Page 38 of Room 810

“What?” he grumbled. He knew he was being ridiculous, and his nostrils flared as he glared at me, trying to stand his ground, with his grip on our daughter firm.

Too bad for him I knew exactly how to weaken his defenses. “Darling dearest alpha of mine,” I began, using a gentle tone, and I closed the distance between us and put my hand on his chest, using a firm, even pressure. “Let’s ignore the logic of the situation for a second, about how we haven’t even purchased our daughter a plane ticket. But hear me when I say this… I haven’t slept a full night in over six months. I’m exhausted, and I really,reallyneed a quick holiday. Not just a holiday, but a honeymoon. I want to enjoy couples’ massages in the spa, eat a romantic dinner for two, stay up late dancing, followed by a not-so-tame romp in a king-sized bed. I want to enjoy my husband.”

I could feel him bending, the electric tension of his body softening.

“Your parents are trustworthy,” I said. “They raised you to be the incredible man I know and love.”

“I know,” he admitted grudgingly. “It’s not that I don’t trust them.”

Now it was my turn to say, “I know.” I leaned up and kissed him softly. “Don’t you think Jasmine would like to spend some time with her grandparents? And you know they won’t be alone, right? There’s a whole village at their fingertips, just waiting to help. Miguel and Birdie and Luna and Pierre and—”

He chuckled. “Yeah, okay. I get it.” The tension was entirely gone now, and his smile was back, a little chagrined about his behavior.

And in case he hadn’t already made up his mind, Jasmine grabbed his nose to get his attention and bleated loudly, twisting around in his arms. She reached back at her grandparents, trying to communicate that she wanted to go see them.

Gabriel listened and carried her over, handing our daughter back to Emma. “Sorry, Mom. It’s hard to let go.”

“Don’t I know it,” she said, cuddling with Jasmine in her arms. “Your first day of school, I sat outside on the steps waiting in case you needed me. Your father wouldn’t let me go to class with you, the big meanie.” She shot her husband a mock-scolding look, but she couldn’t hide the love she felt for him.

“Really? I didn’t know that,” Gabe said, softening further. It seemed to help knowing he had something in common with his parents. There often wasn’t a lot of middle ground between them, but I’d been helping them reconnect. It seemed like Jasmine was determined to help too.

Fred gripped Gabriel by the shoulder. “How about we take Jasmine for a walk, while you guys finish packing.”

“Thanks, Dad. That’d be great.”

I noticed Gabe hadn’t told his dad that we were already packed and ready to go. So, while they walked off together, we booked it back to our cabin.

Gabriel was already whipping off his shirt as we ran around to the outdoor shower. “We have five minutes, ten max.”

“What if we skipped lunch?”

“Good thinking. We’ll eat at the airport between flights.” He grabbed me around the waist and pressed me against the wall tiles, cranked on the water, then dropped to his knees, bringing him eye to eye with my Speedo’s obvious bulge. He made a choking sound in the back of his throat. “Damn, Toby. This swimsuit leaves precisely zero to the imagination.”

“And yet you’re imagining…” I teased, while my already-tight swimsuit got a lot tighter.

“Not for long.” He gripped the elastic waistband and peeled them down, freeing my cock. We didn’t have time for a blowjob, but Gabe seemed determined to make time. “Hurry up and wash your hair. We don’t want to miss our flight,” he said, before sheathing me straight into his mouth.

I knew he would stop if I didn’t get with the shampooing, so I did my best to get it done while being thoroughly distracted.

My husband was always in complete control… except for when he was buried inside me. I loved the way he lost all sense. Logic had no place in the bedroom. And this was why we found ourselves running for the airport two hours later, about to miss our flight.

“There’s a diaper bag at the front desk,” Gabriel rattled off quickly to his parents, “and there’s a whole list of dos and don’ts tucked into the front pocket, as well as emergency contact names and numbers. All the staff carries satellite phones on them at all times. Oh, speaking of which—” He tossed them a phone.

Meanwhile I gave a few final kisses to my baby girl, but she was past her naptime, so her eyelids were already heavy, and she gave an almighty yawn as we jumped off the shuttle steps and booked it toward the staff waving at us to hurry.

This was one of those times that living on a tiny island paid off. They knew we were coming and held the flight long enough for us to hop aboard. Someone in the back of the plane started clapping, and I offered a quick bow before we collapsed into our seats. The plane’s engine started gearing up almost immediately.

“Maybe one of these days my type-A personality will rub off on you,” Gabe said with a smirk. “Maybe then we’ll get somewhere on time.”

“Instead, it seems like I’m the one rubbing off on you. More than likely, we’ll never be on time again.”

His laugh was throaty, but his smile faltered.

“What’s the matter? Nervous about the review?”

“No, I’m… excited.” He sounded surprised by this revelation. “I did so much traveling that every stop was just more of the same. The experiences were broken down into columns of pros and cons, a rating system, nothing more than a number of stars. This is the first time in years that I’ve felt really good about a trip.” He took my hand and brought it up to his mouth to plant a kiss on it. “Maybe it’s not such a bad thing if I pick up a few of your habits. Blissfully happy is a good thing to be.”

“Hmm, but…” I bent over and pulled a packet of antibacterial wipes out of the front pocket of my bag and began cleaning down the tray table and armrests. “It seems I haven’t come out of this relationship unchanged.”

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