A few seconds later, he shifted slightly and then his lips were on mine. His kiss was gentle, tender, slow, not the heated frenzy from before.

I wilted into the mattress, savoring the weight of him on top of me, the light attention of his mouth on mine. I’d be completely content to never move from this position.

Eventually he ended the kiss and ran his fingers through my hair at my temple. I knew he was gazing down at me even with my eyes closed. It took more than a little courage for me to open them and meet his gaze as I came back into reality bit by bit.

As soon as I lifted my lashes, I registered his alluring, lazy, satiated smile. I grinned back.

“Happy wedding night,” he said, his voice a growl.

The understatement of that blew my mind, as there was no way he could even begin to fathom what that had been like for me. The sex itself was spectacular. Add to it my years of wishing, wanting him, finally realized…

A pink pillow to the side of my head caught my eye, and a laugh escaped me as I took in our surroundings. “We just consummated our marriage in a nest of heart pillows.”

Lifting his brows, his lips sliding into a bigger grin, Holden glanced around us and plucked up a red pillow. “A love nest, indeed.” With a laugh, he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Effective as fuck. No pun intended.”

“Marketing win,” I added. “I’ll never think of hearts the same way.”

He kissed me again, then said, “What do you say we take refuge in a heart-free zone and move this to the shower?”

I’d follow him just about anywhere at that moment, and a shower sounded full of possibilities, depending on whether one time was enough for Holden or he was open to more.

“A shower sounds good,” I said.

He rolled to the side, severing our intimate connection, then slid to his feet. “Wait here.”

The view as he walked to the bathroom was incredible—his ass was incredible—and I watched the muscles in it and his thighs shift with every step and let out a quiet sigh of appreciation.

The water started, and a few seconds later, he emerged, plucked up the second condom from the nightstand, then surprised me by hoisting me off the bed in a cradle hold and carrying me into the bathroom. Turned out, he was open to more, and shower sex with Holden did not disappoint. I was reasonably certain no sex with Holden could ever disappoint.