Page 11 of His Bride

A tree top view on Tree Top Island. I’m already in love with thisplace.

The bed is empty, but the clanging of pots downstairs answers my question. I reach for Gavin’s shirt, then remember I’m suppose to be naked. I follow the noise downstairs to thekitchen.

“Morning.”

Gavin stops chopping and wipes his hands on a towel as he turns towards me. “Morning, Sprite. Did Iwakeyou?”

Closing the distance between us, I rise up onto my toes to get my morning kiss. “No, I think the sun shining in through the roof is toblame.”

He wraps his arms tight around me and squeezes my bottom. “Lucky trees,” he murmurs. “Getting to see you as you first wake up. One of my favouritesights.”

I lean in to him, inviting more groping and kissing, because hello, good morning, and he cups my ass with both hands as he ravishes my mouth until I’m ready to climb him likeatree.

He’s not having any of that, though. He gently pushes me away. “You’re distracting me. Go explore the cabin while I finish makingbreakfast.”

I start by taking a closer look at the L-shaped kitchen as Gavin continues to prepare our meal. There’s a white apartment-size fridge with a top freezer against one wall. Next to it is about six feet of counter, then along the adjacent wall there’s a sink and a narrow white gas stove with a bit more counter inbetween.

It’s functional, butbasic.

Not at all what I expected from the Strongs. Although they aren’t flashy, the family has been wealthy and powerful for alongtime.

Long enough to upgrade to granite counters, and I kind of love that they haven’t. I definitely adore that this is one of Gavin’s favourite spots in the entireworld.

Deep down, my husband is a simple, lovely human being, and there’s something about this very ordinary kitchen that grounds me. I’m sure this is why Gavin wanted to honeymoon here—so we could start our marriage in the most normal, simplestofways.

Plus some kinky stuff on the side, ofcourse.

“What’s that?” I point to a fairly large metal box mounted on the wall between the sink and thestove.

He looks at me, then to where I’m pointing. “That’s our water heater. It’s what will provide us with lovely hot water for the shower we’re going to take later. Together, because we’re on a well, and water conservation is apriority.”

“I’m all for water conservation,” I toss over my shoulder as I wander through the dining room and into the living room. The walls are covered in art, from paintings to carvings to textiles. The view of the ocean through the floor to ceiling windows is magnificent. In the distance I can see the outline of largerislands.

I curl up in one of the big, comfy-looking armchairs near the windows. I bet I’m going to spend a lot of time here just enjoying the peace ofthesea.

“Breakfast is ready,” Gavin calls a few minutes later and I join him in the kitchen. He’s holding up a what looks like a sun dress. “Put this on. We’re going to have breakfast onthedeck.

The material is soft against my skin, and my nipples pebble as I slip into the pale mint green and white tie-dyed cover-up. The top has scoop neckline with spaghetti straps while the skirt has a handkerchief hem where the lowest points nearly touch thefloor.

Gavin’s gaze zeros in on my hard nipples, giving me a most salacious grin as he hands me a plate with a mouth-watering omelette on it, cutlery, and a big mug of coffee. He grabs his own mug and plate, then leads the wayoutside.

We settle into a wicker loveseat with deep cushions. I take my first biteandmoan.

He shifts in his seat, drawing my attention. His eyes are dark with promise. “Eat it all, Sprite. You’re going to need yourenergy.”

Okay, then. I take another big bite and make sure he knows I like it justasmuch.

But as breakfast continues, the teasing fades. Instead, we soak up the quiet beauty of the morning. The sun shines bright and a gentle breeze comes up off the water, fluttering at the floaty skirt of my cover-up. It feels decadent and lovely to be nearly naked outside, and I’m touched that Gavin thought of a way to make thathappen.

When we’re done eating, we do the dishes together. Gavin washes and I dry while he tells me whereeverythinggoes.

When he gets to the pan he made the eggs in, he gestures upstairs. “I’ll finish here. You go up and put on sunscreen and a bathing suit then meet me outside so we can gokayaking.”

I had hoped he had inside plans for us after breakfast, but I quickly squelch my twinge of disappointment and rush upstairs. After I cover my body in sunscreen, I put on my favourite bikini—the purple one that makes Gavin’s eyes bug out and snarl if he thinks anyone is paying me too muchattention.

When I get outside, I see him down by the water, next to a long red kayak and a bunchofgear.

“That was fast,” he says as Iapproach.

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