3.5 The Innocence of White

by Christin Lovell

  Gabi

  The car drove us out to a marina with boats lining the docks. Lights gleamed off their shiny exteriors. White and chrome seemed to be the popular palette among them, regardless of their design or value. Jack led us to a small boat with merely a few plush leather seats and a dashboard. The captain greeted us upon arrival, tilting his head as an accompanied welcome. Jack hopped aboard with the suitcases before lending me a gentlemanly hand, as if I was human and ungraceful and perhaps might fall into the ocean.

  I snuggled into his side as the driver put the boat into gear. “Minus the captain, this is a bit Breaking Dawn-esk.” I chuckled.

  “I’m not sure what that means, but if it’s good, then I’ll accept it.”

  “Considering Edward is the most romantic fictional vampire and he planned a honeymoon for Bella reminiscent of this one, I would say you’re doing excellent.”

  “Ah. Well, thank you.”

  I stared out at the ocean, cuddled close to Jack as we sped along its surface. Despite the cover of darkness, I could make out the vivid blue hue of the ocean. In the daytime, I knew its shade would be a brilliant clear version dancing beneath the sun’s rays.

  Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to a wooden dock.

  “We’re here, my dear,” Jack announced.

  Jack didn’t bother to hide his speed as he grabbed the suitcases and dashed inside the house with them before quickly returning for me. I gazed out at the island, which appeared to be private. Trees of varying classes covered the horizon, all following the ascent of a mountain. A single large home sat at the base, snuggled up to the ocean’s shore. White sand welcomed us the moment we stepped off the dock. Jack escorted me towards the house whose outer walls appeared to me entirely made up of windows. The lights inside showcased a modern interior decked out with elegant Caribbean boutique furniture.

  “Definitely a Breaking Dawn remake,” I mumbled. I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that I was living every Twilight fan’s dream.

  As we got closer to the home, a narrow path appeared, guided by solar lights along its sides.

  Jack hefted me into his arms. “I’m preparing to carry you over the threshold,” he stated before I could protest.

  He’d left the sliding glass door open, ready for our entrance. He stepped over the threshold, swinging me so we were chest to chest the moment we were inside the space. He stole my lips and my breath in a split second. He kissed me deeply yet softly. Every touch of his lips held some sort of emotion that he was sharing with me. He was never rough, always careful and reverent. Certainly not like any man I’d kissed before.

  I pulled back, gazing into his dark eyes as he lowered me to the tiled floor. The moment my feet reached the ground, lightning lit up the sky behind him.

  “Looks like we got here just in time,” I said.

  Thunder clamored in the distance.

  “It does.” He looked at me like I was a bowl of ripe fruit, ready to be eaten. He licked his lips. “What do you want to do first?”

  I broke into laughter. “What I want to do and what you want to do are two totally different things.”

  “This will be my first compromise of our marriage then. What would you like to do, Mrs. Ambroise?”

  Chapter 6

  Jack

  I watched as Gabi grew pensive. She fidgeted in place, avoiding eye contact.

  “I know this is really bad timing, but something has been nibbling away at me. And, well, I just need to know. Whatever answer you give me won’t change the way I feel about you, nor will it change us. I… I need closure.”

  My gut tightened. Instinct had me wanting to run from her, but love weighed my feet down. I could tell this was something that she’d thought long and hard over, which scared me all the more. “Anything.”

  All air ceased to expand in my lungs as she hesitated. “Why did you lead us on a wild goose chase?”

  I stared down at her. Her forehead wrinkled, her brows pulled inwards as she bit her lower lip, anticipating my response. My chest constricted as reality hit me. I couldn’t lie to her. She was my wife, my eternal partner. There could be no more secrets between us.

  “At the core, I am a man of business. Cecilia Romanov paid me to gain access to Lexi and Kellan. She requested that they be lead away from Charleston. She didn’t specify why, but I assume it was so she could send a few men in to inspect their space for attack value. Many vamps are not pleased with the peace contracts she’s negotiated between you and the vamp army. If too many powers ally together, then her chase for dominance will collapse.”

  She frowned. “Then my cousin, Rachevik, is working for her?”

  “Yes. He gave me a username and password to access the tracking device’s maps. I was upfront with Cecilia about the ninjas I was contracted with. She thought it was a brilliant move to merge the two. Romanov has had a hidden control in your unit for decades. It wasn’t my place to meddle in your business affairs though.”

