Page 63 of When We Had Forever
I falter on an inhale. He must have planned this ages ago. “You did this for me?”
“For my angel? Of course.”
Guilt swamps me with such ferocity that I have to fight the urge to curl up on the floor mat in a fetal position. This is a far cry from Greece, but it clearly represents something intensely personal to Michael, and that’s so much better.
“Let’s go inside, okay?” His eyes glitter. “I’m dying to make an honest woman out of you.”
I turn to him, so mired in shame over my own selfishness that I can only nod.
He pops his door open and skates around the car to do the same with mine. I follow him into the cool evening. The lace hem of my wedding dress snags on the asphalt, but I hardly notice and definitely don’t care.
In the spacious lobby, a bevy of smiling staff lines up in greeting. The porter shows us to our room, where an expanse of pale marble and glass awaits. Sprays of fresh lilies occupy glossy vases in every corner. A mullioned screen affords a view of the bathroom, where a blue-lit Jacuzzi occupies a marble dais. Across from the king-size bed, a slider opens on a private patio, where a hot tub steams gently in the dark.
The place hits the same way our condo once did, only multiplied by a thousand, and I have to forcibly pick my jaw up off the floor.
The porter leaves our luggage. When the door clicks shut, Michael beelines for the outdoor hot tub, loosening his bow tie and shedding his tuxedo on the way. Once naked, he strolls into the steaming water, then turns back and crooks a finger at me.
I stand there and survey him for a moment. I can’t believe I’m married to a man who spoils me like this. I shouldn’t need anything more.
Idon’t.
I reach back and tug my zipper down, letting the dress sigh down my body and pool at my feet. Next, I shed my stockings, then my shoes. I wriggle my toes, relishing the return of my circulation.
Michael scans me with hungry eyes. “Come here.” His voice is gravel, making my belly clench.
This, at least, never changes. Whatever voltage flared between us on our kitchen island three years ago has yet to subside. I already know that when we touch, everything else will fade. We’ll speak to each other inourlanguage, the one that no amount of crossed wires can ever diminish.
I step into the tub. Michael welcomes me with eager hands and fervent kisses. The water siphons the aches from my body as I lose myself in the heady intoxication of joined lips.
He hoists me onto the corner of the tub and pushes me back against the smooth wood of the patio. My skin exhales steam into the darkness. Michael makes a drunken sound, then leans over me and closes his eyes.
I follow suit, letting my awareness narrow to a glut of heat and sensation. The lap of steaming water around my ankles, the power of his body surging into mine, the cool expanse of wood beneath my shoulder blades—pleasure crackles through me, drags me to a pinnacle, and flings me off the summit.
It’s fast and ferocious, so very us.
When I float back to earth, my lashes part. Overhead, through the latticework of boughs, a canopy of glittering stars awaits.
“Look,” I whisper, pointing upward.
Michael rests with his cheek pillowed against my chest, but obediently turns his head. “Hmm?”
Déjà vu flits against my consciousness. “The stars.”
“Yeah.” He returns his attention to me. “They’re gorgeous.”
My smile falters. I don’t know why. I don’t know what I expected him to say.
Thankfully, Michael eases us back into the water, dismissing the moment before I can dwell. We float for a while, him content to study the hotel’s geometry, me content to watch him.
He catches me staring. “You like this place?”
“I love it.” I smile.
“I’m glad,” he says. “Because I’ve been thinking. How would you like to live in a house like this? Smaller, obviously, but in the same style?”
I blink. “You mean...sell the condo?”
“Yeah. We could buy some land, build something for ourselves. No more dog barking upstairs at 3:00 a.m. No more standing by the windows to get cell reception. No having to use the treadmill. You could go running in the woods every day, if you wanted.”
