Page 45 of No Time Off (Lexi Carmichael Mystery #15)

FORTY-FIVE

Lexi

I awoke to the soft breaking of waves on the beach and the rustling of palm trees coming from the open French doors at the back of the bungalow. I stirred, stretching luxuriously as the warm sunlight streamed in, casting patterns across the floor. I stretched and sat up, the view of the ocean beyond the veranda immediately bringing a sense of calm. A light breeze danced through the room, and with it the salty scent of the sea.

Slash slept beside me, one muscular arm resting against the pillow, breathing deeply. He’d arisen while it was still dark out to go to the airport and meet the Americans and the plane that had arrived to pick up Shi. Apparently, all had gone well, because when he returned and snuggled in, he’d whispered it had all been taken care of, and he’d sounded happy.

Now, he looked peaceful and at rest. As I watched, his dark lashes fluttered open. When he saw me sitting there with the sheet pressed to my chest, he smiled.

“Good morning, cara .” His voice was still husky with sleep.

“Good morning, Slash.”

He snaked his arm across my waist, pulling me toward him until I lay next to him, my cheek resting against his warm chest. I snuggled in closer, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath my fingers. His hand slid down my back, resting comfortably on my hip.

“I can’t believe we’re here, alive, and still married after everything that happened on our honeymoon,” I murmured.

“Why still married?” he repeated, sounding amused. “You think I’d leave you because of a coup?”

“No. I think you’d leave me because of a black cloud, even if it’s ours now.”

Slash pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “It may not have been the honeymoon I imagined, but it’s ours. And cara …you know I will never leave you. Ever.”

“I hope you mean that, because I don’t think that little black cloud is ever going to leave us alone. You know, Slash, this time I really believed we were going to lie on the beach all day, drink cocktails, and complain about sand in weird places.”

“And as usual, we got more than we bargained for.” Slash cupped my cheek, and I leaned into his warm hand. “But we made it. Against all odds, we’re still standing…or lying down, in our present case.”

I lifted my head to look at him, and he gently brushed a strand of hair from my face. “I’m just glad we got out of that mess, the prime minister is okay, and Shi will be locked away forever. I came a lot closer to losing you than I care to admit, and it scared me.”

“It scared me, too.” He took my hand, running his thumb across my engagement and wedding rings. “You know, sometimes the bad guys win. But not this time. You were amazing and patient with me even as we navigated the bumps on our honeymoon, the evolving marriage code, and facing Shi once again. We make a good team.”

“The best team.” I sat up again, wrapping my arms around my legs and resting my head on my knees. Slash propped himself up on one arm, the gold cross that had belonged to his father sliding down his chest. He looked at me for a long moment before his gaze drifted to the open doors and the sea beyond.

“Candace is over the moon we’re bringing Shi home,” he said. “We gave them a coup of their own—an intelligence one. Shi will spill immediately, and he’ll have a lot of valuable information we can use.”

“It’s nice that Candace sent a plane so fast,” I said.

“Apparently, we had one in Australia we were able to divert. I gave her a brief rundown of the outcome of the plan this morning, and she was pleased. She’s sitting on a wealth of evidence if the Chinese ever protest, but I don’t think they will. It’s in their best interest to cut their losses with Shi and the islands in this region for now. Candace did say the president, the CIA, and the State Department are looking forward to my full debrief.”

“That makes for a busy Monday for you when we get home.”

A smile played at his lips as he tugged me back toward him. I fell to the sheets, and he rolled over me, his dark hair falling forward from his face. “Let’s not talk any more about going home and focus on what we’re doing right now. We deserve several more days of peace and quiet on our honeymoon.”

“We do,” I agreed. “I think we’ve earned it.”

“We have,” he murmured, nuzzling my neck.

“As far as I’m concerned, the only real adventure we need now is time alone on the beach to drink another bottle or two of that banana wine,” I added.

“Agreed,” Slash said, his tone light, but there was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes. He adjusted down to his elbows, using his hands to cup my face. “I just want you to know I love you with every fiber of my being, cara . You’ve changed my life forever.”

“I feel the same,” I said. “Without you, I’d still be eating Cheerios and trying to battle orcs on my weekends.”

“It would have been a lot safer.”

“No way. Have you seen how vicious those orcs can be?”

He laughed, we kissed, and for a gloriously long moment, we lay in silence listening to our heartbeats. The pressure and danger of the previous days were finally behind us. I sighed, savoring the safety and intimacy of his arms. No matter what came next, we’d face it together…as husband and wife.

And we always would.