Page 46 of While You're There
“A ghost walk!?” she exclaimed.
He laughed at her outburst. He didn’t know what the hell a ghost walk was either until the ads popped up on every vacation planning site he could find about Charleston. “I’m pretty sure it’s just something tourists do, but I wanted to make sure we got the full experience. I’ll hold your hand,” he promised as he continued to massage her feet.
Just because they’d had a small wedding didn’t mean the party didn’t go on for hours last night. He knew they’d both be tired today after all the planning and buildup and then the actual wedding. He was glad he hadn’t planned anything for their first day beyond checking in and ordering room service.
He watched with interest as Tori pulled out her phone and smiled as soon as her eyes focused on the screen. Their friends and family had been posting pictures and video on social since before they woke up that morning. They wouldn’t get the official wedding pictures back for a few weeks, but it was fun to see so many candid shots of what had undoubtedly been the best day of his life.
“What are you looking at?” he prompted when her smile grew even wider.
“Just a few sneak peeks from the photographer.”
“Oh, nice. I want to see.” He held out his hand for her phone.
“These aren’t wedding pictures,” she admitted, biting down on her bottom lip as she gazed up at him through her lashes. If they were from the photographer, but they weren’t actual wedding pictures…
Realization and excitement both hit at the same time. “Tori. Hand me that phone.”
“I just texted them to you.” She shook her head and continued to eye him from her seat. His hand was in his pocket so fast he was afraid he was going to fumble and drop the stupid device. He unlocked the home screen and navigated through all the notifications until he found her text.
He sucked in a breath and immediately zoomed in on the first picture. All he could do was stare. There she was, kneeling on the master bed in the cabin—ontheirbed intheircabin—wearing what looked like just a bunch of crisscrossed silky fabric that hugged the curves of her body and left almost nothing to the imagination. Not that it mattered—he had memorized every curve and contour of her body over the last several years. He didn’t need a photo to visualize the woman he adored, but damn, it was still a pretty picture. He zoomed in a bit more, focusing on her expression. She wasn’t looking at the camera, instead staring toward the window, the sun illuminating her face and giving her an angelic glow.
His angel. His love. His entire heart. His wife.
She pulled his attention back to her when she ran her bare foot up and down his thigh, teasing him before he caught her ankle in his grasp and forced her to still. “Behave,” he muttered, glancing up from the phone to look into her eyes.
“I have that packed in my suitcase, you know.”
Rhett held back a smirk as he just shook his head.This girl. He was so in love with her he could barely think straight. He let his hand wander a bit further up her leg, gently cupping her calf before his fingers brushed against the back of her knee. His phone vibrating in his lap doused the heat that was starting to build between them.
It was just a notification for the latest round of emails being sent to his work account. His colleagues knew he was on his honeymoon, and his out of office message was set, but that didn’t mean business came to a halt. He expected his assistant Quinn to send him pertinent updates throughout the week, and he’d still receive all the standard reports each day so he could catch up at the end of their trip.
“I’m tempted to turn this thing off and just leave it off for the rest of the week,” he mumbled, unable to resist the temptation to open the Mail app and clear out a few of the messages.
“So do it,” Tori suggested. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
What was the worst that could happen? He wasn’t supposed to be working this week. He knew his assistantandhis granddad would chew him out if he tried to respond to anything during his honeymoon. More importantly, he wanted to be fully present with and for Tori. This was their time. These were the memories they would cherish for a lifetime.
“If I forward you all our reservations and our itinerary, can we use your phone during the trip?”
She nodded, watching him intently as he made his decision.
“Okay then. I’m turning this off until Friday. But you have to promise me one thing, V.”
“What’s that?”
“You will tell me and, more importantly, you willshow methe second anymore pictures like that come through.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Wheeler,” she promised, leaning forward to kiss him.
“So what do you think?” he asked tentatively, leaning against the rooftop balcony to gaze out across the harbor. The afternoon sun was still high in the sky, casting an ethereal light on the city of Charleston. The view was amazing, but it was nothing compared to the luxury of their accommodations for the week.
Their private villa was two stories and separate from the main hotel. It was called a villa, but it was really more like a small house, complete with a fully stocked bar and kitchen, a massive master bedroom and bathroom, plush robes, an electric fireplace, 24/7 room service, and every other amenity imaginable. The upper level opened up to an expansive balcony complete with a hammock, a plunge pool, and a little café table for two.
Tori sighed before reaching over to wrap her arms around his waist. “It’s incredible. I can’t believe this is my life right now.”
“Ourlife,” he amended as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
“I can’t believe we’re really here. That we actually got to come on a honeymoon. These last few weeks… everything happened so quickly. I honestly don’t know how you pulled it off. I didn’t realize a honeymoon was even something I wanted until we got here. I can’t wait to explore this city and just spend time with you.” She shifted into the space between the balcony ledge and his body, her back pressed into his chest, then reached an arm up and cupped the back of his neck.
