She groaned.
“I’m sorry,” I continued, “but you’re going to have to look at my face. I promise I won’t talk to you and you don’t have to talk to me. I’m just not leaving you on your own. Not during our honeymoon. It doesn’t seem right.”
“Okay,” she said. “You’re going mute for this entire holiday, are you?”
I shrugged.
The silence had started.
“Tristan, don’t be an idiot. You can talk. I just might not talk back. For a few days at least. But I don’t mind if you want to go out and explore—do water sports, get drunk at the bar, go eat sushi— Scratch that, don’t eat sushi if you want to share a bed. At this point, any hint of sushi breath will guarantee you a lap full of vomit.”
I shook my head and pointed to the ground, indicating I was staying put. I wasn’t going anywhere without her.
She shrugged and went back to her book. I went inside, slid on some shorts and grabbed my laptop. I started going through my emails. After about an hour, I moved to one of the sun loungers just along from where Parker was sitting. About forty minutes later, Parker joined me on the lounger next to mine. It felt like a kind of victory, but maybe I was reading too much into it.
Just before eleven, she pulled off the white dress she’d been wearing, revealing a red bikini that showed off all her curves. She pulled on an oversized sun hat and wandered to the plunge pool. My mouth dropped open like a lovesick, cartoon puppy. The parts she kept hidden were just as mesmerizing as everything on display.
She was gorgeous.
We spent the rest of the day not exchanging a word. At around one, I asked our butler to create a small buffet. When it arrived, I made her a plate and put it on the table next to the lounger. Our butler mixed up some drinks and left them in the fridge, so I made sure both our glasses were kept topped up.
At just before three, she tried to apply sunscreen to her back, so I took the bottle from her and slowly rubbed in the lotion to every exposed part of her back. She thanked me with a smile.
By seven, long after the sun had set, Parker closed her book, picked up the array of glasses and plates we’d gotten through and took them inside, then headed to the bathroom.
I took a quick shower after her and at eight thirty, handed her a glass of champagne. In my head, I wished her a happy honeymoon. After dinner, she put on her pig pajamas and slid under the bedsheet. I got in the other side and faced her.
She reached over and stroked her palm down my face. “Thank you for today.” My heart thundered in my chest at the sound of her voice. It was like I hadn’t heard her speak for weeks. “It’s the nicest gift anyone ever gave me.”
I was more than happy she was happy, but I wasn’t quite sure what I’d done.
“It means so much that you listened to me and gave me a chance to recharge. And I’m also pleased you didn’t listen to me and leave me on my own.”
I trailed my fingers up her arm. “There’s no one I’d rather say nothing to than you.” It was true. Today had been the most comfortable I’d ever been in silence. Most comfortable I’d ever been with any woman.
She blushed at the compliment. “You sleepy?” she asked.
My hand slipped down her back and began to trace the outline of her spine. “No. You?”
She slid her leg between mine and shook her head.
My hand snaked lower and smoothed over her bottom. Her palm trailed down my chest.
We continued to slowly circle each other, caressing each other’s bodies, exploring every line and surface like we were two animals who just met after thinking they were the only one of their kind. It was an exploration full of curiosity, reverence, and intimacy, and neither of us wanted to rush it.
“What are we doing?” she whispered.
“What do you want to do?”
“I want you to kiss me,” she replied.
She wasn’t going to have to ask twice. I rolled her onto her back and slid on top of her, caging her with my arms. I trailed my teeth along her jaw and took a deep breath to try to steady my racing heart. God, she smelled so good. She tasted of margaritas and sunshine, and I wanted to swallow her down. I took her top lip between mine, savoring the sweetness, and groaned as she pressed her tongue into my mouth.
My cock sprung to life between us and I circled my hips, grinding into her, our clothes still separating us. God, it felt so good to be touching her, so right, like something had been missing and now had finally slotted into place.