Mister Wrong(12)

His warm breath heated the skin below my ear right before his lips touched it. My back went rigid when he lightly sucked at my neck. He didn’t stop until I knew he’d put a mark on me. I could already feel it rising to the surface. The proof that I belonged to this man pulled things from me that I hadn’t known were there in the first place.

The cab driver was paying attention to the road, thankfully, but when a soft whimper spilled out of my mouth, his eyes lifted to the rearview. He must have guessed what was going on because his eyes flickered back to the windshield a moment after.

The hotel was up ahead. We’d just passed through the gates, and I could make out the massive structure Jacob had showed me online when he’d pitched St. Thomas as a honeymoon idea. I’d been happy to go with St. Thomas when the alternatives he suggested were Cancun, Crete, and Amsterdam. St. Thomas was the quietest of those options, although the resort was like its own mini party that never ended, from the looks of it.

That was probably why Jacob had picked it. If it had been up to me, we’d be on some quiet island where you maybe came across the occasional sea turtle.

“Penthouse?” Jacob said, glancing at the tall tower as the cab approached.

“Nothing but the best for you, right?” I could see that the lobby was full of people in bright clothes, drinks in hand and all-nighter goals in sight.

“Yeah, but what’s the best for you?” Jacob pulled out his phone and pulled up the hotel’s website. I wasn’t sure how to answer that, so I stayed quiet as he scrolled through a few pages, getting ready to open the door. “I’ll be right back. Just hang tight a minute.”

Before I could say anything, he’d closed the door and was loping up the gleaming stairs of the hotel’s entrance. He’d booked the penthouse a whole five minutes after we set the wedding date, wanting to make sure we had the top floor and everyone knew we had the top floor. So why was he acting like the penthouse wasn’t going to work anymore? It wasn’t like there was anything higher or more prestigious.

While I waited, I spun the bracelet around on my wrist. Only a few minutes later, he was back, climbing into the backseat with a half-smile.

“What?” I asked, nudging him.

He ignored me, his smile spreading as he listed off a few directions to the driver. The car pulled away from the curb, and we headed away from the monstrous tower.

“What in the world is going on?” I asked, twisting in my seat so he had to look at me.

Now he was practically grinning, like he was in on the best secret ever. His shoulder lifted. “The resort has a few cabins too. Private cabins on the outskirts of the property.” His eyes met mine as he lifted a couple of keys. “And lucky for us, they still had one available.”

I couldn’t help it—I started bouncing like a little kid in my seat. “Private cabin?”

“Private beachfront cabin.”

More bouncing, but then I stopped. “But you wanted the penthouse. You booked it a year ago. Why did you change your mind?”

Jacob’s arm came around me again. “Because what’s best for me is what’s best for you.”

My heart did that skip thing it hadn’t done in a long time. I knew how badly he’d wanted that room, so that he’d changed things so I’d be more comfortable reminded me again why I’d made the right decision marrying him.

Jacob Adams loved me. He’d had a difficult time showing it at times, but I’d always known he did, and today, he was finally proving it. I’d stood by him in the hard times, so I was going to enjoy these good times.

“Have I mentioned I love you?” I asked, dropping my hand against his chest. I felt his head shake above mine.

“No. I don’t think you have.”

I let go of the breath I’d been holding. I didn’t need to hold my breath that everything would be okay anymore. “I love you,” I whispered. “I love you so much.”





Standing in at the wedding had turned into standing in at the honeymoon. I wasn’t exactly sure how I’d gotten here. Why I’d let it get this far. Why I hadn’t pulled her aside at the reception to tell her what was up.

I knew part of it was because I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t ignore how this whole day felt so right. I had a conscience—I knew I did. Somewhere. It had made itself known plenty of times before where Cora was involved, but today, it seemed to have disappeared. Taken a temporary hiatus.

I supposed I should have been more concerned than I was.

Maybe now that we were about to finally be alone, I should tell her. She might never forgive me, but she definitely never would if we went into that cottage and something else happened. I had to tell her before we got to that point.