Read Online Water From the Moon by Terese Ramin - Free Book Online
Authors: Terese Ramin
Tags: Romance
Ads: Link
bringing distorted images of Cameron, Dominic, explosions and Zaragoza to disturb her rest. Incidents she’d chosen to forget waltzed around the perimeter of her mind, built to a climax and brought her awake with a loud clap of thunder, choking on a scream. Dreams clung to the fringes of her consciousness, the events they represented as real to her now as when they’d happened.
Lightning sizzled in the sky, and Acasia shivered. She was cold, her skin crawling with sweat, the sinister, comforting length of wood and metal in her lap slippery with it. A past she had thought long over was getting too near.
With trembling hands she wiped the perspiration from her eyes and looked around. It was dark, still nighttime in Fred’s jungle, and Cameron was safe. She went to make sure anyway, padding on silent feet through the inky darkness to his room. The lightning showed her that he was under the mosquito netting, breathing evenly, deeply. She sagged against the wall in relief. He was fine, he was safe. Still…
She slid down until she was sitting on the floor beside him, between the mattress and the door, watching. His breathing lulled her, hypnotized her. Her head lolled forward, and she slept.
Chapter 4
T HE LATE–EVENING SUN stretched long shadows across the pond and left a lacework of light dancing on Acasia’s bare breasts and belly. There was wonder on her face, joy and laughter, shyness and serenity. She touched him, just a fingertip, but it was possessive as it sketched a line down the center of his chest, then traced back up his side.
"I love you," she said. "You make me feel whole—like I’ll always have someplace to come home to. I never knew how much I missed not having that."
"I know," Cameron returned softly, touching her, absorbing the sensation of her skin beneath his fingers, the musky scent of sex and lavender in his nostrils, the taste of honey and salt. He memorized them, storing them away to be taken out whenever he needed them, so he could hold her close even though she was gone. "It’s the same for me, and I’ve lived in one spot all my life. You are home. Mine. Always. God, I love you."
God, I love you. The echo of the words opened Cameron’s eyes, nudged him awake. Sun laced merciless fingers through the trees, the window and the mosquito netting. Heat dotted his skin with beads of sweat. He stretched, and his muscles assaulted him with pain: that left over from yesterday’s tramp and that left unsated in the night.
She didn’t come.
The back of his head hurt, and even the slightest movement pulled at his hair and tore open his wound. Again. She didn’t come again. He blinked at a flicker of wings in the sun and swallowed the irrational taste of disappointment. She had changed her mind; she had been sidetracked by Fred; she had simply elected to break her promise. He wouldn’t be surprised if that were it, given their past history.
He turned onto his side and saw her through the white veil, his personal sentry, asleep beside his bed. She slumped almost upright against the wall, chin on her chest, knees tucked up, hands curled into loose fists, defensive even in repose. He rolled onto his back, shut his eyes and sighed. The small sound brought Acasia instantly awake and to her feet, casting around for the cause of the disturbance. When no threat became immediately apparent, she rubbed her face and neck groggily, raised the mosquito net and looked down at Cameron.
"Get lost?" he queried politely.
Daylight banished the night’s terrors and left embarrassment in their place. She’d meant to be gone before he woke. "You were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you," she said lamely, dropping the net and backing away.
"So you sat guard duty instead." Cameron wrapped a sheet about his hips and rose to fling the mosquito guard aside and advance on her.
"It’s my job."
He pinned her with a look, and Acasia shut her mouth with a gulp. He was not, as she’d imagined, a gentleman, but a man
Lightning sizzled in the sky, and Acasia shivered. She was cold, her skin crawling with sweat, the sinister, comforting length of wood and metal in her lap slippery with it. A past she had thought long over was getting too near.
With trembling hands she wiped the perspiration from her eyes and looked around. It was dark, still nighttime in Fred’s jungle, and Cameron was safe. She went to make sure anyway, padding on silent feet through the inky darkness to his room. The lightning showed her that he was under the mosquito netting, breathing evenly, deeply. She sagged against the wall in relief. He was fine, he was safe. Still…
She slid down until she was sitting on the floor beside him, between the mattress and the door, watching. His breathing lulled her, hypnotized her. Her head lolled forward, and she slept.
Chapter 4
T HE LATE–EVENING SUN stretched long shadows across the pond and left a lacework of light dancing on Acasia’s bare breasts and belly. There was wonder on her face, joy and laughter, shyness and serenity. She touched him, just a fingertip, but it was possessive as it sketched a line down the center of his chest, then traced back up his side.
"I love you," she said. "You make me feel whole—like I’ll always have someplace to come home to. I never knew how much I missed not having that."
"I know," Cameron returned softly, touching her, absorbing the sensation of her skin beneath his fingers, the musky scent of sex and lavender in his nostrils, the taste of honey and salt. He memorized them, storing them away to be taken out whenever he needed them, so he could hold her close even though she was gone. "It’s the same for me, and I’ve lived in one spot all my life. You are home. Mine. Always. God, I love you."
God, I love you. The echo of the words opened Cameron’s eyes, nudged him awake. Sun laced merciless fingers through the trees, the window and the mosquito netting. Heat dotted his skin with beads of sweat. He stretched, and his muscles assaulted him with pain: that left over from yesterday’s tramp and that left unsated in the night.
She didn’t come.
The back of his head hurt, and even the slightest movement pulled at his hair and tore open his wound. Again. She didn’t come again. He blinked at a flicker of wings in the sun and swallowed the irrational taste of disappointment. She had changed her mind; she had been sidetracked by Fred; she had simply elected to break her promise. He wouldn’t be surprised if that were it, given their past history.
He turned onto his side and saw her through the white veil, his personal sentry, asleep beside his bed. She slumped almost upright against the wall, chin on her chest, knees tucked up, hands curled into loose fists, defensive even in repose. He rolled onto his back, shut his eyes and sighed. The small sound brought Acasia instantly awake and to her feet, casting around for the cause of the disturbance. When no threat became immediately apparent, she rubbed her face and neck groggily, raised the mosquito net and looked down at Cameron.
"Get lost?" he queried politely.
Daylight banished the night’s terrors and left embarrassment in their place. She’d meant to be gone before he woke. "You were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you," she said lamely, dropping the net and backing away.
"So you sat guard duty instead." Cameron wrapped a sheet about his hips and rose to fling the mosquito guard aside and advance on her.
"It’s my job."
He pinned her with a look, and Acasia shut her mouth with a gulp. He was not, as she’d imagined, a gentleman, but a man
Similar Books
