Page 81 of Wrathful King
We fell asleep somewhere in the Suez Canal and woke up at a port in Greece.
Another night without nightmares. I woke up with a smile on my lips and his erection pressed against my thigh, feeling more at peace than I could remember.
His scent was all around me. I peered an eye open and spotted our clothes lying all over the floor. Last night he held me against him as we took a bath. He massaged every inch of my body, murmuring words in Italian and Japanese before translating them to English.
He worshiped my body, and it felt so right.
The sunrise commenced its journey over the horizon, throwing oranges and pinks across the sky. Our bedroom was positioned with a view of the blinding sea and the white houses on the shoreline.
It looked like a postcard.
I turned to look at Amon’s sleeping face and had to admit that the Greek gods had nothing on him. My husband was the best view in this world and, for a stretch of time, I refused to look away from him.
I ran my fingers through his hair, but he was in such a deep slumber, he never even stirred. My ring caught the light and my eyes locked on it. For a brief moment, my mind flashed back to that cell, but I pushed the thought away.
Barely newlyweds, yet somehow it felt like we’d been together several lifetimes. My first hero. My first love. My first lover. My first heartbreak. My forever savior.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to the top of his head, then continued to dot kisses all over his face, growing impatient. “Wake up, sleepyhead,” I murmured, tracing my mouth down his jaw, then his ear until his scar on his shoulder. My movements paused before I placed a lingering kiss on it.
“Mmm.” He nuzzled his face against my neck. “Now if that’s not the most perfect way to wake up, I don't know what is.” Amon’s raspy, sleepy voice vibrated through his chest. I could feel his lips smile against my neck. “Morning, wife.”
“Good morning.” God, I was so grateful to be back in his arms. Happy. There were still obstacles and worries—especially about my sister and Cortes’s accomplices—but I was working on staying present and in the moment. “We’re not being lazy today,” I teased, nipping him gently. “Let’s get dressed and have breakfast on land.” He peeled one eye open as if to check whether I was serious. “Yes, we’re getting off this boat. It’s our honeymoon and we’re going to explore. Right after we eat.” I grinned.
He let out a chuckle. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
It was another hour before the tender dropped us on land. We found a little local bakery by the sea where we ate pastries and drank cappuccinos. Then we roamed the streets, talked to locals, and bought little trinkets to remember this place by.
A small boy snapped a photo of the two of us with a Polaroid camera, then hassled Amon for money. The boy won, much to my delight, although I suspected Amon let him for my benefit.
“You gotta be kidding me,” Amon scolded teasingly. “Fifty bucks for a photo? What a rip-off.”
But Amon was already handing him a hundred-dollar bill. The boy wore rags, and I hoped it helped him some.
“It’s worth the money,” I murmured, looking at the two of us in the 2x4 frame. We looked relaxed, no signs of the nightmares we’d experienced over the last two months. Just pure happiness and love.
Studying the photo over my shoulder, Amon was smiling too. “You’re right, it is. I would have paid double for it.”
The boy’s eyes widened and he let out a string of what I could only assume were curses.
“Want to take another photo?” I asked him. “If it’s a good one, we’ll buy that one too.”
Amon cupped my face and kissed me, and the boy captured the moment perfectly. Then Amon proceeded to give him another two hundred bucks for it.
As we strolled away in the direction of white-washed houses, Amon hooked his arm around me. “Maybe we can ask Raven to paint us a portrait from one of those photos,” he suggested.
I eagerly nodded. “That’s a great idea.”
I typed a message to her, and her response was almost immediate.
Heck yes I’ll paint it. It’s my wedding present to you.
* * *
For the next three days, we hiked the mountains that only goats inhabited, we rafted in the blue sea, we kayaked over the clear blue water, we had sex in secluded coves and empty beaches, and we swam naked at night under the stars and moon.
On the fourth night, we were out for dinner in Athens, sitting on the terrace and enjoying the weather. It was early April, but it was warm enough to sit outside in the evening. The scent of food drifted through the air. Stars sparkled. The soft notes of some sad Greek song filled the air.
