Page 12 of Maldives & Mistletoe

SEVEN

Eve and Theo

THEO

“For the record, Eve,” Theo grumbled, trailing behind his wife by a couple of feet on the docks that separated each vacation hut, “this is way too early for any-fucking-body to be awake. Look, the sun isn’t even up.”

He wasn’t lying, and it was way too early. Theo didn’t roll his ass out of bed before ten for anything less than his boss, his wife’s pussy, or a hell of a lot of money. Technically, none of those things were actually on the table at the moment unless …

“Are we gonna go fuck in the water?” he asked. “Because I am up for that, Eve.”

She shot him a look over her shoulder, all sweet smiles and twinkling eyes. He knew her answer before she even said it simply because if she was planning something dirty, that smile of hers would be a whole lot more sinful.

Damn.

“Will you quit whining?”

“It’s six in the morning,” Theo groaned. “What part of the fact that I can’t actually function at six in the morning don’t you understand, donna? You’re killing me here, Eve. Killing me. You’re going to give me a heart attack from the stress of forcing me to get up this early. And on a vacation, no less.”

It didn’t fail to amaze him how years ago, Theo stayed up for hours on end just to keep from falling asleep as much as possible. The nightmares had still been an awful bitch back then, to be fair. Over the years, he found sleep came easier for him, but especially when he was sharing a bed with Eve.

He still had the nightmares occasionally, but they were fewer and far between, now. They weren’t as traumatic when he did have them, either. He came out of them easier, and recovered far faster when one did creep up on him. He didn’t fear sleep anymore. Actually, he kind of fucking loved it.

Which was why he shouldn’t be up right now.

“Do you want a bow to go in your hair, too?”

“What?”

“You sound like you started your period.”

Christ.

He loved his wife. She was sharp and quick in ways a lot of people except him didn’t get to see. She saved all that wit for him when he was giving her shit, and she knew she had to give it back just as hard.

Theo snapped his mouth shut, but not before murmuring, “I’m just saying that fucking in the water would have made waking up this early much more worth it.”

“If you shut up, you might get that later.”

Yep.

He shut right up.

All the way up.

Zipped lips all the way.

“Besides,” Eve continued, coming closer to Adriano and Alessa’s hut, “you know everybody with kids are already awake and getting ready for the day. They’re always waiting on your lazy ass because you don’t have kids, and you like to sleep in.”

“I take their kids all the time!”

“Don’t yell. Now be good and help me get the kids back to our place.”

Theo shot her a look, but Eve pretended like she didn’t even see it. “Are you going to watch them all by yourself for the entire day, or …? Because I am not going to be here.”

“Quite aware, and no. Just for the morning. I got all that stuff for pancakes, remember? You put the locks on everything because Damian was going insane about it.”

“Well, he did have a point.”