SOFT LIPS TRAILED KISSES down the delicate skin of Natalie Shaw, creating a path along the base of her neck and to her right shoulder. The kisses were gentle and light, just barely pressing against her flesh before moving onto the next one.

Sparks danced across her body with every touch and every graze of stubble, leaving goosebumps to spread like wildfire.

Natalie hummed in bliss as a calloused hand moved from its place on her hip and grazed her torso, before drawing shapes on the opposite side of her pelvis.

The muscular arm was now wrapped around her midsection, and used its position to pull Natalie's body further back, so that it rested firmly against the chiselled chest that belonged to her husband.

Deckard Shaw wished that he could live in that moment forever - cuddled up to his gorgeous wife in the beautiful country of Italy, without a single thought plaguing his mind.

The drapes by the balcony doors of their apartment fluttered as a breeze made its way through the bedroom. The unexpected chill caused Natalie to shiver and roll over so that she could be facing the human heater next to her.

Deckard moved to lay flat on his back, allowing his wife to rest her head on his chest and drape an arm over his torso.

"Good morning, darling." Deckard spoke, his voice even gruffer than usual from sleep. Natalie grinned at the sound of his voice and the feeling of his chest vibrating beneath her head.

She glanced up and locked eyes with her husband, before connecting their lips in a short yet sweet kiss.

"Good morning to you too." Natalie mumbled against his lips, before going in for another kiss.

They melted at each other's touch, each of them feeling as though their partner was their own personal drug - they couldn't get enough of one another, even after 6 years of marriage.

The two only broke apart because they were out of breath, but even then, they tried to stay as close as humanly possible to each other.

Eventually, Deckard got up to make the two of them breakfast, and insisted that Natalie stayed where she was so that he could serve her breakfast in bed.

Whilst he was cooking, Natalie's phone buzzed on the bedside table. The woman made sure that the sheet she had over her body kept her covered as she reached for the mobile.

The screen read 'MOM', which made Natalie grin.

Andromeda King, or 'Andy', as she was commonly referred to by those close to her, was Natalie's mother in every way that counted. She may not have given birth to the woman, but Andy loved, cared for, nurtured, and cherished Natalie like she had.

The King matriarch had first been called the title of 'Mom' by Natalie years ago after the woman had helped her pick an outfit for a special date with Deckard.

At first, Natalie couldn't believe that she had let the name slip, and was worried that Andromeda would be angry at her for saying it. But after Andy grinned brightly and wrapped Natalie into a tight embrace, the young woman realised that Andromeda King would always be her mother.

The Shaw woman answered the call and held the cellphone to her ear, waiting to hear the voice that brought her unimaginable amounts of comfort.

"Nat, darling! How's Italy?" Andy cheered, excited to hear about her daughter's most recent venture to Europe.

"It's gorgeous, Mom. Deck and I are staying in this adorable apartment that's right next to the Trevi Fountain." Natalie couldn't keep the awe out of her voice as she gushed about all of the things she and her husband had done whilst in Italy, which had rightly been nicknamed 'the country of love'.

Deckard had done nothing but treat her as if she was the one that hung the sun and moon in the sky ever since they had begun dating. It only intensified after they said "I do" at the altar.

"I'm so glad that you've had a good time," Andy paused, not sure of how to tell her elated daughter that her trip was about to be cut short, "but there's something - rather someone - who needs your and Deck's help back home."

Natalie's brows furrowed in confusion. She knew that every member of her family was more than capable of defending themselves against any threats that came their way.

"It's Owen."

Natalie stuttered for a moment, completely at a loss for words before finding something to say.

"What do you mean 'it's Owen'? What the hell happened?"

"Cipher's recruited him to build the Nightshade device. He's torn down most of Europe collecting the components." Andy confessed, hoping that Natalie would understand the bigger issue, which was Cipher's recent involvement with their family.

"And by agreeing to the job, he's now on Cipher's radar and in her line of fire." Natalie realised, scrambling from the comfort of her bed and grabbing one of Deckard's shirts to throw on. "Fuck."

What the frantic woman didn't know was that Deckard's cooking hadn't even begun - he leant against the kitchen counter, his sweatpants hanging low on his hips whilst a phone was pressed against his ear.

Some anonymous power had requested him for a job, and despite not wanting to cut his idyllic trip with his wife short, Deckard knew better than to turn another job down. He had already refused Cipher, and if he refused another, the number of adversaries he and Natalie had would rise to an alarming number.

The job was relatively simple, and convenient, considering he was already in Italy and that was where he was required - he had five targets who needed to be taken care of quickly and discreetly.

Just as he had agreed to the job and hung up the phone, Natalie came barrelling into the kitchen, headed straight for the notebook and pen that rested on the countertop next to her husband. Pinning the phone to her ear using her shoulder, Natalie began to copy down everything that her mother was saying.

He watched closely as she scribbled a London address that he didn't recognise.

Natalie wrote down a few more details, including times, phone numbers, and another address. As soon as she had finished transcribing the information, the woman finished up her phone call.

"Thanks for the heads up, Mom. Love you, bye."

The woman tossed the cell phone onto the counter before covering her face with her hands, and deeply exhaling. She already knew that the trip would be anything but easy, especially if it involved Owen Shaw.

Deckard knew that his wife's mind was running rampant because of whatever Andy had told her, so he gently grasped her hands and pulled them away from her face. The two met each other's gaze - they were two souls who could understand each other, even in silence.

Still holding her hands, Deckard placed them by his jaw, which allowed him to place a tender kiss to each palm. A smile grew on Natalie's face as she relished in the comfort of her husband's warmth.

"What's happening in London that's got you so stressed?" He asked, recalling the address that the woman had been given.

