As we pat down the soil, he leans over and kisses me hard.
I have a husband.
The one thing I thought I'd never do, and it's the one decision I've never been more sure of.
His lips are on mine again, and I'm basking in the heat from his hard body. His hands run down my back, circling my waist like he'll die if he isn't touching me.
"There is nothing you and I cannot achieve together," he whispers, kissing me harder now. His mouth is hot and possessive on mine, one hand gripping the hair at the back of my head. The breath is snatched from my lungs and I'm overcome with pleasure, both physical and emotional. His words seep into my chest, mending the cracks and splinters that have fractured my heart for so long.
The first drop of rain lands on my arm. It's one, and then it's hundreds. But Rexxan doesn't notice, or maybe he just doesn't care, because his lips never leave mine.
The sky opens above us, thundering down like it's trying to wash the hardships of our lives away, like it's giving us a chance to start anew. It is bitterly cold, but neither of us move to go inside. My laughter is lost in the thunder, and then Rexxan's is too. He tips his head back, his palms turned outwards, surrendering himself to the will of the elements.
He’s grinning as his thumbs brush my cold face, and I know my makeup must be running down my cheeks, mingling with the raindrops. But it doesn't bother me, because Rex has a way of making me feel beautiful whatever.
"I can't dance!" I yell, when he lifts my hand above my head as lighting shatters the fragile sky.
"I don't care!" He shouts back, over the thunder and the rain. He twirls me around, waltzing me around our tiny cabin's garden. I really cannot dance, but I don't need to, because Rexxan is doing it for me.
My expensive dress and his tailored shirt are soaked through, my hair plastered to my face as the rain pummels down. It washes away all my thoughts and leaves me with nothing but childlike elation. I'm not naive, and this isn't a fairytale. I know my relationship with Rexxan won't remove or fix everything I've been through. But beside him, I feel much bigger than my demons. Beside him, I can manage them.
I don't know what I was expecting him to deliver as a honeymoon, but it could not be any better than this. When lightning strikes a tree near us, he drags me inside and we leave a trail of water on the cool stone tile, running up the stairs and laughing like children.
The huge wooden barrel that forms our bath is already hot. Leaving our clothes in a soaking heap on the tiled floor, we sink into it. The heat of the water stings my cold toes, but it's a nice kind of pain. A pain that reminds me I’m just where I want to be. I lean over the edge of the barrel and rest my chin on my hand, watching the storm batter the trees in our garden.
"You want me to make the rain stop, baby? I'd do it for you."
"No," I sigh, happily. “No, I really don't."
“You’re celestial, Renna.” Big arms snake around me and his chin rests on my shoulder as he watches out the tiny window too. The outside is cold and brutal, but we're warm in here. I love it when that happens.
I glance over my shoulder, my face an inch from his. The golden light from the lanterns dances along his scars and reflects in those unreadable auburn eyes. He's a work of art, a rich tapestry built from all the events of his life. He is a god.
I turn my gaze back to the window, to the lighting illuminating the inky black sky. Hot kisses trail up my neck, his front flush with my back. "You do things to me, Rennalya," he whispers, as another gentle kiss lands beneath my ear.
I shudder a little, wriggling my hips to taunt him. A ragged breath tickles my neck. "Oh, Ren. You've been teasing me since day one."
"And you've been delivering on it," I reply, as strong hands lift me up to standing.
He pulls my hips back to fold me forward so I'm leaning over the edge of the bath. "Spread your feet wider, Rennalya."
Yes, Your Majesty.
For a second, he steps out of the bath and I'm left wondering, but then a full-length mirror slides its way in front of me, leaning against the wall. It's angled so that I can see myself, and then him too, when he returns to his position behind me.
He wants me to watch.
"I'd like you to watch, my love."
I know him so well.
“Happy to do this?” He checks, as he puts my hair up in a messy bun.
I nod, moan, and then bury my head in my forearms as his fingers start to tease me, but his hand gently lifts my head again. "Watch, Renna."
So I do. I watch the fire in his eyes ignite as he fucks me with two fingers. I watch my mouth drop open as the pleasure becomes too much, and I watch my body shake when I come, his free hand touching himself.
I like this mirror. This mirror can stay.
