Page 6 of Etched In Stone
God, she’s breathtaking.
Even relaxed and drowsy from the heat, there was an elegance to her that never failed to stop me in my tracks. I’d been with beautiful women before, but none had ever affected me the way Krystina did. She was more than beautiful—she was luminous, radiant in a way that seemed to come from within.
“For the past three days, I don’t think more than five minutes have passed without you touching me,” Krystina observed, her voice lazy with contentment but tinged with amusement. She turned her head to look at me, those chocolate brown eyes sparkling with mischief that always made my pulse quicken. “You just can’t keep your hands to yourself, can you?”
I smirked, continuing my sensual exploration of the curve where her waist met her hip. I allowed my finger to dip under her bikini line, teasing.
“I have three weeks to make up for all the days before the wedding when we couldn’t touch because of propriety and schedules. Besides, you really can’t blame me. You’re beautiful. I can’t help but want to touch you.”
“Flatterer.” She laughed, the sound like music carried on the ocean breeze. It was one of my favorite sounds in the world—pure, unguarded joy that seemed to bubble up from her very soul.
When Krystina moved to swat my hand away playfully, I was quicker. I pulled her flush against me, reveling in the feel of her soft skin against mine, warm from the sun and slick with the coconut oil I’d spent a considerable amount of time applying earlier.
“You love it,” I murmured against her ear, my voice dropping to that register that I knew affected her. The scent of her hair—coconut and something uniquely Krystina—filled my senses.
I felt a delicious shiver run through her body, and I smiled with satisfaction. Even after months together, I could still affect her with just my voice, just my touch. It was a power I would never take for granted.
“Maybe,” she conceded with a grin that was part innocent, part seductive, and completely irresistible.
The ocean stretched endlessly before us. Waves rolled in with hypnotic regularity, each one carrying foam that sparkled like scattered diamonds before dissolving into the sand. The sound was nature’s own meditation, a constant whisper that seemed to wash away the stress and tension I’d carried for years without even realizing it.
“I never imagined retirement could feel like this,” I mused, my fingers tangling in her salt-dampened curls.
Krystina propped herself up on one elbow, studying my face with those perceptive eyes.
“Retirement?”
“Temporary retirement for a few weeks—away from the chaos, the constant demands, the feeling that every moment has to be productive or profitable,” I clarified. Even as I said it, I found myself questioning whether I wanted it to be temporary at all. I had enough money. We could retire now and never lack for anything. I gestured toward the pristine beach and the complete absence of anything resembling the corporate world. “When was the last time you saw me go more than an hour without checking my phone?”
“I can’t remember,” she admitted, her expression thoughtful. “You haven’t mentioned Stone Enterprise since we left New York.”
The realization was startling. Back home, my company was everything—the first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing on my mind before sleep. I’d built it from the ground up, transforming a relatively small real-estate investment into a global empire. It was my identity, my purpose, and my legacy.
Until I met Krystina—my angel.
With her warm and pliant in my arms, and the Caribbean sun warming my skin, I found I could barely summon the energy to care about quarterly reports or property acquisitions.
“Maybe that’s what love does,” I said, surprised by the philosophical turn of my own thoughts. “Makes you realize there’s more to life than profit margins and market dominance.”
“Look at you, getting all deep and introspective,” Krystina teased, but there was tenderness in her voice. “I like this side of you. Relaxed Alexander is very appealing.”
“Just appealing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in mock offense.
“Devastatingly handsome,” she corrected with a laugh. “Irresistibly charming. Dangerously attractive.”
“Better,” I said with satisfaction, pulling her closer.
I trailed kisses along her jaw, tasting salt and sunscreen. My mind wandered to last night in the villa, when I’d been buried deep inside her velvet heat under starlit skies. I wanted her again, right here on this secluded beach. I found myself thinking about our next destination. The private island I’d arranged for the second part of our honeymoon was even more secluded than this slice of paradise, a place where we truly would be the only souls for miles.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, Mr. Stone?” Krystina’s teasing voice broke through my fiery thoughts. “You have that look you get when you’re planning something.”
I met her gaze, seeing my desire reflected.
“Thinking about last night.” My hand skimmed her thigh, inching higher. “And imagining all the ways I plan to worship your body later.”
Her breath hitched. “Is that a promise?”
“Oh yes,” I growled softly. “One I fully intend to keep.”
