The Halo Series Boxed Set

by Kimberly Knight

  “So wet,” he murmured, removing his mouth from between my legs and using his other hand to work the swollen nub. “So fucking wet, and all mine.”

  And then I broke. The wave of the orgasm encased me, the sensation racing from my core and down to my toes. As I came down from my high, Avery began to strip himself of his tux. “Don’t move,” he ordered.

  Like I could.

  Instead, I rose onto my elbows and watched my husband remove his shirt one button at a time. His rock-hard chest and eight-pack abs stared me in the face, making my mouth water.

  “Have I ever told you that you’re hot?” I asked.

  Avery threw his head back, laughing as he let his white dress shirt fall to the floor. “I don’t recall a specific time.” He started to work his pants open and down.

  “Well, you are.”

  “And so are you.” He stepped out of his pants and crawled on top of me, kissing my lips. “See how good you taste?” he questioned. Avery silenced me with his mouth, his tongue dipping into my mouth again, and I moaned my response. I could taste myself on his lips, and I loved it.

  We kissed for a long time, savoring each other as our naked bodies pressed together. This man was my forever, and I felt grateful to be married to the perfect man for me. Avery broke the kiss, and without another word, slid into me.

  I was still on the pill, but I was ready. I loved this man so much that I wanted to create another human life with him. I wanted to watch my husband play with our kids, teach them right from wrong, and be there for them when there were good times and bad. I wanted to see him dance with our daughter at her wedding and teach our son sports. I still didn’t understand why his parents treated him the way they did—maybe we’d never know—but whatever happened with his parents, I knew that we’d love our children with our entire hearts.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him down so our chests were pressed together. I needed his whole body against mine as though we were one—because we were. Avery picked up his speed, and before I knew it, I was tipping over the edge again. He followed after a few more strokes, and my heart was smiling. Not because I’d just had sex with my new husband, but because I was happy.

  Everything about Avery Scott made me happy.

  When I woke up the next morning, I had no idea what time it was. Maybe it wasn’t even morning. What I did know was that I married.

  I was married to the love of my life, and my parents didn’t love me enough to come to my wedding.

  When I’d realized they weren’t going to show, I chose to write them off and never think about them again. I knew that would be easier said than done, but I was going to try. I was going to start a family with Nicole and be the best father I could be, and I’d make sure our children knew I loved them. I’d do everything my father never did.

  I looked over at my wife. The white sheet was down around her waist as she lay on her back, her tits bare. God, I was a lucky man. There was a week when I thought this day would never come. A week when Nic had left me. A week when my world stopped. It was the worst time of my life, but it was also a turning point. Nic and I were closer than ever now. Our hearts had bled into one, and we had our entire lives to figure out what was next.

  My hand reached up, circling each nipple, getting them both hard. Nicole sighed, and I wasn’t sure if she was awake or just in a blissful state as I continued down her stomach with my light touches. I slipped my hand under the sheet, feeling her coarse hair, and not stopping until I found what I was looking for. Her leg was already bent, granting me access to her sweet pussy. Two fingers started to work her clit, ever so slowly, building her arousal. She moaned, and again I wasn’t sure if she were still asleep. I didn’t stop though.

  My fingers continued to rub her clit as I moved closer, kissing her neck. I trailed the kisses down the slope to her hard, puckered nipples and sucked them into my mouth. Nic moaned again, a smile spread across her face, and I knew for sure that she was awake.

  “Morning, Wife.”

  “Morning, Husband.”

  And I made love to my wife because happy wife, happy life, right?

  Nic and I spent the day on the Strip. She’d never been to Vegas, so she had a lot to see. By the time we made it back to our room that night, our feet were killing us from all the walking.

  “I hope wherever we’re going tomorrow, I can get a massage,” Nic stated as she plopped onto the couch in the suite’s living room.

  “Maybe.” I smiled because she had no idea where we were going. I’d wanted it to be a surprise. “How about we take a bath and soak our feet and our bodies?”

  She grinned and stood. “My husband’s a smart man.”

  The round tub was big enough for both of us. It was encased in the same white marble that covered the floor and counter. As I soaked with Nic against my chest, we had a view of the Strip’s multi-colored lights twinkling in the distance.

  “Are you still not going to tell me where we’re going for our honeymoon?” Nic asked.

  “Don’t you want it to be a surprise?”

  She shrugged a little. “I’d like to know something. Brooke packed the honeymoon bag for me, you know? And I don’t even have that suitcase to see if we’re going somewhere warm or cold or what.”

  Nicole didn’t know, but the suitcase she was referring to was the one I was using. Brooke and Easton were taking our wedding stuff back with them, but everything else we’d need for the honeymoon was in my one suitcase because where we were going, we wouldn’t need a lot of clothes. Well, at least I wasn’t planning on needing a lot more than our birthday suits.

  “You want to know one thing then?”

  She turned sideways, the water sloshing slightly. “Yes.”

  “You’ll be naked most of the time.”

  Nic snorted. “Gee, thanks.”

