“Are you excited?” Austin asked as he took another turn leading to Sunlit Tides.
“Of course,” Cheyenne replied as her stomach jumped in anticipation and slight apprehension.
Austin reached over, held her hand, and brought it to his lips. “Yesterday was the best day of my life. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Austin. And it was definitely the best day of my life too. I feel so complete now.”
“I do too. I think the minister was right about his soul mate speech. I really do believe we were created for each other.”
“Absolutely.”
The couple arrived in Sunlit Tides at last after driving a solid day with few stops in between. The sun was beginning to set and its reflection danced across the water on the horizon. This town was the perfect place for a honeymoon – such a romantic, serene place with the promise of nothing but euphoria.
Austin had rented a cozy beach house for the two to stay in. He parked in front of it and Cheyenne looked at it in awe. It was fancier than she’d expected, and it made her heart beat even faster.
“Are you sure this is okay?” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course I’m sure. Don’t even worry about the money – no matter what I spent, you’re worth it. And besides, this is our honeymoon. Let’s not worry about expenses.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Come on, let’s get this stuff inside.”
The couple unloaded the car and carried their luggage to the front door.
“Not so fast,” Austin said as Cheyenne began to walk inside. He set his bags down and turned to Cheyenne with a mischievous grin on his face. Then, he took the bags out of her hands, picked her up, and carried her across the threshold.
“Austin!” Cheyenne chortled as she caressed her husband’s face. “Isn’t this supposed to be for when we go back home rather than where we’re staying on our honeymoon?”
“I’ll carry you over that threshold too if you’d like.”
Cheyenne continued to giggle as Austin carried her into the house and set her down on the living room couch. He darted back outside to bring the luggage inside before joining his wife.
“Now this is true paradise,” he sighed as Cheyenne crawled into his lap. “If we weren’t so stuffed from the wedding dinner, I’d take you out for a romantic evening.”
“We can still have that even if we don’t eat.”
“True. Are you particularly tired?”
“No, why?”
“I was thinking we might go for a walk along the beach and watch the sun set.”
“Yeah, that sounds nice. I’d like that.”
Austin twined his fingers between his wife’s. Cheyenne moved her fingers to caress her husband's cheek and touched her lips to his before they both stood up and exited the house through the sliding glass door by the dining table, on the back side of the house. The sun was even lower in the sky and it reflected off the water like a golden topaz stone. The sky was a brilliant shade of purple and pink. The newlyweds walked hand in hand among a sprinkling of starfish as they listened to the waves crash into the beach and the cry of seagulls overhead.
“That’s so beautiful,” Cheyenne breathed as Austin wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Not nearly as beautiful as you.”
“Oh you big romantic.”
“Of course. Isn’t that why you married me?”
“Oh, it’s one of the reasons.”
Austin chuckled before turning Cheyenne to face him. He looked passionately into her eyes and lowered his face to touch her lips with his.
Cheyenne felt her pulse quicken yet again. She was no fool; Austin had some expectations for their wedding night. She believed she was ready, but was she ready to tell him the whole truth? Kenzie and Jillian had encouraged her to be honest with him, and she knew as well as they did that he wasn’t the type to turn into a cold-hearted jerk over something as trivial as this.
“Austin,” she said as they parted, “I need to tell you something.”
Austin gaped down at her with skepticism in his eyes. “What is it?”
“It’s…well, it’s a little embarrassing.”
“Cheyenne, we’re married. It doesn’t matter what it is; you can tell me.”
“I know that. It’s just…”
“Hey.” Austin pulled her close. “It’s all right.”
Cheyenne clutched the front of Austin’s shirt for comfort. She was being completely ridiculous. Why did she fear Austin’s response? Why was she so hesitant to tell him the truth? She knew him – her confession wouldn’t change anything.
So finally she pulled back, looked into his eyes, and breathed, “I know what you’re expecting tonight. It’s our honeymoon. And I’m a little…nervous.”
