“I’m ready to be alone with my wife.”
“Hopefully this wedding night will go a little better than the last one,” I say in a teasing tone.
“I have no complaints whatsoever about the first one.” With his hands on my face, he kisses me in that tender way that always disarms me. “Come on, let’s go.”
Chapter 18
It’s been an outstanding day, full of all the things that matter most to me. We’ve been surrounded by the love of our family and friends, but now it’s about us, and I want my wife all to myself. Her sisters and friends will be spending the night with my parents before heading home tomorrow. My parents are also taking care of Fluff for us for the next week, not that Natalie knows that when she says good-bye to her baby for what she thinks is just tonight.
We hug and kiss Candace, Olivia, Leah, Aileen and her kids, and my family before we take our leave, again in my father’s Bentley. The driver knows where we’re going, so as we drive away from the place where I grew up, I’m able to give Natalie my full attention.
“I was thinking,” she says.
I nuzzle her neck. “About?”
“Your idea for a movie about my story.”
I wouldn’t have thought anything could interest me more than the sexy column of her neck. “What about it?”
“It would make for a good movie, especially with today as the happy ending.”
“You really think so?”
“I really do. Everyone already knows, so it’s not like we’d be telling a story that would expose me or my secrets. I don’t have any secrets anymore, and I like it that way.”
“Still, it would result in a lot of renewed interest in your past.”
“Perhaps one of the things I was meant to do with my newfound celebrity is bring attention to the strength and resilience of sexual assault survivors. My story is proof that it doesn’t have to ruin a life or define it.”
“Nat…” My voice is little more than a whisper. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again, your courage is awe-inspiring. It would be such an honor for us to tell your story. We’d give it our very best. I promise.”
She tugs on my bow tie, untying it. “What part would you play?”
“I’d have to play myself, the dashing hero whose life is saved by the feisty heroine who showed him what really matters.”
Her laughter fills my soul. “The dashing hero, huh?”
“I did have to dash after you to keep you from getting away.”
“That’s true.” She gives me a sly, sexy look that makes me instantly hard. “Of course, some parts of our story will have to remain private.”
“Of course.”
“My husband is a very public figure who wouldn’t appreciate me selling his secrets to Hollywood.”
“No, he wouldn’t. Those secrets are only for you.” I kiss her then, the way I’ve been dying to for hours now. Her arms encircle my neck, and she gives herself up to me with the sweet submission that makes me so fucking hot every time. She doesn’t even know she’s doing it. That’s the best part. She gives me everything I need without me having to tell her how.
In deference to my dad’s driver, who’s worked for my family for decades, I withdraw from the kiss gradually and regretfully. We’ll have plenty of time to pick up where we left off.
Natalie glances out the window. “Where’re we going?”
“Not home.”
“I see that. More surprises?”
“Maybe…”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“What fun would that be?”
“I didn’t bring anything with me.”
“You don’t need anything.”
“I need a toothbrush.”
Smiling, I kiss her again and then once again because once wasn’t enough. “Your every need shall be seen to, my love. Don’t worry about a thing.”
“As long as I’m able to make my foundation board meeting on Tuesday, I’m all yours.”
“Um, yeah, about that…”
“What about it?”
“I moved it to next Tuesday.”
“Flynn! You can’t just move my meetings around without telling me.”
“I can if I want to surprise you with the honeymoon I’ve been promising for weeks now.” Before my eyes, the head of steam that had been building in her seems to dissipate. “Am I forgiven?”
“Depends on where we’re going.”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“I’ll let you know if you’re forgiven when I see where we’re going.” She tugs on my tie again. “After this, no more surprises. We’ve got to get back to a normal life. We’ve been self-indulgent sloths for weeks now. I need to be productive.”
“You’ve been very productive, sweetheart.”
“Flynn! You know what I mean.”
“Yes,” I say, endlessly amused by her, “I know what you mean, and I need to get back to reality, too. If I weren’t self-employed, I would’ve been fired by now. But we’re taking this week for ourselves first. We’re newlyweds. We deserve a honeymoon.”
“Most people would say that more than a week at a Malibu beach house followed by days and days by a pool in the Hollywood Hills would count as a honeymoon.”
“We’re not most people, and I can do better.”
She lays her head on my shoulder.
“You’re not mad, are you?”