3.5 The Innocence of White (4 page)

“You’re already spoiling me, Jack.” She giggled as she peeked in the fridge and found it stocked with only blood bottles.

“I plan to spoil you for the rest of your eternity, my dear.” I pressed my lips to hers, stifling
her
enthusiastic squeal.
“Let’s s
ettle in so we can take off
.”

“Okay.” She was practically bouncing in my arms.

The four-and-a-half hour flight to St. Thomas flew by. I stole kisses from Gabi between sips of blood and hurls of laughter. She was blunt; she always spoke her mind, and I loved her boldness.

“Thank God we’ve landed. I don’t mind flying, but after a while, I was ready to jump and swim the rest of the way.”

“Sorry, love. I promise it’s worth it though.” I nuzzled her neck, luring a smile
from
her in place of
her
frown.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She jutted her chin, tilting her nose up before strutting off the plane onto the landing strip. Her hips hypnotized me, the way they swung from side to side with sass.

“Thanks, Peter.” I waved to the pilot on my way out, both oversized suitcases in tow. He nodded in acknowledgement.

By the time I reached the pavement, Gabi was looking around. Her lips were pursed, her eyes focused as she took in the scenery.

“Based off the temperature, we’re on a tropical island. I’m guessing from the time it took us to get here, it’s the Virgin Islands.”

I felt joy all the way to my toes as I watched her study her surroundings.
She reminded me of a child solving a difficult math problem. She was perplexed, yet eager. She was clever;
I
knew she would notice
the airport sign
eventually
.

“St. Thomas!” she yelled the second she saw the sign. She laughed. “I’ve always wanted to come for a visit.”

“Yes, well, we aren’t staying here. It’s merely a necessary stop along the way,” I stated.

“What is this, Twilight? Are you taking me to Isle Esme?”

I chuckled. “All in good time, my dear.” I walked over to the car off to the side. The trunk promptly opened and I put our l
uggage inside. “Let’s go.” I hel
d out an arm, waiting for her to slide into my clasp.

“What have you got up your sleeve, Jack?” She eyed me suspiciously.

“A surprise
, if you would stop trying to guess it
.”

Gabi

The car drove us out to a marina with boats lining the
dock
s.
Lights gleamed off their shiny exteriors. White and chrome seemed to be the popular palette among them, regardless of their design or value. Jack led us to a small boat with merely a few plush leather seats
and a dashboard
.
The
captain greeted us upon arrival, tilting his head as an accompanied welcome. Jack hopped aboard with the suitcases before lending me a gentlemanly hand, as if I was human and ungraceful and perhaps might fall into the ocean.

I snuggled into his side as the driver put the boat into gear. “Minus the captain, this is a bit Breaking Dawn-esk.” I chuckled.

“I’m not sure what that means, but if it’s good, then I
’ll accept
it.”

“Considering Edward is the most romantic fictional vampire and he planned a honeymoon for Bella reminiscent of this one, I would say you’re doing excellent.”

“Ah. Well, thank you.”

I stared out at the ocean, cuddled close to Jack as we sped along its surface. Despite the cover of darkness, I could make out the vivid blue hue of the ocean.
In the daytime, I knew its shade would
be
a brilliant clear version dancing beneath the sun’s rays.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to a wooden dock.

“We’re here, my dear,
”
Jack announced.

Jack didn’t bother to hide his speed as he grabbed the suitcases and dashed inside
the house
with them before quickly returning for me. I gazed out at the island, which appeared to be private. Trees of varying
classes
covered the horizon, all following the ascent of a mountain. A single large home sat at the base, snuggled up to the ocean’s shore. White sand welcomed us the moment we stepped off the dock. Jack escorted me toward
s
the house
whose outer walls appeared to me entirely made up of
windows. The lights inside showcased a modern interior decked out with elegant Caribbean boutique furniture.

“Definitely a Breaking Dawn remake,” I mumbled. I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that I was living every Twilight fan’s dream.

As we got closer to the home, a narrow path appeared, guided by solar lights along
its sides
.

Jack hefted me into his arms. “I’m preparing to carry you over the threshold,” he stated before I could protest.

He’d left the
sliding glass door open, ready for our entrance. He stepped over the threshold, swinging me so we were chest to chest the moment we were inside the space. He stole my lips and my breath in a split second. He kissed me deeply yet softly. Every touch of his lips held some sort of emotion that he was sharing with me. He was never rough, always careful and reverent. Certainly not like any man I’d kissed before.

I pulled back, gazing into his dark eyes as he lowered me to the tiled floor. The moment my feet reached the ground, lightning lit up the sky behind him.

“Look
s like we got here just in time,
”
I said.

Thunder clamored in the distance.

“It does.” He looked at me like I was a bowl of ripe fruit, ready to be eaten. He licked his lips. “What do you want to do first?”

I broke into laughter. “What I want to do and what you want to do are two totally different things.”

“This will be my first compromise of our marriage then. What would you like to do, Mrs. Ambroise?”

Chapter 6
Jack

I watched as Gabi grew pensive. She fidgeted in place, avoiding eye contact.

“I know this is really bad timing, but something has been nibbling away at me. And, well, I just need to know. Whatever answer you give me won’t change the way I feel about you, nor will it change us. I… I need closure.”

