were lost however, under the onslaught of Ryker’s mouth against her own. She gave herself up to the promises and the passion of her new husband, feeling nothing but joy.
Chapter Seven
Ryker grunted as he lifted Max and carried her over the threshold of their rental property. He knew it was a human tradition, but he had gotten a kick out of the idea and had surprised Max by sweeping her into his arms as soon as she unlocked the door. He was experiencing second thoughts now though, as his back protested to carrying Max and the added weight of the baby. Who knew pregnant women could weigh so much? he thought, wisely shutting down their mental connection first. Taking a quick look around, he saw a dark brown leather lounge in the living area and quickly deposited his wife there.
“Do you need more time in the gym? Maybe more time on the mats?” Max teased, smiling up at him.
Ryker mock growled, “Quiet, you.” Then he kissed her. A lot.
“Mmm-mmm,” Max murmured, licking her lips when they parted. “Are we really not going to have sex on our honeymoon? We already didn’t have sex on our wedding night.”
“Max …” he warned.
Max pouted, “Fine. You’re lucky I have a healthy body image. Otherwise a girl might get a complex thinking she was no longer desirable to her man now that she’s pregnant.”
Ryker looked at her askance. She was looking particularly lovely in a long maternity dress with skinny little straps and some kind of cute half-sized cardigan over the top that tied up in a knot just under her generous breasts. Not only was her fabulous cleavage on display, but her baby bump was accentuated. She had happy, healthy colour in her cheeks and to cap it all off, she was wearing his wedding ring. He had never seen a more beautiful sight in all of his life. She had never been more appealing to him. He wanted very much to make love to her, all night long, but he also had read that orgasms could bring on labour. And with only four weeks until her due date and them being so far from home, there was no way he was taking chances.
“Gods, you are so adorable,” Max said abruptly, smooshing his cheeks.
“I am not adorable,” Ryker grumbled, realising his wife had been reading his mind. It didn’t really bother him. At least she knew how much he wanted her.
Max smiled, eyes going soft. “I do know. You love me very much.”
“So much,” Ryker promised. He kissed her one last time before patting her stomach. “And I love my little ray of sunshine too. Now, shall we explore? Are you too tired? We can just chill out on the lounge for the rest of the evening.”
“Explore! At least in here. It is super cute. I can’t believe we get to stay here a whole week,” Max exclaimed, hopping up and exploring their accommodation.
Ryker smiled, looking around for himself. He had rented a converted barn overlooking the Megalong Valley in the Blue Mountains. They were still in New South Wales, about four-and-a-half hours drive from their home. At least, it should have taken that long, Ryker amended. Instead, it had taken closer to seven hours and it was now close to five in the evening. Max had been correct with her prediction – lots of pee stops. But Ryker didn’t mind. He was on his honeymoon. With his wife. Max’s chuckle caught his attention and he focused on her.
“How often are you going to refer to me as your wife?”
Ryker didn’t reply at first, he was too busy taking in her flushed cheeks with her solo dimple and her sparkling eyes, alight with happiness and love. When Max smirked at him, he cleared his throat and answered, “As many times as I can reasonably work it into a sentence for the foreseeable future.”
Max sighed happily before heading from the small kitchenette off the living room into what he assumed was the bedroom. “I don’t blame you. I love thinking of you as my husband as well.” She startled him by laughing loudly from the other room. “Especially considering when I woke up yesterday morning I wasn’t even engaged.”
Ryker laughed a little at that himself. When he had first found the uncut semi-precious gemstone, he knew it was no ordinary stone. Nor had it been pure luck. He couldn’t put his finger on how he knew, but he knew it was destined to be