Page 98 of Perfectly Wedded

Then I move to the side of her neck, sliding my fingers into her hair.

“And this.”

I tease her earlobe with my lips before whispering, “But first, I have another surprise.”

She looks unconvinced. “If any more surprise guests interrupt, I’m going to kick them out...personally.”

I laugh. “No surprise guests tonight. I promise.” Then I take her hand and lead her to the bedroom. “You’ll see.”

Her gaze lands on the bed. Rose petals cover the entire bed, just like in our Cancun honeymoon suite.

Her mouth falls open. “Did you do this?”

“I always remembered that night in Cancun,” I say. “It wasn’t the right time, and we weren’t ready for that step. You had to learn to trust me first.”

“Which was so aggravating and sexy, I could hardly stand it.”

“It was worth it, if it means I get to have you now,” I say.

Her eyes hold mine. “I’ve replayed the moment in my head more times than I can count.”

I pull her body close to me, feel my heart thrumming against my chest. “So have I.”

She reaches up to kiss me, and I place a finger on her lips, stopping her. “Before we move on, I have one request.”

She looks at me, puzzled. “What is it?”

I take her wrist in my hand, my thumb circling it lightly. “The question game.”

She frowns. “The game we played at the waterfall?”

“We never finished,” I say, my lips kissing each of her wrists.

Her eyes spark. “I think it’s because you were too busy kissing me.”

“Well, you were highly distracting in that swimsuit. I totally lost my train of thought.” I trace my finger across her arm as goose bumps flood her skin. Just thinking about it makes me want to toss these cards aside and skip to the good part. But I’m taking it slow tonight, letting Sloan lead.

Her eyelids flutter as she inches closer to me. “If you do that again, we’re never going to start—let alone finish—this game.” She pulls away gently, giving me a look that says I’m dangerous.

“One final round of the question game. You either answer or lose a point. Whoever gets the most points gets to initiate our first kiss tonight.”

She looks me over skeptically. “What’s your game, MacPherson? You could just kiss me now. I won’t stop you.”

I lift an eyebrow. “Impatient, are we?”

Her cheeks flush lightly. “Maybe a little.”

“Sloan, I want to savor tonight with you—for as long as possible.” I pull out three cards from my pocket, handing her a card. She skims over the question. “You can’t ask this.” She turns the card around. “What did Jaz’s note from the honeymoon say—the one you kept hidden?”

I lift an eyebrow. “I figured if you couldn’t tell me then, it must be important.”

She bites her lip. “You really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.” A slow grin spreads across my face. “But if you want to lose the game, I wouldn’t hate that either.”

“You sneaky thing,” she says with a smirk. “Jaz’s advice was something I needed to hear, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. The first part of her note said to always say yes when you asked me to do something, even if it scared me... or involved putting on a swimsuit. That’s why I agreed to all those dates on our honeymoon.” She pauses for a beat. “But the second part was harder. She told me not to be afraid to tell you the truth, even if it was something difficult. That night in the hot tub, when I finally said you’re the one I wanted to be with, was me admitting the truth I’d been avoiding for too long. I’d learned that trust is earned, not given easily. And you were incredibly patient, helping me say yes to things I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

I lean in closer. “Being patient—waiting for you—may have been the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

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