum and Carly last in line. Mum had tears in her eyes again, and Carly had an arm wrapped around her shoulder. Mum had told me before the ceremony that she’d been to see Amber and had given her my great-grandmothers Silver Dove necklace. She told me how the dove was a symbol of love, peace and hope and that although we already had the love and peace part she hoped that our dreams of becoming parents would be realised.

  “Mum, thanks for everything you’ve done to make today possible.” I smiled down at her as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

  “Yes, thank you, Val-”

  Shaking her head, Mum took Amber’s hands, “Please, Amber, if you feel you can, call me mum. We’re family now.”

  “Thank you, Mum,” Amber whispered, a brilliant smile lighting up her face.

  “Oh, darling girl, you don’t need to thank me. It was an absolute pleasure to help Craig arrange this special day. I have waited for a long, long time for him to find the right woman, someone who will treat him right. He finally found you and I couldn’t be happier. I would gladly do it all again to see how happy you two look right now.”

  I thanked Carly again for her spellbinding performances, and shook hands with Tyler. I couldn’t tell what the deal was with those two. They didn’t seem to be together and she hadn’t mentioned him to me before. I hoped she had finally met someone else she trusted and that he was watching out for her. She needed it. After Amber and I said a final goodbye and were showered by a rainbow of rose petals, we were finally free to get in the car.

  I was helping Amber climb in when Becki shrieked from behind us. “Wait, Amber, you can’t go yet. You have to toss your bouquet.” I raised an eyebrow looking down at my bride. She chuckled and stood back up.

  It was actually kind of hilarious because in our small group of guests, only Becki, Carly and Marika were unmarried. As Amber moved into position, turning her back on our guests and holding up her flowers ready to toss, I glared over at Carly willing her to remain still. Superstition or not, I didn’t want to chance it. There was no way in hell she was going to be the next one getting married. She needed to wait, concentrate on her studies and move on from her past.

  “Okay ladies, are you ready?” Amber called out over her shoulder as Becki eagerly nudged her way forward. I glanced over at Scott and noticed his face had paled significantly. It made me chuckle, because whether he wanted to admit it or not, those two would end up reciting vows to each other too. It was just a matter of time. “On the count of three.” I looke
d over at the women again and it eased my mind when Carly stepped away. “Three… two… one.” Amber brought the bouquet down low and then with a sharp thrust upwards she raised her hands into the air and sent the flowers flying. Becki lunged forward, Marika shuffled to the left whilst still holding Giana and then… without even reaching for it the bouquet landed straight in Carly’s arms.

  Shit!

  Superstition Craig, it was just a fucking superstition. Nothing to worry about.

  “It’s okay, Craig. It’s only a silly superstition, no need to look so worried,” Amber giggled as she sidled up to me.

  After a quick glance at Carly reassured me that she was none too happy about catching the flowers, I pulled Amber into me and growled in her ear “Get in the car, Pingu, I have some superstitions of my own I want to prove are real.” As she turned around to head back to the car I gave her a little tap on the butt. She wiggled it provocatively at me as she walked away.

  That’s my wife!

  I couldn’t help but laugh at her antics and quickly followed behind her. We needed to be alone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Amber

  As the car pulled away from the hotel I looked over my shoulder at our friends and family smiling and waving us off. I noticed Becki steal a glance at the flowers in Carly’s hands and chuckled. I was sure everyone thought Becki would catch them, I mean let’s face it, of the group of people there Becki and Scott were most likely to be next down the aisle. My best friend didn’t need to catch a bouquet to be next, she just needed to be honest and tell Scott how she felt. Had she not learned her lesson about not being honest about her feelings before?

  With a sigh I sat back in my seat and watched the stunning, illuminated landscaping along the hotel driveway.

  “Is everything okay, Pingu?”

  I met his eyes, intermittently being lit up as we passed lamp posts. “Everything’s great. I was just thinking about Becki and Scott. I wish she would tell him she wants to take this next step too. I know Scott, he’s not like you, he would be happy to live in sin for the rest of his life,” I joked.

  “They’ll figure it out, they always do. But for now I want you to think about nothing but you and I and what we can get up to…alone.” The desire evident in his voice made me squirm. Sex between the two of us had always been explosive and full of our feelings. The thought of making love to my husband brought new and overwhelming feelings of longing.

  Swallowing, I looked out of the window over Craig’s shoulder. I needed to refocus or I was likely to launch myself at him and spoil my wedding night. “Where are we going?” I asked.

  Craig tugged me onto his lap and nuzzled my neck before pulling back and staring into my eyes. “I’ve rented a private villa for the remainder of our time here. Just you and I and as much time as we need to enjoy each other. And, baby, I plan to enjoy every. Single. Second.” Finally he crushed my lips with his, teasing me with nips and licks, and then pulling back when I tried to deepen the kiss, needing more from him. The next time I opened up to him he plunged his tongue inside, caressing my own with a slow and sensual dance as emotionally powerful as the one we had first shared as husband and wife.

  All too soon the car stopped and Craig pulled away looking as composed as ever. The pounding of his heart beneath my hand proved he was anything but calm. “Come on Mrs Silver; let me show you around our own piece of paradise for the next ten days.” He took my hand and helped me out of the car when the driver opened the door for us.

