As quietly as I can, I spend the next half hour wrapping presents. I’d gone shopping the day before I flew over here, knowing I wouldn’t get a chance to do it otherwise. I know how much she loves presents, and I wanted to make sure she’d always remember our first one together, especially considering next year, this particular day would take a back seat to our wedding anniversary. I know it’s going to be one-sided, because she probably hasn’t gotten me anything, but that’s okay. Marrying her has already made this the best anniversary ever.
When I’m done wrapping, I creep back into the room and set the presents up beside the bed, so they’re the first thing she sees when she opens her eyes. I sit down and anxiously wait for her to wake. She’s out of the covers, and the way her skin looks against those silk sheets is making me hard. When she rolls over, slightly parting her legs, I’m ready to explode. I’m tempted to help things along a bit by sliding my cock inside her, but I can’t bring myself to do it. She looks so peaceful, and I want to let her sleep for as long as she needs to.
Eventually, I decide to go and get some coffee, hoping by the time I return, she’ll have woken up. I sneak out the door and make the short trek across the resort to the café where I order two coffees, some pastries and a couple of muffins.
While I’m waiting, I spot my parents walking toward the beach. I’m tempted to hide, but then come to my senses and realize how stupid that is, especially considering they flew here for our wedding. If I can’t put aside our differences today, then I’ve got no hope. I wave at them, forcing myself to smile.
“Hey,” I say as they walk over. Mom smiles—yes, she actually smiles—and gives me a hug, the ease of her affection surprising me.
“How are you?” she asks. “Is Darcy still asleep?”
I nod. “I thought I’d surprise her with breakfast.”
Mom smiles. “Congratulations, Lennon. I can’t believe my boy is married.” I nod, waiting for the condescending comment, or the snide remark that usually follows, but there isn’t one. She hesitates, and when Dad nudges her, I know something is up. She shoots him a look, while I wait impatiently for them to spill.
“I just wanted to say I am happy for you, and we both love you very much. I know we haven’t been the best in showing you that, but I’m glad you found someone to spend your life with. I’m glad it’s Darcy. She’s a nice girl, and I think she’s good for you.”
“Wow,” I say, shocked my mother would ever say something like that.
“What are you two doing for lunch today? Maybe we could do something? Just the four of us so we can get acquainted before we fly home?” She flushes when I stare at her, too shocked to reply. “We’re in paradise, and I’d really like to get to know my daughter-in-law,” she adds.
Of everything she could’ve possibly said, that was the last thing I expected to hear from her.
“Okay. How about we meet at the beach bar at twelve?” I suggest. I already have a picnic arranged for the two of us. Two more people isn’t going to make a difference, and still gives me plenty of time to have some fun with her beforehand. “I’ll organize everything. You guys just turn up.” Mom smiles, and leans forward to kiss me on the cheek.
“That sounds wonderful, Lennon,” she says. Dad pats me on the arm and we exchange a smile as I watch them sit down at a table, still in shock.
***
I wander back to the hotel room in a daze, still processing what just happened. I’m nearly at our room when I run into Darcy’s parents.
“Lennon,” Jill grins, giving me a hug. “Congratulations again. How’s my girl?”
“She’s sleeping, and thanks,” I say. I shake Greg’s hand, balancing the breakfast tray in one hand.
“We’re just getting ready for our flight back. Maybe we can stop by on our way out?” Jill says.
“Sure,” I say. Any hope I had of waking Darcy up with a slow, toe curling orgasm is slowly evaporating. “What time?”
“In about ten minutes, if that’s ok?” Jill asks. “We won’t stay long. It’s just we’ve never gone a more than a few days without seeing our baby, and you’re keeping her here for a week.”
“I’m sure she’d love to see you,” I grin. “Come over whenever you like.”
I let myself back into the room and glance at Darcy as I place the tray on the coffee table. She’s just beginning to stir. She sits up, stretches and rubs her eyes, still half asleep. She smiles at me and I grin back, glancing at the gift I have waiting for her. She looks at it, her eyes growing wide.
“What’s that for?” she asks with a silly grin on her face. I laugh, because I’d figured as much. She’s had so much on her mind that she hadn’t factored in our anniversary.
“Is this for me?” she squeals, all excited.
“One year ago, today, you tried to steal a car and I stopped you,” I say, sitting on the bed next to her.
“A year ago?” She shakes her head. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve remembered. Especially when Casey kept going on about how I’d chosen the day after her anniversary to get married.” She turns back to me and smiles. “Did you choose it because it was so close to when we met?”
