no i'm not saying i'm sorry

“Can we marry tomorrow?” he murmurs softly in my ear. I am sprawled on his chest in the flowery bower in the boathouse, sated from our passionate lovemaking.“Hmm.”“Is that a yes?” I hear his hopeful surprise.“Hmm.”“A no?”“Hmm.”I sense his grin. “Are you  incoherent?”I grin. “Hmm.”He laughs and hugs me tightly, kissing the top of my head. 

“I was hoping you’d rub me down with more sunscreen.” I pout against his lips.“ it’s a dirty job . . . but that’s an offer I can’t refuse. Sit up,” he orders, his voice husky. I do as I’m told, and with slow meticulous strokes from strong and supple fingers, he coats me in sunscreen.“You really are very lovely. I’m a lucky man,” he murmurs as his fingers skim over my breasts, spreading the lotion.“Yes, you are.” I gaze coyly up at him through my lashes.“Modesty becomes you. Turn over. I want to do your back.”

Smiling, I roll over, and he undoes the back strap of my hideously expensive bikini.“How would you feel if I went topless, like the other women on the beach?” I ask.“Displeased,” he says without hesitation. “I’m not very happy about you wearing so little right now.” He leans down and whispers in my ear. “Don’t push your luck.”“Is that a challenge?”“No. It’s a statement of  fact.”I sigh and shake my head. Oh, Christian . . . my possessive, jealous, control freak Christian.When he’s finished, he slaps my behind.“You’ll do, wench.”

He raises his eyebrow in playful warning, slaps my backside once more, and sits back down on his lounger to take the call.My inner goddess purrs. Maybe tonight we could do some kind of  floor show for his eyes only. She smirks knowingly, arching a brow. I grin at the thought and drift back into my afternoon siesta.

“Come for a swim with me.” He holds out his hand while I look up at him, dazed. “Swim?” he says again, cocking his head to one side, an amused expression on his face. When I don’t respond, he shakes his head slowly.

“I think you need a wake-up call.” Suddenly he pounces and lifts me into his arms while I shriek, more from surprise than alarm.

He wraps my ponytail around his wrist and tugs gently, tilting my head back, exposing my throat. He trails kisses from my ear down my neck.“Shall I take you in the sea?” he breathes.“Yes,” I whisper.He  pulls away and gazes down at me, his eyes warm, wanting, and amused. “ you’re insatiable and so brazen. What sort of monster have I created?”“A monster fit for you. Would you have me any other way?”“I’ll take you any way I can get you, you know that. But not right now. Not with an audience.” He jerks his head toward the shore.

“Baby, it’s our party, and we can do whatever we want. We’ve cut the cake. And right now, I’d like to whisk you away and have you all to myself.”“Let’s go,” he urges.“I have to change.” I grasp his hand, meaning to pull him through the French windows and upstairs with me. He frowns, not understanding, and tugs gently on my hand, halting me.“I thought you wanted to be the one to take this dress off,” I explain. His eyes light up.“Correct.” He gives me a lascivious grin. “But I’m not undressing you here. We wouldn’t leave until . . . I don’t know . . .” He waves his long-fingered hand, leaving his sentence unfinished but his meaning quite clear.

I flush and let go of his hand.“And don’t take your hair down either,” he murmurs darkly.“But—”“No buts. You look beautiful. And I want to be the one to undress you.”Oh. I frown.“Pack your going-away clothes,” he orders. “You’ll need them. 

Taking my hand, he leads me under their outstretched arms while our guests shout good luck  and congratulations and shower us with rice.In turn they hug and kiss us both. 

Taking my hand, he leads me to one of the sumptuous leather  seats. There must be about twelve of them in total.“Sit,” he says as he removes his jacket and undoes his fine sliver brocade vest. We sit in two  single seats facing each other with a small, highly polished table between us.“Welcome aboard, sir, ma’am, and congratulations.” 

“There’s a bathroom here.” He points to a small door then leads me on down a short corridor and through a door at the end.Jeez . . . a bedroom. The cabin is cream and maple wood and the small double bed is covered in gold and taupe cushions. It looks very comfortable.He turns and pulls me into his arms, gazing down at me.“I thought we’d spend our wedding night at thirty-five-thousand feet. It’s something I’ve never done before.”Holy cow . . . another first. I gape at him, my heart pounding . . . the mile high club. I’ve heard about this.

