Lofoten Islands, Norway

ANYA

I wake to the sensation of the plane’s wheels touching down softly on the runway. Outside the small window, night has fallen. I squint into the darkness but the landscape beyond the blinking lights and low buildings is muted in layers of black and deep purple.

Colby leans in to kiss my temple. I take his hand and squeeze it, the warmth from his touch flowing through me. I give him a quick kiss, and he gives me that sexy just-wait-till-later smile that makes my heart flip cartwheels.

“What did the fisherman say to the magician?” he asks.

I flash him a grin and shrug.

“Pick a cod, any cod.” He winks, then steals a quick kiss, his lips soft.

I fall against his chest and he wraps his arm over my shoulder.

We’ve been planning this trip for over a year, but it almost didn’t happen. With all of our projects, taking time out for just us can be a challenge. This fall, my sportswear company, Sweetwater Designs, had to move to a bigger location. And Paige moved back to Bishop and opened her preschool. Add in our climbing schedule and it’s a wonder we ever see each other.

That’s why we made this trip a priority. And I’m secretly glad because there’s something I want to share with him, and this is the perfect place to do it.

But keeping this as a surprise isn’t easy.

We file off the plane. Outside, the arctic air chills my cheeks. I zip my thick parka to my chin and hurry across the runway under a clear night dotted with stars.

While we’re waiting for our ride after picking up our luggage, Colby pulls me to him for a kiss. His face is chilled by the night air, but his lips are warm and soft.

“What should we do first?” he asks. “Are you hungry?”

My core quivers with a pulse of heat. “A little.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Or we could take a walk.”

“Yeah, that might be good,” I say but my voice is high.

He tilts his head. “Or…”

I bite my lip.

He kisses me again, his fingers caressing the side of my face. “Five whole days together, Anya,” he says when he breaks away, leaving me breathless. “No responsibilities. No phone calls.”

“I know,” I say, giddy.

“I made sure the hotel has room service,” he adds before giving me another kiss. “So we won’t have to go anywhere if we don’t want to.”

I give him a little shove. “But we do want to. That’s the whole reason we’re here.”

“That and the nights are very long in Norway this time of year.”

I laugh. “Will you ever stop?”

His eyes widen in surprise. “Do you want me to?”

I dive into his chest. “No.”

After a short cab ride, we enter the bright lobby of the hotel. With every passing minute, my blood heats. I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s always been this way between us, even when we were separated. Even when our mistakes tore apart. I love him more each day, something I never thought possible.

By the time we get inside the room I’m practically panting. “Wow, Colby,” I utter as he leads me into the suite with the king-sized bed, couch, and balcony.

“I wanted this to be really special for us,” he says.

“It doesn’t have to be fancy to be special,” I reply. “You know that.”

Emotion fills his gaze. “Yeah, I know.”

He brushes the side of my face and kisses me, a slow, sweet kiss, his tongue flicking gently with mine. I caress under the hem of his sweater to where he’s warm and firm. He makes a sound in the back of his throat, then tugs my thick sweater over my head.

When he pulls me close and our bodies touch, I sigh in delight. He’s perfect. So strong yet gentle. Though sometimes our passion gets almost volatile, and then he’s not gentle. But in those moments, I don’t want him to be.

As if he can read my mind, he nips my ear. “I have such dirty plans for you, darlin’.”

My core clenches. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He kisses me again, his tongue swirling with mine while his fingers tug open my pants and slides them down. A chill races over my skin but not because I’m cold.

I try to unbutton his jeans, but he pushes my hand away. “Not so fast,” he warns, and shuffles me to the bed. He lowers me to the edge then settles on his knees. He kisses up my inner thigh.

“I have been craving you since this morning,” he says, caressing my skin.

“Even after what you did to me in the restaurant?” I ask. While waiting in the Oslo airport for our connecting flight, we had tucked into a booth in the corner of a café. Just having him sit near me was enough to flick that switch he so expertly knows how to do, and in minutes our kissing turned to caressing, and ninety seconds later I was coming silently on his finger, my body shielded from the other restaurant patrons by his frame.

“It’s because of what I did to you in the restaurant,” he says, his soft lips planting wet kisses up my thigh.

“Will you ever get enough?” I tease, though my mind is becoming too preoccupied with savoring his touch to be able to focus.

He gives me a sultry look. “Will you?”

I giggle. “Not if you keep touching me like this.”

He tugs my panties down and shuffles close. His eyes fill with warmth. “I love you,” he says, reaching up to caress the side of my neck.

My heart swells to an almost painful fullness. “I love you too.”

He kisses down my belly while his fingers caress over the tops of my thighs. My body starts to vibrate, so eager for him.

He urges my thighs apart and strokes my folds. I shudder. He kisses down the seam of my thigh until I feel his warm breath where I’m tingling for him. I tense, this moment of anticipation so sweet.

With one soft lick, my desire explodes.