“Nervous? Or shy?”
“A little of both.”
“Honey, that’s understandable. I won’t lie, I am too.”
“It’s not that. It’s not what you think.”
“Then what is it?”
Cheyenne closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was no going back now.
“I’m a…I’ve never…I…I’m a virgin.”
There. She’d said it. She turned away, her face brightening to a shade of scarlet, afraid to look at him.
At first, he said nothing. But then he turned her head back to face him and planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Is that what you’re worried about?” he asked with a subtle hint of amusement in his voice.
Cheyenne nodded wordlessly.
“Oh, sweetie,” Austin said as he clutched her hand. “I’m not expecting anything. Yes, the thought crossed my mind, but I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do or aren’t ready for. I don’t think any less of you. If anything, I think more of you, holding out for the right one. Which, by the way, I’m glad to find is me.”
“You are, Austin. I know it. I’m just afraid I won’t live up to your expectations.”
“What do you mean?”
“As in, I know you’ve had…experience. I haven’t. I don’t want to disappoint you.”
Austin got a good laugh out of that one. He nearly scared off a flock of nearby seagulls as he burst into a loud and unexpected guffaw.
“Cheyenne, I know a lot of men are jerky, egotistical pigs, but I guarantee I’m not one of them.”
“I know that.”
“Look, it’s not a contest as to who might be more skilled. I look at it as making love, not just woohooing for the hell of it. For me, it means something. You aren’t expected to be up to par with anyone. I love you for who you are, and what happens between the sheets doesn’t matter.”
Cheyenne’s eyes filled with tears of relief. She was so happy to hear that. She’d known in her heart all along that Austin would be loving and understanding, just as her two best friends had told her.
“Thank you,” she replied as she leaned in for a kiss.
By this time, the sun had almost completely vanished and stars began to dot the sky like diamonds as bright as Cheyenne’s ring. She and Austin returned inside, suddenly realizing that they were pretty worn out from the day’s events. Cheyenne grabbed her suitcase and went into the bathroom to bathe while Austin carried the rest of the suitcases into the bedroom.
Jillian had jokingly put Cheyenne’s lingerie in her suitcase, and now she wondered if that had been the best idea. She was feeling relieved but still pretty coy. She’d never worn anything this risqué in her life, and now here it was her wedding night and it was staring right at her.
Sitting on the side of the tub in contemplation, Cheyenne tried to tell herself not to be a coward and to be grateful that she had the best husband in the world. She began filling the tub and added some bubbles for an extra tranquil feel. Austin had mentioned a popular spa here in Sunlit Tides that specialized in massages and even a sauna, and that they’d be sure to check it out. That would definitely help ease her frazzled nerves.
When the tub was full, she peeled off her clothes and climbed in, allowing the warm water to sooth her aching leg muscles. Walking around in high heels for most of the day yesterday had done a number on her ankles.
As she bathed, Cheyenne thought about the best way to approach Austin after she emerged from the bathroom. She could hear the TV in the adjoining bedroom, so at least he wasn’t sitting in bed twiddling his thumbs.
What was the best course of action? Put on the lingerie and strike a pose? Put on something more comfortable and just climb into bed and see what happened? Or maybe put on the lingerie and climb into bed? Maybe just cuddle and see if things went further?
She sighed, sinking down deeper into the tub. She’d had no idea her wedding night would be this complicated. Would it be too weird to call her friends? Yes, definitely so.
Cheyenne raised a leg out of the water and stared at it. That was probably the most Austin had ever seen of her naked, apart from when she’d been on the beach in Starlight Shores. But she’d worn a sarong then and it was a bathing suit. She wasn’t completely naked. Did it make her a hypocrite if she was still nervous about letting Austin see her nude if she didn’t mind seeing him in the buff?
