Everything She Wants

By Josephine Kent

Amaryllis Ashley is tired of waiting passively at home for her husband's attention. And she is beginning to hate him for tempting her into divorce. Amy, after all, married for life.

Given the options of sleeping with his wife or sleeping on the sofa, Orion Ashley took the sofa. He would never touch her in the home she'd inherited. Orion never bargained on his wife kicking herself out of the bed, and him back into it.

Amy is convinced her husband is cheating. Guilt-ridden, Orion begs her for just a little more time. At work the next morning, he receives a call from the housekeeper that lands both him and his wife in the hospital. They leave Dallas in an uproar months later when Orion is seen racing out of a society ball with his wife tossed over his shoulder.

Battling pride and fear, the couple comes to the realization that communication and trust are two of the most important tools they'll need to build a successful life together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Josephine Kent
• Release date: Jul 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301319282

Josephine Kent

Josephine Kent is single, and a bit cynical, but, she's an ever hopeful, romantic. Having yet to meet Sir Lasting means that he could be anyone. While Josie'snot necessarily hunting for Mr. Lifetime Worthy, she knows that the world is full of awesome guys, and is enjoying the view as she wonders just what her own T. Love might really be like; and what type of woman could really love him.When she's not falling for the guy she happens to be writing about, the truest loves of her life are daily lunch dates with Bob Ross, cooking pretty petite edibles, and conversations with her six nephews. In her dreams she is a great mathematician, a budgeting diva, a do-it-yourself maven, and a bohemian fashionista. In reality, she's numerically dyslexic. She always ends up spending the money saved from budgeting. Her do-it-yourself fails are often epic. And she still hasn't quite mastered the art of mixing prints.If you'd like to contact her, please do so at [e-mail] or on her blog at http://josiekentwritesromance.blogspot.com. She'd love to hearfrom you.Please, feel free to leave comments when possible.

Book preview

Everything She Wants

by Josephine Kent

Romance

Smashwords Edition

Copyright ©2012 by Josephine Kent

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Dedication

My father knew when to 'Draw the Lines' on whether I would continue to dream hopelessly, or make my dream a reality. Ten years ago, he kicked me out of the nest and sent me off to survive. Though I have the heart of a free bird, I have never made a very good wild thing. And so, whenever I needed him most, he has helped me. My father believes in giving me 'Everything She Wants', by teaching me to work for everything I need. He is my rock. I am proud to say that my heritage is his work ethic. Daddy, this one's for you. Thank you for being the kind of man my mother could build a dream with.

Chapter 1

Six nights. Six nights in two weeks. They weren't weekend nights either. It wasn't as if he'd gone out with the boys and failed to keep track of the time; or that he was working on some big project and had worked through the night. It might have been easier if she'd lost him to his job or his masculinity. It might have been easier if she'd had him to lose in the first place, but it wasn't easy to wait in a dark room for him to come home at four in the morning smelling like a clean fresh spring and newly applied deodorant.

The door to the bedroom opened. She lay in the dark, regulating her breathing to the even rhythm of sleep by sheer force of will. Something heavy tumbled to the ground, the dull thud followed by whispered curses so colorful she was surprised that the room didn't light up. A few more thuds, this time from his walk-in closet. She knew his routine now. He'd change into sweats. The ugly pair with the tight cuffs that she'd long ago decided were his specially designed version of 'repel-a-spouse.' Then, he'd go into the bathroom and ease the door closed before turning on the light, as if she wouldn't wake with goose bumps at the sound of him brushing his teeth and gargling. After that, his final steps were the same thing he'd been doing even on the nights he stayed at home with her. He'd ease out of the bedroom, turn on the living room television, and bunk on the sofa until it was time to get up at six o'clock for his morning run.

Tonight, she was going to change his agenda, even if it meant that neither one of them got any sleep. She was nobody's doormat, and she'd be damned if she was going to be the only miserable person in this house.

The lights in the bathroom went out. The door opened and his shadow passed across the wall, doubling like a dark phantom on the surface of the mirror before he made it to the slightly ajar door.

You don't have to sleep on the sofa, she said into the darkness.

Amy! he hissed in surprise. I'm sorry if I woke you. I needed to use the bathroom.

You don't have to sleep on the sofa, and you can turn on the TV if you like. I won't bother you tonight. She leaned up on one elbow and turned on the bedside lamp. Sure enough, he was wearing the repellants. Just sleep in the bed. She didn’t look past the familiar, the parts that were just enough for her to recognize her husband. If she looked any deeper something inside her might break.

It's okay, he hemmed. The sofa is more comfortable on my back than the bed. It was a bold-faced lie. The overstuffed sofa was two feet too short, and its back was so thick it covered most of the seat.

Orion, she said softly, reasonably. Just lay down beside me and go to sleep. The bed's big enough for two, and I've taken the hint. I won't touch you. From the incredulous expression on his face, she knew she'd disarmed him with her promise.

Amy, he said hoarsely.

She cut him off by sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I see. You'd prefer

Reviews for Everything She Wants

[Ellen Leibfrid · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

March 2020: Very pleasant read about a husband who loves his wife but has his own guilt about what he said to her as a child, what her father does to make sure she gets the man she loves.