Summer Solstice by Eden Bradley Read Free Book Online

wall, and she realized she could see the reflection of the bed in it. That could be interesting… She looked away, a small smile on her face, and saw the black and white prints hung on the walls. Extraordinary, she realized, focusing on them.
    One was a small Asian boy of about two or three, squatting on the ground, while behind him stretched the Great Wall of China. The focus was on the child, while the undulating miles of stone were soft in the distance. Another was a close-up of an old, dark-skinned woman, her eyes bright, peering from behind a swath of patterned fabric. In another was a group of naked children playing happily in a puddle of water, while an enormous military tank loomed directly behind them. The image was familiar.
    Leigh sat up and looked for a signature. There it was, in the lower right-hand corner. J. W. Townsend.
    Jared was the J. W. Townsend. He wasn’t just any photojournalist. Four books of his photos had been published, books one saw on the coffee tables of anyone who appreciated good art. He’d won awards, taken pictures in some of the most dangerous locales in the world.
    Jared returned with two glass pints of dark ale. “I unpacked the kitchen. We can drink like civilized folks.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “That I unpacked? I just did.” He sipped his ale, handing one of the tall glasses to her.
    “Why didn’t you tell me who you are?”
    “I thought I’d introduced myself.” He paused. “Yeah, pretty sure I did.”
    “Very funny. I mean why didn’t you tell me you’re the famous Jared W. Townsend?”
    “Oh, yeah, that’s always charming. How do you do, I’m J. W. Townsend, famous photographer and modest as hell. Does it matter?”
    “No, I suppose not. I just feel a little funny. Like I just unknowingly had sex with a rock star.”
    He laughed, a deep sound rumbling in his broad chest. “I’m hardly a rock star.”
    Leigh laughed, too. “God, never mind. Now I just feel like an idiot.”
    “Would it make you feel better if we had sex again?”
    She laughed. “You’re insatiable.”
    He grinned at her. “Drink up, my girl. I’m about to prove that you are too.”

    Night brought cooling air and darkness speared with stars. A faint breeze blew through the open window, playing over Leigh’s sweat and sex dampened skin. The scent of the ocean was in the air, mixed with that unique, summertime smell of pavement baked all day in the sun. She ached pleasantly all over. When she stretched, Jared stirred beside her.
    “Hungry?”
    She grinned. “You’re always hungry for one thing or another.”
    “All day in bed with you, my sweet, and I’m famished. For you,” he paused and gave her nipple a playful bite, “and currently for food.” He sat up and popped out of bed. “Do you like Indian food? There’s a great place down on Venice that delivers. Brilliant curry.”
    “Yes, anything.”
    “Anything?” He quirked an eyebrow, and his eyes sparkled dangerously.
    She laughed. “Anything to eat now, and anything else you want later.”
    “You’re a good woman, Leigh.”
    “I aim to please,” she said lightly while her heart danced in flitting spirals at the easy compliment.
    The promised curry arrived quickly. They ate naked in Jared’s big bed, propped up against piles of pillows.
    “I suppose this is the getting to know one another segment of the evening.” Jared took a bite of the soft nan bread he’d ordered.
    “Not if you don’t want it to be.”
    “That’s why I asked, darlin’. After what we’ve been doing all day, we shouldn’t be strangers.”
    “What do you want to know?”
    “What would you like to tell me?”
    She shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. What would he want to know about her? What was there to tell?
    “You already know I’m an interior designer. I’ve been doing it for about five years.”
    “Is your family happy with what you do?”
    “They’d be happier if I’d stayed married to my ex and made grandbabies for