Until Death Do We Part (Sex and Vows 1)

Chapter 1

Evie

“I have another assignment for you.” My boss’s words weren’t a surprise. I used to live for the sound of them. There was always another job needing to be done, and I’d risen up the ranks quickly because I never hesitated to do whatever it took to accomplish the task at hand. The travel was an added perk, letting me see the world on someone else’s dime. In the days before Alex came into my life, I didn’t have any roots and accepted every assignment which came my way. In the years since, I had become more selective—or at least, as choosy as my employer allowed me to be.

“I just got back two days ago. I haven’t even finished all the paperwork from the last job,” I argued. He was a stickler for proper documentation, one of his few weaknesses. I had used it to my advantage in the past, and I hoped my excuse would put him off for a little bit this time around too. I still hadn’t seen my husband since my return home because he was in London dealing with a contract issue for a client. His flight was due to land at six o’clock tonight, and I planned to welcome him home in style.

“It’s in Rome. But, you’ll have enough time to take care of any loose ends on your last assignment while the team works on obtaining the research you’ll need for this one before you have to leave.”

“Rome?” I didn’t allow my surprise to bleed into my tone, but I was feeling it nonetheless. Rome was the location of my primary contact, sort of a home base, where I reported to the chief of station when I was in Europe. Then, I would travel to my assignments from there. Also, Alex and I had a vacation home there. Running a job so close to home (so to speak)—in a place I’d built part of my life with Alex, a life I kept separate from my job—wasn’t something I was the least bit interested in doing. “Wouldn’t it be wise to use local talent? Avoid shitting where we eat and all that?”

His answering chuckle held no hint of humor at my turn of phrase. “You’re know the area, you’re available, and have the right skill set for the job.”

“But—“

“My decision is final.” His tone hardened, and I knew there was no leeway this time around. Not unless I wanted him to think I doubted his judgment, which wouldn’t be wise on my part.

“Understood, sir.” I’d just have to find a way to make it work, but I’d worry about it tomorrow. Tonight I was going to focus on my husband.

Tossing my stuff into my bag, I followed my boss out the door and locked up my office behind me. It was still early afternoon, but nobody questioned me as I marched through the building and out to my brilliant red Audi R8. I’d purchased her a few months before meeting Alex, and she was my baby. I’d had to pull some strings to get her since the model was an extremely limited series. She was worth it, though. She went from zero to sixty in 3.1 seconds, handled fast corners with precision, and was as suitable for the race track as it was for the streets. Alex had given me a bit of a hard time over it, citing safety issues, but I hadn’t been willing to budge, pointing out it had been outfitted with a race-package option that included a full roll cage, a fire extinguisher, and four-point seat belts.

Starting the engine, I took a moment to enjoy the power of my little beauty for a moment before peeling out of the parking lot. After a quick stop at the store, I was home making dinner for my man, in a house complete with a white picket fence and gourmet kitchen. Four years ago, I had been certain this was the last thing I wanted for myself. Meeting Alex changed everything for me. I knew with my first glance at him that I’d end up in his bed. He was ruggedly handsome, six feet and two inches of lean muscles wrapped in a suit which had to have been designed to fit his body. His dark hair had been cropped close to his head back then, and the dark stubble on his face accented his chiseled features. It also made my inner thighs tingle at the thought of that stubble rubbing against the sensitive skin there. His charm was lethal, and it didn’t take long for my heart to fall right along with my body as I tumbled into bed with him.

I’d been wrapping up an assignment and hadn’t been looking for anything serious, but he had swept me off my feet. A week-long vacation to Fiji with an itinerary full of hot and sweaty sex, with all the orgasms a woman could hope for, left me wanting more of Alex. My employer had been pushing me for months to accept a transfer to D.C. so when I learned Alex lived there, I got the ball rolling to make the change. Alex’s offer to move in with him told me he wanted this as badly as I did. Three months later, we were married. Ours was the epitome of a whirlwind courtship, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was well aware things could change in the blink of an eye, and I refused to waste any time when it came to starting my life with Alex.

Glancing down at my hand, my engagement ring sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the windows. The huge diamond in the middle was flawless, but it was the rubies on either side of it which drew my eye, as they always did. Alex couldn’t have known how appropriate the ring was for me when he’d picked it out, but I’d taken the scarlet red gems as a sign that our marriage was meant to be and threw caution to the wind for the first time in my life. It was a decision which brought me more happiness than I ever thought I’d have. I had an amazing husband who adored me and made my heart race, the same way it had done from the very beginning. The only thing that was missing from the perfect image of the cliché housewife was my flat stomach. I wasn’t barefoot and pregnant. Not yet anyway.

My hand slid down the apron I was wearing, over my belly, and an idea jumped into my head. Time was short if I was going to pull it off since Alex would be home any minute. Racing into our bedroom, I stripped out of the dress slacks and blouse I’d worn into the office. Striding into the walk-in closet, I tossed the dirty clothes into the basket for dry cleaning—a habit Alex had helped me develop with inventive rewards involving orgasms—and pulled a white teddy, thong, garter, and hose from one of my dresser drawers.

Changing into the lingerie, I caught my image in the floor-length mirror Alex had installed and grinned at the wicked gleam in my eyes and the flush on my cheeks. Wrapping the apron back around my body and tying it into place, my grin turned into a satisfied smirk. Alex was sure to take the phrase on the front of the apron seriously. Kiss the cook indeed.

At the sound of the garage door going up, I stepped into a pair of four-inch sling back heels and headed for the kitchen. It was a good thing I could run in heels because I had just reached the counter and started chopping vegetables for the salad when Alex walked through the door connecting the garage and kitchen.

“Evie, baby, I’m—“

Thunk.

I looked over my shoulder and found Alex stripping out of his suit, with his briefcase on the floor beside him. His suit coat was next to it, and his shoes were kicked to the side. I blatantly stared as he unbuttoned his shirt, letting it drop to the floor as he stalked towards me. He unbuckled his belt, flicked open the button on his pants, and lowered his zipper in the time it took him to reach me. He stopped about a foot away from me, his gaze raking me from head to toe.