Page 15 of Keep

CHAPTER FOUR

Dalton

“We did it,” she said, yawning as she rolled over to press her cheek to my sweaty chest.

I played with the ends of her long hair and then let my fingers trail along the bare skin on her lower back in a slow, deliberate way that I knew from experience would make her shiver.

“We did the fuck out of it,” I agreed, feeling rather proud over what had transpired in this room over the past hour.

I’d grown impatient for the reception to run its course so we could make a beeline up here. The honeymoon suite had been heavily accented with fresh rose petals per my orders and was the most luxurious room available but that hardly mattered. Once I carried my bride over the threshold we didn’t spend a whole lot of time checking the place out. We were too busy with each other.

Cami lifted her head and smirked. “I wasn’t making a sexual reference, though it’s true that in the old days a marriage wasn’t legally binding until it was physically consummated.”

“By my count we physically consummated in four different positions thus far so I’d say we’re legally binding.”

“You’re right,” she agreed. “It seems there’s no getting rid of me now.”

I let my hands travel lower. “I guess I’ll just have to keep you.”

A sound escaped the back of her throat, the breathy kind of half moan she made when she liked what I was doing.

“I think I’ll like being kept by you,” she said.

I shifted her closer and leaned forward, kissing her long and slow.

My wife.

I liked the words so much I whispered them out loud. “My wife.”

“My husband,” she whispered back.

If the day hadn’t been so long and if we hadn’t already exhausted ourselves with sex sports we would have kept going. But then Cami yawned again and settled back on my chest. For now I was content to switch off the bedside lamp, hold her close and wait for sleep. We had the rest of our lives together.

Images from today kept marching through my mind after I closed my eyes. There was the breathtaking vision of Cami walking toward me on her father’s arm, the way her face looked cupped in my hands as I leaned in for our first married kiss, the sight of Cami’s eternally romantic parents embracing in the middle of the dance floor, the rare hug from my only brother as he choked out his heartfelt congratulations.

The only stain on the day was the news about Cami’s young cousin, Isabella. In the middle of the reception her parents had rushed her to the hospital with intense abdominal pain. An hour later we got the news that poor Izzy was suffering an appendicitis attack and required emergency surgery. Fortunately, she was expected to make a full recovery. Cami asked if I was okay with stopping by the hospital tomorrow before we traveled to our honeymoon destination. Of course I was okay with it. I loved how close the Gentry family was. I would have gladly postponed the trip if anyone needed us to stick around.

My thoughts started wandering into less PG rated territory as I recalled the sexy picture of my bride shedding her wedding gown as soon as we were alone together.

All those rounds of energetic fucking should have tapped out my dick by this point but the memory of Cami pushing her dress down her hips was getting me hard again. Too bad she was already in dreamland. I talked my dick down by mentally reciting the lifetime batting averages of my favorite Hall of Fame players. I got stuck on Roberto Clemente and made a hazy promise to myself to look it up tomorrow. That’s the last thing I remembered until the phone started ringing.

Cami had one of those retro ring tones that sounded like a warbling old-fashioned bell so I knew it was her phone, not mine. The noise didn’t wake her up. She simply rolled to the other pillow while I climbed out of bed to locate the thing.

My sense of unease rose as the phone continued to bleat. A quick glance at the bedside clock said it was nearly two a.m. No one should be calling Cami right now. Not on her wedding night.

Not unless it was an emergency.

The phone had been left on a round side table by the door. I picked it up, my eyes objecting to the brightness of the screen, my heart objecting to the name of the caller.

“Cord,” I said into the phone. “What’s wrong?”

“Dalton?” My new father-in-law sounded surprised to hear my voice. He exhaled loudly. “Dalton, I’m sorry.”

Cold fingers crept up my spine. “Is it Izzy? Is she okay?”

Cord paused. “Izzy’s in her hospital room recovering. I talked to Deck again after the reception. She’ll be fine.”

“That’s a relief,” I said. But there was still a question. One I didn’t want to ask. “So who won’t be fine, Cord?”

---