Chapter 452

Olivia

I let out a satisfied sigh as I fell back onto the pillows. Beside me, Nathan rolled over, his face covered in a slight sheen of sweat. The tropical night air from the open balcony doors floated across my flushed bare skin, cooling me off after our late-night romp.

A smirk drew across Nathan’s lips as he looked over at me. “You still with me, Liv?” he asked. His tone was playfully cocky.

“Barely,” I hummed, rolling over to press myself against him. “You should be more careful with a pregnant woman.”

Nathan chuckled, a low, inviting sound as his arm came around to lay across my hips. “Is that a complaint I detect?” he teased. His eyebrow quirked challengingly even as his fingers traced lovingly across my skin.

I nipped at his neck in retaliation, eliciting a satisfying grunt to escape from his lips. “Far from it,” I teased. “I should be the one asking if you have any energy left. We have that snorkeling tour at nine in the morning tomorrow, after all…”

“Careful taunting me,” Nathan teased, lifting himself onto one elbow. “I’ll make you eat your words.”

“Try me,” I murmured. I grazed my fingers along his back, letting my nails scratch at him. He let out a strained groan. He wanted more.

Then, I giggled when he abruptly flipped me onto my back, pressing me between his bulk and the soft bed. My skin burned sweetly everywhere we touched.

This round was destined to be slow and thorough.

…

The soft white sand sifted between my bare feet as Nathan and I strolled down the beach, hand in hand. The past few days of our honeymoon had been absolute paradise.

We had spent countless hours lounging on the private balcony in our suite, drinking refreshing smoothies and enjoying our private saltwater pool. At night, we explored the island’s restaurants and dance clubs, letting loose away from the responsibilities that waited for us at home.

Nathan’s strong hand at the small of my back never failed to make me shiver as we swayed to the music in the club. His blue-green eyes would burn with desire under the neon lights as our bodies moved as one.

More than once, we stumbled back to the hotel suite half-dressed, too lost in passion to make it to the bedroom. I loved watching the carefree, playful side of Nathan emerge again after so much recent stress.

And it felt perfect, to finally make up for all of the time we had lost recently. For the first time, I was finally able to let loose with my mate and make love whenever—and pretty much wherever—we wanted to.

Today was no exception as we took a small boat to a secluded beach, eager to soak up some more of the hot sun. As I browsed through the local shops, a glint of pearls caught my eye.

“Pink pearls,” I murmured, my finger tracing along the glass of the display case.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Nathan asked from over my shoulder, eyeing the necklace.

I sighed wistfully. “Gorgeous...but too expensive for a casual purchase.” With regret, I turned to continue down the row when Nathan suddenly snatched my wrist, spinning me back towards him.

“Who says it’s a casual purchase?” he asked, tapping my chin playfully. “Consider it a honeymoon souvenir.”

“Nathan, you don’t—”

But it was too late. He was already waving over the sales attendant, pointing at the beautiful strand of pearls that seemed to gleam in the sunlight.

I flushed under his charming smile as, a few minutes later, he turned back around and clasped the stunning necklace around my neck. No matter how many gifts he showered me with, Nathan’s generosity never failed to surprise me.

“Thank you,” I murmured, touching the delicate pink pearls. “You’re too sweet.”

Nathan smirked. “You’ve given me two beautiful children, and another on the way,” he said softly. “What kind of a husband would I be if I didn’t spoil my wife?”

We continued exploring the sandy coastline as the afternoon sun dipped lazily toward the horizon. The sand between my toes felt unexpectedly refreshing; our beaches at home were beautiful, but colder than they were here, even in the summertime.

I hardly ever dared to swim in the ocean by our villa, either. The water wasn’t nearly as calm and inviting as it was here. Rather than shallow teal reefs, it was dark and choppy. Beautiful, but not meant for sunny days spent dipping one’s toes.

“Hey, what’s that?” I asked, spying a piece of bright blue sea glass jutting out from the sand. Nathan released my hand so I could investigate further. Brushing away the grit revealed a beautiful piece of sea glass, perfectly smooth after years of being washed over by the salty water.

“Hmm. Sea glass,” Nathan mused as he inspected my finding. “What about it?”

I grinned impishly. Stooping down, I picked up a small, sharp rock and carefully etched our initials into the glass. A mark that would soon be washed away by the waves, but it didn’t matter to me.

Right now, it was eternal.

“There,” I said, holding up the little piece of glass. “Now it’s not just sea glass.”

Nathan smirked. “Shall we return it to Poseidon?” he asked. “For good luck?”

I nodded. Taking my hand, Nathan pulled me over to the water’s edge, where we waded up to our knees. The water was warm from the sun, and lapped lazily against our skin.

“On three… one, two, three!”

In unison, we hurled the little piece of glass back into the endless sea. And then it was gone.

I clung to Nathan as the tide swirled around us. His arms found their way around my waist, his lips brushing across the top of my head. I felt my heart pound against him as we stood there, watching the spot where the little piece of ourselves had disappeared into the waves.

Slowly, Nathan’s hand came down to cup my chin. He tilted my face up, his blue-green eyes gazing at me through his eyelashes as he dipped his head down to kiss me. His lips tasted like saltwater, his scent enveloping me as our fingers intertwined.

When we finally pulled apart for air, I was breathless. Nathan smirked down at me as I caught my breath, reaching out to brush a strand of salty hair out of my eyes.

“I could stay here forever, you know,” I said a few moments later as we slowly began making our way back up the beach toward the hotel, the sand now sticking to our wet feet and legs.

Nathan chuckled. “No you couldn’t. You’d miss home.”

His words made me roll my eyes, but I couldn’t help but smile. He was right, after all; this place was beautiful, and the water was warm and inviting, but I missed home already. I missed our cold, unforgiving ocean, our rocky beaches, our towering mountains. I missed our little villa, and I missed our twins.

But for now, I could bear a few more days away. This was our honeymoon, after all.

And it had only just begun.