Eden by Jamie McGuire Read Free Book Online Page B

are we from the
casita?”
    “ It’s right there,” he
said, nodding behind me.
    “ Maybe we should…I don’t
know, get it over with isn’t the right word.”
    Jared cleared his throat, and then
offered an ornery smile. “Get naked and get the nerves out of the
way?”
    My mouth fell open and I laughed out
loud. “Jared!”
    He laughed and lifted me into his
arms, walking in the direction of the casita. “I didn’t say it was
a bad idea.”
    He carried me a few yards, past the
trees, to the familiar surroundings of our casita. He opened the
screen, and then brought me inside, softly leaning me against the
mattress. The moonlight faded away, and the wind picked up. With a
hand on each side of my shoulders, Jared hovered over my body.
Distant thunder rolled somewhere over the ocean. He leaned down and
touched his lips to mine just as the first raindrops began to
spatter against the tin roof.
    Jared’s lips traveled in a line down
my neck, and he anchored himself with a knee as he lifted me with
one hand, and unzipped the back of my wedding dress with the other.
With both hands, I pushed back his jacket and slid the sleeves off
of his arms, and then unbuttoned the first two buttons of his white
dress shirt. Impatient, I grabbed the hem and pulled it over his
head.
    Watching his bulging muscles tense and
move under his smooth skin did nothing for my nerves. Determined to
enjoy the comfort I usually enjoyed when we made love, I focused on
undressing him. I worked on the button of his slacks, and then
ripped down the zipper.
    “ I said it was a good
idea, but I didn’t promise not to take my time,” Jared said,
kicking off his pants. He bent his elbows, letting his body press
against mine.
    “ You can take your time,”
I said. “We have all night. I think if I just get past this part I
can relax,” I said, pressing my fingers into his back.
    He reached under the skirt of my
dress, and pulled the thin, lacy fabric of my panties down my
thighs, over my knees, and then past my ankles, letting them fall
to the floor.
    His hand traveled back up my leg,
disappearing under the layers of silk. My legs tensed, and I sucked
in a quick bit of air. A few moments later, I couldn’t help but
close my eyes and let myself sink into the mattress.
    “ I’m glad you said that,”
he said against my lips. “I fully intend to take all
night.”

Chapter Five
    The End.
     
    I sat on the beach, listening to the
waves. The last time I had come to this island, I pretended to be
Mrs. Ryel. Now it was reality. I sighed, and placed my hand on my
belly. I wished things could be different; that I was like any
other new bride, enjoying the beauty surrounding me on my first day
as a wife. Wishing wouldn’t help, and I knew that. Another life
would mean the absence of Jared. If we had never met, most of the
chaos wouldn’t have happened, and the worst-case scenario would
have been to find out my father was a different person than I
believed him to be. Apart from that disappointment, life would have
continued on—mundane and mediocre. I would have married Ryan, and
worked at Titan. Bore a child or three. We would have lived day in
and day out with a respect and love, facing day to day challenges
of ordinary life.
    My nose wrinkled. A life without Jared
was unimaginable. Coupled with that stipulation, I didn’t want it.
Chaos, a constant state of being on alert and uncertain was a
respectable tradeoff for a love like his. He didn’t ask for this,
either, after all. The danger was what we went through to be
together, and it was worth it for him. He never questioned it, and
I grudgingly accepted it. It might not make sense to everyone, but
then again, they could never understand. Most hadn’t experienced
what I had. I’d been waited for, longed after for years. The
safety, security, and calm I felt with Jared were unmatched; no one
else on earth made me feel that way. No one was held as sacred by
their husband as I was, so they couldn’t