“You were up earlier than normal this morning,” he said when he made it down the stairs.
“I had a few things to take care of,” I said, wondering if he’d let it go with that or if he’d push for more.
He raised a questioning eyebrow, but said nothing.
“What time is the cab coming to get us?” I asked, as if that’d make him forget how early I’d been up.
“In about three hours.”
We’d taken care of most of the packing the night before so we could have a leisurely morning today. I smiled. “Plenty of time for breakfast.”
My plan had been to give him the present after we ate, but I knew I’d never make it that long. Already, my cheeks felt flushed, and a tremor of excitement pulsed though me so intense, there was no way Nathaniel didn’t notice.
I glanced toward the kitchen where the breakfast casserole, leftover from the day before, warmed in the oven. The coffee had been made, and I had fresh fruit cut and ready in the refrigerator.
“I have a little something for you in the living room,” I told him. “That I want to give to you before breakfast.”
I only needed the finger of one hand to count the number of times I’d been able to surprise Nathaniel over the years. Not because of lack of trying, but because he was so intuitive. Although I believed what allowed me to get away with it now was that he’d never in ten million years have expected me to give him a gift. Maybe he wasn’t as intuitive as I thought.
Yeah, no way.
I got lucky, is all.
I led him into the living room and nodded toward the couch.
He sat down, eyes dancing with delight. “It’s a week or so too early for Christmas presents.”
“I didn’t want you to open this one with the kids watching,” I said, knowing where his mind would go.
He tugged at my robe, though I couldn’t tell if he meant to take it off or entice me to sit down. I remained where I was, knowing if I sat down, more than my robe would come off. I shook my head, telling him to wait, and retrieved the envelope from behind a pillow I’d hid it behind.
An envelope with a bow was not what he expected, based on his puzzled expression, and I swallowed a giggle.
“What’s this?” he asked when I placed it in his hands.
“I see it as a sort of payback,” I said, to confuse him more.
“Payback?” His brows furrowed, and his finger played with the flap I had tucked inside, but not sealed. “For what?”
“Open it and find out,” I whispered in his ear.
He slid his finger under the flap and lifted it up, allowing him access to the papers inside. I waited as he pulled them out, trying not to be impatient with my excitement. Three sheets of paper, each with pictures and detailing a private island. One in the Caribbean, one in French Polynesia, and one in the Maldives.
He looked up at me with a grin. “Do I get to pick one?”
“Basically.”
“Are you serious?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I thought we might tire of skiing and snow and mountains since we’re going to be getting away twice a year. Might be a pleasant change of pace to go somewhere tropical. I couldn’t decide where I wanted it to be.”
He listened as he glanced through the islands. “I’m not sure how to decide between the three. We might have to go visit them all.”
I leveled my gaze at him, so he’d know I was serious. “That can be arranged. I told the agent we’d be calling her after Christmas.”
He didn’t reply, but pulled me toward him so I straddled him. “I’d thought about some tropical property,” he said. “But didn’t plan to look until after the new year. You beat me to it.”
“First time for everything.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. “For the island. For loving me. For giving me our kids. For being you. The gift of your love is the best thing I’ve ever received.”
I would have told him the same things, but his lips silenced me. The truth, however, was only in giving my love could I open myself to receive his.
Coming Soon
ALL OR NONE (Wall Street Royals, Book 3)
Conquer. Control. Command. They have. They are. They will. They are the Wall Street Royals, men at the top of their game who are about to be mastered by the one thing they never counted on: love.
Don’t miss the third and final book in the seductively sexy series by New York Times bestselling author Tara Sue Me.
All-Or-None: An order that must be followed immediately and to the letter or not done at all.
Ty and Lillian Bancroft had the life everyone wanted. They were young, wealthy, and beautiful. Deeply in love, everyone said they were a match made in heaven. Until one night shot their whole world straight to hell.
Now divorced, Ty and Lillian get along just fine. As long as they live on separate continents. When changes at the company they both work for send Ty back to the United States, Lillian submits her resignation. To ensure Ty doesn’t follow, she signs up to volunteer in the hurricane ravaged Florida Keys.
Ty isn’t going to let her get away that easily and follows, determined to get to the bottom of what happened that horrible night everything fell apart. Once in Florida, Ty realizes he’s not the only one after Lillian’s heart, the site manger has his eye on her as well.
Lillian still loves Ty, but can’t come to terms with his actions years ago. Can Ty find and convince Lillian of the truth before it’s too late? Or has she already replaced him?
Keep reading for a sneak peek!
THEN
Ty groaned at the pounding in his head and rolled over, promising to get the name of whatever the hell he’d drank the night before so he could make sure he never touched it again. He should get up and take something for his headache, but the thought of sitting upright made him feel sick. Instead, he forced himself to take deep breaths until the feeling went away.
According to the clock at the side of the bed, it was just after two in the morning.
Hell, what was in that drink?
His memory was fuzzy. He remembered the cocktail party he’d hosted in the Upper West Side penthouse he shared with his wife, Lillian. Lillian hadn’t been at the party. She’d left unexpectedly for the hospital because her mother had fallen down her front porch steps. Ty had suggested postponing everything , but Lillian told him there was no need.
The bed shifted beside him and he wondered when she’d returned home. Why he hadn’t heard her? She was more than likely naked, based on her bare shoulders. He had a sudden flashback of the wild spring break trip they went on when they were both sophomores in college.
God, they’d gotten so drunk and then spent the next three days only getting out of bed for the necessities. That was the year they added kink into their relationship. Back then, he’d never let a headache stop him from taking Lillian whenever and however he wanted.
How long had it been since he woke her up and had her suck him off?
His dick twitched as if saying ‘too damn long.’
Hell, how long had it been since they’d done anything kinky?
All at once, his head didn’t seem to hurt as much.