  “It’s true.”

  “So I’ll be in a hotel room the entire time?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Not exactly?”

  I pulled her so her back was against my chest again. “I can’t tell you anything else. It’s a surprise.”

  Our bath soon turned into something more, and we didn’t get out of the water until it was cold.

  The Vegas Strip shined brightly outside our suite window. My hands ran through Nicole’s blonde hair as her head rested against my bare chest. I didn’t want to think about them, but I couldn’t help it. I had wanted my parents to show up for my fucking wedding.

  “What’s wrong?” Nic asked.

  I sighed, not realizing my thoughts were radiating off of me. “Just thinking about last night.”

  She rose onto her elbow. “And your body got all tense because of it?”

  Closing my eyes briefly, I sighed again before responding, “Not the good parts. The—”

  “Your parents?”

  I opened my eyes and looked into hers. “Yeah.”

  “Do you want to call them?”

  “Hell no.”

  She kissed me lightly. “We can talk about it if you want.”

  “What is there to talk about? They didn’t show. End of fucking story.”

  “You know my heart breaks for you—”

  “Why?” I rose, and we both sat facing each other. “Because I don’t have parents who love me like yours love you?”

  She swallowed and frowned before whispering, “Yes.”

  “Nic”—I cupped her cheek—“you’re my family. You’re all that I need.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” I dropped my hand. “It’s been like this practically my entire life. The only functions my parents ever attended while I was growing up were my baseball games, and that was so my father could tell me everything I did wrong. Now that I’m a bartender, they want nothing to do with me.”

  “You’re more than a bartender. You co-own a successful bar.”

  I shrugged. “They don’t know that. I haven’t seen or heard from them since the night of Halo’s soft opening over five yea
rs ago.”

  “And how did that go?”

  I looked away from her, searching for the words. Nic and I hadn’t been together for even a year yet, and though we didn’t have secrets with each other, I’d never told her much about my parents other than we were estranged. “My dad was his usual self—grumpy and shit. My mother seemed to be happy for Easton and me, but she also seemed sad.”

  “So, maybe your father’s the reason?”

  My gaze moved back to Nicole. “For what? My mom not returning my calls?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “Then why hasn’t she called me? It’s not like they’re together 24/7. My dad is a plastic surgeon for the stars and shit.”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “What would happen if we showed up at their house?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I don’t even know where they live. They didn’t give me their new address when they moved.”

  “But you know where they live in California?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not going to fly across the country to show up in their city. It would be a wasted trip.”

  “But—”

  “Let’s just forget them. We’re on our honeymoon. We don’t need to talk about my parents.”

  “Okay.” We slid back under the covers. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going tomorrow?”

  I grinned. “No.”

  The next morning started like the one before, which wasn’t a bad way to wake up each morning if I said so myself. The only difference was we couldn’t lie around in bed all day because we had a flight to catch.

  As the limo drove us to the airport, I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face. “You look like the Cheshire Cat,” Nicole stated next to me.

  I shrugged, and my grin widened. “Just excited.”

  “Because I’m about to find out where we’re going?”

  “Something like that.”

  “What do you mean ‘something like that’?”

  The limo pulled up to the departure terminal. “You’ll see.” I kissed my wife’s cheek and opened the door, not waiting for the driver. The longer Nic and I sat waiting, the more she’d grill me. Her relentlessness was one of the things I loved about her, but I needed to keep this surprise.

  The driver pulled our luggage out of the trunk, and I tipped him before grabbing Nicole’s hand. I wheeled our luggage behind us as we walked inside, and spotted our ticket counter and led Nic over to wait in line to check our bags. She looked up at the departure board, and I knew she was trying to determine where we were going.

  “The next flight goes to Orlando. Is that where we’re going?” she asked.

  “Yep,” I replied matter-of-factly.

  “We’re going on our honeymoon to Orlando?”

  The agent called for the next in line, and instead of answering Nicole, I stepped forward and handed the ticket agent my I.D. Nicole slid hers forward as well. “Your final destination?” the agent inquired.

  “Orlando,” I answered.

  I felt Nicole staring at me as though she couldn’t believe that we were going to sunny Florida for our honeymoon. What was wrong with sun, sand, and the ocean in December? Nothing. Though, Florida wasn’t going to be our final destination.

  A part of me felt bad for not telling my wife where we were going. The other part knew that it would be worth it.

  The plane touched down in Orlando a little after seven that night. Nicole ignored me and watched a few movies while we were in the air. She could pretend to be mad all she wanted, but when she found out why I was being secretive, she’d understand.

  “Are we seriously spending a week here?” she asked as we made our way to baggage claim.

  “Don’t you like Disney World?” I teased.

  She stopped walking. “Are you serious?”

  Instead of answering her question, I asked one of my own over my shoulder as I continued walking, “I thought every girl loved Disney?”

  Nic started to walk again. “Avery Scott! I love Disney, but not for my honeymoon. You said I wouldn’t need that many clothes, and now you’re talking about a week at an amusement park?”

