War for Love: A New Battle Rages

CH 3: Wedding Gift

**Jeremiah's POV**

Mrs. Gia Moretti. I have never been so perplexed by a woman before, and I can say with confidence that I am not a fan. I can read her body language so easily, but her words aren't matching. That kiss at the altar kept my body on edge, hungry for more of her. Playing it cool will only get me so far, but to be honest with myself, I don't know how much longer it will be until I am the one begging for her. What did she do to me?

"Sir, we will arrive at the docks in about five minutes." The private driver notified me.

I nodded my head and continued to stare out of the window in the backseat of the town car. "We aren't staying in Barcelona?" I hadn't told Gia the full extent of our honeymoon. I just shook my head 'no'. "Where are we going?"

The worry in her voice was a bit riveting. Did she fear me? "Scared?" I teased. When she said nothing, I whispered to myself. "You should be." Because even though I would never hurt her, I was definitely going to be testing my boundaries with her, and maybe try and push her out of her own. I'll never rush her, but knowing she wants me makes me slightly impatient to have her underneath me, moaning my name while carving hers in my back with her nails. My d**k hardened at the possibilities.

When we arrived at the docks, the driver loaded our luggage into the small boat and wished us a happy honeymoon. He helped push us off the dock and waved goodbye as I turned on the engine and drove out to sea. My brothers thought my gesture too much, but of course, my sisters said it was romantic. I wasn't really going for romantic, but just a nice wedding gift. I mean, Gia and I are well off, so what do you give your wife when she has absolutely everything she could ever need in life? After a short ten-minute boat ride, I could finally see our destination in the distance. I pointed to it and she squinted her eyes. It was getting a little dark, and if you didn't know it was there, you could easily miss it.

Another fifteen minutes and I slowed down the boat at the docks on the west side of the island, where we would see the most perfect sunsets. I planned everything perfectly, so she could paint on the docks in the evenings, and enjoy the sunrise on the front porch in the mornings. From the moment I purchased the two hundred acre island, everything was planned and built with her in mind. Okay, maybe it was romantic, but with a reputation like mine, I had to redeem myself somehow in her eyes. I know she probably has heard the worst things about me, and most of them may be true. I just want to go into this marriage without being judged for the demons that plague me. I've accepted my darkness, but can she? Do I want her to?

"This is beautiful." Gia looked around as I helped her out of the boat. The welcoming house staff were waiting and quickly unloaded our luggage, and headed up the long stairs to the house. "Is that a small deck there?" She pointed at the special spot I had made for her. I have visited this island more than a dozen times to watch the sunset and rise to find the perfect spot to make her a painting sanctuary. Complete with a small shed that would house all of her art needs. "Oh, I would love to paint there."

"That was the idea." I smiled and grabbed her hand. I didn't know something so small could be so intimate, but I had never held a girl's hand before. "Gia this place, this island. It's ours."

"What?" She whispered, her surprise evident.

"This island and everything on it is your wedding gift." I explained, but she still looked so shocked.

"You brought me an island?" I nodded. "You built a house on it." I nodded again. "As a wedding gift?" I nodded once more.

I felt a little hurt when she pulled her hand from mine to cover her mouth as she laughed. It was like she had heard the funniest joke for the first time, and couldn't contain her amusement. Was that what this was to her? Just a big joke? "My gift is amusing to you?"

"No, no." She struggled to breathe. Her face was so red, and there were tears in her eyes. "I just can't help but think how you f****d yourself." I looked at her with furrowed brows and an open mouth. "You are never going to be able to top this. Christmases, birthdays, and anniversaries. No gift can amount to an island! You peaked at gifts in the first twenty-four hours of our marriage. What are you going to do for like the next sixty years?" She continued to laugh.

I understood her thought process, and it made me laugh a little too, because she was right. But what was even better was the way she said 'the next sixty years', like she believed that we could have a fulfilling marriage together. A marriage where I tried to top this gift and would probably be unsuccessful at every turn.

"Hey," She tilted her head sideways. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile before." She raised her hand to gently caress my cheek. "You have a nice smile."

I felt my smile drop, not because I wasn't happy, but because again, a small touch could be so intimate, and it sent shivers down my back. Even though I have a reputation with women, I hoped she knew that there would be a lot of firsts with her. Because yes I have f****d dozens of women, but I have never dated. Never held a woman's hand, or opened her door. Never purchased flowers, or had breakfast the next morning together. I have never even spent the night with a woman before. After we f****d, I put her in a car and sent her home. I just always preferred to be alone. But with Gia, I couldn't wait for her to touch me or for me to be able to touch her. It was more, and I never knew what I was missing.

She dropped her hand, and looked away shyly. There was so much about her I didn't know, but with each passing moment, I felt like I got a small peak at who she was. I could definitely tell that she was new to this kind of intimacy as well. But how new was she to this? Her file didn't have anything about previous boyfriends. Did she ever date or was she just like me and wanted nothing to do with someone after she got herself off? I can't wait to peel back her layers and find out every part of her.

Gia followed behind me as we headed up the stairs to the house. On the way, we made a little detour, so I could show her the private painting deck I designed for her. I thought it was perfect. An octagon shaped deck with plenty of space. I had a pergola put up with an easy crank for her to control how much shade she wanted. I showed her the fully stocked art storage just a few feet away. I asked her father about her favorite brands of paints and canvases. Everything she loved and needed was at her fingertips.

"I can't believe you did this for me. I don't think I ever want to leave here." I smiled and went over to one of the storage benches. I pulled out the hammock and set it up between the poles of the pergola and threw a blanket and pillow into it. She threw her head back and laughed. "I think you know me a little too well." Her eyes pierced into mine, and I could see that she was having trouble figuring me out. "Why would you do all of this... for me?"

Even though my soul is probably damned for all my sins, I have a sincere heart. I want someone to see that, and hopefully accept it. "You took a huge chance of marrying me. I did this not only to make you happy, but to also show you that I support your dreams. I want you to have peace. Even though you don't and probably will never love me. I want you to know that I am not a bad man, despite what you may have heard about me. I have just done unspeakable things for the people I care about."

"Makes me wonder." She threw herself into the hammock. "What unspeakable things would you do for me?"

"I don't think you're ready for that answer."