Let Yourself Fall

thirty-six

Noelle

The honeymoon

"I really don't want to leave," I say and take a huge sip from my Virgin Pina Colada. I look around, taking in the view in front of me: a secluded white sand beach, turquoise water. It's heaven. "Baby," Damien begins to say, and I look over at him. He's lying next to me in the sand, shirtless in just his swimming trunks, his hair wet – he looks absolutely mouthwatering. "Noelle?" he says again.

My eyes snap back up to his face, and he grins at me. "Did you say something?" I bat my eyelashes innocently. He begins to laugh, a full-on belly laugh that makes my insides tingle. "Mrs. Warren, please promise me that you'll never stop looking at me like that."

I smile at the sound of my new name, even though I've heard it plenty of times in the past two weeks – I just can't hear it enough. "I think I can manage that." "I just told you that we can come back whenever you want. It's just... I have a really important meeting with some investors on Monday and I–" "I understand." I reach over to take his hand. "These two weeks here, St. Barths, the house – just everything, it was absolutely perfect. Thank you." "You're most welcome." He lifts our intertwined hands up to his mouth and kisses my wedding band. "I love you so much." Leaning in to kiss his lips, my lips linger there for a second – he tastes like salt and... Damien, delicious. "I'm not going to have sex with you on the beach, we saw how well that ended the last time."

It was awful, I had sand in places – places where sand just shouldn't be. It was painful and gross, and we couldn't have sex for two days. So that's definitely not happening again. The corners of his mouth twitch from suppressing a laugh, and I pinch his sides. "Still not able to laugh about it?" he asks and squeezes my bum lightly. "Nope, and I don't think I'll ever be." He chuckles. "I can't believe that you think that's funny." I get up and walk away from him, and in just a matter of seconds, he has caught up with me and lifts me up in his arms. "Baby, I'm sorry. I know it really isn't funny at all." "Let go of me. I'm going for a swim, I'm too hot." But he doesn't, his grip around me just gets tighter as he walks with me towards the pool. Oh no. "Don't you dare, Warren. I'm going to kick your ass." I cling onto him, fearing what he's about to do. "Please, please don't. I–" He removes my hands from him with ease, as if I'm not holding onto him with every ounce of strength I have – and throws me into the pool. When I finally get some air again, and while looking like a wet dog – I flip him off. I push my wet hair back and curse. "You asshole." It's so freaking hot here, why is the water so cold? And he just laughs as he lowers himself into the pool, and when he reaches me, he wraps his arms around me. He leans in to kiss the tip of my nose. "You said you're hot. I was just trying to help." "Yeah, sure." I huff and roll my eyes.

"I love you," he whispers softly in my ear.

"Mmm," I murmur as he presses a wet kiss against my neck. Not caring about what he just did anymore, I close my eyes – his lips and hands on me, it just feels way too good to keep pretending that I'm mad at him.

"Don't you love me too?" Damien whispers hoarsely, tracing his tongue up my neck, nibbling and sucking every now and then. My body begins to tremble in his arms. His hands travel up my sides, ending just below my breasts before they glide down again to my hips. I slide my hands through his wet hair and pull his head closer to me so he can finally kiss me. Immediately he pushes his tongue between my lips, and I moan into his mouth. He reaches behind me and releases the knot that holds my bikini top together, tossing it aside.

"You're so breathtakingly beautiful, Noelle," he says, his voice full of adoration and longing. And then slowly but surely, his hands move to my breasts, pinching my already hard nipples, causing me to let out a long moan. Sparks shoot through my body as he begins to knead my breasts. I press my mouth back onto his, nibbling and sucking on his lower lip until he finally parts his lips to let me in. "Damien," I mumble desperately against his mouth.