The Oasis Read Free Page A

towards her. Without a word he reached down and stroked her cheek with a single finger, loving the feel of her soft skin under his hand. He watched her eyes as they darkened, heat rising to her cheeks. He felt his desire for her grow but lowered his hand from her face. “Of course,” he whispered as he stepped away.
    She felt suddenly alone, more so than she had all night. She knew their desire was mutual but something had stopped him from kissing her. “Goodnight,” she whispered. Grabbing her gun to put it back in her closet, she turned and entered her room. She saw him still standing there, watching as she shut the door.

 

     
     

     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
     
    Lena woke up early, eager to see if she had dreamed the previous night. Jasper was still asleep on the couch and she had to force herself to leave him be and go about her daily chores. She could already hear Bertha calling out to be milked. Groaning, she went and grabbed her bag out of the closet, stuffed a change of clothes in and stepped out into the sunshine. The damage to the house from their nighttime visitors was minimal. She opened the lock of the barn, releasing the chickens into the yard. Bertha mooed welcomingly and Lena got to work.
    After she finished, she let Bertha free to walk around the fields. Lena’s lifestyle was pretty laid back and she liked it that way. She had made a new life out of the ashes of the final days. Jasper really did put a wrench in things, though. If he had survived then maybe others had too. He hadn’t mentioned other normal people and, although they had talked for hours the previous night, she still felt like there was something he wasn’t telling her. She knew he was a former Navy SEAL, a member of an elite group of Special Forces in the military, and she was sure he had to know something about what had happened.
    Lost in thought, she went back into the barn and began searching for eggs. Footsteps followed her in, startling her.
    “Jeez, Jasper, you scared me to death,” she said, jumping when she saw him behind her. He was just as stunning as he had been the night before. Hair pulled back out of his face, arms bulging out of his shirt. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she turned away, trying to hide her blush.
    He glanced at her, enamored by how beautiful she was in the sunlight. He watched as she bent to check inside the nests. She had changed clothes; a fitted pink t-shirt stretched against her breasts. A pair of snug jeans curved around her figure. He stopped and let his eyes follow a path down her body. She was fit and he took a moment to appreciate that. He wouldn’t have been surprised to hear she probably worked out.
    Walking towards her, he couldn’t help but smile when she looked up at him. Her chin rose, showing her obvious stubborn streak. This woman who knew nothing about his past had, after one night, trusted him. And he had trusted her. Of course he had done preliminary surveillance, but trusted her more than he had any one else in quite some time.
    Standing up, she faced him. There was so much thought behind his eyes that she didn’t want to speak. Impulsively he reached forward and grasped her neck, pulling her lips to his. Their mouths touched in sudden passion. His firm lips touched the soft contours of hers. He had never wanted to kiss someone as much as he wanted to kiss her. At first he didn’t want the kiss to get too intense but once he felt the heat of her lips on his, her body pressed up against his, he lost it. Her arms slid up his chest to wrap around his neck, holding him closer. His tongue slid into her mouth asking for more.
    They were still holding each other when a loud bang shook the barn.
    “What the hell?” He broke their kiss. Fear came to her eyes as she turned to look for her bag. Racing to it, she pulled out the gun she kept there. Jasper had a 9-mm in the holster on his leg. With ease he pulled it out and tried to push her to the back of the barn,