“I"m tired,” she whined. “Where"s my big buff hubby?”
Frank rolled his eyes. “About to puke if you keep that up.” But he went around to her door and opened it.
She stretched out her arms and legs, flutter-kicking her feet slightly. “Come on, you can"t go getting rusty, here.”
He squatted, got his arms under her and lifted her out of the passenger seat. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gloated.
“You do love me, don"t you?”
“Most wives only insist on being carried one time,” Frank grumbled, playfully. “You had me carry you into the honeymoon suite; into the room on the Grand Caymans; into your house when we got back; into my house; into this one when we moved in. When will it stop?”
“It"s never going to stop, Honey,” she promised him.
“You"ll be so spoiled by the time of our first anniversary, getting carried won"t even be special for you,” he said, nudging the car door shut with his leg.
“Don"t bet on it,” she said.
He had to hold her against the wall and support her by lifting his knee while twisting the knob on the door into the house. Then the door swung open and they stepped into the kitchen. She reached out and flipped on the light switch, then held her left hand out for a moment, studying how the large solitaire diamond caught the light.
“We"re getting good at this,” she said. “By the time we get to Acapulco, this"ll be just as natural as dancing.”
“We"re going to Italy next,” he said, carrying her through the kitchen, into the family room.
“Where are you taking me, Mr. Cozzalino?”
“To bed, Mrs. Cozzalino.”
“What if I"m not sleepy anymore?”
“Perfect.”
“What if I"m not in the mood?”
“I"ll put you in the mood.”
“Not so insecure now, are you?”
Inside their large bedroom, he eased her down to her feet, where she promptly got her shoes off. She unbuttoned his shirt enough to slip her hands underneath and rub his chest.
“Let"s get some more practice in,” he said, in that husky tone she recognized so well. “Let"s practice making a playmate for Monica and Katina.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Cozzalino,” she said, “Are you happy I"m your official soulmate, Lover?” she asked.
“Far as I"m concerned,” he said, “you already were. City Hall was just a formality.”
They had officially tied the knot four months ago, via Justice of the Peace. It still seemed like a dream, most of the time
She kissed him sweetly. “Thanks for compromising with me, Sweetheart.”
He grinned, and began undressing her.
“Are you ready for a house full of Monica"s playmates?” she asked, unbuttoning his shirt the rest of the way.
“I don"t know about a house full,” he said. “But a couple would be nice.”
“I"m around kids all the time,” she said. “Believe me: even one can make a house seem full.”
“Then let"s see what you got, Mrs. Cozzalino” he said.
He finished stripping her, and she climbed between the sheets as he peeled out of his clothes. He joined her. They both lay on their sides, smiling and touching each other the way lovers do.
“Let"s see how ready you are,” she said.
He guided her hand down under the covers.
“How"s that?”
“That"s not what I meant,” she said.
But she didn"t let go.
“Repeat after me, Mr. Cozzalino: our bed.”
He groaned. Every so often, she instigated this ritual. “I"m fine, Celeste. I told you a thousand times.”
“Say it,” she demanded, her threatening tone only half-humorous.
“Our bed.”
“Our bedroom,” she prompted, gloating a little.
“Our bedroom.”
“Good boy.Our house.”
“Our house.”
Her tone got husky and their eye contact grew more intense. “Our love.” “Our love.”
“Our life together.”
He smiled and kissed her. “You can"t scare me. Our life together.”
“Very good,” she purred. “You get an A Plus and a Most Improved Award.”
“Thank-you, teacher. Awards are nice, but what I"d really like is a reward.”
“You"ll get plenty of those,” she promised him.“Now come on, let"s finish it right.”
He tried to sigh his annoyance, but grinned as he found the universal remote, clicked on the stereo and played the track that was always cued up.
“Our song,” he said.
She sighed her contentment. “So kiss me.”
### I hope you"ve enjoyed Celeste and Frank"s story. Thanks to everyone who wrote and asked about it—it was encouragement I probably wouldn"t have done it without.
When I wrote Overcoming, I didn"t intentionally set you up for a sequel. Celeste and Frank"s story was just a real-life experience I referenced as a way for Shauna and Miles" friends to illustrate why they should seize the day and not let the potential love of their lives slip away without taking a chance on them. But starting with my first fan letter, it dawned on me that I just couldn"t set something up like that without chasing it down to a conclusion of some kind. It also presented the opportunity to show a glimpse of Shauna and Miles" happy-ever-after along the way.
I have some ideas for more IR romances, and hope to write and publish them as time allows. I love to hear from readers, as always. If you email me at [email protected], please check your spam folder afterward, because I do write back. I also still have my Facebook author page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-H-R-Kitte-Rojas-multiculturalromance-fiction/148288575213773.
Hopefully you"ll be hearing from me again soon!
Tunnel Vision Page 20