“I want to be romantic and say, yes, but it was the only day they had available here at the time,” I grin.
She laughs and shakes her head. “Still, I’m impressed you remembered to buy me something.”
“Of-course I did,” I chuckle. “It was the best day of my life.”
“I feel terrible that I haven’t gotten you anything,” she says, looking down and poking out her bottom lip.
“You’ve already given me the best present of all,” I say with a chuckle. “You.”
She rolls her eyes and kisses me. “Man, you can be so damn cheesy sometimes. I don’t count as a present. I have to give you something.” Her face brightens. “I’ve got it,” she says, a smile spreading across her lips. “I know exactly what I can give you.”
She pushes me back onto the bed and climbs on top of me, straddling my thighs. I laugh, then wrestle my way on top of her, groaning as she starts to wind me up. Her eyes sparkle with determination as she grinds her thigh against my erection. I roll off her and curse.
“As much as I’d love to take you up on that, I should’ve mentioned that your parents are going to be here in about five minutes,” I murmur.
“Seriously?” She frowns. I nod, and she curses under her breath. “Fine. After they go, then.”
I wince. “Sorry. Lunch with my parents before they fly home.”
“Seriously? Dude, we’re on our honeymoon, not a family vacation.”
“They’re my parents,” I protest. “What was I supposed to say?”
“Fine,” she huffs. “Can I, at least, open my present? Or is that off-limits too?” she teases.
“Go for it,” I grin. She grabs the box from the nightstand, opening it with excited hands. Her eyes light up when she sees what’s inside. It’s a simple gift, not an expensive one. Just a scale model of her favorite car, the Porsche 911, but I can tell she loves it for what it means to us. It’s how we first met.
Chapter Eleven
Darcy
Three weeks later
I sigh, and roll over snuggling into the warmth of the blankets where Lennon had been laying until a few moments ago. I watch him as he moves across the room and reaches for his robe.
“What are you doing?” I ask him, curiously.
He turns back and flashes me a grin. “Cooking breakfast. I feel like I have to make an impression, considering it was our first night actually living together.”
“Did you miss the part where I already married you?” I say with a chuckle. “Wouldn’t this have made more sense to do before you proposed?” I sit up, pooling the sheets around my body. “Besides, isn’t all this just going to set unrealistic expectations?”
“Good point,” he says with a swift nod. “There is cereal in the cupboard, and milk in the fridge. Help yourself, and make sure you clean up.”
“Hey
,” I say, tossing a pillow at him, narrowly missing his face.
“Calm down, I’m cooking breakfast, alright?” he says. I nod and lay back down on the bed as he walks out.
I’m married. I still can’t believe it. It still feels so surreal. I start back at college today and Lennon starts his permanent job at the local high school. He got the news the day after we arrived back from our honeymoon. They were very impressed with his college results and his experience teaching at Findon Private.
For the first time in my life, things are finally going well. We’re moving forward instead of looking back, wondering if we were going to get caught out. I’m his wife now. Nobody cares how we met, or what happened before this point.
I think I fall back to sleep, because it feels like only seconds later that Lennon comes in carrying a massive tray. He’s gone all out. The guy hasn’t just cooked me breakfast, he’s prepared me the most elaborate, mouthwatering breakfast in the world. Everything from pancakes, to fresh juice, to perfectly poached eggs. I look at him, amazed.
“And here I was thinking you’d struggle to boil an egg,” I joke. He shrugs, pretending not to care about my praise, but I can tell he’s pleased.
“I’m a man of many talents, wife,” he says. He climbs over the bed and kisses me tenderly on the lips. I sigh, pulling him into my arms and wrestling the robe from around him.
“I want to hear more about your talents,” I tease.
He chuckles. “I’m pretty sure you’ve experienced most of them already,” he says. “Now everything’s getting back to normal, I just want you to know how much I love you, Darcy. Now, eat up and get ready, or you’ll be late for classes, and you’ll make me late for my first day.”
I nod and pry myself away from him. I eat at record speed, piling food into my mouth while he stands there, watching and shaking his head.
“Are you going to stand there and watch me eat all morning, or are you going to get yourself ready?” I ask pointedly. “You want to make a good first impression, don’t you?” I tease. “All those young, impressionable students.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Speaking of which, should I be worried about you finding my replacement?”
“No fucking way,” he growls, climbing back on the bed to kiss me. “You’re more than I can handle. Trust me.” I laugh and bury my face in his chest, not wanting to get up. “Come on.”
