A choked groan escaped Carter's throat and his hand tightened on my hip as he found his own release. He reached for my hand again and held it tightly as he stroked through the last few drops of his pleasure. His eyes closed and his face tensed in a beautiful expression of culminated pleasure and release. I ground my core into his body a few more times and then brought my body down flush on his chest, resting my head on his chest and hearing his heart pound frantically.
Still connected, we lay there for endless moments as our breathing slowed. Carter traced a random pattern along my bare back with one fingertip, the movement soft and sweet and comforting. I inhaled deeply and then snuggled my nose up into his neck happily.
"Good morning." I smiled with my eyes closed.
"A very good morning." He brushed his hand through my tangled hair. "You’re so beautiful. Thank you."
"Thank you for the wake up call?" I grinned.
"Thank you for marrying me," he said seriously.
I smiled softly and inhaled his delicious scent. And then my tummy grumbled in protest. A laugh escaped Carter's throat.
"Come on, let's get up and get you fed." He smacked me on the bottom lightly.
"I kind of just want to stay in bed all day with you." I made no effort to move.
"Then we will. After we eat." He pulled me off his body and then headed for the bathroom, completely naked and a treat for my eyes the entire way. I sat on the edge of the bed waiting for him to come back. My body was a limp mass of pleasure, unable to move. He came back out and stood a few steps before me, naked as ever, and quirked an eyebrow. My eyes traveled over his lean frame, from his sleek muscled arms, his defined shoulders, the gentle slopes of his chest, down further, to his narrowed waist and cut hips…
"See something you like?" A cocky grin played across his lips. I dragged my eyes slowly back up his body and smiled and arched a playful eyebrow at him. His eyes flashed with dark lust and the smile fell away from his lips. My heart thudded a few beats and I thought he was going to come to me again and we could commence the rest of our day of love spent in bed. He heaved a big sigh and then his playful grin came back.
"Food. Sooner we eat, sooner we can get back to bed." He grinned mischievously and then pulled on a worn pair of jeans that he had hanging over a chair in the corner. I huffed and pulled a tank top over my head and slipped on a pair of panties. I was only interested in the bare minimum to make me presentable in the kitchen before I could peel them back off again and curl up in that big bed with this beautiful man.
"What do you want to eat?" He held my hand as we walked down the staircase and into the kitchen.
"Leftover pizza." My eyes sparked with childish amusement.
"Sex and pizza seems to be the way to your heart then." Carter grinned.
"Something like that." I grabbed the box out of the fridge and set it on the island, choosing a piece.
"You're not heating it up?"
I glared at him in response. "And ruin perfectly good leftover pizza? Never." I took a bite. "Mm, cold pizza in the morning, nothing better."
He smiled and then grabbed a piece for himself.
Carter and I spent the rest of our first day as a married couple in bed, cuddling, giggling, and loving each other. It felt like our own perfect piece of happiness; a state of blissful peace. The serenity that came over Carter's features that day was magical to see. The controlling CEO slipped away—he abandoned his demons and became a man who acted his age, smiled easily, laughed heartily, and loved freely. And I became the confident woman I always wanted to be. Carter loved me, and showed me just how much. I was confident with my body and our relationship. While our time together may have been short, it was pure.
The next few days went by in much the same way. Carter took business calls now and again, but we still managed to venture out into town and shop, hold hands and giggle like teenagers, people-watch at the local coffee house, and drive around seeing the Aspen sights. The nights were spent in the hot tub enjoying the cool mountain air, at times snowflakes drifted down softly, landing on our eyelashes and melted in the steaming hot air hovering above the hot tub. We drank wine, cooked dinner together, and ordered pizza, drinking beer on those nights. We didn't talk about Boston at all. We didn't talk about our families’ reactions to our hasty marriage. We lived in the moment, in our own little Aspen bubble, and it was undoubtedly a slice of heaven.
Chapter Eight
The following Friday, our fifth day of marriage, Carter took a few phone calls in the morning and then woke me with coffee in bed. He certainly knew the direct line to my heart was a steaming cup of coffee in the morning. I smiled as I inhaled the aroma.