Esperanza (Brides Dock On Portum Island!) #1

Untitled Part 7

Chapter 6

Asher was standing on the driveway, facing the porch when his bride exited the house. She wore a white gown that revealed her bare shoulders. Her black curls were unbound. His fingers were eager to play with the curly strands. Her dress was long enough to cover her feet. But he couldn't have cared if his woman was barefoot. Esperanza was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He glanced into her dark brown eyes as she descended the stairs, and was lost. She joined him, and then both turned to face the preacher. The wedding was short and sweet. Cassandra presented them with the rings that Asher had purchased. Esperanza's surprised expression made him grin. He first slid an engagement ring on her finger before giving her a wedding band.

"You may kiss the bride," the reverend said, and Asher's mouth descended on hers. Her lips were soft and sweet. His body felt electrified at the contact. He wanted to deepen the kiss, to taste her mouth, but he didn't want to scare her off. He pulled back, and smiled at the man that had married them. After shaking hands with him, the man rushed away, followed by an excited Lance.

"I'll have to join them for the second wedding," Cassandra said. "Congratulations to you both," she said, before leaving with the cart that once carried his bride's luggage.

"You look beautiful," Asher told his bride, who smiled tiredly at him.

"You look handsome," she said, before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"What's next?" he asked.

"A nap?" she asked hopefully, which made Asher chuckle.

"While you nap, I can make dinner," he reluctantly offered. The last thing that he wanted to do was subject himself to one of those dreadful frozen meals. But the poor woman looked as if she would fall where she stood. Had marrying him kept her up all night, or was it really her roommate?

"What's for dinner?" Esperanza inquired.

"Either frozen pizza or frozen chicken nuggets and tater tots," he offered.

Esperanza yawned. "Surprise me," she said.

On a whim, Asher lifted his bride into his arms and carried her over the threshold. She smiled up at him, her soft eyes warming his heart.

He carried his bride into the living room and gently put her down. She stifled yet another yawn before a shy expression filled her face. Asher didn't much like that expression. They were man and wife, after all. He wanted her to feel comfortable around him.

"Can you please unzip the back of my dress?" she hesitantly asked. It was clear that she had felt uneasy about making the request.

"Sure," Asher said, his body filling with anticipation. He knew that it was too soon to have a real wedding night. But he still wanted the sneak peek. Esperanza turned around, and he gently began sliding the zipper down, revealing her honey-brown skin. On a whim, he caressed her warm skin with a fingertip. Her intake of breath definitely fed his male ego. It was nice that someone responded to him in that way.

"Thank you," Esperanza suddenly said. "I'm going to take my nap now." Without another word, his lovely bride hurried into their bedroom and closed the door behind her. Asher grinned. He could tell by her reaction that she'd be a passionate woman.

Esperanza yawned and stretched, her body feeling well rested. She opened her eyes and blinked, adjusting to the sunlight. She sat up and glanced around the room. It would seem that her new husband was a slob. He left his jeans, boxers, and balled-up T-shirt on the floor. She sighed and thought that she could start the day by doing some cleaning.

Esperanza strolled into the kitchen and glanced around the room. The counter tops were clean, there were groceries on the table, and half of a covered pizza in the fridge. Her stomach rumbled. She must have slept the whole day away. Figures. Now she had a lot of catching up to do. She found a pizza cutter in one of the drawers along with a plate for the pizza. She then pulled the pizza from the fridge, took what she wanted, and placed the plate in the microwave. As the microwave was heating up her food, Esperanza began putting away the groceries. As she was eating the pizza, Asher strolled into the room. He smiled upon seeing her.