The Keepers Book Two of the Holding Kate Series Read Online Free Page B

heart crashed to the stones below me.
    “She adores you, but her heart is wanton. She does not see her own worth and will betray you and lie with another. You will give your life to save her, but she will not remain faithful. You will pour your rich love out for her, but she will not soak it up. Like water over a stone, it will pour over her, cleanse her but not be taken into her. She will remain thirsty for love that cannot satisfy and drink from other cups in desperation. Your love is her path to success, but she must seek beyond her own frailties and choose to take in your love. If she is your choice, you will suffer greatly. Do you so choose?”
    Tears streamed down my face as I gazed upon the light of my soul. She bent to the silver stream and lifted water into her hands and drank thirstily. The water poured down her chin and bare arms, and soaked her dress, revealing the gloriousness of this gift. She raised her face to mine and desire called to me. She held open her arms and my decision solidified. I’d die a thousand deaths to call her my bride.
    “I do so choose,” I choked out, my voice torn and my heart broken.
    Immediately, we stood together in the field of grain. Kate’s white dress fluttered in the breeze, and she turned her smoldering eyes to mine. “Be my bride, Kate of a Thousand Years,” I whispered.
    “Yes,” she sighed into my mouth and we kissed as the sun set over the horizon. The One sang over us, and we confessed our love and devotion. As the sun set on our past as individuals, we spoke vows of eternal commitment. Through tears of joy, we rejected all others and bonded ourselves to a holy and perfect union, sealing our promises with a passionate kiss.
    I pressed the grasses down into a soft wedding bed and gently unwrapped the precious gift of Kate. Her form mesmerized me, everything I had dreamed of. I gazed upon her beauty, staggered by the way she moved me. She unbuttoned my shirt and ran her hands over my body, leaving trails of fire all over my skin. When I kissed her, I could taste her tears of joy. It stirred a deep and fierce need to protect her, to cover her with my devotion. We had longed for this day for a thousand years. I had waited, saved myself for her. The only woman I had ever wanted, she came into my arms, pure and without ghosts of past lovers between us. We had saved this magical moment as a precious gift to one another.
    “Corey, Corey,” she sobbed and pressed her heart to mine. I understood, the beautiful agony of our long anticipation culminated in this moment. Emotion crested on enormous waves and crashed into fathomless billows of love and longing. Our hearts met in an impact so astonishing, resulting in a fusing of spirit and soul. I could no longer distinguish my desire from hers. We were of one heart, one mind, one spirit.
    Our slow exploration became an urgent need, and Kate became my fascination. Fixated on pleasing every inch of her, I obsessed. Her slightest reaction became my inspiration, every small gasp, every cry of delight, stimulated me to new ventures. She seemed just as determined to satisfy my every longing. She wrapped herself around me and shivered in rapturous ecstasy as we became husband and wife, heart and soul, flesh and blood.
    Long after the intensity had settled, we remained wrapped around one another. I had never known joy before this moment. Kate was my wife. I was her husband. She kissed the top of my head, and I pressed my lips between her breasts. We shifted to our backs in the wheat and watched the night sky as it filled with thousands of fireflies. Blues and greens, oranges and golds, every color of firefly ever created fluttered in the air above us. We luxuriated in the afterglow of our union, savoring the taste and feel of one flesh.
    I plucked a grain of wheat and traced the line from her navel to her chin. She never took her attention off of me and her hands never left my skin. I ran the wheat stem through my fingers to soften it,