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Rowan Whitehorn couldn’t help but smile as he watched his beautiful wife spin in circles, arms flailing, as she let the sea breeze cool her flushed cheeks. Red-faced, Aelin might have had one too many fruity cocktails from their dinner at the small diner, hidden within Whalers Village. Rowan had wanted to end their Hawaiian honeymoon watching the stars from the beautiful, white-sanded Lahaina beach behind the restaurant, but Aelin just couldn’t seem to sit still.
Throughout the duration of their dinner, he watched Aelin slowly lose control over her speech and movement. Her words slurred together, eyes becoming heavy-lidded, yet she still seemed so alive. Her voice became louder, movements more dramatic, it was a miracle she hadn’t broken anything. Rowan knew he was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol as well when he couldn’t stop smiling at the utter perfection that was his wife. He lost all sense of time as he watched her smile back at him. He truly admired her so much. She was a ball of energy, his Fireheart. There was nothing else he needed in this life, but her.
Rowan currently carried a checkered, red and white picnic blanket underneath his arm, along with a fluffy throw blanket he had stolen from their hotel suite. After walking up and down the stretch of the whole beach, Aelin seemed to have finally sobered up. Her gait had steadied and she appeared even-tempered in her movements, no longer stumbling across the loose, powdery sand.
Content, Rowan set down the picnic blanket and called out to Aelin, “Would my lovely wife care to join me in watching the stars this evening?”
As Rowan made himself comfortable, he glanced in Aelin’s direction. She slowly made her way towards him and settled next to him, her golden blue eyes less clouded as she pressed a feather-light kiss to his cheek before cuddling into his side. Aelin beamed, “I would love nothing more.”
The couple sat together for a few moments enjoying the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks. They listened to the rhythm of the tides rolling in and out towards the shores, the subtle chirping of field crickets hidden somewhere in the grassy field behind them, and enjoyed the night sky that loomed above them. The contrast between the dark blue, and purple hues compared to the glowing, radiant stars supplemented Aelin’s and Rowan’s awe of the scenery. But of course, Aelin couldn’t sit for long. Soon she was up and dragging Rowan along with her to where the sand met the sea. Holding hands, they walked further into the water. Shallow enough to walk through easily, but deep enough so the waves hit them just below their knees.
They stood in the water, and Aelin wrapped her arms around Rowan’s torso. In response, Rowan pulled her close and breathed in her lemon verbena scent as he held her against him. He could live in this moment forever. Standing in the most beautiful place on earth with the love of his life in his arms, Rowan could not wish for a more perfect memory.
His thoughts, however, were soon interrupted as Aelin suddenly ripped herself from his grasp and began sprinting full force into the middle of the ocean. Maybe she was not as sober as he had thought.
He watched as his Fireheart became an absolute menace in the water. Her splashing, coupled with the oncoming waves, led to a completely drenched Aelin stuck in the clothing she had not bothered to take off. “Come out here Buzzard, the water is perfect,” she called, not seeming to mind her current situation.
Rowan laughed at the utter ridiculousness of his wife. Only she would run into the ocean, fully clothed, in the middle of the night. “Have you lost your fucking mind Fireheart,” he laughed softly. “What if a shark eats you?”
“I’d like to see a shark try to take me down,” Aelin countered confidently.
Rowan rolled his eyes but swam out to his wife anyways. While the water had only reached up to his torso, Aelin floated. Aelin wrapped her legs around his waist and secured her arms on his neck. “I could kiss you right now,” she whispered against his ear.
“Why don’t you then?” he asked, raising a brow.
“Because then I couldn’t do this.” Before Rowan could react, Aelin had jumped on top of him. She tackled him into the water and quickly leaped off. When he resurfaced, wiping the saltwater from his eyes, Rowan witnessed Aelin clutching her sides, barely able to breathe from laughing at his short demise.
