Page 30 of The Impossible

“I can—Hondo, please.”

He didn’t respond verbally. He rose to his feet with me in his arms. I was on the dresser next, trapped between him and the wall.

“I told you to slow down… shi—didn’t I?”

“Mhmm,” I hummed, pushing forward.

“Now watch me punish this, shatter this shit, and put it back together.” He pushed into my center, his hand finding my neck for a firm grip. I was in pure fucking ecstasy. Damn anything outside this room… All I needed was him. My husband.

My eyes moved to where my massive wedding ring rested. I had really married Hondo Carter, and shockingly, I was alright with it. I think. Then again I didn’t know what I was, as right before we got married, he killed a man. Given he was protecting me, because said man was about to kill me, it didn’t make me look at him any different. Well, considering I never looked at him as a saint, it was what it was.

My husband.

Hondo Dominic Carter was my husband and I was kind of settling into that fact. It wasn’t a hard settlement at all, but more of a shift in myself with the thought of this man being mine. The shift was easy though because something about this island made us bare. It was just us, no security, house managers, or people to buffer moments, but a lot of things left unsaid normally said.

“Are you good over here?” His voice made me look up from my shades.

I laughed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“’Cause you've been quiet all morning. You wanna talk about it?”

I shrugged, leaning forward so his massive frame could get into the lounge chair behind me. That was something else I noticed. I liked having him close almost as much as he liked being close to me. I didn’t sit in chairs alone because he was always pulling me into his lap. I had every intention of fighting this, of being difficult, but ever since that first night at his house I was like a freaking doe. I liked this, even though I didn’t like how it came together, and I was also a little leery because it came together so easily.

“Honestly, I’m just thinking.”

He chuckled. “You're always thinking, Nic.”

“True. It’s really pretty here, like really pretty.” I looked out at the nearly clear blue water off the island. Our honeymoon was in Bora Bora and boy was it everything. From the moment we landed in the private jet to the scenic route, driving up to the home I just knew cost a lot. We were literally on a private island, me, him, and a couple guards. It was giving somewhere no one could find us.

“So I did good, huh?”

I laughed. “Besides the whole mail order bride fiasco, you’ve been doing great. Especially when you found a way to get my sister to our wedding when I was so convinced she wouldn’t make it.”

“Told you I had it.”

I smiled hard, eyes on the water. “That you did.”

“So what do I earn?” he asked.

I turned over and looked up at him. “What do you want?”

His hands rested on my body, eyes peering into mine. “Feels like I got everything I want right here, baby.”

I bit into my bottom lip, the heat from his words and stare melting me. “How do you know that for sure, Hondo?”

“Because when you want something for as long as I’ve wanted you, fulfillment ain’t that hard to attain. Now how about you tell me what you want.”

He had this uncanny way of putting me on the spot. This way of forcing more from me when I didn’t feel like I even had more to give.

“I wanna be happy with you. I don’t want momentary happiness or monetary Band-Aids. I know everything isn’t perfect and things happen sometimes, but I want what we just signed up for to really be forever.”

He smiled hard. “I got you, Nic.”

I laughed. “I have one more want.”

“And that is?” He raised a brow.

I hopped up, ran into the room, and went straight to the cabinet that held various board games and things to do. I stumbled across it last night and just knew I was gonna make him play one with me. I snatched up the Uno box and jetted back to the patio where he’d now opened the umbrella.