Colby glides his fingers up my slippery folds then wraps his lips around me, sucking gently.

“Oh,” I gasp, arching my hips.

“Fuck you taste good,” he groans.

He glides down with his tongue, making my every nerve ending spark. My fingers wrap around the edge of the bed and I arch my hips to his mouth, completely shameless. This is what he does to me.

Licking and caressing, his mouth and fingers read my every need, his touch firm yet caring, his lips and tongue lashing against me expertly. My mind empties to a peaceful fog while my hips rock and my hands weave through his hair.

And then he glides his finger inside, sending ripples of pleasure through me. I grip his hair as he thrusts and swirls, my sex hot and pulsing and my need multiplying with every stroke, every flick of his tongue.

“Let me hear you come,” Colby growls. He adds another finger, curling against my most sensitive place while plunging slow and deep.

I release a little cry as I go shooting to the edge, my hips arching hard against him, my skin tingling with need. He moves faster, his fingers and tongue adding just the right pressure until it all breaks free.

“Colby!” I gasp as pleasure floods into me, urging me on. Each thrust delivers me higher, the freedom and joy multiplying until I’m soaring in a cloud. Colby moves with me until I come down, shuddering with aftershocks. He rests his cheek on my thigh and releases a long breath.

“That was beautiful,” he sighs. We stay there for a moment, my fingers weaving through his hair and his touch feathering up and down the top of my thigh.

Slowly, he kisses up my body, scooping me into his arms as he rises up. We land softly against the pillows. I roll onto his chest and kiss him while my blood still pulses through my body. His stiff erection presses against my thigh. I shift so I can stroke him over his jeans while kissing down his body, eager to make him feel good after what he just did to me.

He flicks the clasp on my bra and tugs it off, then strokes me in little swirls. Tingles erupt over my skin. He grips my sides and pulls me to straddle him, then takes one nipple into his mouth while caressing the other. Electricity shoots into my core and I roll my hips into his jeans. Everything feel so good—heightened and vibrant.

Maybe it’s because of what I need to share with him.

I break away from his kisses and shift down to between his knees. He leans against the mountain of pillows while I unbutton his jeans. I tug them and his boxers down, freeing his beautiful cock. In my hand, he’s so firm and thick and warm.

Colby hisses with pleasure as I scoop up the salty liquid of his arousal with a flick of my tongue. He combs through my hair as I glide my lips around him. He’s so big in my mouth, and solid, like a hot stone. My desire skyrockets as I suck and glide, pumping with my hand. Everything is slick and tight. His chest arches, his tight breaths filling the room.

“Fuck, Anya,” he growls.

I move faster, squeezing his head tighter.

His caress on my shoulder turns firm, his thumb digging into my skin.

I take him deeper, my lips slurping around him. His head tilts back and his hips tense. He gets bigger in my mouth and his breath comes in hard grunts. I swirl my tongue and rock with him, gripping and sliding.

He arches firmly into me, his fingers sliding into my hair as his salty warmth fills my mouth. I bob in little pulses until he’s empty and tugging me to him.

His chest heaves as he holds me tight, his heat spreading through me.

“I forgot how amazing hotel sex was,” he says after his breaths slow.

I laugh. “What makes it so amazing?” I ask, propping myself up on my side.

He raises an eyebrow. “I had an incredible view.”

I follow his gaze to the opposite wall, where a full-sized mirror reflects back.

My face erupts with heat. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I say, grabbing a pillow so I can swing it at his head.

He shields his face and is quick to snatch up a pillow to retaliate.

“Because it was hot,” he says, ducking as I thwap him in the shoulder.

“What is your obsession with my ass?” I ask as he gets me on the side.

“Because it’s perfect!” he protests. “I’m not going to apologize.”

He gazes at the mirror. “Just watching you tackle me with pillows is doing it for me,” he says.

I gaze over my shoulder to a reflection of my backside.

“Watching you suck me with your knees spread open like that,” he says, his eyes flashing. “While your mouth took me inside?” He shakes his head. “Damn.”

I swing at his head. He shields himself, then lunges for me. He kisses me and all my defenses weaken.

“Maybe later I’ll bend you over the bathroom countertop so you can watch.”

My mouth drops open in surprise. Even after everything we’ve done, he can still make me blush.

“You know that I don’t just love you for you ass, right? You know that I love every part of you.”

I gaze into his beautiful blue eyes.

This man. This insanely generous, thoughtful man.

“Yeah,” I say. “I know.”

He steps off the bed and grabs the two white, fluffy robes hanging in the closet. He wraps me in the first one, giving me a soft kiss, then tugs on the second and takes my hand.

Outside on the patio, the evening air chills my hot skin. Below, the small harbor is lit with a collection of lights, the mountainous landscape a black cutout against the stars.

“When do you think we’ll see them?” I ask, as he presses into my back and wraps his arms around me.

