N E S S A

I'd never been more thankful for Beau's wedding gift than I was at this moment. Instead of riding in economy across the ocean, I was tucked beneath Grayson's arm on a plush leather couch lining the aisle of Beau's private plane.

Sometimes I wondered how my life was real, and this was one of those moments.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" Grayson asked, lazily dragging his hands through my hair.

I smiled to myself. Grayson had been trying to pull the trip's details out of me for days, weeks, but I'd wanted it to be a surprise. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what he'd think. When I had asked what he was envisioning for our honeymoon—just to make sure that I wasn't completely missing the mark—Grayson had been incredibly vague.

"I just want time to relax with you," he'd said. "I don't want to overcomplicate it."

Then he'd gotten defensive about why he wasn't the one surprising me, but I convinced him to let me take the reins for once. He'd been running himself ragged with training and practices and games, and this was something I could take off his plate. Something I wanted to take off his plate.

"Do you have any guesses?" I asked, peeking up at him.

He chuckled, and I felt his breath breeze over my head. "Somewhere far. Since we've been on here for about six hours now."

"Someone's impatient," I teased.

"Can you blame me?" Grayson grunted. "You told me that I couldn't touch you for nearly two weeks leading up to the wedding, and now that I can touch you, I don't want to wait any longer."

"Who said we have to wait?" I lowered my voice. "I told you we could duck into the bathroom, and you said no."

My husband rolled his eyes. "Beau would kill us, and we need him on our good side for when we ask him to babysit this little one." He slipped his hand over my belly possessively, and I couldn't help but snort.

"You think I'm already pregnant? I don't think it works like that, darling."

A smile tugged on the corner of Grayson's mouth as he rested his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes. He kept his hand on me as he shrugged. "I'm going to pretend that it does."

I shook my head but didn't argue with him further. I knew when there was no point, and this was just one of those ridiculous things that Grayson did.

A few seconds later, he opened one eye and peered at me. "So where are we going?"

I sighed. "Do you really want to know?"

He nodded, both eyes opening as he straightened with excitement. It was adorable how giddy this large, muscled, football-playing man could get.

"Your parents helped me," I admitted.

"My parents?" he repeated, and anticipation prickled along my spine.

"Yeah, well..." I paused, scratching my head as nerves started to take over completely. Grayson had been so nonchalant about this entire thing, but there was still a chance that this wouldn't be what he was picturing.

"Nessa..." Grayson said, gliding his hand from my stomach to my hand, squeezing it. "Tell me."

"Well," I began slowly before words started pouring out of my mouth, one after another, "Lillian was telling me about this chateau that her parents would take her to in the summers growing up, a family place that had been passed on for a few generations. And the way she described it...it sounded wonderful. She was saying how she always wished that she'd been able to take you to France to see it, and then I told her that I had been considering France for our honeymoon, and then she insisted that we stay there and—"

"We're going to France," Grayson said, cutting me off with wide eyes.

I bit down on my lip for a moment, unable to completely read his expression. "Yes?"

"You planned a trip for us to France?" he said, repeating the same words but in a different order. "We're going to Luberon?"

I nodded, happy that he knew exactly what I was talking about. But, of course, he did. It was where his family had lived for generations before his grandparents moved to New York.

"Nessa, baby," he murmured, his arms swooping around me to hold me close.

Relief seeped into my bones as Grayson crushed me in his grip. This was good. I could tell by how he was muttering little words of gratitude that this was good.

"The pictures make it look gorgeous," I gushed, reassured that this was something Grayson would love. "It's not that long of a drive if we want to visit other parts of France, like—"

"You don't need to convince me that this is going to be amazing," Grayson soothed, cupping my cheek and bringing us close to brush a kiss over my lips. "I already know it will be. I've always known it would be."

"You have too much confidence in me," I giggled, although I did appreciate all of his words. Even if I didn't want to show it, didn't want him to know just how much reassurance I still needed sometimes.

But he still knew. Of course.

"No." He shook his head. "You have far too little."

I loved Grayson so much, but even more than that...I appreciated him. I appreciated how much he supported me and helped me grow into the person I am now. And even more than that, how much I knew I would continue to grow because he was my husband.

