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“I’m guessing you’re not referring to Transformers or Barbie dolls?”
I giggle. “No.”
“Have you ever had a vibrator?”
“No.”
His eyebrows rise. “Oh, then I’m definitely getting you some of those.”
“Some? Wouldn’t one do?”
“They come in a variety of shapes and sizes.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you know, ones that stimulate different bits…”
“You mean the clit?”
“That’s one.”
“Ooh, you mean anal?”
He blows out a breath and flops onto his back, covering his face with his hands. “For fuck’s sake. We literally had sex five minutes ago, and now I’ve got a hard on again. My refractory period just vanishes when you’re around.”
I laugh and kiss his chest, then up his neck. “My man,” I murmur, touching my lips to his.
He gives me an exasperated look. “You’re going to sex me to death, aren’t you?”
“Darling, I’m going to do my very, very best.”
And I kiss him as he sighs, while the evening breeze blows across our skin.
*
The next day, we travel across the bay to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The morning is clear, but the sky clouds over in the afternoon, and it rains briefly—heavy Northland rain that soaks the roads and pavements, which promptly steam in the hot sun when the clouds clear.
The seaside town of Paihia is packed with tourists, but it has an amazing atmosphere because of that, and we wander along the shop fronts selling buckets and spades as well as Kiwi souvenirs, eating ice cream before finally boarding one of the boats out to see the Hole in the Rock. Saxon smothers me in sun lotion and insists I wear a sunhat, which makes sense once we’re out in the bay and the sun and wind are doing their best to roast us all.
I discover that the boat belongs to another friend of his—Niall—who comes over to chat for a while, and insists we join him and his friends at one of the bars in town later. I’m thrilled when he points out a pod of dolphins, and Saxon and I lean on the side of the boat and watch them swimming beneath us, keeping speed.
In the evening, we walk down to the Between the Sheets bar that Niall’s friend owns, and we spend a pleasant couple of hours there with Niall, his wife Genie, and his friends, before finally walking back to the villa that Saxon has booked for us, overlooking the bay.
The next day we drive into Kerikeri, and we look around the Stone Store, which is the oldest stone building in the country. Then we have lunch in the nearby Partridge Inn, looking out over the inlet. We’re also staying in the cottages attached to the inn, and as I’m feeling a bit tired, we spend the rest of the day relaxing, snoozing together on the bed, listening to the tui birds calling outside, and smelling the lemons and mandarins on the trees in the garden.
On the thirtieth, we drive up to Doubtless Bay, stopping at a historic fishing village called Mangonui, where we discover a magnificent little chocolate and coffee shop called Treats to Tempt You. I try their peppermint creams and announce they’re the best ones I’ve had, so Saxon buys me the biggest box they make. We stay the night in a hotel on Cooper’s Beach, and wake on New Year’s Eve to seagulls calling outside the window, and a beautiful sunny day.
We’re sitting on the balcony, eating croissants with jam and looking out at the bay, when Saxon’s phone rings. He looks at the screen and says, “It’s William Egerton.”
Immediately, my heart skips a beat.
“I’ll talk to him first,” he says, “okay?” When I nod, he swipes the screen and puts it to his ear. “Hello? Yes, speaking. Hello, William. Yes, good thanks. Ah, no, we’re up in the Northland at the moment. Actually, we’re on our honeymoon—we got married on Boxing Day.” He smiles. “Thank you. So, do you have some news?”
He listens for a bit. Says, “Yes, she’s here, but can you run it past me first, please? William, I’m not passing the phone to Catie until you give me a rough idea of what it contains.” He listens again, frowning. And then, finally, his gaze rises to mine. “Just a moment,” he says softly. He presses the speaker button and places the phone on the table. “You’re on speaker.”
“Good morning, Catie,” William says.
“Hello,” I say, pleased my voice isn’t trembling.
