by K. M. Scott
None of this was new, but somehow, it felt different. He felt different now, like inside him existed an urgency to claim me for himself that hadn’t been present since those first days we were together. I loved whatever it was that made him so passionate at that moment.
He thrust his hips hard, filling me completely, and I opened my legs as wide as possible to take all of him. His cock touched that perfect spot only he ever could, sending my body into overdrive. Raking my fingernails over his shoulders, I clawed down his arms as he pumped into me and I raced toward that delicious feeling of release.
I knew what sent him over the edge and waited for the exact moment to bring that trick out. Tristan adored when I talked during sex, so when I felt like he was nearly there, I ran my tongue over the shell of his ear and whispered, “Mmmm…fuck me. Fuck me, baby.”
He moaned next to my ear and then made a growling noise that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside him. I loved when the man everyone knew to be so calm and cool showed his intensely sensual side with me like this.
“Oh, Nina…you feel so fucking good. This first time tonight is not going to go long if you keep talking like that.”
I didn’t care about that. We had all night to enjoy one another. We had the rest of our lives to take our time. Right now was for losing ourselves in each other and forgetting the fear of the past few days.
“Then we’ll take our time on the second and third and fourth times,” I said sweetly in his ear. “I want to feel you come, baby, so fuck me.”
He pumped hard into me a few more times as our rhythm rushed toward the end of our first round of lovemaking since my time in the hospital, and then he came and took me along with him. It was raw and intense and so very Tristan.
And I loved him more at that moment than I’d ever loved him in all the years we’d been together.
Chapter Nineteen
Tristan
Keeping the real reason for the party a secret for a month turned out to be harder than I’d anticipated. More than once, I almost mentioned it to Tressa in passing at work, and once I even said the words second honeymoon to Ethan when we were talking about some place he had to fly off to for a photo shoot. I quickly changed the subject, but he gave me a look that said he’d heard the words that had come out of my mouth.
I had a feeling Nina may have slipped and told Jordan or one of the kids, although she claimed she’d kept the secret under wraps the whole time. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t a surprise. What mattered was we were doing something that meant the world to us.
The day finally arrived, and it was like we couldn’t have ordered a more perfect day for our second wedding. Not a single cloud marred the perfectly blue sky, and by mid-afternoon it had warmed to the seventies. Upstate New York rarely saw heat waves, so that wasn’t a real concern, but Nina worried all week we’d be stuck inside because of rain she’d seen in the forecast.
She looked out the window for the tenth time that afternoon and smiled when she turned around to face me. “I think that weatherman was wrong, thank God. I don’t see a hint of rain.”
Pulling her to me, I kissed her on the forehead and smiled. “I told you the weather would be great. I’m more concerned about the weather for our second honeymoon.”
Nina’s eyes grew wide. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going before we actually leave?”
I shook my head, enjoying how much her curiosity threatened to get the best of her. “No. Only I know, and the pilot, of course, since he has to file a flight plan. But I swore him to secrecy, so you’ll find out when we get there.”
Her mouth turned down into an adorable frown. “When we get there? How am I to know what to pack if I don’t know where I’m going or when?”
“When is tomorrow morning. Tonight, we’ll enjoy ourselves with our family and friends, and then bright and early tomorrow we’ll leave. As for what you should pack, there’s no need. I’ve taken care of that.”
“What does that mean, you’ve taken care of that?” she asked, now fully suspicious of my plans.
I kissed her softly on the lips and turned to walk outside to check the area where we’d have the party in a few hours. “It means I’ve taken care of that. You know me well enough, Mrs. Stone. When I say I’ve taken care of something, it means exactly that. All you need to worry about is being in the car tomorrow morning. The rest is handled.”
Behind me, I could practically hear the sound of her pouting. With a chuckle, I looked back to see if I’d been right.
Yep. Nina stood with her hands on her hips, staring at me and making that cute pout she got whenever she was frustrated.
“I can’t wait to see the kids’ and Jordan and Gage’s faces when they find out what we’re really up to. You will be getting rid of that pout before then, right?” I teased as I walked out into the backyard.
The party planner had delivered the tables an hour ago and two workmen were hauling the chairs from the truck in the driveway to the backyard as I watched. Checking the time, I saw I had nearly an hour before our guests would arrive.
“It’s going to be like our first wedding,” Nina said as she walked up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I’m so glad you had this idea, Tristan.”
I rested my hands on hers and nodded. “That’s what I was going for. I showed the party planner the pictures from that day and he looks like he’s getting it perfect.”
“The caterer just finished bringing all the food and alcohol in. I have to admit I was tempted to pour myself a glass of champagne.”
Turning in her hold, I smiled. Ever since the diagnosis of adult onset Still’s disease, drinking alcohol was one thing she couldn’t do, along with eating some of the junk food she’d always loved. I knew how much she missed the sweets, but I hadn’t thought about the drinking that would be going on all around her at the party.
“I’m sorry, Nina. I didn’t even think how hard it would be with everyone around drinking tonight.”