***

After hours on the plane and more in the car, I was exhausted.

But not even exhaustion could distract me from how fucking hot it was watching Grayson drive us around on these tiny European roads using a stick shift. The sky was dark, with only the stars guiding us through the countryside.

"You didn't tell me that you could drive a manual transmission," I muttered, watching as he maneuvered between gears as we flew down the road.

"Yeah?" He glanced over at me, a knowing look on his face. "My first car was a manual. It was cheap as hell and the only thing I could afford at the time, so I taught myself how to drive it."

"I think we should get a new car," I said, thinking I wouldn't mind having a manual at home. "You know, so you don't get out of practice."

Grayson's grin was wicked. "Do I look like I'm out of practice?"

"Well, no." I cleared my voice. "But still."

"You wouldn't be able to drive it," Grayson pointed out.

"So?" I shrugged, knowing this wasn't a realistic scenario anyway. "You know you like driving me around."

Grayson shifted and stepped on the gas. "I do. It's my favorite fucking thing. I'm sorry there are no caramel macchiatos around, though."

I giggled, sinking further into the plush leather of the luxury car that Grayson had insisted we upgrade to. "I think I'll survive."

"I'll make it up to you in a different way when we get there," Grayson said, dropping his voice to a husky pitch that I understood all too well. He put his hand on my leg, squeezing my thigh in a way that sent heat hurtling through my body.

"When we get there?" My voice was breathless as Grayson's fingers caressed my inner thigh, leaving me to part my legs hopefully.

"Hmm," Grayson murmured. "You shouldn't have worn these things, and maybe we wouldn't have to wait." He plucked at my leggings before grabbing the stick again to shift into a different gear. Then his hand returned to my leg, but it was higher on my thigh this time.

"I wanted to be comfortable for our day of travel." I squirmed beneath his touch.

Grayson smirked as he traced a fingertip between my legs, pressing lightly over my clit before returning to the gear shift. "Are you comfortable now?"

Fuck him.

I didn't bother answering that question because he definitely knew the answer. Instead, I retorted by reaching over and sliding my palm over Grayon's crotch and the growing erection I spotted. "Are you?" I threw back at him.

Grayson groaned, but his eyes didn't leave the road. "Alder," he hissed through clenched teeth.

I batted my eyelashes even though he wasn't looking at me. "Yes?"

"You're asking for it," he grunted as I lifted my hand off him. Not before giving a little squeeze of appreciation, though.

"I know I am," I said sweetly.

I was asking for it, and he wasn't delivering. And suddenly, I was the impatient one.

As we careened over the top of a hill, racing over the slope, Grayson adjusted the gear before returning to teasing me.

"You should have brought that gift I gave you sophomore year," he muttered darkly, slipping his fingers up to dance along the top of my leggings, tickling my stomach.

"I didn't know that I would need it." I knew I was goading him, but I couldn't help it. "I figured you'd want to do all the work instead of letting a toy do it for you."

"And here I thought you would sleep the whole way to Luberon." He shook his head. "I should have known you would be a little tease the entire time."

"You love my smart mouth," I said with a smile.

"I do." Grayson nodded. "Love it even more when it's wrapped around my—"

"Wilder." I went to slap him playfully, but he caught my hand in his, bringing it back to the stick shift. He wrapped my fingers around the ball on the top by curling his grip over mine. He pushed abruptly forward, and together we shifted into second gear.

Grayson drove the rest of the way with my hand caged within his. I wasn't sure if it was because he liked holding me or if it was to try to curb my teasing, but I didn't mind either way.

The car was quiet besides the whirring of the engine and the tires spinning on the road. We almost always listened to music when we rode together, but I couldn't bring myself to connect the Bluetooth speakers to my phone. There was something heady and intoxicating about the silence. It enveloped the anticipation, making it thrum between us.

Finally, the directions indicated for us to turn onto a long, winding drive, eventually leading us to our destination.

Even in the darkness, it was more than clear how magnificently charming the chateau was. Silhouetted by the rolling hills of the French countryside, it sprawled over the grassy grounds and towered into the night. Standing three stories high, it was much larger than our house back in Los Angeles, and its idyllic shutters and weathered stone look were beyond picturesque, even in the dark.