“The guidebook says after nine-thirty and before one AM, but they can be seen anytime it’s dark.”

I snuggle into him. Ever since we climbed Dragen’s Tarn during the summer’s midnight sun, Colby’s wanted to return to see the Northern Lights. It’s amazing to me that it’s taken us four years to make it happen.

“Maybe it’s easier to see them outside of town, where there’s less city lights.”

“We could go for a walk?” he asks, rocking me in his arms.

After dressing in our warmest clothes, we stroll the small town, stopping at a bistro for reindeer meat stew and the yummy, dense bread I remember from our first trip. We continue our walk to a beach lined with fishing cabins, the soft waves making hardly any sound.

It happens while we’re scrambling down the glacier-polished slab of granite to the sand.

Bright green ribbons of light. Dancing. Swaying.

“Ahh!” I cry.

Colby hoots.

The green light blinks out. We stand, faces pointed upwards, hoping for more.

“There!” Colby shouts just as I see it: a curtain of purple light races across the horizon. I spin, following it with my eyes. Behind it, green flashes, then flickers out. More purple, floating across the sky in columns of bright color.

We chase the lights up and down the beach, shouting with excitement. The show continues for twenty, maybe thirty minutes, each flash of color unique, alive.

Finally, after we stand waiting for a long time, Colby takes me into his arms. “That was so cool,” he says. “Better than I imagined,” he adds, his eyes aimed skyward.

My belly flutters with unexpected nerves because I realize this is the moment I should tell him. I had planned to at dinner, but we had so much to talk about. I considered holding off until tomorrow, when we’ve planned a hike to a view of the fjord.

But I realize now is perfect.

I don’t know why I’m suddenly nervous. I know he’ll be happy when I tell him, but…

He must see the look on my face, because his eyes cloud with concern.

“I…need to tell you something,” I say.

His eyes turn serious. “Okay.”

I swallow. The night seems to settle around me, wrapping me in a beautiful blanket. This is as good a time as any, I tell myself, and really, I can’t hold it in any longer.

“I’m pregnant,” I say.

His eyes light up and he lifts me into the air. “Anya!” he cries. “Are you serious?”

I laugh. “Yes!”

He hoots, spinning me in circles.

Breathless, he places me on the ground and takes my face in his hands. “You are so beautiful,” he says, his eyes searching mine. “You’ve just made me the happiest man on the planet.”

My heart thumps faster, and I smile.

“Wait, how long have you known?” he asks, his eyes sparkling.

“A few weeks,” I say.

His eyes widen.

“I wanted to wait,” I say to stop his protests. “I wanted us to be here. Alone. Together.”

He lifts me into his arms and hoots again, his shouts erupting into the night. “I’m going to be a dad!” he cries.

“Colby! Put me down!” I shriek.

He hoists me over his shoulder. “I will when we get to the hotel.”

“What?” I cry.

“This calls for a celebration,” he says.

“Don’t you want to watch for more lights?”

“We’ve got all week,” he says as he climbs back to the road. “Tonight, you’re mine.”

We don’t leave the hotel for two days after that. When we’re not making love, he’s researching the type of vitamins I should be taking, pre-natal nutrition, the recommended amount of rest.

“Colby!” I protest one morning when he insists I stay in bed after he kept me up half the night. “It’s a baby, not a disease.”

He climbs up on the bed, grinning. “You are going to look gorgeous pregnant,” he says, caressing my flat belly. “I can’t wait.”

I kiss him. There’s one more thing I need to tell him. “What would you say if I told you I’m thinking of selling Sweetwater?”

His eyes widen. “Why?”

I shrug. “Life’s gotten so busy. I want to enjoy this.”

“But you love it, and you’ve worked so hard.”

“Haven’t we worked hard for this?” I ask in a teasing voice.

He raises his eyebrow. “If that’s what you call work, darlin’,” he says in his sexy growl. “Then sign me up.”

I laugh. “I mean, we’ve been trying for almost a year.” The doctor actually told us to take a night off now and then. Apparently, a more “moderate” pace is sometimes helpful.

We tried, we really did.

“And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” he says.

I smile. “I can always start designing again, when I’m ready.”

He kisses me. “Whatever you want. I just want you to be happy.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “I am happy. How could I not be? I have you.” I caress his face. “And now, our love can grow even more.”

Joy fills his gaze. “I hope she looks like you,” he says.

I wipe my eyes and laugh. “You think it’s a girl?”

He nods. “I’m sure of it.”

“Oh, Colby,” I sigh as our future life plays out before my eyes.

“I love you,” he says, leaning in to kiss me gently.

“I love you, too,” I reply.

He kisses my belly. “And I love you, little one,” he says, caressing the place that’s so full of love and hope that it’s already full.

“Now, about that mirror in the bathroom,” he says, scooping me up.

I shriek. “Again?”

He pauses to kiss me. “Again.”

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