My stomach rolled even as my heart soared.
“WHAT?”
Saxon was standing over us, holding a jet black carry-on bag. He wore an uncharacteristically sheepish grin.
“Surprise!” Damon chuckled softly. “Wedding present number one.”
I was wide awake. Up in an instant.
“Really?” I gasped.
“Yeah, really,” my husband shrugged. “You said it yourself: we only got to see him for a single day. So after last night I pulled him aside. Convinced him not to fly straight back to Vegas, but to spend the first few days with us in Greece.”
Saxon still hadn’t said anything. But now he jumped in.
“But this happens only if it’s totally okay with you Addy,” he said hastily. “I thought he was crazy when he suggested it, but this guy kept insisting.” He bumped Damon lightly with his bag. “He can be harassingly persistent sometimes.”
“Oh I know,” I chuckled. My heart was still soaring. My blood, pumping.
“This is your honeymoon,” Saxon went on. “So none of this takes place if you don’t say so. I still have my ticket to Vegas. I can deplane and jump on that flight in a few hours, if you—”
“Are you kidding?” I blurted excitedly. “Stow that bag and get the hell in here!”
I nodded toward the empty window seat beside me as Saxon shrugged and smiled. He shoved the bag half into the overhead bin and stopped.
“You’re both absolutely sure I’m not crashing your honeymoon, right?” he asked. “The last thing I want is to be a third wheel.”
I caught his eyes and held them prisoner with mine. “Did you feel like a third wheel last night?”
Slowly he shook his head, our gazes locked.
“Then come with us,” I giggled happily. “And have fun.”
Damon’s smile broadened, and I could see the relief in his eyes. It wasn’t every day you sprang an extra honeymoon guest on your wife, especially at the very last minute. But this was Saxon, and he was much more than a simple friend. My husband had been sure it would go well, and he was right.
Saxon slipped past me sideways, giving me the ass instead of the crotch. It was a beautiful ass. Not to mention an ass I’d spent half last night clawing like a tigress, driving him deeper into me.
“Hey…” he smiled as he settled into the window seat. He pulled up one side of his seatbelt as I handed him the other.
“Hey yourself,” I grinned back.
“Just a few days,” said Saxon, making it more of a promise. “Then I ditch. I’ve got stuff to fix back in Vegas, and you guys will still have more than half your honeymoon alone together, without me dragging you down.”
“Dragging me down?” I asked with a giggle. I let my voice go seductively low. “Is that the plan?”
For once in his life Saxon actually appeared at a complete loss for words. The look was adorable. On impulse, I leaned in and kissed him right on the mouth. Then I turned and gave Damon an even bigger kiss, grabbing his arm and squeezing it excitedly.
“Thank you,” I whispered happily yet secretly into my husband’s ear.
“No, thank you,” he murmured back. “It’s not every honeymoon that a groom gets his best man to come with. That part’s gonna be fun.”
“Yes,” I sighed happily, as the aircraft’s engines whirred to life. “It sure is.”
Twelve
DAMON
“Annnnd… welcome to wedding present number two!”
I took my hands from Addison’s eyes in the middle of the courtyard. For a few seconds she just stood there in utter astonishment. Her hands moved up to cover her mouth as she turned in a slow circle, taking everything in.
“Oh my God it’s gorgeous!” she gasped.
I’d had the same reaction, upon first seeing the place. And again after that, once I’d seen the price tag.
The Greek villa had been built on a cliff outside of Athens, overlooking the bright blue jewel that was the Aegean sea. It had stark white walls and flagstone steps. Lush green grass swallowing cobbled paths that meandered through fragrant gardens, past columned walkways, and through a central atrium where a gorgeous in-ground swimming pool was set like a rectangular aquamarine.
The rooms were clean and beautiful, filled with exotic furnishings and furniture. There were colorfully pillowed bedrooms. A large family room that lay adjacent to a full-sized kitchen, both filled with every modern amenity you could ever think of. They stood out in stark contrast to the beauty of the walls and floors, which had either been constructed in ancient style or built over the ruins themselves.
There really were no words to describe the place. Addison’s silence said it all.
My bride rushed me, showering my face with kisses. My cheeks came back wet from the tears of joy streaming down her face.
“First, this wasn’t me,” I said, putting my hands up. “It was all Saxon… and Finnegan, too. They canceled the hotel accommodations I’d made and rented this whole place for us, all by themselves. No matter how much I tried to pay them, they wouldn’t take a dime.”
My wife’s mouth dropped open again, as she turned to face our benefactor. Saxon stood there blushing, his bag still dangling from one arm.
“H—How?” Addison gasped. “Why?”
“Well for one, Damon sucks at planning stuff like this,” Saxon chuckled. He looked at me apologetically. “Sorry, but you do. No offense.”
“None taken,” I smiled.
“When he told us where he was taking you, Finn and I put our heads together and came up with this place. Consider it a co-wedding gift.”
Addison was embracing him now, hugging him warmly. She stepped back, still crying.
“T—This is too much,” she choked, shaking her head. “Way too much for—”
“Nonsense,” Saxon cut her off. “Finn felt terrible about not making the wedding. And we both felt terrible for not being able to take Damon out, or throw him a bachelor party, or any of that stuff best men are supposed to do.” My best friend shrugged, still red-faced from all the attention. “Finn and I agreed you’re the best two people we know,” he said. “We love you, and we want you to have the greatest memories. In that respect, this place is nothing compared to what you’ve given us.”
I moved in to hug Addison, who was outright crying now. She looked even more beautiful, like a weeping blonde goddess. A goddess in sneakers and comfy sweatpants, who’d just spent eleven hours — most of them sleeping — on a plane.
“This is all for us?” she sniffed finally. Her expression broke into a grin as she glanced around. “The entire thing?”
“Yup.”
“For the whole—”
“Two weeks,” Saxon smiled. “Yes.”
She hugged us each again with a little squeal of joy, then spun away to explore. By the time we’d dragged most of the luggage into the villa, we found her already shedding her travel clothes.
“This place fully stocked?” she asked.
“Oh yeah,” I laughed. “As remote as it is? We made sure of that.”