I pull some long shirts out that I use for night gowns and put them inside, along with some essentials I'll definitely need. Once I finish, she leaves me to dress, while she lugs the suitcase downstairs. I apply my own light copper eye shadow, eyeliner, and thicken my lashes with mascara, and some light peach gloss to my lips.

Moving toward the bed, I take my robe off and unzip the dress to slip it up my body with my s.e.xy lingerie underneath. I then slide my feet into my new yellow pumps. I feel s.e.xy yet elegant and cla.s.sy.

"Riley, Nathan's here!" Bea yells up the stairs.

"I'll be right down!"

Taking in a deep breath, I let it out slowly and walk downstairs. When Nathan comes into view, my heart stops and my breath catches. He looks gorgeous is a gray suit. It definitely suits him pun intended. He has on a white b.u.t.ton up shirt underneath the jacket and nice shiny black shoes. When I reach him, I smile and wrap my arms around him to hug him.

"You look so beautiful," he whispers.

I pull back and place my hands on his face and smile. "You look very handsome."

He reaches for my hand locking his fingers with mine, and we make our way out to his car. I look over my shoulder and see Bea beaming at us, and she winks at me. I wave at her before turning my full attention to Nathan. When we reach his car, he squeezes my hand, sets the suitcase down, and opens the door for me. Opening the trunk, he puts the suitcase inside, and then slides into the driver's seat.

"Are you ready?"

"I'm more than ready."

He grins. "Good."

He reaches for my hand and kisses the back of it. Nathan pulls out of the parking s.p.a.ce and we begin our journey.

"So tell me how this will work."

"Well, when we get there we have to park away from the village and we will be picked up by a horse and carriage because cars are not allowed. They will handle our baggage and put it in our bungalow. The carriage will take us to what's called The Manor, where we'll meet the deacon and he will have us say a few vows about our loyalty to one another. After that, we'll be escorted to our bungalow where our bonding will begin. The people of the village will bless our union by bringing food and stuff. Some people will shake your hand and bow, and it's customary that you nod when they do that, out of respect."

"This all sounds amazing," I say.

Nathan continues. "Our first day, there we will remain in the bungalow while the folks bless us and we begin the ritual. The second day, we can venture out and sightsee if you want, walk around the village and see everyone that has blessed us. Then that evening, the ritual continues. On the third day, we meet with the deacon once before leaving so he can see that the ritual happened and verify that it did occur."

"How does the deacon verify that?"

"They just know. They have a powerful sense of knowing. It's amazing. But we will get a final blessing and be on our way back."

"Wow, it all sounds so amazing," I repeat.

"It is, and I can't wait to experience it all with you. And this dress, my G.o.d, Riley, you look amazing. You should always wear short dresses."

"Well, I can the same about you. Gray definitely suits you."

I can't stop smiling about everything that will happen over the next few days. I know what he told me is only the tip of the iceberg and there is so much I don't know, but I'll experience it as it comes.

The two hours out of town pa.s.s fairly quickly as we ride on back roads the rest of the way. Another hour pa.s.ses and Nathan pulls into a parking lot with other cars. He pops the trunk and comes over to my side and offers his hand to help me out.

He pulls me roughly and I clash against his hard chest. His lips meet mine and I invite the l.u.s.t filled kiss. When he breaks the kiss, my eyes flutter open and meet his.

"I never noticed the flecks of gold in your eyes," I tell him.

"This is a magical place, Riley, and you will see things you haven't noticed before. We are surrounded by magic, so it's only natural that you will see things here that you haven't seen."

It's quite amazing. His eyes the gold is so bright and beautiful, like lightning bolts through his brown irises. His strong hand grips mine and I hear a horse's gallop approaching. The horse and carriage comes into view and it's nothing short of amazing. The driver hops down and takes off his top hat and bows. Nathan and I both nod, and Nathan helps me up the carriage. The driver grabs our luggage and puts it in the carriage for us. Nathan wraps an arm around my shoulders and smiles. I smile back and watch the scenery around me.

The village is unlike anything I have ever seen with evergreen trees lining the small bungalows and houses. The horse trollops on a cobblestone road and leads us through the village. I see vendors with fresh colored vegetables and fruits, as well as vendors selling merchandise such as Afghans, necklaces, and more. This place is so beautiful and breathtaking.

I feel Nathan's fingers rub my shoulder. "Remember to breathe while you're taking all this in. Okay?"

