Queen Ascending (Ace of Queens #2)

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

After a week in the Maldives full of sand and sun, Exton flew Gemma out to Nepal. They took a helicopter tour over the Himalayas, kayaked down the Seti river, and then spent the remainder of their week in a little cottage near the mountains.

Gemma had never felt more alive. She loved to grab Exton's hand every time and dive into his crazy plans. She loved the way his eyes lit, the way he would turn to her to make sure she was seeing the same thing that he was seeing.

The world was beautiful...and they had just seen only two countries.

"I like it here," Gemma said to Exton one evening as they laid in the hammock in their porch.

Exton kissed the top of her head, "Me too."

"Everything feels unreal here," Gemma wondered aloud as she gazed at the giant mountains in front of their cottage. It was as if they were the only two left on Earth.

"But we have to leave tomorrow," Exton said into her hair.

Gemma picked up her head and looked into his eyes, "Where are we going now?"

Exton smiled, "That is another surprise."

"Exton," Gemma laughed. "Tell me!"

"Nope," Exton said pulling her close.

"Can I get a hint?"

Exton thought about it for a while, "You can ask me one question."

"Where are we going?" Gemma asked.

"That's not fair," Exton chuckled.

"You didn't make the rules clear," Gemma stuck her tongue out at him.

"Damn," Exton laughed.

"Please," Gemma urged again. "Where are we going now?"

"You pick," Exton held up his two fingers again.

Gemma quickly grabbed his index finger.

"Turkey," Exton informed her.

"Turkey?" Gemma yelped. "Really?"

Exton pulled Gemma closer to him and kissed her.

"After turkey, we are going to Morocco, then Mexico, and then we're coming back across the ocean to India."

Gemma gasped.

"Are you okay with that?" Exton asked.

Gemma was speechless. She had never in the wildest dreams thought she would be traveling to all of these amazing places. She couldn't believe it.

But as Gemma rejoiced in the good fortune, a sudden fear invaded her mind. Exton watched as her eyes dimmed.

He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head to look into her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm scared...everything is going so well...I'm happy...But I don't know why I feel like a dark cloud is following me."

"Do...do you feel her?"

Gemma shook her head, "Not since the day in the greenhouse...I could almost pretend it was all a bad dream..."

Exton placed a kiss upon her lips making her heart light and flutter.

"Let's keep it like that," he said to her as he ran a hand through her hair.