  The first thing that struck me as I stepped out of the car was the size of the place. When Craig said he’d rented a villa, I had assumed a small little holiday home type place. I certainly hadn’t expected something so large and on such extensive private grounds.

  The place was beautiful with a manicured front garden full of brightly coloured tropical flowers and lit up by several lamp posts lining the driveway. You could hear the gentle swishing of waves lapping on the shore so I knew we were right on the beach, although I couldn’t see it from where we were standing.

  Craig tangled his hand with mine and led me into the villa. The interior was as stunning as the outside. It was dark and only dimly lit by a few lamps but I could see the place was decorated in neutral tones, with natural stone tiled flooring, and cream coloured walls accented with hints of pale yellow and greens. There were ceiling fans slowly rotating throughout, providing a small respite from the hot Bajan temperatures.

  Craig locked the door behind us and then without stopping he walked me through the villa to a staircase leading to the first floor. We immediately emerged into a bedroom that seemed to span the entire width of the front of the property. What really caught my attention, though, were the several sets of open French doors with sheer voile drapes tied back and fluttering in the breeze. Beyond those doors was the most magical view I had ever seen.

  Stepping away from Craig I walked out onto the large balcony. All around me candles and tiki torches were lit providing a romantic golden glow. Illumination also came from the bright white moonlight reflecting across the calm Caribbean waters just beyond the villa’s rear gardens. There were several pieces of rattan garden furniture scattered across the area but I barely noticed them, my gaze was fixed on that silver line rippling across the water. I was totally spellbound, entranced by its beauty.

  “Do you like it?” Craig wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder.

  “Like it? Craig, I… I… I’m speechless. It’s so beautiful.”

  “No, you are the beautiful one Mrs Silver. I’ll never figure out what I did to deserve you, you know?” He placed a kiss on my shoulder and started stroking his hands along my arms. “I keep thinking it’s all a dream and I’m going to wake up and find you were never real,” he whispered.

  The light of a nearby tiki torch glimmered in Craig’s eyes as I twisted around to look at him. His eyes had captivated me from the first time I saw him. The deepness of the green, contrasting to the brightness of the white surrounding it had sucked me in from the very moment we first locked gazes. Craig’s eyes had always been his giveaway, his way of communicating what he was really feeling. It didn’t matter how he tried to play the tough and controlling businessman, when it came to feelings and emotions, his eyes said it all, and in that moment they were saying he was a man in love. “I’m real, Craig. I am very real and going nowhere, unless you’re with me. You’re stuck with me forever. I have the proof.” I lifted my left hand in front of his face and wiggled my ring finger showing him the rings that bound us to our promises of forever.

  Craig kissed the rings and then pulled my hand onto his chest, holding it over his heart. “Thank you, Pingu. Thank you for today, thank you for tomorrow, thank you for putting up with some of the shit I’ve put you through. But most of all thank you for being you. Please don’t ever change.” He briefly pressed his lips to mine and then left me feeling lost when he pulled away.

  That feeling didn’t last long because Craig spun me round so I was looking back out at the silver strip lining the dark sea waters. With one hand wrapped around me he pulled me back against his chest. With his other he stroked the length of my arm while feathering gentle kisses along my shoulder and up my neck. I threw my head back against his shoulder and succumbed to the sensations when the kisses became more sensual and his hand moved round to cup my breast through the soft material of my dress.

  “As beautiful as you look in this dress, I happen to know you are more beautiful without it,” Craig said as he began to pull the zipper down with agonising slowness. I closed my eyes and savoured the sensations of his breath on my neck, his fingers running along my back, and the hardness of his erection pressing against me. When he had the zipper pulled down completely the material of my dress slid down over my body and puddled at my feet. “My wife is so fucking beautiful,” Craig rasped as he stepped back.

  Feeling self-conscious standing out on a balcony in just my white lace panties, I turned around to f
ace Craig. Without saying a word he took my hand and pulled me into his arms. He swept a quick kiss across my lips and then bent to lift me into his arms, carrying me across to a large rattan lounger surrounded by flickering tea lights.

  The moment was beautiful as he silently lowered me down so I was sitting on the end of the bed. He stepped back watching me with passion in his eyes as he slowly removed his own clothing and then dropped to his knees in front of me. Keeping our eyes locked he placed his lips over mine, consuming me with a kiss of such love and reverence that I struggled to breathe.

  He moved me until I was lying on my back with my legs still over the end of the lounger, my feet flat on the floor. With our kiss broken, Craig slowly began to skim his fingers from my ankles upwards, gently massaging and caressing the sensitive flesh of my legs. When he reached my knees he pushed them further apart and added his lips to his ministrations, kissing his way up the insides of my thighs. He reached up to gently tug my underwear down leaving me totally bare to him. Continuing his mouth’s journey up my legs, I sucked in a deep breath when his tongue emerged to lap over my slick folds. He didn’t remain there long, just long enough to have me writhing around on the lounger and whimpering his name. He kissed his way up my body, paying particular attention to each breast, before stopping on my lips.

  “Can I make love to my wife now?” he asked as he braced himself above me with his hands on either side of my head. I nodded, and while lost in each other, our eyes reflecting the glow of the moon and tiki torches, Craig slid himself into me. With the sounds of the nearby lapping waves our musical accompaniment, Craig proceeded to make such sweet, slow love to me, telling me over and over how much he loved me. It was a moment I would never forget as we moved, joined together as lovers, joined together as husband and wife.