He had–dozens of times.
“Hmm…maybe,” she teased. “But you should tell me again. You know, just in case.”
By that point, he was on his knees, his tongue teasing along the waistband of her thong. “You take my breath away,” he whispered, his hands holding her hips. “Gorgeous.” He kissed one exposed cheek. “Stunning.” And then the other. “White is a very good color on you.”
She was breathless and panting as she released the gown and let it slither to the floor. Austin was in front of her in the blink of an eye, kissing her–devouring her–and then lifting her out of the pool of white satin and lace.
On the bed, he loomed over her. “One of us is definitely overdressed,” she said softly, even as her hand smoothed over his crisp white shirt. He hadn’t gone for a traditional tuxedo, but the suit he wore fit him to perfection and he looked sexy as hell in it. It was amusing that he’d stayed fully clothed this long because the man had a tendency to take off his shirt almost the moment he walked through the door after work.
With a swift kiss, Austin reared back and stripped off his jacket and then his tie. He was straddling her legs, and she seriously wanted in on the action, but when she went to sit up, he rested one warm hand on her belly and shook his head.
Damn the man.
Slowly he unbuttoned his shirt, and by the time he got the cufflinks off, she could tell how frustrated he was getting.
And she tried hard not to smirk.
With a muttered curse, he finally got the garment off and sent it flying before hopping off the bed and stripping off his trousers and socks. Then, in nothing more than very snug black boxer briefs, he resumed his earlier position and stretched out on top of her. Her heart felt so full; she never knew she could feel so much or love this deeply.
“How is it possible?” she whispered, her eyes scanning his face.
“What, beautiful girl?”
“To love someone so much,” she replied honestly. “We were here in this bed this morning, and yet right now, everything feels like it’s so much more.”
His smile was downright lethal. “Because we were meant to be–this wedding was just the universe’s way of confirming it.”
“The universe did not feel that way a few days ago.”
“It’s fickle; what can I say?”
Laughing softly, she cupped his cheek. “Today was a good day. A great day.” She paused for a moment. “The perfect way to kick off our married life together.”
Leaning down, he kissed her–a slow and languid touching of lips. “Then we owe it to ourselves to have a perfect night, as well.” His mouth moved to the side of her throat, where he gently sucked and licked his way down, making her back arch off the bed.
“As if it would be anything but,” she panted, shifting to wrap her arms and legs around him. One large hand reached behind her back to unhook the white lace strapless bra, and Mia giggled as he peeled it off of her and tossed it over his shoulder.
When he lifted his head and stared down at her, she couldn’t tell if he was offended or not by her laughter. But when all he did was shift his body slightly so he could kiss his way down hers, she knew playtime was over.
And was more than ready for what was to come.
It was still dark out, and when Austin turned and looked at the clock, he saw it was barely five in the morning. Mia was sound asleep beside him, and he needed to take care of a few things before she woke up.
Carefully, he slid out of bed and walked to the closet for his robe. Quietly, he walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him. The Christmas tree was still lit and he was thankful for the light.
When they had gotten home last night, he’d carried in the weekender bag Mia had taken with her to the B&B to get ready, a cooler bag full of food from the reception, and a small bag of his own that held just a few essentials that he thought he might need after the ceremony. He walked over and picked the last one up and pulled out the small box Violet had prepared for him and smiled at it. She had wrapped it for him in holiday paper and put a bow on it, and he couldn’t wait to put it under the tree and surprise her with it when she woke up. They hadn’t bought any gifts other than the few gift cards for his family, so there wasn’t anything under the tree and it kind of bummed him out. Turning toward the tree, he couldn’t wait to…
There was a gift there.
And it hadn’t been there earlier.
What the…?
Crouching down in front of the tree, he picked it up and shook his head. Somehow Mia had not only managed to get him something, but got it under the tree while he was sleeping.
Great minds think alike…
Was it any wonder they were meant for each other?
So with a slight yawn, he placed his box beside it and went back to bed–sliding beneath the blankets and maneuvering until Mia was in his arms.
The next time he woke up, sunlight filtered through the blinds and Mia was kissing his chest. “Good morning,” he said gruffly. A quick glance at the clock showed it was after eight.
“Mmm…good morning,” she hummed as she held him a little tighter. “Merry Christmas.”
He hugged her back, placing a kiss atop her head. “Merry Christmas to you too.”
“Any chance we can order room service?” she asked around a yawn. “Do you think anyplace will deliver muffins on Christmas morning?”
“I’m afraid not.” But damn, did that sound good. “But maybe there’s something in the cooler bag that could work.”
“I put all that food away in the middle of the night.” She yawned again. “I was thirsty and went to get some water and saw the bag sitting on the floor and couldn’t just leave it there.”
“So? Anything muffin-like in it?”
“Sadly, no. The ham and biscuits might be passable, but once I wake up a little more and have some coffee, I’ll make us something better. I’m just being lazy.”
“You have every right to be lazy. It’s been a stressful few weeks, and yesterday was very busy and last night was…well…last night was amazing.” He kissed her again. “But then again, making love with you always is.”
“Aww…stop. You’re going to make me cry,” she said, already sniffling.
“Why would you cry?” he asked. “You know how much I adore our sex life.”
Pushing away from him, she frowned. “Okay, that was a little less romantic, so I guess I won’t cry.”
“I think you’re still tired,” he told her as he tried to guide her back down beside him.
Unfortunately, she was having none of it and rolled away from him. She was out of the bed and walking gloriously naked to the bathroom and shutting the door. As much as he wanted to continue to lie there, he knew he needed to get up. Putting his robe back on, he walked out to the kitchen and made them each a cup of coffee. He was anxious to give her the gift, and he was more than a little curious about what she had gotten him.
Mugs in hand, he turned toward the living room just as she was walking out of the bedroom. “You didn’t have to do that,” she told him, even as she smiled while taking one of the mugs from him.
“Well, it wasn’t completely selfless.” He motioned toward the tree. “It seems that Santa came last night.”