  She drew back. “Even if they directly influence my safety?”

  I sighed. This wasn’t how I pictured my honeymoon. “Of course not.”

  “So you didn’t think a spy in my secret quarters, the home that I reside in most of days of the year, was potentially harmful? You don’t think Cecilia wouldn’t use the tactical layout of my compound to attack us, especially since she’s so upset over our most recent contract? Are you off your rocker, mister?” She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at me; a scowl firmly in place.

  I threw my hands up. “Perhaps I didn’t care before. Perhaps I played the ignorance card because I was suppressing my feelings from one night eighty years ago. I’m not a perfect man and I’m far from a devout vampire, but one thing I know for certain is that I love you, Gabriella. I love you, and, like the air I breathe, I couldn’t exist without you. Not now. Not since I’ve connected with you on an undeniable level. Not since you took my name mere hours ago, securing the chain. And I swear on my mother’s life that I will always protect you. I couldn’t picture a future without your smile. I couldn’t picture a future without your hissy fits.” She tried not to smile at that one. “You make me laugh. You’ve cracked the ice around my broken heart and somehow made it seem like it was human again. I’m going to make mistakes. I’m not perfect. But rest assured, from here on, my loyalty will always be to you first.”

  Gabi

  “How the hell is a woman supposed to respond to an outpour like that?” I sighed. “I really wanted to be mad at you, but you just took the fight right now out me. I’m not upset about what you did in the past; I’m upset to learn the truth behind it. We didn’t know for sure that someone else was behind you. Now I do, and I have to tell them.”

  “I expected you would share this information.” His brows dipped in the center. I could tell he was concerned.

  I cupped his face. “None of this changes the way I feel about you, Jack. I may get angry and yell and scream and be really bitchy sometimes, but that will never erase the fact that I love you.”

  I dropped my hands, wrapping them around his waist. I peered up at him thoughtfully. “It’s crazy because at the base, love is white. It’s pure and innocent. But life layers other things, other colors and elements, on top of it and that’s what cracks its foundation. I don’t want the recent events to taint what we have already. I don’t want the past muddling what is currently white and beautiful. Love is what you make it, so lets make our love fresh and clean. Let’s allow it to represent a new beginning for both of us, together. What do you say?”

  He captured my lips. His full lips swarmed mine, their smooth surface caressing my own. I opened to him, angling my neck to deepen our connection. His arms wrapped around my waist, his hands spread across my back. He dipped me backwards, intensifying our kiss before breaking away with little pecks.

  His eyes sparkled as he gazed down at me. “I say let’s go draw a relaxing bubble bath for us to soak in together.”

  I nipped his lower lip. “Why don’t you go draw
that bath while I slip out of my dress?”

  He growled, nuzzling my neck. “Don’t take too long, Mrs. Ambroise.”

  “I didn’t plan to, mi esposo.”

  “I love when you speak Spanish.”

  “Oh, you do?”

  “Oui.”

  “I love it when you speak French.”

  “Then hustle out of that dress and we can have an international conversation, my dear.” His voice dipped lower, the bass of his tone warming me. His hands slid down my dress, gripping my lower back as he returned me to a vertical position. He squeezed my rear, pulling me into his hard wall of muscles.

  I swallowed hard. “I’ll, uh, be right there.”

  He leaned into me. I gasped as he ran his tongue along the large, pulsing vein in my neck. “I’ll be waiting,” he whispered.

  Breathing became a chore as he walked away, his exquisite physique disappearing into the master bedroom. He left me standing there with rich thoughts about and an aching desire for what was to come with him.

  I expelled a deep breath. “Okay. Maybe this isn’t so Twilight after all.”

  ***

  Dear Reader, (and hopefully a fan)

  Thank you for reading Gabi and Jack’s story. It’s my hope that you enjoyed getting a peek at their thoughts and a deeper view of their lives. I find the more you know about a character, the easier it is to relate to them, or at the least, like them.

  For those of you who are salacious readers of the series, THANK YOU for allowing it to be what it is. I hope this short was a good filler as you wait for book 4, Vamp Versus Vamp, to be released (fingers crossed) soon.

  In the meantime, feel free to visit my website: www.christinlovell.com where I keep readers up to date with current contests, titles, excerpts, releases and more.

  Thanks for spending a little (more) time reading the Vamp Chronicles series.

  Until next time,

  Christin