Early morning sunlight streamed in through the muslin-curtained window in the bedroom wall above Jeremiah and Theresa's bed and onto Jeremiah's face. He stirred under the warmth of the sun's rays, then opened his eyes. He winced at the sudden brightness and immediately closed them again, but not before black spots began dancing before them. He waited a few seconds before opening them again, this time shading them with his left hand. He rolled onto his side toward Theresa and placed his right arm lightly over her sleeping form.
Theresa lay facing him, her head pillowed by her left arm. Her right hand resting lightly on the curve of her hip. He lay for several moments watching her, his blue eyes drinking in the details of her face, the outline of her body and down to the coltish exposure of leg that was uncovered. It was hard for him to believe that he had been married to this woman for sixteen years. Her face was still as flawless as it had been in her youth, except for the almost undistinguished laugh lines that had recently appeared around the edges of her beautiful brown eyes. Her skin was as soft as a newborn babe's, yet had a healthy peach glow to it. Silky eyelashes, a slightly upturned nose and sensual lips completed the face of the woman he loved. Lustrous auburn wisps of hair framed her serene looking face, coming loose from the thick braid she kept it in at night.
His gaze lowered and drifted down the graceful expansion of neck that showed, over the gently rising swell of her breasts, down the length of her body to her legs. In so many ways it seemed as if Theresa hadn't changed a bit since that night long ago when he had first laid eyes upon her in Centerville. She was still the same woman who had captured his attention so long ago, and still held his heart today. There wasn't anything about Theresa that he didn't like. She was the epitome of everything that made up a woman: strong, courageous, loving, beautiful, faithful, spiritual, determined, stubborn, feisty, honest, loyal. If there was a characteristic he hadn't mentioned, it was only because he hadn't discovered it in her yet.
He wouldn't be honest if he didn't admit that they hadn't argued over the years that they had been married. What married couple didn't argue? What was more important was what happened afterwards. They had a strict rule about not allowing their hurt or anger to fester for longer than necessary, a rule that they had passed onto their three children. Theresa had experienced first-hand how hurt, anger, bitterness and no respect for your mate's feelings could harm a marriage. While his experiences weren't quite as scarring as Theresa's had been, they still hurt all the same. His reason for leaving Centerville had been based on that hurt. There was a gap in his and his pa's relationship that was as wide as an ocean and as deep as a canyon. He had long ago given up on trying to mend that relationship, when all his attempts weren't reciprocated. His relationship with his ma wasn't much better. He was determined that the same thing wouldn't happen in his own family.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that Theresa had awakened. Instead of alerting him to the fact that she had awakened, Theresa chose instead to take the opportunity to do her own perusal. The sunlight that was streaming in through the window above their bed cast strands of gold and copper to his unruly, brown hair. The length of his curly hair just touched the top of his shoulders and was in desperate need of a good haircut. She made a mental note to herself to cut his hair before they went to bed that night.
His blue eyes were the loveliest she had ever seen on a man, almost cerulean in color. Yet, she had seen how quickly they could darken when he was hurt and angry. Sometimes they grew dark so quickly, that it almost frightened her. While Jeremiah had a terrible temper when angered, she had never known one ounce of fear. Jeremiah would rather take on an angry bear, than to ever raise a hand to her or the children. If only her father had felt the same way, things could have been so different. She chased the unwanted thought away, then continued with her perusal.
Jeremiah's eyelashes seemed almost feminine next to his aquiline nose, high cheekbones, firm lips and strong jaw. His skin was almost bronzed in color, due to the long hours of hard work in direct sunlight. It began at his forehead, down the length of neck and across his broad shoulders, down his muscular arms and ended at his lean waist. She knew that the rest of Jeremiah's body wasn't tanned like the upper portion. There wasn't an inch of her husband's body that she didn't know or hadn't explored. She felt herself flush when she envisioned running a hand down the length of his body.
"Why are you blushing?" Jeremiah asked softly.
Theresa started violently at the sound of his voice. She felt her face grow even hotter at the knowledge that Jeremiah had been watching her admiring him. "I didn't think you were aware that I was awake." She said.
"What made you blush?" he asked her.
Theresa kept her head lowered as she answered his question. " Running my hand down the length of her body."
Jeremiah drew Theresa into his arms. Gently he cupped her chin in one hand and raised her face up to meet his. "There's nothing wrong with wanting your husband, Theresa."
"I know. It's just that I was always taught to view the intimate part of a marriage as being a duty. It's taken me sixteen years of marriage to realize how wonderful and enjoyable that part of a marriage can be." She told him.
"I personally think it's an awful shame that women are raised to be so closed-minded towards the physical part of a relationship. If it wasn't meant to be enjoyable for both participants, I think the Lord would have thought of a different way for humans to mate." Jeremiah told her.
"I do too. Especially when their husbands are as attractive as you." Theresa told Jeremiah, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Then you find me attractive?" Jeremiah teased.
"More than I rightly should." Theresa answered, kissing him.
Jeremiah tightened his hold on her waist, as the kiss deepened. He lowered Theresa back onto the bed, then stretched out beside her. At the back of his mind was the pressing matter of chores, but Jeremiah chased the thought from his mind. The chores would still be there when he got to the barn. He wasn't about to miss out on spending a little extra alone time with Theresa.
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