His body came alive as soon as he glided against Skyla’s silky dress. He nuzzled against his wife’s ear while purposely pressing his hard-on against her stomach. “You know, back in my homeland, a new bride always grants her husband a wish for their wedding.”
“Well, what do you have in mind?” Skyla asked him playfully.
His smile widened, and his hand wrapped around her waist tighter before sliding sensually down her backside, resting it on her firm rear before giving it a heated squeeze. “That you’ll love me forever,” Rei whispered into her ear. His normally witty, unabashed Skyla seemed to have been surprised by his request. Her dancing shoes stopped for a moment as if she was contemplating whether she would grant him the wish. Rei didn’t know if he would survive if her answer was any other than a resounding yes. She held him in suspense a moment longer before smiling her seductive smile. “I do. I’ve always loved you, and I always will.” Before he remembered they weren’t alone, he kissed her, mauling her in front of her adoptive parents and all their guests. Several guests called out playfully. “Get a room!” “Uh oh, here comes Mr. Gray.” “Save dessert for later!” No doubt those catcalls were all from Skyla’s people at the Agency, but Rei didn’t care. He kept on kissing her until they were both breathless and until the tempo of the music picked up. He finally let up and spun his wife away and back, dancing to the upbeat tune, feeling genuinely happy and content for the first time in a long, long time. Skyla was giggling from his sudden spinning move. Then the whole party lit up. It seemed like every guest was on the dance floor now, sharing this amazingly beautiful day with them.
Rei had no regret for the centuries he had spent looking for Skyla. It was meant to be. The only regret he had was that Sloan was not there to share his joy and contentment. No matter how angry he was with his brother for selling out Skyla, Sloan was his only family left. Now that he had joined the Agency, he was sure he and his brother would cross paths again. He would bring his misguided brother back, no matter the cost. After Knox flashed them back to the twenty-first century, the handmaiden visited him and told Rei that he was released from his bargain with the gods and that the gods had chosen a new leader for his men. Rei wouldn’t be surprised if they had chosen Sloan to be the new leader of his men, of the gods’ private army. Before his thoughts could lead him farther down the road of regret, Skyla reached up to him and kissed him warmly, happily. And his soul soared.
•●•
Knox took a gulp from a long-neck beer and quietly looked out at the festive dance floor in the middle of Skyla’s parents’ garden. Guests in colorful summer attire danced to the festive tune. His gaze honed in on Skyla, dressed in a simple white silk gown, which modestly covered her front but was wide open at the back. Classic yet sexy. Her hair was tied into a casual knot with a white peony resting low on the nape at the back of her neck. And now she was laughing from being spun around by Rei, who was in a casual beige linen suit with his necktie loosened. Even though Knox wished it was he who was dancing with Skyla, he was genuinely happy for her, that she and Rei had finally found each other. He smiled a sad smile. Then someone bumped not too subtly at his shoulder, taking his attention away from the dance floor.
Butch tipped his beer bottle forward. “I’ve never seen Skyla smiling and laughing so much.” Then he looked at Knox. “You doing okay, buddy?”
“Yes, it’s not meant to be. Fate always has a wicked sense of humor.”
There was a long stretch of silence before Butch spoke again. “So you and Vivi are staying?”
He nodded. There was nowhere else for them to go. They were not simply orphans. They were two demi-gods banished because their mother was a mortal who had dared to defy the gods. He was surprised their adoptive parents had managed to hide them for this long and that the gods had not struck back now that their covers had been blown.
“Look, Vivi and I are still who we were. We were smuggled out of the pantheon when we were just toddlers and were sent to the late twentieth century. We actually didn’t remember any of it until our adoptive parents told us about it on our sixteenth birthday.”
“Hey, man, that’s not what I meant.” Butch sounded almost insulted. “I don’t give a crap where you and Vivi come from. Gus and I have both of your backs no matter who or what you are.” Butch’s fierce loyalty, along with the rest of the team’s and the rest of Agency’s, brought a smile to Knox’s face.
Nonetheless, he wanted to change the subject. “Where is Gus? Haven’t seen him since the ceremony.”
“The last I saw, he and the director were heading to Mrs. Gray’s greenhouse at the back.” Butch answered as if it was nothing unusual, but Knox had a feeling there was more going on between the director and Gus than they let on. He was about to tell Butch of his suspicion when Vivi, dressed in a soft yellow satin cocktail dress with spaghetti straps, called to them from a couple of tables away. “Come on, guys, Skyla and Rei are about to cut the cake, and the bride specifically requested her team stand by her when she does it.”
He and Butch looked at each other, both wondering if they could get out of it, but Vivi was already in front of them, smoothly sliding between them and looping her arms around each of theirs. She pulled both of their heads lower toward her mouth and spoke in a conspiratorial tone. “Anyone in for a cake fight?”
Lily has spent her entire adult life working for several Fortune 500 companies, but has always dreamed about being a writer. Her first encounter with “Anna Karenina” in college was love at first read. Throughout her corporate career, Lily never truly let go of that first love and eventually garnered enough courage to try her hand at writing. And it was the most amazing and fun experience she’s had in a long, long while. As any happily-ever-after story should go, the rest is history.
Follow her on Twitter: @worthingtonlily