Chapter 25

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Dawn stepped onto the upper deck of The Aphrodite and breathed in the salty fresh air. She inhaled deeply and then slowly exhaled. She laughed to herself when she thought of what she just did. She exhaled. Terry*, I finally know what you mean, she thought with a small chuckle.

She raised her left hand and looked at her wedding band and engagement ring which rested on her third finger. Married and pregnant, she thought, as she rubbed her still flat abdomen. When she left home less than two months ago, she never would have guessed that so many changes would happen so soon. So many wonderful changes, she smiled.

She glanced around at the remains of their wedding ceremony. Before their friends left, they had chipped in and helped the newlyweds clean up. The candles still stood in their holders and the torch still stood at the makeshift altar, but the rose petals had been swept away. When they came back from her mother's, she and Nikolas would decide what they wanted to do with their sources of light from the night before. Right now, she was content to leave it.

A piece of white material on the floor caught her eye as she moved around the deck. She picked it up and blushed when she remembered how her panties were carelessly left there. Oh, Nikky, she thought with a sensual smile.

With panties in hand, she went down below to the lower deck. She called, "Nikky, baby, aren't you ready to go, yet?"

"Just a minute!" he replied.

"Where are you?" she asked as she moved down the corridor.

"I'll be there in a second!"

Dawn frowned as she went into their bedroom. The bed was still made, just the way she left it, but everything else was a mess. The closet looked like it had been ransacked and the dresser drawers were opened. What little items they had in there had been thrown about the floor.

"Nikolas, why is this room a mess?" she called out to him as she began to move about the room, putting things back into their rightful place.

Nikolas grimaced as he stood in the doorway. 'Nikolas' again, he thought. He'd make it up. She would enjoy the way he made it up, and so would he, he thought with a smile.

He moved quietly until he stood right behind her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and laughed softly when she yelped and dropped the shirts she had been holding.

"Nikky! You scared me," she said, as she turned to face him.

"Sorry," he said with a mischievous grin, pulling her closer against him.

"No, you're not," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You enjoyed it."

He didn't answer her. Instead, he allowed his lips to do the talking for him as he lowered them to hers and kissed her deeply.

She returned his embrace with equal fervor. Her hands moved to his silky, soft brown hair and pulled him closer to her. When his hands moved to cup her behind, she ended the kiss and said breathlessly, "Later."

Nikolas pouted and gave her his best sad look which had worked for him on countless occasions in the past. Dawn smiled and shook her head. Stepping out of his arms, she reached for his hand and tried to pull him to the door. When he wouldn't budge, she gave him a fake glare and said, "Nikky, come on. We only have a few hours before all hell breaks loose. If we hurry and pick up my stuff now, we'll have enough time later. I promise."

She tugged on his hand again and this time he followed her. Hand in hand, they moved down the corridor and made their way to the upper deck. Nikolas smiled when he breathed in the fresh air and remembered the last time he stood there. Last night, he married the woman he loved, and he couldn't remember a time when he had felt happier.

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