“But first I have to get you out of this fabulous dress.” His eyes glow with love and something darker, something I love . . . something that calls to my inner goddess. He takes my breath away.“Turn around.” His voice is low, authoritative, and sexy as hell. How can he infuse so much promise into those two words? Willingly I comply and his hands move to my hair. Gently he pulls out each hairpin one at a time, his expert fingers making short work of the task. My hair falls in swathes over my shoulders, one lock at a time, covering my back and down to my breasts. I try to stand still and not squirm, but I’m aching for his touch. After our long, tiring but exciting day, I want him—all of him.“You have such beautiful hair, Ana.” His mouth is close to my ear and I feel his breath, though his lips don’t touch me. When my hair is free of pins, he runs his fingers through it, gently massaging my scalp . . . oh my . . . I close my eyes and savor the sensation. His fingers travel on down, and he tugs, tilting my head back to expose my throat.“You’re mine,” he breathes and his teeth tug my ear lobe.I groan.

“Hush now,” he admonishes. He sweeps my hair over my shoulder and trails a finger across the top of my back from shoulder to shoulder following the lace edge of my dress. I shiver in anticipation. He plants a tender kiss on my back above the first button on my dress.

“So beautiful,” he says as he deftly undoes the first button. “You have made me the happiest man alive today.” With infinite slowness, he unfastens each one, all the way down my back. “I love you so much.”Trailing  kisses from the nape of my neck to the edge of my shoulder. Between each kiss he murmurs, “I. Want. You. So. Much. I. Want. To. Be. Inside. You. You. Are. Mine.”

Each word is intoxicating. I close my eyes and tilt my head, giving him easier access to my neck, and I fall further under the spell that is my husband.“Mine,” he whispers once more. He peels my dress down my arms so that it pools at my feet in a cloud of ivory silk and lace.“Turn around,” he whispers, his voice suddenly hoarse. I do so and he gasps.I’m dressed in a tight, blush-pink satin corset with garter straps, matching lacy briefs, and white silk stockings. Christian’s eyes travel greedily down my body, but he says nothing. He just gazes at me, his eyes wide with want.

“You like?” I whisper aware of the shy blush creeping across my cheeks.“More than like, baby. You look sensational. Here.” He holds out his hand and taking it, I step out of my dress.“Keep still,” he murmurs and without taking his darkening eyes off mine, he runs his middle finger over my breasts, following the line of my corset. My breath shallows, and he repeats the journey over my breasts once more, his tantalizing finger sending tingles down my spine. He stops and twirls his index finger in the air, indicating that he wants me to turn around.For him, right now, I’d do anything.“Stop,” he says. I’m facing the bed, away from him. His arm encircles my waist, pulling me against him, and he nuzzles my neck. Gently he cups my breasts, toying with them, while his thumbs circle over my nipples so that they strain against the fabric of my corset.“Mine,” he whispers.“Yours,” I breathe.

Leaving my breasts bereft he runs his hands down my stomach, over my belly, and down to my thights , his thumbs skimming my sex. I stifle a moan. His fingers skate down each garter, and with his usual dexterity, he simultaneously unhooks each one from my stockings. His hands travel around to my behind.“Mine,” he breathes as his hands spread across my backside,the tips of his fingers brushing my sex.“Ah.”“Hush.” His hands travel down the backs of my thighs, and once more he unclips my garters.Leaning down, he pulls back the cover on the bed. “Sit down.”I do as I’m told in his thrall, and he kneels at my feet and gently tugs off each of my white bridal Jimmy Choos. He grasps the top of my left stocking and slowly peels it off, running his thumbs down my leg . . . Oh my. He repeats the process with my other stocking.“This is like unwrapping my Christmas presents.” He smiles up at me through his long dark lashes.“A present you’ve had already . . .”He frowns in admonishment. “Oh no, baby. This time it’s really mine.”

“Christian, I’ve been yours since I said yes.” I scoot forward, cupping his beloved face in my hands. “I’m yours. I will always be yours, husband of mine. Now, I think you’re wearing too many clothes.” I bend to kiss him, and suddenly he leans up, kisses my lips, and grasps my head with his hands, his fingers threading into my hair.“Ana,” he breathes. “My Ana.” His lips claim mine once more, his tongue invasively persuasive.“Clothes,” I whisper, our breath mingling as I push back his vest and he struggles out of it, releasing me for a moment. He pauses, gazing at me, eyes wide, eyes wanting.“Let me, please.” My voice is soft and cajoling. I want to undress my husband, my Fifty.He sits back on his heels, and leaning forward I grasp his tie—his sliver-gray tie, my favorite tie—and slowly undo it and pull it free. He raises his chin to let me tackle the  top button of his white shirt; then once it’s undone, I move on to his cuffs. He’s wearing platinum cufflinks—engraved with an entwined A and C—my wedding present to him.