Cole might have had that trauma in the pool of his old house, but he’s an excellent swimmer outside of that.
Why isn’t he moving?
I don’t think about it as I jump. Cold water shocks my skin and fills my nostrils, but I don’t pause as I reach for him. By the time I touch him, he’s surfaced, his wet hair sticking to his forehead and his deep green eyes glinting in the sun.
I hit his shoulder, breathing heavily. “You fucking arsehole! I thought something had happened to you.”
He holds me to his chest, causing my hits to die out. “And leave you? You think that would be possible?”
I breathe in his cinnamon scent, taking my fill of him. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“I was only observing under the sea. I didn’t think you’d wake up so soon from your nap.”
“Well, you took my clothes, you pervert.”
“It takes one to know one, Butterfly.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You think I don’t notice when you take pictures of me when I’m asleep?”
“I-I do not.”
“Do you stare at them when I’m not beside you? Do you have another kink I should know about? You know I’m always game for making all your kinky wishes come true.”
That he is. There hasn’t been any wish that he hasn’t made come true. He lights my body on fire in the best way possible, and he doesn’t stop until I’m so utterly spent and pleased.
“Ready whenever you are.” He thrusts his thigh between mine, making me feel his erection, and yup, he’s also naked.
“Is this why you removed my bikini?”
“No, I was merely being a good sport so you won’t have tan lines, not that anyone would see them.” He lowers his head and sucks on the tender flesh of my breast, leaving a hot red mark.
I arch my back, my eyes closing. This has always been our favourite parts; he loves marking me in places only he can see and I love staring at the marks he leaves on my body.
He lifts his head and his eyes hold mine hostage. I’m constantly in awe of the way he looks at me, the way he wants me, the way he never stares at anyone else but me.
It’s not just about the sex or the kinks, it’s about how he holds me to him for no reason other than to feel me near. It’s about how he reads to me every night with my head lying on his lap, and if I fall asleep, he hugs me close and sleeps with his lips sealed to my forehead.
It’s about him and me and the long journey we took so we could finally be together in front of the whole world.
I wind my arms around his neck and stroke the hairs at his nape. “You’re my world, Cole.”
“I know.”
“No, I mean it. You’re my entire world and I don’t know how I’d ever be able to live in it without you.”
“You won’t have to, because you won’t be able to get rid of me, Butterfly. You’re my chaos, remember?”
“And your calm?”
“And my calm.”
“And your love?”
He smiles, and I nearly faint here and now. “And my love.”
“I love you so much. Now and forever, husband.”