My eyes meet his and I smile. "Okay."

We arrive at a grand mansion called The Manor as a sign welcomes us. The carriage pulls into a curving driveway before pulling into a stop in front of The Manor. Nathan jumps off and makes his way over to me to help me down. With Nathan's fingers wrapped tightly around mine; we make our way inside. The grand doors swing open and we enter. Upon entering; a young girl holding a wreath of flowers, yellow daisies, offers it to me, I bend down so she can place it on my head. When I stand back up; she smiles and tells us to go through.

We are then escorted to the deacon, who is a tall man with a long robe that is deep burgundy with gold trim. He greets us with a bow and Nathan and I nod. At the podium, Nathan and I face each other while the deacon opens up a large book.

"Nathan Murphy, are you here by your own free will?" the deacon asks.

"I am."

"And Riley Warren, are you here by your own free will?"

"I am," I find myself saying while looking into Nathan's eyes.

The deacon thumbs to the next page and clears his throat. "Do you, Nathan, take Riley to be your life long partner?

Nathan smiles. "I do."

The deacon asks me the same, and I respond by saying I do.

"Do you, Nathan and Riley, promise to protect each other at all costs?"

"I do," Nathans says.

I repeat the same.

The deacon asks, "And do you promise to be true to each other?"

"I do," Nathan says.

"I do," I repeat.

"Now join hands and look deeply into the other's eyes," the deacon instructs.

We do as we are told, and Nathan's gold flecks mesmerize me again. The deacon places his hand over ours and chants with his eyes closed. The energy around us is so special as we are bonding together.

"Now close your eyes and repeat the words I say in unison," the deacon says. "Our bond is sacred."

"Our bond is sacred," we repeat.

"Our bond will always be in place; even if we lose our way, we will find our way back to each other."

Nathan and I repeat the words.

"Our bond is unbreakable and will always remain intact."

We repeat those words, too.

"Okay, now open your eyes," the deacon instructs. Removing his hand, he turns toward me and places a crystal necklace over my head. He repeats the same with Nathan, but his is a little shorter than mine. "This crystal necklace will always keep you both together, protecting the bond you share, so no matter what, you will always be together. The power of two is greater than one."

With those final words, he bows and we nod. The person that led us to the deacon also escorts us back through the way we came. Nathan reaches for my hand and squeezes it. We let the silence fall around us with no words needing to be said. Even though I just repeated what the deacon told us to, I meant every word deep down to my soul. I will forever be bonded with Nathan, and I love knowing that out of everything in our lives, that one thing remains simple and true.

Chapter Twenty.

RILEY.

The carriage drops us off at the edge of the village, instructing us the follow the instructions on the paper that he hands Nathan. We walk on the cobblestone road a little ways and there are small houses on each side of the road along with the vendors I had seen earlier. Some of the folks nod our way and we do the same.

My insides are filled with so much peace and the serene beauty that is before us. Nathan and I haven't spoken since the ceremony, and I'm more than comfortable with that for the moment. Looking at the map, Nathan stops in front of a bungalow and puts the key in and turns the k.n.o.b.

Inside, I place my crown of flowers on the end table. The stone walls aren't painted, but there is still a beauty about this place. There are a few stone pillars throughout as we walk through and I can't help but reach and touch one. They are from floor to ceiling. It's one big room with a couch and a bookshelf with books. We enter the small kitchen area, which includes a microwave, a refrigerator, and an oven. There is nothing modern about this place, and that's why I love it. The dining room table is small and quaint, housed in the corner of the kitchen by another window. Then off around a room divider is a high, majestic looking bed with a canopy above, draped with white see-through curtains surrounding it. There is a bedside table on each end, along with a high dresser where our suitcases are placed along the wall. A bathroom sits off in one corner, the walls separating the living s.p.a.ce and bedroom.

Standing by the bed, Nathan wraps an arm around my waist and brings me close. "Is this all you imagined it would be?" he asks in a soft voice.

"It's so much more than I antic.i.p.ated. It's beautiful." Suddenly, tears flow down my cheeks and I try to quickly swipe them away.

"Why the tears?" He brushes his thumb over a stray tear.

"I'm so happy. Being here with you is causing a flood of emotions to come through and I can't hold it in. This is just so surreal. I don't think I could love you any more than I do in this moment."

"I love you, too, Riley. Forever and always."

"Forever and always."

