The Stranger's Wife | Rewritten

32 ~ Time to take her seriously

* Willem *

Kimsha's beach bar was one of the islands' hottest spots. I held Amelia's hand as we waited at the crowded bar for our drinks.

The music was loud and the people cheery. The air smelled like sea salt and hard liquor. It was a perfect summer evening and it felt great being out with Amelia like this. I wanted to show her off to the world and simultaneously keep her to myself.

She looked radiant in her colorful maxi dress with a plunging neckline. She'd changed her hair while I was busy talking to my father. It was straight now, parted in the middle, and the gray streak falling at the side of her face was alluring as fuck.

The bartender handed two cold beers and two large plastic cups to me. I poured Amelia's beer into one of the cups and handed it to her. She smiled sweetly and then thanked me with a soft kiss on my cheek.

"What was that for?" I asked, basking in the warmth her kiss sent coursing through my body like hot lava, awakening my hunger for her once more.

"I just felt like doing that," she replied, taking a small sip of her beer, peering at me above the rim of the cup before lowering it.

I leaned forward, cupping her chin, and brought her lips to mine. I swiped my tongue across her bottom lip, tasting the flavor of tequila when she kissed me back.

"And I felt like doing this," I whispered against her mouth before pulling back.

Her dreamy eyes met mine I hoped our future children inherited the kindness I saw in them. Her mouth curved into a small smile before scanning the crowd.

Right, my girl wasn't used to public displays of affection. Neither was I, but I prayed she was open to it.

I was a hands-on kind of guy. And if my woman was anywhere within touching distance, I was going to touch her and kiss her. Fuck her too if the area was secluded enough.

"Do you want to stay here or go down by the beach?" I asked. The sky was clear, the air fresh, the water calm and blue like one of Bradley's old crayons.

She looked out over the crowd and balcony to the sand down below. "Beach is fine by me. More room to breathe."

The sun took its last breath before dipping into oblivion. A few couples were on the beach laughing and giggling while strolling. I guided Amelia down the wooden steps, my hand pressed into her lower back.

I didn't know how to put into words the way I felt about her being here after all the years I spent alone longing for companionship.

I hated her father so much for keeping us apart, but I kept that information bottled up inside out of respect for her. She knew her father had committed a despicable act and she didn't need me to hammer it home any further.

A wisp of wind caught her hair and the scent of coconut lingered in the air as I sat down behind her on the sand, my knees folded on either side of her.

She pulled her hair over her right shoulder, twisting it to stop the wind from getting at it. I kissed the sexy curve of her shoulder and then her neck. Her brown skin looked lovely in the last rays of the sun right before it got dark.