She waved my concern away. “It’s nothing. I just saw the bottles there and usually I’d pour myself a glass. I had to stop myself, but it’s not a big deal. If it means staying healthy, I can give up having some champagne, even on our big day. I bought myself a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne the other day, so it won’t be like I’m a stick-in-the-mud when it comes time to toast our nuptials.”
My wife never failed to impress me with how well she’d adjusted to living with this disease. In the month since we found out it was Still’s, she’d forced herself to change her diet to what the doctor ordered. Nina had always liked her junk food, but she’d given it all up cold turkey. In exchange, she told me she’d never felt better in her life.
“I can drink the non-alcoholic stuff too. You know, so you’re not alone in that. I have a feeling I should anyway because there’s probably going to be a lot of toasting once the shock wears off for everyone. Drinking that much will mean a hangover for the first day of our honeymoon, and I definitely don’t want that when we’re flying for hours.”
She beamed a smile at my suggestion. “That would be so sweet, but only if you want to.”
“It’s my pleasure. We’ll let everyone else enjoy all that champagne.”
Her smile faded just a bit, and Nina poked her finger at me. “Wait a second. You said flying for hours. How many hours? Does this mean we’re going out of the country?”
In my effort to be considerate, I’d let a detail slip about our honeymoon destination. Damn. Quickly, I tried to change the subject. “Did you talk to the kids today? You know how Tressa always likes to show up early. Maybe we should get dressed.”
I took a step toward the house, but Nina held onto my arm to keep me right there in front of her. “No way. No fair changing the subject. At least give me a hint, Tristan. Just a hint.”
She could be so cute when she was like this, and I hated saying no to her anyway, so I smiled and gave her that hint she so desperately wanted. “There’s water where we’re going. Now, th
at’s the only hint I’m giving, so don’t ask for another. I want to keep this a surprise.”
“Water?” Nina scrunched up her face as she thought about my very vague hint. “Do you mean a beach or some other kind of water? Water isn’t really much of a hint, you know.”
Cradling her face in my hands, I leaned down and kissed her. “It’s the only hint you’re getting. We better get dressed before everyone starts arriving. I’m going to use the guest bath so you aren’t tempted to keep asking for more hints.”
“That’s not fair,” she said with her famous pout.
“Did I ever tell you how cute I think you look when you do that?” I asked as I brushed the pad of my thumb over her lower lip.
“Yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to know where we’re going, Tristan. So it’s somewhere with water. Warm water or cold water?”
Suddenly her eyes filled with terror. “Please tell me we’re not going somewhere cold. I know I said I thought those penguins at the South Pole were interesting when we were watching that show the other night, but I didn’t mean I wanted to spend our second honeymoon in Antarctica.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, we are not going to Antarctica. In fact, we’re not going to either of the poles, so feel free to cross them off your guessing list. Now, I’m going to get dressed for the party. I think you should too. The minister is supposed to get here about an hour after everyone else. I invited him to dinner, but he had another appointment to go to before he gets here.”
As I walked back into the house, I heard her say, “I can just as well walk down to the guest bathroom and keep guessing, you know. It’s not like the floors are pools of lava that I can’t maneuver across. I’ll just walk downstairs and ask.”
“I love you!” I called back as the door began to close.
No truer words had ever come from my mouth. I did love Nina, and tonight in front of the people we cared about the most, we’d renew our vows to love, honor, and cherish each other until death do us part.
I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our second chance together.
Chapter Twenty
Nina
One last look in the mirror and I’d be ready to go downstairs. I heard the front door open twice already, so I knew our guests had begun to arrive. After a month of keeping our secret, Tristan and I would soon be renewing our vows in front of the most important people in our lives.
Although we’d been married for years, my palms felt clammy now as I leaned forward on the bathroom vanity to check my makeup. I studied my face for a few moments and smiled at myself in the mirror.
“Not bad, Nina. I still look pretty good, if I do say so myself.”
As I turned to head out of the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of my pink dress and stopped. Nothing terribly fancy, it nevertheless became an instant favorite the day I tried it on at the boutique. I suspected it was probably more appropriate for a mother-of-the-bride dress, but all the same, I loved it the minute I slipped it over my head. Short-sleeved and deep pink silk, the cocktail length dress felt incredible next to my skin, and the pale pink lace atop the silk dress made me feel beautiful.
I’d chosen to wear my hair down because Tressa usually did my hair for events. Since I couldn’t tell her why I needed an upsweep for a simple dinner party, my brown hair hung down just past my shoulders tonight.
Smoothing a few stray hairs away from my face, I smiled one last time at my reflection. “Time to get married.”
As I walked out into the bedroom to slip on my shoes, I suddenly felt my stomach do a flip. Rolling my eyes at how silly that was since I’d married the man of my dreams once before and it had gone pretty well, I sat down on the edge of the bed and bent down to grab my shoes.
No sooner had I grasped the back of the shoes in my fingers, dizziness rushed through my head, making me feel like I might fall to the floor. I dropped the shoes and felt around for the bed to make sure I hadn’t leaned forward too far.