"Are you hungry?"

I nod. "A little."

He grips my hand, and we walk toward the door and he opens it. There is an array of food sitting on the step. We both bend down and pick the trays up and carry them to the table. Removing the saran wrap from the trays, Nathan hands me a plate. Taking the plate, I pile on some cold cuts, cheeses, and finger sandwiches, along with an egg salad wrap, some grapes, a slice of melon, and fresh bright strawberries.

"This is so good," I say, covering my mouth. "Wow."

"This is delicious," Nathan says, pointing to his wrap.

After eating, I excuse myself to the restroom where there are toothbrushes still in the package, and a new tube of toothpaste. I do my business and brush my teeth and then rinse my mouth. I rejoin Nathan at the table where he is finishing eating. He also excuses himself while I sit at the table, as I try to calm the nerves in my stomach. I know what's about to happen. We've done it before, but this time will be different. It will be special and on another level of our union, solidifying us as one. While he is in the restroom, I wrap up the food and place it in the fridge and sit back down.

When Nathan emerges from the restroom, he removes his suit jacket and hangs it on the back of a chair. His eyes meet mine; I can see they are l.u.s.t filled. He offers his hand and I take it, standing up, and he kisses me. His kiss is slow and purposeful.

"G.o.d, you are so beautiful," he finally says.

He takes my hand and leads us toward the bed. I love the softness of the curtains hanging over the bed canopy. Nathan walks behind me, and slowly unzips my dress while planting soft kisses on the back of my neck. Chills run down my spine and my heart kicks up a few notches, almost making it hard to breathe. Taking his hands, he slowly shoves the dress down my body as it lands by my feet. I kick my shoes off and step outside the puddle of clothes.

While still behind me, he undoes my braided hair, letting it fall into loose waves. He unhooks my bra and comes around to my front. His lips greet mine again as he walks us back toward the bed, the curtains enveloping us into our own world. He lifts me up so we fall on the bed together, and my hands are around his neck while we kiss. Our bodies are pressing together as he tries to unb.u.t.ton his shirt and my fingers move down to help. Now, bare chest to bare chest, I place a trail of kisses along his collarbone on each side. I love how slow we are going toward building the antic.i.p.ation of our love making.

My mouth kisses up his neck and onto his jaw, finally meeting his mouth. His thumbs lightly twist my hardened nipples. Leaning over me, he kisses my neck, working his way down to my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, sucking on each nipple, causing me to let of a moan. I pull my arms back, stretching them above my head, while he kisses down my stomach and stops just above my pelvis, and I feel him inhaling. His fingers latch onto each side of my panties as he pulls them down. Nathan undoes his belt and pants, revealing his tight briefs underneath, and he pulls them down as well. His body is that of a Greek G.o.d, muscled in every place.

With his lips back on mine, his hand finds its way to my c.l.i.t, rubbing and then inserting a finger inside. My mouth opens against his as I let out a gasp. His mouth, hands, and fingers a.s.sault my body into a sweet torturing bliss until I beg him to be inside me.

"I need you. Right now."

"Mmm, I love the way you say that," he says against my mouth.

With a hard but satisfying thrust he's inside me, our bodies rocking to the same rhythm. When I can't take much more, my body convulses against his.

"G.o.d, you feel so good. Oh G.o.d." His body jerks against mine.

Resting his forehead on mine, I snap my eyes open. "Is this real life?" I ask.

"This is our life."

Our life is a good place to be. I brush a few strands of his hair back and look into his eyes. The gold flecks are reflecting back at me, now brighter than before, almost turning his eyes completely gold. Jesus, could be any s.e.xier?

He rolls over to my side and rests his head on his elbow. "What are you thinking about?"

"How beautiful your eyes are and how s.e.xy you are," I confess.

"Mmm, don't even get me started about how s.e.xy you are." He leans over, kissing me again. "I'm going to devour you again and again over the next few days."

"G.o.d, I hope so." I smile.

His fingers reach down for mine. "Ever since we found each other again, I feel like I can't get close enough to you."

"I like feeling you near me."

"You and me forever, baby," Nathan says.

"Forever."

I plant another kiss on his lips before snuggling into the crook of his arm and my eyes suddenly feel heavy.

Movement from the s.p.a.ce next to me causes me to stir awake. The bed is so luxurious and comfortable; I'm tempted not to leave. But with the day ahead, I'm too excited.