Rock Chick Redux (Rock Chick #8.5)(3)

“Honey,” he whispered.

“Thank you for not giving up on me.”

His face got soft and his arms got tight, but this time, they didn’t loosen.

And there it was.

He was even more beautiful.

“Baby,” he said and it sounded almost like a groan.

I dipped my face closer and cupped his cheek with my hand.

“And thank you for loving me.”

He stilled and stared at me for approximately five point five seconds.

Then I was on my back with Ren on me.

“You like that house?” he growled and I blinked at the change of subject, not to mention his tone.

“What?” I asked.

“The house we’re stayin’ in, babe. Up there.” He jerked his head toward the three bedroom beach house he’d rented for our honeymoon.

Three bedrooms was overkill since we only needed one. But they did offer variety, something we took advantage of that day (and, well…the day before). Not to mention, the place was breezy, had big rooms, lots of windows, a wraparound veranda, a fabulous kitchen, a sunken Jacuzzi bath in the master, a shower built for two, it was off the beaten path and had a private beach.

“You like it?” he pressed.

“Uh…yeah,” I answered.

“That’s good, since it’s your wedding present.”

It was my turn to stare.

It was Ren’s turn to frame my face and drop his close.

He did it way better. Especially with that intensity in his eyes I could see even in the moonlight that shot through me, down my throat, to my heart, my gut and straight into my soul.

“You’ve got your way, the way you are and the way you are with the ones you care about,” he said quietly and I stilled.

I’d heard those words before.

Oh God.

I’d heard them before.

Ren kept talking.

“And that way is everything, Ally. And you give that to me. You give me that everything.

You’re gonna give that everything to our kids.” He held my eyes but shook his head. “Do not thank me for loving you. Don’t ever do that shit. Because, baby, I’m the one on this beach who’s all kinds lucky. And for the rest of my life, I get to have that feeling because you give it to me.

You got nothing to thank me for. But me, I got a lifetime of finding ways to show you how much it means that you make me that… f*cking…lucky.”

Oh crap, I was going to cry.

Shit!

I was going to cry.

“Don’t make me cry on my honeymoon, Zano,” I snapped and slapped his arm for good measure.

He stared at me a beat before he burst out laughing.

That was better, especially since it was multi-sensory experience seeing as I could hear it, see it and feel it.

Suddenly, I was up on my feet, Ren with me and his arms were around me.

I tipped my head back and caught his eyes.

“Ever go skinny dipping in the sea in moonlight?” he asked.

Skinny dipping. Check.

Moonlight. Check.

Sea. No.

I didn’t inform him of the first two.

I just said, “No.”

His eyes lost focus as he muttered, “Get to give that to my wife too.”

His wife.

His wife.

God.

Was that righteous, or what?

While I was thinking that, I got a shoulder in my belly and I was up.

Macho alpha shit.

“Zano!” I shouted in protest, but I was full of it.

I loved my macho alpha.

Straight to my soul.

Ren strode to the surf, carrying me with him.

Then he tossed me in it.

He dove in after me.

And my husband and I skinny dipped in the sea in moonlight on our honeymoon outside our new beach house.

He was lucky?

I’d let him think that.

But it was me who was all kinds of lucky.

Yeah.

Oh yeah.

Righteous.