Free A Portrait of Emily by J.P. Bowie Page A

he offered and followed him to their room. It was small but had an old world charm that helped Emily to relax a little. Jerry led her out to the balcony where they stood, feeling the cool night breeze.
    “Look,” Jerry murmured. “A shooting star. Make a wish.”
    “There’s only one thing I would wish for…”
    “Don’t tell me.” He kissed her gently on the lips. “It might not come true.”
    “It already has.” They clung to one another then he picked her up in his arms and carried her back into the room. Thinking she might be shy about undressing in front of him, he turned off the bedside lamp.
    “There’s enough light from the moon.”
    Emily stood still watching Jerry take off his shirt, revealing a smooth, toned chest. She shivered with anticipation as he took her in his arms, and for a moment she let herself be lost in the sensual touch of his soft, warm lips on hers, of the strong yet gentle arms that encircled her.
    But as she felt the hard bulge of his arousal press to her body, suddenly, there it was again—that insidious flare of panic she could not control, nor hide.
    God, why did I think I could do this ?
    “Oh, Jerry… I’m sorry, so sorry. I can’t…”
    She had hoped for a miracle. That somehow all the ghastly memories would be washed away by the power of their love for one another.
    “Shh, my darling,” Jerry crooned. “It’s all right, it’s all right.”
    “But I wanted this—for us .” She was sobbing now, hot tears scalding her cheeks.
    Jerry kissed her tear streaked face, holding her tightly, his mind a jumble of disappointment and longing.
    I shouldn’t have been so eager . I should have insisted we wait just a little longer …
    But how could he, when she had appeared so willing? He could only hope this would not change Emily’s mind about marrying him. He knew she would be filled with remorse for what she had been unable to do. He would just have to make sure she knew he was not blaming her for this.
    Emily sighed against his chest. “Why do you put up with me?”
    “Because I love you; and because I know we can get over this. Look, there’s no point in beating yourself up because you had second thoughts. We have to wait, that’s all, until you’re ready.”
    “I thought I was ready.”
    “Come on…” He released her and picked up his shirt, pulling it on quickly. “Let’s not talk about this anymore tonight. I don’t want you getting more upset by it.” He tucked his shirt into his pants then held Emily lightly in his arms. “I think we should go find someplace to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m suddenly starving.”
    Emily looked at him and put her hand to his face. “I promise I’ll make this up to you, Jerry.”
    They left the hotel and drove to a nearby restaurant.
    “Hey, how did that sitting go with Peter today?” Jerry asked. Emily had been too quiet in the car and he wanted to get her mind off what had just happened.
    “He seemed pleased with it. He’s a really nice guy. Very easy to talk to.”
    “That’s good. He didn’t strike me as the arrogant type.”
    “No, he’s not. He did his best to relax me.” She paused then said, “Just promise me you won’t want to have a huge ‘unveiling’ like Gloria had. I couldn’t stand all that fuss.”
    Jerry chuckled. “No, I know that’s not your style. By the way, I forgot to mention that Anthony offered his congratulations on our engagement.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah. Came over and shook my hand. Almost smiled. I was so surprised I asked him to join us for dinner, but he said he had plans.”
    “He always has plans, Jerry. I very rarely see him anymore.”
    “Well, he did seem concerned about you.”
    “We used to be very close until he went to military school. Since he came back he’s not been the same. I think something happened there and he’s not willing to talk about it to me—or anyone. Of course, our father only makes it worse by yelling at him.”
    “What about