***
I leave just after Lennon, ignoring his offer to drive me to campus in favor of catching the bus. It’s a short ride, and I use it to clear my head, so I can focus on classes rather than how good my husband looks in a robe. My first class is with Cindy, and it’s one of only two classes we have together. She looks up as I sit down next to her and grins at me.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey, yourself,” she grins. “You look tired. Late night?” I laugh and give her a look.
“I could say the same thing to you,” I tease. She blushes, and immediately my suspicions are tweaked. “Rick?” I guess. Her blush intensifies, and I laugh. “So, are you guys a thing now? You’ve sure been spending a lot of time together.”
“He’s a nice guy,” she says, defensively.
“Sure, he is,” I say with a grin.
“I know he can sometimes be over the top, but he’s really loyal and he’s got a good heart,” Cindy says, frowning at me as I continue to giggle.
“Calm down, Cin. I’m happy for you. You’re just so much fun to tease.”
She nudges me and turns her attention to the front of the classroom, and our professor who just walked in. Every now and then she glances at her phone, which makes me smile. I’m truly happy for her. She’s a great girl who deserves a guy who’ll take care of her. I just hope Rick is that guy.
***
After what feels like the longest day ever, I finally unlock the front door and crawl inside. Yawning, I collapse on the couch. Getting back to the real world sucks. I wish we could rewind to the last few days of Hawaii where I was equally as tired, but for all the right reasons. Lennon looks up from behind the kitchen counter and shake my head when I realize he’s cooking dinner. He’s had an even bigger day than I did, and he still has the energy to cook?
“Way to make a gal feel bad,” I grumble. “Isn’t your wife supposed to be doing that?”
“My wife just got home from a tiring day at college,” he says with a shrug. “Besides, believe it or not, I enjoy cooking. It helps me relax.” He looks up at me again. “Big day?” he asks.
I nod and close my eyes. “It’s just hard getting back into the habit of getting up early,” I say. “It’s been an exhausting few weeks. I feel like I need a vacation to recover.”
“I know the feeling,” he agrees.
I drag myself off the couch and sit at the counter, randomly taking cubes of carrot as he chops them up and eating them. He swats away my fingers, and I give him a dirty look.
“What about you?” I ask. “How was work?” I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to ask. All I did was return to classes. He was starting a whole new job.
“Good, actually. Starting at a new place is always hard, but I think I’ll like it there.”
“And your students?” I ask, playfully narrowing my eyes. “I hope you made it clear that you’re a married man.” He throws his head back, and laughs. “I told you there’s nothing to worry about there.”
“Oh!” I cry, a little too loudly. I blush as he looks up, startled. “I almost forget to tell you. I think Cindy and Rick are seeing each other. As in, really together.”
“Well that explains a lot,” he murmurs, almost to himself.
“What do you mean?” I ask, curious.
“Oh, nothing,” he grins. I narrow my eyes at him, and he laughs. “Look, it’s not my place to say anything. Besides,” he adds, coming around the counter and pulling me into his arms, “I’d prefer not to be talking about Rick right now. I’d rather be talking about you, and this shirt. And how much better it will look on the floor.”
I giggle and let him lead me into the bedroom, my heart racing as he undresses me along the way. I bite my lip as he slips the shirt off my shoulders and runs his hands over my bare skin.
If his plan is to distract me, then it’s working.
***
Sighing, I nestle into his arms as he trails kisses down my shoulder. I’m barely able to keep awake as my body recovers from yet another intense orgasm. I roll over, pressing my back against his chest, just enjoying the feel of him being so close to me. I giggle as he kisses his way up my neck, gently sucking on my earlobe.
“You know what, Darcy?” he whispers in my ear, pulling me closer against him.
“What?” I ask, smiling, gasping as his fingers inch closer to my aching, wanton pussy. He grins, sliding a finger inside me as my body tenses.
“I have to admit,” he murmurs, his tongue circling its way down my neck, “I love waking up with you in my arms.”
I love it too.
And now we can do it…
Every day…
Forever.
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Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank all of you, my amazing readers, Facebook fans, newsletter subscribers, beta readers and the most incredible street team for all that you do. I so appreciate your love and support from the bottom of my heart. Y’all rock! And last but not least, thanks to my editor and cover designer who make my words and ideas sparkle!
Teacher's Pet: A New Adult Wedding Romance (School's Out Book 2) Page 10
