Title: Staying for You
Author: Jennifer Van Wyk
Series: All for You
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Small Town Romance
When I arrived at your resort, I was broken.
Emotionally and professionally, I had nothing left.
The last three books I published bombed and the ink was barely dry on my divorce papers. The divorce I never saw coming.
All I needed was peace and quiet, and you gave it to me.
That and so much more
Hope. Courage. Friendship. Passion.
The last thing I want to do is leave.
But if I stayed, I’d only be staying for you.
Emotionally and professionally, I had nothing left.
The last three books I published bombed and the ink was barely dry on my divorce papers. The divorce I never saw coming.
All I needed was peace and quiet, and you gave it to me.
That and so much more
Hope. Courage. Friendship. Passion.
The last thing I want to do is leave.
But if I stayed, I’d only be staying for you.
Staying For You is a friends-to-lovers contemporary romance with a push and pull that will keep you turning the pages.
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I can’t resist wanting more with her. Not when it’s just the two of us alone in the woods, quiet surrounding us and nothing but the space between the lodge and her cabin between us.
I don’t know anything about her.
But I know her.
How is that possible? Is this what people talk about when they say they just knew?
She’s incredible and I know it’s a mistake to want more but the alternative, not having her at all and watching her leave here, would be the biggest regret of my life. I know it already.
Am I really about to suggest this? That we have a fling while she’s here with no expectations of more? Can I allow myself to get to know her and not want more? Because I already feel it’s impossible to resist her. Discovering what makes her, her, will only make it harder.
That doesn’t stop me, though.
“I have a question and this is going to go against everything I said earlier about me being a good guy.”
She laughs, eyebrows rising to her hairline as she drops her hand and leans back against the armrest of the couch causing my hand to drop also. I don’t like the new arrangement, neither of us touching the other.
“Not a great lead in, there, buddy.”
“I know. But just hear me out, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I think we can both agree that we’re attracted to each other.”
A blush creeps up her cheeks and she bites the corner of her lower lip, nodding her head ever-so-slightly.
Yeah.
She’s attracted to me.
Just like I’m attracted to her.
Damn, she’s pretty. Without a doubt, the prettiest woman I’ve ever met.
I understand for the first time what a Siren’s Call means. She calls to me and I can’t help but answer. I resisted as long as I could and now I’m here, about to lay it all on the line and hope like hell she’ll accept what I’m about to propose to her.
“And that my home is here.” Another nod. “And your home is in Tennessee.” This time a pause before a nod.
“I like you.”
“You mentioned that.”
“And while I’d love to see where this could go between us, I just don’t know what a future looks like for…” us. I don’t say it. But she knows that’s what I meant. There’s no chance for a future for us, but maybe there’s here and now. The present is right here at our fingertips…
“But now…” I trail off, wondering if she’s caught on yet to what I’m saying. I’m so nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before. And until I came to her door, it hadn’t even occurred to me. My plan was to apologize again, pray she offered me forgiveness, and leave her alone. But one look at her sitting next to me on this couch, vulnerable but understanding, accepting and so fucking beautiful… my plan flew the coop.
I can’t give her all that she deserves, but maybe I can give her this.
“I don’t want to live my life with regrets.” I tell her.
“Okay?”
“And you’re really pretty.” Shit. I didn’t mean to say that. By the look on her face, she knows it, too. Trying not to laugh at me and doing a piss poor job at it because her lips are pressed together tightly and her shoulders are shaking. Not that I’m opposed to her knowing that I think she’s pretty — which is an understatement — but it sounds immature and juvenile to just blurt it out.
“Thanks.”
“But that’s not why I’m here or anything,” I rush to make sure she understands. “And if you didn’t live in Tennessee and I didn’t live here, we could probably have something together but you don’t live here and I do. But that doesn’t mean I don’t wish things were different. But the fact is, it’s not different. Those are the cards we’re dealt with. But we’re also dealt with this insane attraction and I, for one, can’t really deny myself of it because I don’t like living with regrets and not pursuing something would be a tragedy,” I ramble, only stopping when I see the look on her face.
Eyes are so wide, they’re bugging out comically. She’s staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. Her lips are pressed together so tightly, they’re turning white. She’s really trying hard not to laugh at me.
I drop my head. “I’m an idiot.”
“You mentioned that earlier too.”
“Maybe I’ll just go back to the lodge where I obviously left my brains.”
“Would you find them up there?” she asks, head turned to the side as she teases me.
“Probably not,” I grumble.
She grips my knee, shaking it lightly to get my attention. “Owen? You want to ask me something, right?”
“Yes.”
“Is it that you would like to have a friends with benefits type of thing?”
a series of interconnected, standalone romances
Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Amazon US | Amazon Universal
Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Amazon US | Amazon Universal
From the Ground Up is Jennifer’s first published novel, with the hopes of many more to come. Jennifer makes her home in rural Iowa with her high school sweetheart, three beautiful and amazing kids, one crazy Jack Russell terrier. This is where her love for all things reading, baking, and cooking happen. Jennifer’s family enjoys camping, boating, and spending time outside as much as possible. When she’s not writing or editing/proofreading manuscripts for the many talented authors she’s come to love, she’s sipping coffee or iced tea with her kindle in her lap or binging on Netflix.
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