“Hey, you’re the one who married me,” he says, unremorseful.
“Tell me this trip doesn’t involve bugs, survival skills, or Naked and Afraid energy.”
“Only the naked part, the kind that comes with full-body workouts and no safe words. But if we’re being honest, I think you should be a little afraid.” Alex looks down and lifts a brow, nodding toward his groin. “Your friend’s not planning to take any days off.”
I arch a brow and flick my eyes downward. “Yeah, he’s a real workaholic, isn’t he? Always clocked in and ready for work.”
Alex chuckles, low and smug. “Can’t help it. He loves his job.”
“He sure does.”
Alex’s voice dips, grazing the shell of my ear. “You keep staring at me that way, and he’ll be working late.”
“Hope he packed electrolytes and a recovery plan—this honeymoon isn’t for the weak.”
“Oh damn… I have been waiting for this.”
“Have you now?”
“Yeah, ever since the night I told you my real name. Favorite, I knew I was going to marry the fuck out of you someday.”
His laugh rumbles through me, and for a second, I forget we’re standing in front of a jet waiting to take us to some unnamed place.
I glance toward the sleek chartered plane, and back at him. “You’re not giving me anything? Not even a continent?”
He grins, shaking his head, so damn pleased with himself, and driving me mad.
I trust him more than anyone on this earth, but I also prefer being in control. Knowing things. Planning outfits. And he’s denied me all of that in the name of our surprise honeymoon adventure. There’s only one thing I know for certain: based on the size of this jet, the man is about to drag me halfway across the globe. It’s twice the size of the one that shuttled me between Charleston and Dallas. It’s a little over-the-top.
“I’ll tell you this much. We have four stops,” he says as we climb the steps.
I stop, glancing back at him. “Four?”
He grins. “A week at each destination. A month of celebrating us. No schedules. No obligations. Just being together in some very special places.”
I pause at the top of the stairs, looking back one last time. Goodbye, Samoa… until next time.
“Don’t be sad, babe. We’ll come back soon.”
“I know.”
The jet’s door closes, and he gives me a look that makes every nerve in my body go still and alive at the same time. “You’ve seen my fire. Time to meet my frost.”
“What does that mean?”
He tips my chin up so my eyes meet his. “You’ll see soon enough, Mrs. Sebring.”
You’ve seen my fire. Time to meet my frost.
Sweden? I think so.
His hands slide over my hips with practiced ease, sending my pulse into a climb higher than this plane when we take off. And I don’t ask again where we’re headed next. Because it doesn’t matter. I would go anywhere with this man.
Somewhere near the cockpit, I hear the low voice of the attendant.
Alex leans in. “I’ll be right back.”
He approaches the attendant. His voice is too low for me to catch what he says, and his expression is unreadable from this angle. She nods once, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, and disappears behind the curtain.
