Page 32 of The Awakening
I sat on the hearth and stared at my wife. Our marriage had solved the problem of getting her out of Montana, and I’d needed a wife to save the ranch from falling into the hands of my uncle. What I hadn’t counted on was the way my feelings for her were growing.
This life was not the one I had dreamed of, but it was the one I had, and there was no one I would rather spend it with than Ellie. She stirred, so I stood and walked back to the bed.
I lay beside her again, and she wrapped her arms around me and put her leg across mine. We hadn’t been intimate since Christmas and she still tried to keep to her side of the bed most nights, but she always woke up in my arms. I’d been dying to worship her again for so long, but I knew she needed more time to adjust to this new life we were living. After today, though,maybe we could live like real husband and wife rather than two people who had come together due to circumstances. The wind continued to howl outside, and the windows rattled occasionally, but we were warm and out of the weather. This could be a comfortable home for us for the time being.
An hour later, Ellie woke up and shifted in my arms. “Are you getting up?” I murmured.
“I should make dinner.” She turned and sat on the edge of the bed. Her smooth back made me want to reach out and touch her.
“Maybe you should just come back to bed.” I ran my hand down her spine.
She sat up straighter and looked over her shoulder. “You think I should? What are you going to do to me this time, husband?” She arched her brow and smiled slyly at me.
“There is so much I want to do to you.” Moving my hand to her hair, I ran my fingers through it. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I was incredibly lucky to find you standing at my stove.”
Her laughter rang through the room. “Then you’ll be even happier to find me standing at the one in our home. As much as I would enjoy coming back to bed, I’m starving.” Falling back on the bed, she kissed me, then stood and sauntered out of the room. Naked.
“Aren’t you going to put any clothes on?” I called out after her.
“What’s the point? They’re just going to come off again.” Her voice grew quieter as she descended the stairs.
I stared at the ceiling and grinned at her antics, but my father’s words rang through my ears as I lay there. I was risking a lot by starting this new business and risking my part of the ranch. I was going to have to work ten times harder and be on top of every transaction going through this company.
Taking a ragged breath, I flipped the blankets off and pulled on my underwear and shirt, then headed for the main floor.In the short time she had been downstairs, Ellie had gotten something simmering on the stove, and it smelled incredible.
Leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, I watched her move with ease and grace. She had found an apron and slipped it on. I couldn’t help but stare at her wearing nothing but that damn apron.
“Something smells good.” I stood over her shoulder as she stirred whatever she had cooking. “Looks good too.” I ran my hand across the round fullness of her ass.
“Don’t make me find a wooden spoon, Gavin Morton.” The smile that crossed her face as she looked at me made my heart jump.
“You’re going to have to fight me for use of that spoon, missy. Your backside exposed to me would make the perfect target.” Before I backed away, I gave her a light swat.
Ellie yelped and tried to push me away, but I was already out of arm’s reach. She lifted the pot off the burner and set it on the opposite side of the stove top, then turned.
I slowly backed out of the kitchen, and she stalked toward me. “You know, Mrs. Morton, you could wear the apron and nothing else every day. I wouldn’t complain.”
“Well, you can be sure I’ll be fully clothed then. You’re insatiable. I would never get any work done.” She giggled and put her hands on her hips.
This stance made her baby bump prominent in the apron. Somehow, I hadn’t really given it much thought until now, but I couldn’t resist resting my hand on her abdomen. It was fascinating thinking about how her body would change.
Ellie walked into my arms and turned so I could place both hands on her stomach. She sighed as she relaxed back into me.
“Is it heavy?”
“No. I expect it will be eventually, though.” With her head on my shoulder, she closed her eyes and breathed quietly.
“What are you thinking?” I murmured.
“For one moment just now, I forgot what my life really is, and it really felt like we were a family.” Her voice trailed off, and she tensed up in my arms.
“We are a family. Maybe not in the normal sense, but I’m here for you.” Tightening my arms around her, I wondered who I was turning into.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ellie
“Gavin, I’m heading out,” I hollered up the stairs. There was no reply. I looked at my watch again. Kate, Jessica, and Delaney were seconds from picking me up. I didn’t need any grand gestures from Gavin, but a little acknowledgement that I was leaving might be nice.