Finally, with a resonating sigh, she pulled herself out of the tub, wrapped a towel around herself, and trudged toward her suitcase. Even though she’d just bathed and it was almost time for bed, would it be a good idea to put on makeup? Austin had always said he didn’t care if she wore makeup or not, that she was beautiful just the way she was. Had he ever seen her without makeup? She thought he had but now she second-guessed herself.
With a sigh of defeat, she took the plunge. She stepped into the silky lingerie and ran a brush through her hair. She gaped at herself in the mirror, realizing she’d never even been naked in front of anyone else before, not even in gym glass. She suddenly felt very self-conscious about her size twelve body. She saw her face turn umber, but finally sighed resolutely and threw a robe on. At last, she opened the bathroom door and saw Austin sitting on the bed, also in a robe (though partly undone), watching the history channel.
“Anything interesting on?” she asked him as she made her way toward the bed.
“Not too much. Mostly history we already know – it’s about supernatural creatures.”
“I still can’t get over the fact that they exist, and that they revealed themselves.”
“Yeah, it’s still quite a lot to wrap my mind around. I still laugh that we had two of them at our wedding.”
Cheyenne climbed into bed and scooted closer to Austin. He smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her. At that moment, she’d never felt more secure and certain of anything. She loved this man, more than words could describe. All her feelings of nervousness slowly began to dissipate. As she watched images dance across the TV screen, she began to envision different images in her mind. Finally, she took the remote from Austin’s hands, pointed it at the TV, and its life flickered off.
Austin turned to look at her quizzically. “Don’t feel like watching TV?”
“No, I was thinking of a more traditional way to spend our wedding night.”
Cheyenne crawled over Austin and smiled at him seductively (or at least, she tried to be seductive). She could see the glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. He sat up and gingerly touched her chin before their lips touched.
Cheyenne let herself be lost in the moment before she wrapped her arms around Austin, eagerly returning the kiss.
It started to get warm in the room, so when they pulled apart, Cheyenne slowly unfastened her robe and let it drop to the floor, revealing her lingerie.
“Whoa,” Austin said when he saw it. “I didn’t know you owned that kind of wardrobe.”
“Normally I don’t. This was one of Jillian’s presents that she gave me at the bridal shower.”
“It’s always been said that she has good taste in fashion, and now I can attest to that.”
Cheyenne giggled and felt her cheeks heat up again. But this time she ignored it as she allowed herself to once again be enveloped in Austin’s arms. They kissed again, but this time they became more urgent and more passionate. Austin’s hands began to slide up and down Cheyenne’s body and she found her own hands tearing at Austin’s robe. In time, it too fell to the floor.
Austin pulled away long enough to ask, “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m more sure now than ever.”
Austin stroked Cheyenne’s cheek before kissing her once more. He lowered her onto the bed and hovered above her. They looked at each other with newfound love and affection for their soul mates.
As the kissing and caressing continued, Cheyenne felt her lingerie being pulled away. She allowed this as Austin willingly let his boxers be lowered. And then, slowly and gently, Cheyenne had her first experience of becoming a woman as she willingly gave her virginity to her husband.
Their bodies bonded and fit together like a puzzle. It was everything Cheyenne had ever dreamed it would be. She had no doubts any longer. This was what she wanted and who she wanted to be with. She was Mrs. Austin Crowley for eternity, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
When it was over, she lay contentedly in Austin’s arms, a smile across her face.
“I love you so much, Cheyenne,” Austin said as he planted a kiss on top of her head. “If the world ended tomorrow and I died, I’d be happy knowing I got to spend my last night with you.”
“I feel the same way. It’s fate, Austin. We really are meant for each other. I’ve never been so happy in my life.”
“And we have the rest of our lives together to be happy.”
“I know. I can’t wait. This is the best night of my life.”
The newlyweds kissed again before turning over and falling asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. Tonight marked the first night of their newfound journey together, and they were both eager to discover where the future led them.
THE END
No comments:
Post a Comment