Page 25 of Surrender

The way our bed was positioned we had a beautiful view of the ocean through the glass patio door. She’d cuddled up next to me and rested her head on my chest. It wasn’t long before her eyes had closed, and she was snoring softly. I, on the other hand, stayed up for a little while longer just watching her.

It still hadn’t fully settled in that I was a married man. I mean, I had a daily reminder on my finger and in my face every time I looked at her. But I was sure it wouldn’t register that this was real until we were back home and settled into our new lives together. There was still so much to do!

She told me she’d taken a few weeks off from work, so we had nothing but time on our hands. I wasn’t writing a new book, nor had I taken on any illustration projects, so my schedule was free as well. I’d already set up a meeting with my realtor so we could have a conversation about what we were looking for in our first home.

Part of me felt like I was jumping the gun, but I was excited, and I hoped she could understand that. We’d already said we’d alternate weeks at each other’s place until we found our forever home. I’d gotten a pretty good feel of her apartment when I spent the night. She was very neat and very clean.

Everything had a place. Things were color-coordinated and perfectly aligned. If I was being honest, I was a little afraid to touch anything. I wasn’t sure how she’d react if something was even the slightest bit off-centered. I knew when we bought a home, I’d have to do a better job at keeping house.

“Good morning,” I heard behind me.

I was currently in the kitchen making coffee. Since I was an early riser, most days anyway, I was up with the sun today. I’d gotten in a workout session, showered, and spoken to Jessa already.

I turned to see Kachelle coming toward me with sleep still in her eyes. She came into my outstretched arms and wrapped hers around me.

“Good morning, love,” I said, stooping to kiss her lips.

“You let me sleep in,” she mumbled.

“I wouldn’t dare interrupt your beauty sleep. Are you hungry?”

“I’m starving.”

“I can whip us up something real quick. What do you have in mind for the day?”

“I want to do the ATV tour.”

My eyes widened. “Oh really?”

“You’re surprised?”

“I just wasn’t expecting that.”

She giggled. “I spent a lot of time in the country parts of South Carolina with my grandparents. I used to ride dirt bikes, four-wheelers, go-carts, and tractors. I’m not as much of a priss as people think by looking at me.”

“Well, I gotta see this. I’ll book it. Go on and take a shower while I make you something to eat.”

“Okay.”

She pecked my lips and sauntered off back to the bedroom. I picked up my phone and searched for the tour she wanted. After booking, I went to the fridge and gathered ingredients to make eggs, sausage, and toast. There was also fresh fruit that I decided to dice up. By the time she returned, everything was done and plated.

When she stepped into the kitchen dressed in a pair of cut-off shorts, a midriff top, and a pair of sneakers, I licked my lips. I really felt like she could never look bad. Her face was free of makeup, and she’d pulled her hair up into a messy bun.

“You’re—”

“Staring,” I finished with a chuckle. “I know. You look beautiful.”

She looked down at her outfit. “I look real plain.”

“You could never be plain.” I pulled her into my arms and pecked her lips. “Do you understand how insanely attracted I am to you, woman?”

I gave her ass a light smack before ushering her into a chair so she could eat. After a quick prayer, we dug in. We spoke briefly about what we wanted to do today. When we were done, we headed out to meet the cab that was picking us up to take us to the tour.

Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up to the ATV park. Filing out of the cab, we headed inside to finish registering. The place was already filled with tourists. After getting situated, we were separated into groups and fitted with protective gear before heading back outside. Waiting for us was a man who I assumed to be the tour guide.

“Welcome, everyone! My name is Nikos, and I’ll be your guide for today’s ATV tour of the beautiful island of Santorini. Is everyone ready for an exciting adventure?”

The group of us nodded and clapped in agreement.