She rolled her eyes. “Such a romantic.”

“Going to tell me why you’re glowering at that other boat?”

“I’m worried about Rapture and that pirate asshole on Paradigm Purge.”

“I told you.” I scowled. “We’ve added security measures. He won’t get near Rapture without being taken out.”

“Yeah, but what if he steals someone?”

“He won’t.”

“But what if he does.”

I sighed. “Then we’ll hunt the bastard and free her.”

Eleanor slouched. “I just have a feeling he’s going to cause problems.”

Running my hands through her gorgeous hair, I murmured, “Or he could just sail away and vanish.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. He’ll vanish with a woman snatched from Rapture.”

“If he somehow got past our security and miraculously stole a troubled wife working on her marriage, then...” I shrugged. “Maybe, it’s meant to be. Maybe, she’ll be the one to change him...just like you were the one to change me. Maybe, it’s fate working in its convoluted way, just like it worked with us.” I bowed my head, capturing her mouth. “You’re forgetting how we met, Jinx. If someone had stopped me from stealing you...I don’t know how I would’ve survived. You’re the reason I’m happy. The only fucking reason.”

She swayed into me, parting her lips and returning my kiss. “I stand by what I said a few years ago...after I gave you elixir and you finally allowed me to wriggle into your heart.”

“Oh? What did you say?” I tried to recall but all I could remember was falling head over fucking heels, being shit terrified, and coming face-to-face with the knowledge that my entire existence had just changed, all because of her.

She smiled and nipped my bottom lip. “I said I’d broken you. I wasn’t used to seeing you smile after your scowls. To hear you caring for me was...magical. Your change of heart was a clear indication that I’d broken you.” She laughed.

My heart skipped. “Ah, yes. And I believe I said, I was glad you broke me.” I kissed her again. “Because I was a cunt and you’d improved me.”

She laughed softly as my tongue traced her lips. “I love you, Sully.”

“I know.” Our kiss turned deep and dirty. I swung her against the balustrade, grinding my hips into hers, showing her I’d grown hard, rapidly doing the math to see if we had time to fuck before this god-awful excursion into the city.

“If you two stop pawing each other for five fucking minutes, it’s time,” Cal muttered, coming toward us from the lounge, his lips twisting into a smile as I stopped kissing my wife and blinked back the sexual trance she’d put me in.

He looked stressed with stiff posture and painful hope in his green eyes.

Jess chuckled beside him, matching his strain of their upcoming meeting, eyeing up Eleanor’s finger-pawed hair and the obvious heat in her grey stare. “I was going to ask if you’re ready to go meet Q and Tess.” She smoothed her navy dress and nervously clutched the small purse in her hands. “But I think your thoughts are more on a bedroom rather than a boardroom.”

Eleanor smirked. “Delayed gratification only increases the pleasure.”

Jess nodded. “No truer thing has been spoken.”

“You know...” I looked at Cal. “You impress that French bastard today and walk away with a baby in your arms, there goes your sex life.”

Cal punched me in the arm, doing his best to shed his stress. “That’s what’s so good about your VR, Sinclair. We can be parents in the real world but in the fantasy realm...” He shrugged with a smirk. “I can still seduce my wife.”

“We’ll have to code you something as a ‘welcome to parenthood gift’”, Eleanor said, her eyes lighting up. “What’s your utmost fantasy, Cal?” Her attention swung to Jess. “Jess? Deepest desire? Care to share? Sully will cypher it.”

“I haven’t had nearly enough alcohol to answer that question,” Cal muttered.

I coughed. “And I definitely don’t need to hear it. Cal knows how to code. He wants to indulge? It’s on him to program it.”

“Yeah, and knowing my luck, you’ll load it one night and steal all my ideas.” Cal rolled his eyes.

“If you load it on the shared app, fair’s fair.” I chuckled.

Jess checked the time on her phone. “Eh...we better go. I would die if we’re late.”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes, nodding at the staff member ready to take us to shore. “The sooner we meet the bastard, the sooner we’re back here.”

“And the sooner we might have a son or daughter,” Jess whispered breathlessly.

Eleanor went to her. “I’m so excited for you.”

Cal hugged both of them.

Two caiques fluttered around them.

And I imprinted the perfection that my life had become, knowing that no matter how many days I spent on this planet, I would never take a single one of them for granted.

This was my family.

I trusted them. Loved them. Was unbelievably happy because of them.

I waited until Cal took Jess’s hand and walked her toward the small speedboat that would ferry us to France. Grabbing Eleanor’s wrist, I captured her, keeping her with me, just for another moment.

Basking in the Parisian morning sunlight, drinking in her beauty, I dropped my mouth to hers. “I love you, Jinx.”

She smiled beneath my lips. “I know.”

Our kiss once again evolved to something far from innocent. I wanted her. I didn’t want to share her in a large city.

“You coming or what?” Cal yelled.

Eleanor chuckled.

I sighed. “Suppose we better go.”

“We go together. We come home together. And then...we’ll enter Euphoria together and play.”

“And somehow, I just fell in love with you even more.”

“It’s a curse.” Eleanor kissed me again.

“A lifelong condition.” I squeezed her fingers.

“Forever.” She kissed my knuckles before tugging me toward the boat that would take us to Q, Tess, and yet another adventure.

An adventure set in the real world, embellished by our fantasies, and enjoyed with every heartbeat.

* * * *