If Ever I Loved You Read Online Free Page B

on
our way to the car and freedom at last when the doorbell rang and a man
insisted on seeing Peter."
    "He turned out to be a special messenger with a large
brown manila envelope for Peter. He was very upset, said the envelope
was to have been delivered before noon, but he'd been involved in a
three-car pileup on one of the bridges and was delayed more than three
hours. The messenger stressed that he'd been told the parcel was
extremely important, so Peter excused us and led me into the den where
we could have some privacy while he examined the contents."
    Again Gina twisted uncomfortably in her chair, fighting
the memories that threatened to overpower her.
    The examination of the contents of the parcel hadn't been
the only thing for which Peter wanted privacy. As soon as the door had
closed behind them he had taken her in his arms and his mouth had
descended on hers, warm and eager and hungry. It was the first time
they'd been alone together all day and she'd responded with an
eagerness and a hunger that matched his.
    For a long moment they were lost in the heat of their
all-consuming desire, but then Peter pulled his lips from hers and
groaned, "Why did I ever agree to drive all the way to Carmel to start
our honeymoon? I don't think I can wait three more hours to make love
to you."
    His mouth once more found hers and his hands moved to her
hips and arched her soft, pliant body into the hardness of his own.
She'd shivered with the sensations of pleasure that were building in
her, pleasure almost too intense to be borne. Her arms tightened around
his neck as she strained to press herself even closer and she forgot
everything but her burning need to be one with him.
    A sharp rap on the door jolted them out of their steamy
preoccupation and Peter muttered an oath as they pulled apart, somewhat
disoriented. A voice filled with laughter had shouted, "Hey you two,
don't start something it's going to take too long to finish. Everyone's
waiting to send you off…"
    A hand on Gina's arm and a gentle shake brought her back
to the present. "Honey," said Twyla in a worried tone, "if this is
going to be too painful—"
    Gina breathed deeply and shook her head. "No, I'm all
right. Sorry, I was just—just trying to put my thoughts in
order," she lied.
    "Peter closed the door to the den and locked it," she continued, "then walked over to the desk while I stood
back."
    "I didn't immediately notice his startled reaction as he
removed the contents of the envelope. When I finally became aware of
the prolonged silence I looked up to see him standing at the desk in a
stiff, unnatural stance with his back to me."
    Gina felt hot and knew that her skin had a fine sheen of
perspiration, but her hands were cold as she clasped them together in
her lap. "The oddest sense of foreboding came over me at that moment
and I shivered.
Someone walked over my grave
, I
thought, then giggled nervously at the inappropriateness of the saying
that was one of my grandmother's favorite expressions. This was my
wedding day, the happiest day of my life."
    "I forced myself to smile and started across the room
toward Peter, curious about what could be in the slim envelope that was
important enough to be sent by special messenger."
    Suddenly the effort to sit still was more than Gina could
bear and she stood up and began pacing around the room, her hands still
clasped in front of her, her voice remaining clear and steady.
    "I stood beside him and he turned and looked down at me.
What I saw in his face made me gasp and step back, bewildered. The
gentle, adoring lover was gone and in his place was a man of ice. His
complexion was white, totally drained of color and his blue eyes were
lifeless with shock. I—I asked him what was the matter and
then my gaze shifted to his hands. The brown envelope had dropped to
the desk and he was holding a large shiny piece of black and white
paper, a photograph."
    Gina stopped her pacing and stood still, trying to control
the trembling