She giggled.
He laughed.
And then they kissed.
At first, Meridith wasn’t sure if the brightness filling the room was from the sun or from the happiness within her, for she couldn’t remember ever waking up with such a broad smile on her face. Either way, it was bound to be a glorious day. She nuzzled her husband’s—God, she loved calling him that—shoulder with her nose, then kissed his warm flesh.
The arm that was beneath her and wrapped around her, pulled her closer to his side as his hand rubbed her upper arm. ‘Good morning, sweets,’ he said.
‘Good morning.’
He kissed her forehead. ‘I was wondering when you would wake up.’
‘You were?’ she asked, rubbing his shin with a toe under the sheet. ‘Why?’ Immediately knowing the answer, she bolted upright. ‘We aren’t late, are we? We have to have time to see Hugo before we depart!’
‘No, we aren’t late. I promised I wouldn’t let you oversleep.’
Good heavens, but he looked handsome, lying there with sultry-looking eyes, naked. Almost naked. The sheet covered his manhood. The body part that he’d pleasured her with several times throughout their wedding night.
He’d pleasured her in other ways, too, and the memories sent the sweetest tingles throughout her body. Her hands were grasping a corner of the sheet, holding it over her breasts. She uncurled her fingers, letting the sheet fall as she stretched both arms overhead. ‘So, we didn’t oversleep?’
‘No.’ He flipped the sheet off his body and then dropped his legs over the side of the bed as he sat up. ‘You still have plenty of time for a bath, and visiting Hugo, before we depart.’
She told herself to ignore the flash of disappointment at him leaving the bed, but took delight in watching him stand up. His body was so perfect it could be a statue, except that she wouldn’t like other women seeing it. He was hers, and hers alone.
He spun about and grasped her by the waist. ‘Come on.’
She scooted to the edge of the bed and looped her arms around his neck, kissed his chin.
He lifted her off the bed, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him deeply.
When he began walking, holding her tight against him with his hands on her bottom, she asked, ‘Where are we going?’
‘A bath has been prepared in the room across the hall.’
‘Oh. Are you going to carry me the entire way?’
‘Yes, and I’m going to join you. It’s a large tub.’
Tightening her arms around his neck, she said, ‘I do believe that mornings with you will be proven to be as delightful as evenings.’
‘That is my goal.’
A goal which, on that day, he accomplished. He also gave her ample time to visit with Hugo before they travelled to the docks.She had already said goodbye to her family, so was surprised to see Diana and Walter as well as Peter and Alena at the docks.
‘We simply wanted to wish you bon voyage,’ Diana said. ‘We are going to miss you.’
‘I’ll be back before you know it,’ Meridith replied. ‘But I am going to miss you all, very much,’ she added, looking at her siblings and their spouses. They all had been very good to her, and she regretted not understanding that sooner. Drake had explained it best by simply saying that battling through a storm made a person appreciate smooth sailing.
It was late afternoon by the time theLondon Starleft the dock, and it would take several hours before they would reach the English Channel. It was all so new to Meridith that she didn’t want to miss a moment and found a comfortable spot on the upper deck where she could watch everything, the men working aboard the ship, as well as the sights that they sailed past.
The ship was large in many aspects, and small in others, because every square inch had a specific purpose. The cargo they would unload at ports along the way to Africa would provide the space for the goods they would haul back to London with them. Including an elephant. Hugo would be so happy about that.
She turned, searched the deck for her husband, and easily found him, talking to Mr West, his second mate.
Drake turned, and their gazes met. She felt every nuance of the look he bestowed on her. The love. The passion. The devotion. A few months ago, she had wondered if a man would ever look at her that way, and now it happened regularly. He was everything she had ever wanted and would forever be all she would ever need.
He said something to Mr West, then left the man and walked to her. ‘How are you doing?’