Rowan narrowed his eyes and glared at her jokingly, “You’re gonna regret that.” He ran his fingers through his wet hair and tried to appear threatening. He could only imagine how he must have appeared. He had his hands at his hips trying to replicate an imposing stance, but he probably more or less resembled a wet dog. He wouldn’t allow Aelin the satisfaction of his discomfort, despite his inward cringe at the fact that his soaked clothes now stuck to his skin.
“Oh yea,” Aelin teased. “Come and get me.”
Aelin used the momentum of an incoming wave to push her back towards the shore. By the time Rowan made it back to the picnic blanket, Aelin was already eagerly awaiting his arrival. Rowan stood transfixed. She had taken off her wet dress and laid against the blanket only in her undergarments. Her damp hair spread out beneath her and left trails of water around the blanket. Aelin had fixed her arm to hold her head under her palm, lying on her side in order to show off the black and gold, lacy lingerie she had recently purchased. It was a floral lace garter bodysuit, black with gold-accented flowers along the plunging neckline, emphasizing her curves and revealing cleavage. The piece had caught her eye after she remembered Rowan’s deep appreciation for her shimmering golden nightgown. By the look on Rowan’s face, Aelin could tell this was an even greater success than the first.
She made a mental note to thank the kind shop lady for suggesting her a waterproof fabric.
“Do you worst,” she winked as he approached.
Rowan couldn’t stop running his eyes over Aelin. The moonlight illuminated the outlines of her face so perfectly, adding to her already vibrant glow. The dim lighting highlighted her prominent collar bones, he couldn’t help but imagine himself leaning in and burying her with kisses upon kisses from her jaw down to her shoulders. Rowan would be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted to take her right there on the beach, but his need for revenge outweighed his roaring desire. That didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little of his own fun though.
He slowly stalked towards Aelin, watching her closely to note her any change in facial expression. He took his time, intentionally stalling his steps before he reached her. And when he did so, he slowly crawled on top of her form, putting into practice what he had so vividly imagined earlier. He first started at her jaw, slowly descending his trail of kisses towards her neck to the slight of her shoulders. His wet hair left behind their own path against her skin, marking his every action he took upon.
Rowan glanced at Aelin, taking in her current state. Her eyes were closed and she breathed deeply. Although she lay sprawled across the blanket leaning into Rowan’s touch, it wasn’t enough. Not even close. He needed to taste her, needed to hear her. Roughly capturing her lips and moving his hand from her neck to cup her face, he kissed her slowly. He allowed his other hand to roam free and reach for something hidden in the sand next to them. Once he took hold of what he needed, he quickly maneuvered their bodies. Like a dance, Rowan flipped them around, airborne for milliseconds to quickly wrap the sherpa throw around their frames. It wasn’t long before they were tangled with each other. They were as close as physically possible with Aelin’s body now resting atop of Rowan’s, his arms encircled her waist while the throw expertly encased them. There was absolutely nothing separating them now.
Aelin’s cheek squished against Rowan’s chest. She peered up at him within their human burrito, “Ok, you got me,” Aelin sighed, defeated. She would have raised her hands in surrender, but they were glued to her side. “Can you unroll us now?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay like this? I must admit, I quite enjoy it,” Rowan said pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Yes I’m sure, you’re squishing my face, you oaf. Plus I’m already stuck with you forever we don’t have to make it literal,” Aelin joked.
Rowan laughed, as he unwrapped one of his arms around Aelin and pushed out of the throw blanket that encased them. He unrolled Aelin and helped her sit up, extending a hand to her, “Payback’s a bitch.”
“Mhm whatever,” Aelin mumbled. She crawled into Rowan’s lap and rested her head on him. “I’ll be sure to get you tomorrow.”
Rowan chuckled softly to himself as he ran his fingers through Aelin’s hair, massaging her scalp. She leaned into his touch before slowly drifting off to sleep. Once her breathing evened out, Rowan laid down as well, gently pulling Aelin to his side and assembling the fleece blanket to unfold on top of them. Soon, he too was lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves. The couple slept all through the night, wrapped in each other’s arms beneath the glimmering blanket of stars - the perfect end to a perfect honeymoon.