Oh, God. Not today. I’ve been so good. I haven’t had any drinks, and I’ve only snuck a few bad snacks. Please let me be okay.
A cold sweat broke out all over my skin, and I struggled to stop myself from crying. I wanted tonight to be perfect. We’d kept this a secret from everyone, and now my messed up body would ruin everything.
I didn’t know how long I sat there—time seemed to stop as I anxiously waited for the next symptom to slam into me. I silently prayed to God it wouldn’t be the breathing thing. Anything but the breathing thing. I didn’t want to be rushed to the hospital tonight. I didn’t want to miss our big surprise and our second honeymoon at the secret location Tristan refused to tell me.
Think about that, Nina. That will take your mind off how you’re feeling.
Where could he have decided to go? It had water. He didn’t seem to flinch at all when I mentioned a beach before, so maybe a river? My mind raced as I panicked about how I felt while at the same time tried to think of anywhere either of us would want to go near a river.
If only I could stop feeling this way. God, why won’t these cold sweats go away?
The Nile? Maybe he booked us a cruise on the Nile. That involved water and would require us to fly for hours.
We’d never been to Egypt, but I had a hard time believing Tristan wanted to spend time cruising on the Nile. Did Richmont have a hotel anywhere in Egypt? I wracked my brain but couldn’t think of any locations there.
Maybe Hawaii. People often honeymooned there. But no, that would be a beach, and he didn’t seem to mean the water was associated with a beach.
God, I just want to feel okay tonight. Please let that happen.
As I tried to decipher the mystery of where we’d be going if I didn’t end up at the hospital tonight, I heard a knock on the bedroom door. I stared at it in terror, hoping no one would come in uninvited and see me like this. After all the effort I’d made with my makeup, I probably looked like a sweaty wreck now.
Seconds later, another knock was followed by Tristan’s voice. “Nina, can I come in?” He lowered it to barely a whisper and added, “I know it’s customary for the groom to not see the bride beforehand, but we’ve done this before, so I think it would be okay.”
Oh, no! I didn’t want him to know I didn’t feel right, so I had to pretend like everything was fine. “I’ll be out in a minute. No rushing me on this of all nights, Tristan,” I called out.
But my words came out all shaky, and I knew he instantly would pick up on the fact that I didn’t sound right.
Not a moment later, the door flew open, and he rushed in with fear written all over his face. He crouched down next to the bed in his beautiful black suit that made him look so handsome, and all I could do was cry at how I’d ruined everything.
“What’s wrong? Nina, tell me what’s wrong.”
“I don’t know. I broke out in a cold sweat and then I felt dizzy when I leaned down to pick up my shoes,” I explained as he examined me like some broken bird who’d fallen out of the nest.
“I’ll go downstairs and tell everyone tonight will have to be postponed. Then we’ll call the doctor, and if he says we need to go to the hospital, we’ll head there. I’ll be right back. You just rest.”
He stood up and moved to leave me there, but I reached out and grabbed his sleeve. He looked down at me with fear in his eyes, but I needed him to not cancel this night.
“Please, Tristan. It’s probably just because I haven’t eaten since lunch. I don’t want to ruin this. Please don’t send everyone away. This means so much to me.”
“Nina, this can happen anytime. Don’t worry.”
The ease with which he dismissed this night made the dam break, and I started to sob. “I don’t want this to happen anytime. I want it to happen tonight. Please don’t do this, Tristan. I’m tired of feeling like I’m too sick to do anything. Just let’s go downstairs and surprise everyone, and if I’m still feeling off after I get something in my stomach, then I’ll call the doctor. This nigh
t means the world to me. It means the world to you, too. Don’t let this ruin it.”
For a second, I thought I hadn’t convinced him, but then he turned back to face me and sat down on the bed. Taking my hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “You mean the world to me. That’s all that matters, and you being sick doesn’t ruin anything, Nina.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder and loved how strong he wanted to be for me. “I think I’m already feeling better. Please don’t cancel tonight.”
Tristan looked down at me and grimaced. “Don’t lie. If you’re not okay, then we need to handle that.”
“I feel better now sitting here with you.”
That was the truth. Just having him next to me made me feel better. I didn’t know if I’d have another dizzy spell when I stood up, but sitting there holding hands with the man I couldn’t wait to marry again made me happy.
“Okay. Then I guess we better get down there and spring the news on everyone. They’ve already started on the champagne, so they’re in the mood to celebrate.”
“You didn’t tell them what we’re doing, right? We wanted to surprise them.”
He stood up and smiled down at me. “No, our secret is still between us. Ready?” he asked as he held out his hand.
I put my hand in his and stood up, scared to death that I’d feel dizzy again. But nothing happened. Maybe I had been right when I said it was because I hadn’t eaten since lunch.
God, I hoped it was that so much.
After I slipped my shoes on, Tristan offered me his arm and I slid my arm through his. We walked toward the bedroom door, and he whispered, “By the way, you look incredible in that dress. You always did look great in pink.”