Grayson parked the car and then sat back in his seat, taking it in.

"This is..." He paused before finding my hand and squeezing it. "This is amazing, Nessa. I've always heard my maman talk about this place."

"I hope it's okay that we came without her," I whispered.

Lillian had insisted that it was okay, that all she ever wanted was for Grayson to see it for himself, but I hoped it was okay with him, too.

"We'll come back with her one day," he said, squeezing my hand again, so I knew he meant it. "And our kids, too."

He said the last part teasingly, and I rolled my eyes because his obsession with children never let up for even one minute. Luckily, I loved it.

"Should we go look inside?" I probed.

I couldn't wait to explore, but even more than that, I couldn't wait to find a bed. It had been a long day, and my husband had spent the last hour making my pulse tick faster with each hill we sped over.

"Absolutely."

After following Lillian's instructions for getting into the chateau, Grayson led me through it startlingly fast—as though he had been here before. It wasn't long before we were in what I assumed was the house's main bedroom. Big picture windows gave way to a balcony, and Grayson cracked open the glass to let a sweet breeze filter into the room.

"We'll look around the rest of the place tomorrow," he said, and there was intent in his words. He didn't want to wait for something, and I knew what that something was.

Except...he had enjoyed playing with me on the ride here just a little too much. And as I slipped into the bathroom and changed into the laciest piece of lingerie I owned, I decided that maybe it was my turn to play a little game with him.

So when Grayson knocked on the bathroom door, I faked a long sigh.

"What's wrong?" he called through the door.

"Just tired," I said, opening it. "I think I just want to go to sleep."

Grayson stilled. His eyes flicked over me like I'd known they would, assessing both my attire and my words.

"You just want to sleep," he repeated woodenly. "And you're going to wear that?"

I glanced down, smoothing my hands over the lace. "You don't like it?"

Grayson rubbed his jaw, still working his gaze over me. "Oh, I fucking like it."

"I'm glad." I smiled at him, and when he didn't step out of the way, I cleared my throat. "Excuse me."

Grayson stumbled back, narrowing his eyes as I brushed past him and into the bedroom. He groaned audibly when I was far enough away for him to get a good glimpse of my backside.

"Something wrong?" I asked over my shoulder.

Grayson groaned a second time. "You know what's fucking wrong."

"I'm not sure I do," I muttered, climbing onto the bed. It was big and plush, covered in delicate linens that felt heavenly to sink into.

Sauntering toward me, Grayson kicked one foot in front of the other until he stood at the bed's end. He leaned back, resting against the wooden dresser across from me.

Meanwhile, while wearing nothing but a tiny thong beneath the lacy garment, I purposefully inched my legs apart while reclining in the bed.

Grayson's eyes darkened. "Don't you dare show me that pussy unless you plan on letting me eat it."

Goddamn him. It was ridiculously hard to ignore him when he talked like that.

While I figured out my next move, Grayson started undressing. Slowly. He pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. Moonlight and soft lighting filtered over the top of his body, and I clenched my teeth as I tried to keep in a throaty noise.

God, he was gorgeous. Gorgeous and mine.

"Like what you see, Mrs. Elez-Everett?" he asked, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

I couldn't deny it, so I nodded.

Chuckling, he kicked out of his pants, leaving him standing in his briefs, his arousal proudly on display. His grin tipped, wicked and knowing. "What about now?"

"I'm not complaining," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. But I knew my words were breathless, and it likely wasn't working.

He dropped his briefs before fisting his cock—his hard and ready-to-go cock. "Still not complaining, darling?"

I tried to ignore how my heart—and other parts of me—were pounding. "No, not complaining."

Grayson moaned, starting to work his hand up and down his length. My lips parted, my breath hitching as I watched. "What happened to going to sleep, Wednesday baby?" he asked, voice husky and deep.

"My husband is distracting me." I managed.

"How rude of him." He paused his strokes. "Do you want him to stop?"

Without thinking, I shook my head.

And, of course, Grayson looked more than satisfied.

"That's what I thought."

This chapter will be continued in the next bonus!