Natalie sighed, "Your brother had the genius idea to accept a job from the devil herself."

She didn't even have to say a name for Deckard to know who she was talking about. Natalie felt his jaw clench under her palms, knowing that there was a high chance Deckard would sock Owen in the face at the soonest possible chance.

"I can't even come with you to help." Deckard realised, internally kicking himself for the result of the phone call from moments earlier. "I'm needed for a job here."

Natalie could see that he was annoyed with himself for leaving her to sort Owen out by herself, so she something that was guaranteed to truly distract him - she leaned in and pressed her lips to his bare shoulder, then the base of his neck, underneath his ear, along the edge of his jaw, before ending the trail with a soft kiss that dissolved all of the tension from his body.

"I was thinking..." Natalie whispered as she hovered her lips near his, "that we should make the most of today, considering we're going to be apart for a little while."

She glanced up to meet his gaze, love and lust glittering in both of their eyes. A flush crept up her face at the sight of the desire written all over her husband's face.

Deckard smirked at her blush as he grabbed her hips, "I think you're absolutely right, my love."

Just before their lips could meet again, he huskily whispered, "Jump."

Natalie's legs wrapped around his toned waist, and his hands were gently gripping her thighs to keep her from falling as he carried her back to the bedroom. Her light melodic laughter echoed as her husband's stubble tickled her whilst he was placing kisses in the crook of her neck.

Deckard returned his gaze to her face and stole her lips in another heated kiss before kicking the bedroom door shut behind them.

AFTER SPENDING MOST OF the morning in bed and relishing in each other's company, they both knew that it was time for Natalie to return to London. To avoid being extradited or detained whilst travelling by plane, the Shaws always used the King's private jet.

So, after Deckard drove her to the private runway and gave her a very passionate goodbye kiss, Natalie strutted towards the plane with a duffel bag in each hand. She didn't know how long she would be staying in London, so the woman stole as many of her husband's clothes as she could before he noticed.

Of course, Deckard did notice that at least half of his wardrobe was missing, but he didn't mind. In fact, it was one of his favourite things that Natalie did, and it also meant that he got to see her look absolutely stunning in his clothes.

One of the flight attendants that the Kings had employed stood at the bottom of the stairs, which led to the interior of the plane. Before Natalie could begin climbing said stairs, the woman stepped forward and took her bags with a kind smile.

The flight attendant nodded in respect, before politely saying "After you, Mrs Shaw."

The married woman thanked her before making her way to the top of the stairs. What Natalie wasn't expecting to see upon entering the lounge area was nearly every member of the King clan relaxing and chatting to one another.

Alice and Bianca were lounging together on one of the sofas - the latter had her legs thrown over her wife's lap, and both were nursing glasses of champagne.

They were conversing with Xavier and Wren, who were also accompanied by their 18-month-old daughter, Piper. Xavier sat normally on the sofa that was opposite to the married couple, which allowed his wife to lay her head on his thighs whilst their daughter laid content on her chest. His fingers absentmindedly ran through the long brown tendrils of Wren's hair, nearly sending the woman to sleep.

Nicholas, or Nick, as he preferred, was huddled up with his wife, Zoey, on one of the armchairs. The woman was sitting in his lap, with her legs swung over the arm of the furniture, and one arm wrapped around the back of her husband's neck.

The only member of the family who didn't appear to be there was Andy, but that was entirely understandable considering she was a very busy woman.

Natalie grinned at the sight of her family, yet she was still frozen from shock. Unsurprisingly, the first person to notice the woman's arrival was her goddaughter. Piper scrambled from her mother's hold and climbed down from the sofa, before running to Natalie whilst giggling to her heart's content.

Piper and Natalie had a bond like no other. If the two were in the same room, there was no doubt that the young girl would be in her godmother's arms. Just a simple mention of 'Auntie Nats' would cause Piper's face to light up with glee.

Piper's excitement alerted the rest of the passengers to Natalie's presence, and allowed them all to watch as the Shaw woman picked up the 18-month-old and lightly tossed her in the air.

"How's my favourite niece?" Natalie cooed, nuzzling her nose into the child's stomach and making her laugh uncontrollably.

"Nats, she's your only niece." Nick snorted, which made the woman jokingly glare at him, before turning back to the happy baby in her arms.

"Don't listen to Uncle Nick, he's just jealous that you love me more than him." Natalie cooed, making Piper giggle, which the group took as a sign of agreement. Nick dramatically put a hand to his chest and gasped, as if physically hurt by the pair.

The woman glanced at all of her family again with a bright smile that couldn't be dampened. She sat down in one of the free armchairs with Piper sat on her lap.

The young girl played with her aunt's necklace, which was actually a locket. Inside were two photos - one of her and Deckard on their wedding day, and one of the King siblings (including Natalie) with their mom.

Making sure Piper was steady where she was sitting, Natalie turned towards the rest of her loved ones and asked "What are you all doing here anyway?"

"Well, Andy told us that the jet was going to Italy to get you, so we figured we'd tag along - plus, us girls need to catch up." Bianca beamed, secretly wanting all of the details about her sister-in-law's most recent tour around Europe.

Both Xavier and Nick groaned at the idea of 'girl talk', knowing that it usually entailed hearing things that they never wanted to know about their sisters.

All of the women laughed at the boys' reactions, before filling each other in on the recent happenings of their lives. They spent the rest of the flight basking in their family's company whilst indulging in a little too much champagne.

Natalie wouldn't have it any other way.

HAYLEY WRITES...
first chapter is done! it's only
a small one, but i love it.
just a little introduction to some of the
dynamics in 'shut up and drive'.

anyways, until next time :))