Trent’s head fell back against the seat, and he muttered a breathless curse. I smiled against his neck, then dragged my mouth back to his for another kiss, which he gave me without hesitation.
“Chloe, baby,” he said, sounding just as breathless as I normally did after kissing him. “Stop.”
I pulled back, my chest heaving with ragged breaths. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said. His eyes were dark with an unsated thirst that only I could satisfy.
My heart raced even faster than it had been a second ago. “Then why did you tell me to stop?”
It had been weeks since we’d been together like this, and I could feel how badly he wanted me. And it was our wedding night, so I really didn’t see what the problem was.
He slipped a hand from beneath my dress and cupped my cheek. “The first time I make love to my wife, it’s not going to be quick and dirty in the back of a limo.”
I rolled my eyes. “Have you ever had sex in the back of a limo?”
“No,” he said with a laugh.
“Well, neither have I,” I said with a teasing grin.
“Chloe,” he warned, though there wasn’t much conviction in his tone.
“Fine.” I sighed with fake annoyance and crawled off his lap. “But if you insist on waiting until we get home, you’d better stay on your side of the seat.” I fixed my dress. “You obviously can’t be trusted to keep your hands to yourself.”
He let out a loud, deep laugh. “I can’t be trusted? You’re the one who started this,” he said, his eyes shifting from light to dark.
“And you’re the one who stopped it, so you just sit over there and hush,” I said, trying and failing to give him a stern look.
We were silent for several minutes, and my heart finally slowed, but everything else inside of me still buzzed with anticipation.
“Yeah. No. This isn’t working for me,” he said and moved over so he was sitting next to me. “You’re too far away.” He draped his arm around me, tucking me safely to his side.
I rested my head on his shoulder, slid my arm around his stomach, and tucked my feet up on the seat. I yawned again, and he kissed my forehead, eliciting a sigh of contentment from me.
“I really like it when you call me your wife,” I said, snuggling closer.
“I really like saying it,” he whispered. “I always knew I wanted to get married someday, but I never believed it would actually happen. So, thank you for making one of my dreams come true today.”
Hot tears burned my throat, but I refused to give in to them. I’d cried so much today already; I couldn’t handle anymore. I swallowed around the lump in my throat.
“It’s the least I could do considering you’ve made every single one of my dreams come true,” I said, hoping he’d pick up on the teasing in my tone so we could lighten the mood.
“Hey,” he said, his voice full of compassion and love. “You’ve made all of my dreams come true, too. You do know that, don’t you?”
I gave an awkward shrug.
He nudged me so my head was no longer on his shoulder, and then he gently lifted my chin so I had no choice but to stare into his eyes. “You have consistently chosen me over everyone and everything else in your life. You let me love you so completely it still baffles me at times,” he said with a tender smile. “You’ve let me claim you. Marry you. And you’re going to have my baby. That’s so much more than I ever thought I’d have, and it’s all because of you.”
“Please don’t make me cry again,” I said, my tone pleading.
“I’m allowed to make you cry happy tears, remember?” he said.
I laughed, and the looming tears disappeared. “I think I need to renegotiate that deal,” I said.
“Wanna punch me for no good reason?” he asked, the corner of his mouth twitching with an almost smile. “Even things out a bit?”
“I’m starting to think maybe you did deserve to be punched that day.” I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed.
The limo came to a stop, and our driver opened the door. Trent slid out of the car, and I followed. He thanked the driver, who nodded and congratulated us, and then Trent scooped me up into his arms. He carried me onto the porch and abruptly set me on my feet. Okay, that wasn’t how I pictured this going. He crouched in front of something resting against the front door.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A wedding gift from Ivy,” Trent said, rising to his full height. He stared down at the gift basket as if it were a deadly animal.
My jaw dropped. Part of me was curious what she’d left us, but anything that came from her couldn’t be good.
“Leave it,” I said. “I don’t want anything else from that woman. Not until we know she’s not trying to double cross us.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he said, and once again swept me off my feet and into his arms. He opened the door, stepped across the threshold, then kicked the door shut behind us. “Welcome home, Mrs. Halstead.”
I kissed him, our lips lingering on each other, neither of us wanting to stop. And now that we were home, we didn’t have to. “Take me to bed,” I whispered.
Trent obliged, though he didn’t use his superhuman speed. He took his time, planting kisses on my lips with each step he climbed, until finally, we reached our bedroom.
He set me on my feet, but his mouth didn’t stray too far from mine, and he kissed me languidly. My thoughts swirled, and my body ignited. Even though this wasn’t my first time, it felt like it. Maybe because it was our first time as
