Page 67

"Where do you want to go for dinner, baby?" I spin at Rhodes' question, my thoughts whirling. We've combed every small restaurant we can find while here and it has been the best adventure.

"Let's just walk around? Maybe see where we end up?" I suggest with a playful smile on my lips.

He’s walking ahead of me, head on a swivel like always. I’ve told him that I’m the threat, not anyone else, but he just shakes his head and laughs. Men . He walks so damn fast, those long and powerful legs confidently striking the pavement. I lag behind, having stopped to look at a window display.

He stops, realizing I’m not with him, and slightly turns back. His left hand reaches toward me, and I see Rhodes trying not to chuckle at my random stop. He should be used to it by now. I love looking at the pretty things in storefront windows.

His hand does the move again, this time more aggressively.

He wants to hold my hand. He wants me to walk beside him—not behind him like every other man in my life. No, Rhodes wants to be by my side because we are equals, in all facets. I may submit to him when the lights dim, the world fading away, but that is something he has earned. It is something I’ve given willingly.

I leave the window, jogging to catch up with him, and I snag his hand in mine. I run my thumb over the fox tattooed on the top of his hand, resting in that crux between his thumb and pointer finger. He’d gotten it the day of our wedding, proudly marking him as mine. I still remember our vows to each other, the way he had stared deeply into my eyes, and without a single waver in his voice, swore to be my safe place, my rock, and to never let anyone bring me down.

I will create sonnets with our murmurs that fall into the dark; your hummingbird heart the rhythm by which my lips will write our song.

There is music coming from the corner, someone is singing, and the cacophony of laughter lures my gaze to a pub nestled there. I glance at Rhodes and he tilts his head that way.

The heavy door gives way to a place that feels like a warm embrace. There's a band on a small wooden stage and the audience is loving it. Rhodes and I move toward the bar, a dark-haired woman wiping down glasses stalks our way.

"What'll it be, guys?”

"Whiskey, neat." Rhodes' deep timber is soft here, his voice confident in the crowded pub. "And she'll have a glass of your finest red."

The raven-haired beauty turns to me. "Red?"

I nod, "Please, but the house is fine. "

She spins, starting our drinks, and I slide onto the bar stool. Rhodes moves to stand behind me, crowding me with his body and my soul comes alive. He'd put me on my knees before we left our B her lip begins to pout and her eyes soften. She takes her hands, weaving them through his dark hair before sighing.

"But asking Alicia to line them up is so fun."

I see him pull her in, ducking his lips to her ear, and whatever he whispers has Norah's cheeks blushing. They pull apart, lacing their fingers together. Alicia returns, placing two pints and a heaping bowl of stew before us. It smells divine. I close my eyes, soaking in every last drop of this good moment.

"We're going to head out but you two stay! Enjoy the last night of your getaway." I lift my head to see Norah standing now, Eamon tugging her toward the door. "It was really nice to meet you!"

Before I can say anything in return, she is pulled out the door, her laughter lingering.

"They're cute," Rhodes says as he sits where Norah was, pulling his pint toward him.

"They were, weren't they?"

We sit in silence, enjoying our meal, before settling our tab and heading out the door. I glance back and catch a glimpse of the old man again, this time a smile beams from him as we lock eyes. I nod his way and as the door closes, he tips the brim of his hat.

Rhodes squeezes my hand, pulling my body into his, and tucks my hair behind my ear. "Come on, kochanie . I want my dessert now, but I cannot consume it the way I want in public." His voice is a whisper, calling to the submission deep within my bones. I lose myself in his oceans of blue, the heat curling in my pelvis.

Smirking with a knowing glint in those blue eyes, Rhodes turns and I jump on his back, wrapping legs around him as he carries me.

Rhodes Alexander will always carry me, come the heavens above or the demons below.