A Reason to Stay (Oak Hollow) by June Stevens, DJ Westerfield Read Free Book Online Page A

few long minutes she rolled off of him. He gathered her close, her head in the crook of his arm. Just before she slid into the sweet abyss of sleep she thought she heard him say, "Damn, honey, I wish I could always wake up with you like that."
    Jake couldn’t help whistling as he toweled off after his shower. He was happier than he’d been in a long time. Ellie was asleep in his bed. The fact that last night may have been a one-time thing, never to be repeated, couldn’t dim the light a night of making love to the woman he loved had lit inside him.
    Sheesh! If any of the guys down at the Station could hear his thoughts they would swear he was going nuts. Maybe he was. Love did strange things to a man. He’d loved Ellie for so long, lusted after her body for so long. He’d fantasized about making love to her so many times, but none of it compared to the real thing. He’d made love to more women than he wanted to count, but not one of them made him feel the way Ellie did. Not just in bed, but afterwards. Nothing had prepared him for this feeling that was swelling in his chest. He couldn’t put words to it, but it felt good, and scary. He wondered if this was how women felt when they made love with a man that they loved.
    He didn’t want this feeling to end. Heck, he didn’t think it could end. But he had a feeling it could turn agonizing if she left. But what could he do? He didn’t want to stand in the way of her happiness. If moving to Chicago would make her happy, he had to stand back and let her do it. Maybe he should move to Chicago, too.
    The thought was not appealing. He was a small town boy through and through. Oak Hollow was where his job, his home, and his life was. But if Ellie moved to Chicago, his house would just be an empty shell, his family would be missing the most important member, and his life would lose its spark. Ellie was his spark.
    Giving his head a good shake to empty it of those thoughts, Jake wrapped a towel around his waist and padded into the bedroom. Ellie was standing at the window, looking out. Her hair was tousled; curls flying about all over her head and trailing down her back. The sheet wrapped around her body clung to her curves, emphasizing her plump, round bottom. Jake felt himself harden instantly, causing the front of the towel to protrude slightly. God, she was beautiful.
    Quietly he stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. To his great pleasure she back into him instantly. Her softness collided with his hard chest and her crazy hair tickled his nose as she snuggled into him. He was so consumed with the feel of her that it took him a moment to realize what she was staring at out the window. But when it finally registered a bubble of happiness exploded in his chest.
    It was raining. No, it was storming! It was a huge, thunder and lightning, wind blowing so hard it was raining sideways, can’t see three feet in front of you, there is no way a moving company will work in this weather, kind of storm.
    He couldn’t believe his luck. Someone upstairs was looking out for him today. Okay, so maybe to most this bad storm would be a cause of worry, but to him it meant one more whole day with Ellie. A whole day of lovemaking, if he could convince her. A whole day to try to figure out where he fit in her new life. A whole day to figure out how to tell her how much he loved her.
    Jake took a deep breath before speaking in an effort to keep the joy out of his voice. "Looks like you won’t be moving today."
    "Nope."
    "I guess we’ll have to find something else to do, won’t we?"
    Jake leaned in and nuzzled her earlobe with his lips. The hard shaft pressing into the soft flesh of her ass made it clear what he thought that something should be. But it seemed Ellie had something else in mind.
    "Yeah, eat." She turned in his arms and laughed at the abashed look on his face. "Don’t look like that! I used a lot of energy up last night; I need sustenance!"
    Jake grinned. "Well, I