Page 86 of Mr. Scandalous

“Condoms ribbed for her pleasure?”

Eden licked her lips and winked at him. “As if I’d forgetthose.”

Alec gazed at his wife sitting on the counter at Wickedly Wonderful, playfully swinging her legs and stocking their vacation basket with enough sex toys to keep them occupied for a month. The provocative glow in her eyes caught him low in the belly and flamed his passion the way it always did.

How on earth had he ever believed that loving one woman for the rest of his life would be boring? In twelve months of marriage he’d enjoyed more revolutionary sex and romantic spontaneity with Eden than he’d experienced in twenty-eight years as a single guy. Why hadn’t anyone told him what he’d been missing out on?

Your married friends tried, remember. You were just too pigheaded to listen.

“So where are we going this time?” he asked, trying to get a peek at the travel brochure she had tucked in her cleavage.

Every six weeks Eden arranged for a secret weekend getaway. She understood his need for stimulation and variety, and he loved her for her efforts. Sometimes the getaway was in their own apartment, like the time she’d turned their bedroom into a Mexican bordello. She’d met him at the door with a lime wedge in her mouth, a bottle of tequila in one hand and wearing nothing but a serape.

Six weeks ago they’d gone back to the Grand Duchess and Lola, of the hundred-dollar hand job, had returned to work her magic. Alec grinned, remembering.

This time, however, Alec knew Eden was planning something big. The size of the basket was a major giveaway, plus, it was their one-year wedding anniversary. She’d cajoled him into taking a week off, leaving Randy to oversee their newest platformAdventures in Marriage.They’d just launched the first podcast and it had been an unqualified success. Holden was helmingSex andtheSingle Guysince Alec had made him the manager. Ashley and Jayne had been recruited to keep Wickedly Wonderful running. Everything was set for seven blissful days in paradise.

“Guess.” Eden waved the brochures out of his reach.

“Someplace tropical. Warm beaches, umbrella drinks, lots of time spent hiding out in our own little grass hut.”

“Nope.”

“Paris?”

She shook her head, her chestnut curls bobbing seductively about her shoulders.

“Don’t tell me. You’ve booked us in the Sacred Health Tranquility Spa in Sedona.”

“Not hardly.”

“I give up.”

“My baskets have been so popular Spice-Up-Your- Love-Life is giving us a free cruise.”

“No kidding. Where to?”

“Alaska.”

“But that’s cold. I want to go somewhere I can get you naked.”

“Oh, I’ll be naked all right. Under a mound of furs. Ever made love in an igloo?”

“Can’t say I have.”

“Ooh, another first time for us. And of course there’s always the heated hot tub in our stateroom.”

“Now you’re talking.” He moved to kiss her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he lifted her off the counter. His body tingled with anticipation for all the adventures that lay ahead of them. She sucked his neck, raked her fingers through his hair.

He reached for the buttons on her blouse, but Eden pulled away with a teasing grin. “No time. The ship starts boarding in an hour.”

“Minx. You adore getting me riled up, then dragging it out.”

“And you love the torture.” She undamped her legs from his waist and slid her feet to the floor. “Grab the suitcases and let’s hit the road.”

Eden reached for the basket, but Alec put out a hand to stop her.

“You know,” he said, reaching for the condoms. “What’s the worst that could happen if we were to leave these behind?”

---