  I stopped, letting her catch up with me before I wrapped my arm around her shoulder before we started to walk again. “You’re so easy to rile up. I’m gonna love being married to you, baby.”

  The next morning, the ruse was still in full force. We didn’t need to check in to our next stop until the afternoon, so once again, I woke my wife up with my body.

  “You know, if you keep waking me up like this, I’m going to expect it every morning,” she sighed blissfully.

  “And that’s a problem? I mean, I would love to wake up every morning with sex.” What man wouldn’t—especially with my hot wife like mine?

  She smirked and looked up at me with her azure eyes. “Nope.”

  We kissed for a few moments, savoring each other in fucking wedded bliss. We were definitely in the honeymoon phase, and I wasn’t complaining.

  “What time does the park open?” Nic asked after we came up for breath.

  I grinned. “Does it matter?”

  Nicole’s eyes narrowed. “I guess not. We have a whole week.”

  “That we do. Let’s shower and then get some breakfast.”

  God, I was good at keeping a secret. I even surprised myself as I skated around her questions. I never once actually said we were going to see Mickey, and she totally thought we were, but I knew my wife better than that.

  I had the perfect honeymoon planned.

  A part of me questioned if I’d married the right man. Did Avery not know me at all? My idea for a honeymoon wasn’t standing in lines, kids crying for no reason, and my feet hurting every night. I wanted the sun, the sand, and a cold drink in my hand.

  But then, after breakfast and another round in the sheets, Avery confused me even more.

  “Pack your bag, baby. It’s time to leave.”

  “Time to leave?” I’d furrowed my brow as I looked over at him.

  He’d walked to me and cupped my cheeks. His lips brushed mine, and I sighed contentedly. “While I think going to Disney would be fun, I’d rather see you in a bikini for a week.”

  I’d sucked in a breath. I was instantly hopeful that we were going to spend our time in the sand and water. “We’re going to the beach?”

  Avery kissed me again. “Just go with it, Nic. You’ll know soon enough.”

  I didn’t question him further. Instead, I packed my bag like he’d instructed. Avery used his phone to call for an Uber, and then we checked out of the hotel that I didn’t think was anywhere near Disney World—we were still near the airport, and I didn’t see kids running around with Mickey ears or anything.

  The driver drove for at least an hour, and the entire time I wanted to ask Avery where we were going. The suspense and curiosity of not knowing were killing me. I was a planner, and going with the flow was hard, but I kept my mouth shut because he obviously wanted to surprise me. No matter what he chose, I knew I’d love it because my husband was the most romantic man I’d ever known. He brought me flowers just because, cooked me dinner when I had a long day, drew me hot baths, and he even cleaned the house sometimes. Those things were romantic. Of course, there were also the massages, or the multiple candles lit in the bedroom—that always led to sex.

  When a ship came into view, I knew exactly what we were doing. My eyes lit up, and I turned to my husband. “We’re going on a cruise?”

  He smirked. “We are.”

  “To where?”

  “You don’t want each port to be a surprise?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m over this surprise shit. Just tell me where we’re going.” A planner could only be patient for so long.

  “Not even a please?” he teased.

  I grabbed Avery by his T-shirt and pulled his chest toward me. I planted a kiss on his lips with a smack. “Please?”

  The car pulled to a stop, and Avery pulled back. “I’ll tell you as we walk through cus
toms.”

  We hurried out of the car, grabbed our bags and walked toward the giant ship. “Well?” I asked impatiently. I was dying.

  He dug a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. “Tomorrow we’ll spend the day at a private island in the Bahamas. Then a day at sea followed by a day in Jamaica, a day in the Grand Caymans, and a day in Cozumel, Mexico. We’ll have another day at sea as we make our way back here.”

  “The Bahamas, Jamaica, and the Grand Caymans? You really do know me!” I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him as we stopped walking, letting people continue toward customs so they could board.

  “Of course, I do, baby. You’re my wife after all.”

  “Say that again.”

  He crooked a brow. “What? Wife?”

  I bit my lip. “Yeah.”

  “Come on, Mrs. Scott. We have a boat to catch.” His lips pressed against mine again.

  We pulled apart, and I grinned. “I like that better.”

  Avery chuckled and laced our fingers together. “I knew you would.”

  We left our bags when we checked in for the cruise. A staffer would deliver the luggage to each cabin. Once we were on the ship, a steward escorted us to our room. I thought for sure we’d go down to a port room where the hallways were tiny and the rooms just the same, but we were taken to an area near the spa. My husband definitely knew me.

  When we walked into the room, I fell in love. In one room was a loveseat, a couch, a small table for two, and a desk. A king-size bed and Jacuzzi tub were in another room. This time, there would be no pushing beds together, and no falling through the crack. There would be more bath time and stretching out on the bed while we went to all of my dream destinations. We even had our own balcony, a balcony I could picture myself reading on each morning with a cup of coffee, my husband across from me, and the sea breeze blowing in my hair.