Page 74 of Perfectly Wedded

Some people never change.

I shake my head, let my book fall open in my lap. “Nothing at all.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Sloan

The rest of the week feels like speed dating onThe Bachelor. Every day is an endless stretch of outrageously romantic settings: long walks on the beach as the sun sets, dazzling views in high-end oceanfront restaurants, and so much kissing my lips turn raw and tender.

I don’t want to leave whatever this is: an idyllic beach vacation where we figure out our new future together. Everything feels like a dream here. But I also know that when we return to the life we left in Sully’s Beach, things won’t be easier for us. If anything, life will only get harder.

We have our wedding renewal and a full reception Jaz is planning—and the fact that a major publication will cover it only ramps up my anxiety. I can’t make vows in front of God and everyone without telling Vale how I feel and why I’m nervous about marrying him in a public ceremony, even though I absolutely want to. But this time, I want things to be different. No more charades. No more lies. This time, I want to marry for real.

And that means I have to tell my sister everything. Because if I don’t, I might gain Vale as a forever partner, but I’ll lose my sister, and I can’t stand for that to happen.

The truth needs to come out, no matter how much it hurts.

On our last night in Cancun, I know Vale and I need to have “the talk” about what happens when we get home. But I can also see from the look in Vale’s eyes that talking is the last thing he wants to do.

He takes me to the most beautiful date location yet—another hidden gem from his Facebook group: a waterfall in a stunning hidden lagoon.

I stay on one side of the lagoon while he stays on the other. You couldn’t charge the air between us more if we were struck by lightning. I keep my distance, just so I can think instead of completely crumbling from his touch.

With his eyes fixed on me, one side of his mouth curls up. “What are you thinking about, Sloan?”

You.Touching you. Being close to you. Kissing you. All the things involving you.

Instead, I slick back my wet hair, and calculate my next move so that I don’t forget the elephant in the lagoon. “I’m thinking about going home. What happens next.”

“I don’t want to think about that tonight.” He smiles and something prickles under my skin, electrical impulses zipping from me to him in a never-ending circuit.

His eyes land on me, linger too long, and I know I’m in trouble. One look from him causes my brain cells to spontaneously combust so I can’t think straight, can’t even form a coherent sentence. Every time he touches me, I completely lose my train of thought.

He swims toward me, his eyes trailing from my head, to my neck, to my shoulders, like a shark deciding which part to devour first.

And the thing is, I want him to.

“Vale, I want...” My voice falters as he rises from the water like some sort of exotic creature from an underwater kingdom.

“What is it you want?” he asks, smirking.

My mouth gapes at the sight of him, and I totally forget what I wanted. He’s unearthly. All stacked muscle, totally rippedcompared to me, except that I know how hard he works for it. I’m not mad. Just speechless.

“You know what I want?” he says with a glint in his eyes. “To kiss you under the waterfall.”

He sweeps his hands under me and carries me to the waterfall, which resembles something from a movie set. Even if I’d wanted to stop him, I’m powerless. My body succumbs like limp spaghetti in his arms.

As we draw close to the falls, water droplets splatter our shoulders, softening the air like a heavenly mist. He sets me down, but not before leaving a line of kisses across my collarbone. Soft, sweet, unspoken promises that there’s more to come.

My eyes flutter closed and I want so desperately to drift off to the land of waterfall bliss. But I can’t let myself fall into a Vale-trance, no matter how much I want my husband now.

“Vale, I need to talk to you,” I say, more urgently.

He steps back, studying me, brows furrowed. “You want to talk—now?” It’s obvious that talking is the last thing on his mind.

“I know it’s our last night here. But I think we have some unanswered questions between us. Important ones.”

He rubs the back of his neck and sighs. “Okay.” He didn’t take me to an exotic waterfall so we could discuss our taxes. This was his attempt at wooing his wife, and I’m spoiling our adventure. “But can we make this fun?”

---