Desire Renewed (Happily Bedded Bliss) (5 page)

Coming home is the only way out.

Paul Bentley is a NARC, his estranged wife Kayla is a drug counselor trying to keep others from running afoul of the law. The stress of their conflicting jobs breaks their marriage, but can the passion that remains reunite these former lovers?

“Kay? I’m lonely.”

“Better to be lonely alone.” Her lip trembled and she prayed it didn’t show in her voice.

“Yeah. Look, I know I agreed to leave you alone. I know there’s no going back. You’re better off without me dragging you down. But I was thinking, maybe I could come over? We could open a bottle of wine and try and talk again.”

“You never dragged me down when you were here. It was losing you and having to see you still here that hurt.” Her stomach twisted and she inched lower in the tub, letting the water soothe her wounds.

“I feel like I should take that hurt away, you know? I want to hold you and let you know none of it had anything to do with you. I didn’t want any of it to touch you.”

“I don’t live in a bubble, Paul.” She took a deep breath for courage. “You don’t want to change. You just don’t want to be lonely right now. And on again, off again is not good for either one of us.”

“We haven’t tried on again. Let me come over. I’ll bring a bottle of your favorite wine and you can mess up my head. And then once I get it together we can mess up our bed. It’s been way too long, Kayla.”

“We can talk on the phone.” Her eyes felt heavy, tears threatening. She wanted him, the old him, here in the worst way. But she didn’t think she had it in her to tell him to leave again.

The phone clicked in her ear. She called his name a few times before giving up and setting the phone on the ground. She closed her eyes, trying not to think of him, but it was too late. His image loomed in her mind, teasing her.

Read on…

Jenna Allen is the original penname of
Jenna Bayley-Burke
, best-selling author of a dozen sexy contemporary romances. Why resurrect the old penname? It’s simple really, the Jenna Allen stories tease the line between erotica and romance, are told in first person, and delve into the intimacies of marriage. Most of my Jenna Bayley-Burke readers will love the decadent Jenna Allen stories, but not everyone likes their sexytimes edgy and kinky.

The flirty, sexy, fun of Jenna Bayley-Burke is well established and not going anywhere. (Check out the Under the Caribbean Sun series.) I hope to also tell as many Jenna Allen tales as people are willing to read. Always romantic, and with a happy ending. There can never be enough of those in the world.