“I know you’re willing to make sacrifices for me. Live in this cabin. But I’m not going to ask you to do that. In fact, there’s no way in hell I’ll let you do that.”
“What do you mean? Garrett, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying you are my princess. You deserve the world, and I will give you anything you want. I went to my parents and told them this exact same thing. We’re moving to the castle. I’ll give you the ball gowns and the royal balls in court—”
“No, Garrick. That’s not what I need.”
“It’s not about what you need. It’s about what you want. What do you want? I’ll give it to you. The sun, the moon, the stars. The fucking world. I’ve already given you my heart, but you deserve more than my heart. You deserve everything I have to offer.”
“Garrick,” she says, tears brimming in her eyes.
I use my thumbs to wipe them away, pulling her closer to me. “Don’t cry.”
“They’re good tears, I promise. You just have a lot to learn about me. Eventually you’ll know all my tears. The good ones, the dramatic ones, the I’m going to start my period ones.”
I laugh, loving the way she just puts it all out there, not hiding behind anything. “I’m sorry that I said that shit about you making my food. I don’t know where I got ideas like that, except I know I want to make a life with you, and maybe that doesn’t mean washing clothes and cooking dinner. Maybe a life with you means something else entirely, that neither of us even knows yet. Maybe you want to come in the woods with me and set traps. Hell if I know, but all I want to do is figure out ways our lives can intersect. Figure it out together.”
“Thank you. For apologizing, for coming to your senses. I knew you would.”
“Oh, yeah?” I smirk. “You knew I’d come around?”
“Well, I didn’t expect you to offer me a castle, but I did expect you to come back groveling. And I was prepared to reward you for your apology.”
“Yeah, how were you going to do that?” My fingers slide over her shoulders, down her arms. Past her waist, nearing her pussy.
“I think you know. I was going to tell you I love you, and then I was going to offer you my body.”
She takes my hand then, presses it to her wet pussy. I finger the fabric of her lingerie, and pull it aside, letting my fingertips graze her juicy folds.
“Your body is so good.”
“Who needs an adventure when you can explore me, Garrick? When I can explore you. Right now, that’s all I want.” Iris smiles.
I press my mouth to hers, wanting to capture that smile of hers. Wanting to press my lips against hers until my intentions are crystal-clear.
She’s mine.
I’m hers.
Our adventure has just begun.
23
A week later, Garrick and I wake in a tent covered by morning dew. I open the flap and peak my head out, seeing the mountains around us that are still half asleep. The sun hasn’t yet risen, and I see our ashy fire pit from the night before several feet away. No one is here. It’s just my husband and me.
Together.
“Come back here, Princess.” Garrick reaches for my hand, pulling me to him, and I laugh as the tent’s zipper falls from my grip and I tumble into my husband’s arms.
“I thought you promised me a morning quickie?” Garrick asks.
“Always.”
We laugh. I know my morning breath is probably gross, but I’m banking on the idea that, since I can’t notice anything wrong about him at this moment, he won’t notice those things about me.
We’re in a blissed-out honeymoon reverie, and literally nothing can cause us to fall from our high.
“Let me see what I’m working with.” I pull the sleeping bag off my husband’s body. The tent is sweaty, and a pile of our hiking clothes from yesterday is shoved in a corner. But we don’t care.
Let me tell you, being here, camped outside of Machu Picchu in Peru, is an adventure in and of itself.
The adventure I’ve been waiting for.
But being with Garrick, day in and day out, learning what it means to love one another, is a whole different level of exploration.
“Oh, Prince, you’re so hard.” I smile, licking my lips, already excited about filling myself with the man I love.
“You ready to ride me?”
There’s no need to answer. My pussy was wet the moment I looked at his stiff morning wood. I straddle him, lifting my arms as he pulls off my cotton tank.
His hands wrap around my waist, gripping my ass. And when I’m on top of him like this, I don’t just feel powerful, I feel adored.
Cherished.
Wanted.