Read Online Swept Away by Phoebe Conn - Free Book Online

pleased her. Surely that would provide ample time for him to accept his uncle’s marriage.
    “Can we leave first thing in the morning?”
    Alex rested his hand on the banister, for he could not climb stairs and talk at the same time. “Do you want to stop by and see your aunt and cousin before we go?”
    Eden pursed her lips thoughtfully. She had left her aunt a note, even though it seemed a cowardly thing to do. “I’d rather not. I don’t want anyone to spoil our happiness, least of all Lydia and Stephanie. They’re both very fond of you, but I know they’ll take exception to the haste of our marriage.”
    Understanding her concern, Alex continued on up the stairs and waited until they had reached the landing to reply. “I wish there had been time for us to plan an enormous formal wedding, a lavish reception, and the most exotic of honeymoons. You’ve given up a great deal to marry me, and I hope you won’t soon regret it.”
    Eden wondered if Alex were recalling his first wedding, and his first wife, but dared not ask when she wanted his thoughts focused solely on her that night. “My family and friends are all so far away and I would have missed them terribly had we had a large wedding. If anyone asks why we chose to elope, let’s blame it on the War. We’d be believed, don’t you think?”
    “The War? Why yes, of course. That’s positively brilliant, Eden. We chose to elope because your country’s at war.” Alex was pleased beyond measure to have so logical an excuse for a completely illogical elopement. He led her into his bedroom rather than the adjoining one where she had bathed and dressed before supper, and then made what he hoped was not too gruesome a request.
    “It’s customary for the husband to visit the wife’s bedroom, but I don’t want to run the risk of dying in your bed.” He paused an instant, half expecting Eden to protest his mention of death as Raven always had, but instead she nodded in agreement.
    “I understand. That I will someday be a widow will bring sorrow enough, I don’t want to be the subject of crude jokes about the manner in which you died.”
    “Precisely.” Alex pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “I’ve felt so terribly alone, and to find that you understand my concerns so readily is a great comfort to me.”
    Eden relaxed against him, grateful that they could now display their affection for each other openly, but she was as deeply concerned about her new husband’s health as he was. “Alex, if making love will be too strenuous for you, if you truly do fear dying in my arms, we could simply sleep together and be close in ways other than the merely physical.”
    Alex stepped back so he could study her expression, but he had a difficult time containing the amusement her question had prompted. “Life is filled with difficult choices, Eden. Somehow I think you’re already aware of that. If I stayed in bed, alone, and did nothing more strenuous than sip soup and tea, I could probably prolong my life. But what kind of life is that to live? I would rather be a real husband to you for six months, than no more than an affectionate friend for a year. Isn’t your choice the same? Wouldn’t you advise me to live whatever time I have left as fully as I possibly can?”
    Eden replied not with words, but with a kiss so filled with love he could not mistake her answer. She was a vibrant beauty, and it was that very quality that had attracted him to her in the first place. She was as eager to live life fully as he was, and while their time together would be heartbreakingly brief, he planned to make certain she did not regret a second of it. He trailed sweet kisses down her throat and across the luscious swell of her bosom, peeling away her white satin gown with the expertise of a man well schooled in the art of seduction. He knew he would have to rely upon finesse rather than stamina, but vowed not to disappoint her.
    Eden had never expected to marry that