My gut tightened. Instinct had me wanting to run from her, but love weighed my feet down. I could tell this was something that she’d thought long and hard over, which scared me all the more. “Anything.”

All air ceased to expand
in
my lungs as she hesitated. “Why did you lead us on a wild goose chase?”

I stared down at her. Her forehead wrinkled, her brows pulled inwards as she bit her lower lip, anticipating my response. My chest constricted as reality hit me. I couldn’t lie to her. She was my wife, my eternal partner. There could be no more secrets between us.

“At the core, I am a man of business. Cecilia Romanov paid me to gain access to Lexi and Kellan.
She requested that they be lead away from Charleston. She d
idn’t specify why, but I assume
it was so she could send a few men in to inspect their space for attack value.
Many vamps are not pleased with the peace contracts she’s negotiated between you and the vamp army. If too many powers ally together, then
her chase for dominance will collapse.”

She frowned. “Then my cousin, Rachevik, is working for her?”

“Yes. He gave me a username and password to acce
ss the tracking device’s maps. I was upfront with Cecilia about the ninjas I was contracted with. She thought it was a brilliant
move
to merge the two. Romanov has had a hidden control in
your unit for decades. It wasn’
t my place to meddle in your business affairs though.”

She drew back. “Even if they directly influence my safety?”

I sighed. This wasn’t how I pictured my honeymoon. “Of course not.”

“So you did
n’t think a spy in my secret quarters, the home that I reside
in
most
of
days of the year,
was potentially harmful? You do
n’t think Cecilia wouldn’t use the tactical layout of my compound to attack us, especially since she’s so upset over our most recent contract? Are you off your rocker, mister?” She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at me; a scowl firmly in place.

I threw my hands up.
“Perhaps I didn’t care before. Perhaps I played the ignorance card because I was suppressing my feelings from one night eighty y
ears ago. I’m not a perfect man
and I’m far from a devout vampire, but one thing I know for certain is that I love you, Gabriella. I love you, and
,
like the air I breathe
,
I couldn’t exist without you. Not now. Not since I’ve connected with you on an undeniable level.
Not since you took my name mere hours ago, securing
the
chain.
And I swear on my mother’s life that I will always protect you. I couldn’t picture a future without your smile. I couldn’t picture a future without your hissy fits.
” She tried not to smile at that one. “
You make me laugh. You’ve cracked the ice around my broke
n
heart and somehow made it seem like it was human again.
I’m going to make mistakes. I’m not perfect. But rest assured, from here on, my loyalty will always be to you first.”

Gabi

“How the hell is a woman supposed to respond to an outpour like that?” I sighed. “I really wanted to be mad at you, but you just took the fight right now out me. I’m not upset about
what you did in
the
past;
I’m upset to learn the truth behind it. We didn’t know for sure that someone else was behind you. Now I do, and I have to tell them.”

“I expected you would share this information.” His brows dipped in the center. I could tell he was concerned.

I cupped his face. “None of this changes the way I feel about you, Jack. I may get angry and yell and scream and be really bitchy sometimes, but that will never erase the fact that I love you.”

I dropped my hands, wrapping them around his waist. I peered up at him thoughtfully. “It’s crazy because at the base, love is white. It’s pure and innocent. But life layers other things, other colors and elements, on top of it and that’s what cracks its foundation. I don’t want the recent events to taint what we have already. I don’t want the past muddling what is currently white and beautiful. Love is what you make it, so lets make our love fresh and clean. Let’s allow it to represent a new beginning for both of us, together. What do you say?”

He captured my lips
. His full lips
swarmed
mine, their smooth surface caressing my own. I opened to him, angling my neck to deepen our connection. His arms wrapped around my waist, his hands spread across my back. He dipped me backwards,
intensifying our kiss before
breaking away with little
peck
s.

His eyes sparkled as he gazed down at me. “I say let’s go draw
a
relaxing bubble bath
for us to soak in together
.”

I nipped his lower lip. “Why don’t you go draw that bath while I slip out of my dress?”

He growled, nuzzling my neck. “Don’t take too long, Mrs. Ambroise.”

“I didn’t plan to,
mi esposo.
”

“I love when you speak Spanish.”

“Oh, you do?”

“
Oui
.”

“I love it when you speak French.”

“Then hustle out of that dress and we can have an international conversation, my dear.” His voice dipped lower, the bass of his tone warming me. His hands slid down my dress, gripping my
lower back as
he
returned me to a vertical position. He squeezed my rear, pulling me into his hard wall of muscles.

I swallowed hard.
“I’ll, uh, be right there.”

He leaned into me. I gasped as he ran his tongue along the large, pulsing vein in my neck. “I’ll be waiting,” he whispered.

Breathing became a chore as he walked away,
his exquisite physique disappearing into the master bedroom. He left
me
standing there with
rich
thoughts about
and an aching desire for
what was to come with him.

I expelled a deep breath. “Okay. Maybe this isn’t so Twilight after all.”

***

Dear Reader, (and hopefully a fan)

Thank you for reading Gabi and Jack’s story. It’s my hope that you enjoyed getting a peek at their thoughts and a deeper view of their lives. I find the more you know about a character, the easier it is to relate to them, or at the least, like them.