9781618850676UnchainedMelodyHunter (23 page)

“Can
I have a Coors, Sis?” He had started calling her Sis even though no proposal had
been made and she wasn’t a hundred percent sure what her answer would be if it
came. Oh, who was she kidding? She knew she wasn’t prepared to walk away from
Ethan, that is, unless he asked her to.

Annalise
handed him the Coors. “Well, what do you think? Is this what you expected?”

“Yes,”
she answered in a tight little voice. “I just didn’t think it would hurt so
much.”

“Shit!”
Annalise followed Alex’s eyes. It was Francine. Her heart sank. She started
toward the tall, blonde woman who had hurt her Ethan so badly. There was no way
she was going to let her crash this party and cause more trouble. Francine’s
eyes were scanning the crowd. She was looking for her ex-husband. Alex stopped
her forward progress. “Wait, Lise. Look.”

Ethan
was crossing the room, determinedly striding toward his former spouse. “What
are you doing here, Francine?”

“I
thought you would be glad to see me?” Looking around she scanned the crowd. “Where
is she, Ethan? Where’s the little twit that ruined our marriage?”

Ethan
looked at Francine coldly. “Lise didn’t ruin our marriage, Francine. You did. You
lied to me from the very beginning. It was you that kept Lise and I apart. You
answered my phone and neglected to tell me she had called. You knew she needed
me and you let her believe I didn’t care anything about her. I may have married
you, but I loved her.”

Francine
bristled with anger. “Ethan, I was there. The first few months were great. New
York was wonderful and the sex wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it was okay. Everything
changed once I found out about your porn writer. She crossed every line of
decency that has ever been drawn.”

“New
York was only great when I was spending money on you. And the sex wasn’t good
at all. And do you know why, Francine? Because it was
just
sex. I never loved you. It’s always been Annalise and it
always will be. With her, it’s not sex, it’s making love—and that makes all the
difference in the world.” Ethan wasn’t shouting, he wasn’t even talking very
loud, but everyone heard him, because the rest of the room was full of statues.
You could have heard a pin drop. “Francine, it’s time for you to go.” Several
of his friends stepped forward and together, they herded Francine to the door. In
a few moments, he and his entourage returned and they absorbed him into their
conversation and next into a game of pool.

 
“You’ve healed him,” Alex admitted. “He’s the
Ethan of old - the alpha male in the room, self-assured, confident and
completely surrounded by friends. You did that, Lise. You gave Ethan back his
self-esteem, his male pride. And I thank you.”

“It
was my pleasure,” she whispered, but with a completely different emphasis than
it is usually uttered. When she said the words, she was remembering the touch
of his hands and the feel of his lips and the…

“Tell
me more about Scarlet. Will she come for the wedding?”

Annalise
tried to shake off the longing as well as the uneasiness. Thinking about
Scarlet made her smile. “I’ll tell you about Scarlet. But you must stop talking
about a wedding. There is no wedding in the works.”

“Yeah,
right. Ethan would ask you tonight if he thought you were ready to hear the
question.” Annalise wasn’t so sure about that. He had made several references
to the future, but that was early on—none lately.

She
chose to change the subject. “Scarlet is two years younger than me. She is
smart, funny, sweet and the best cook I know.”

“Does
she look like you?” Alex asked casually.

“Oh,
Alex, she is beautiful. I look like the proverbial mud fence next to her; the
sow’s ear next to her silk purse.” Annalise flashed him a dazzling smile,
thinking about her stunning sister.

“Prettier
than you?” Alex asked. “Annalise, are you blind? What is she a goddess? If she
is that pretty then I don’t have a chance in hell with her.”

“Don’t
sell yourself short, Alex, you are a Stewart. And Scarlet has no idea she’s
pretty. If you were to ask her if she considers herself beautiful, she would
laugh in your face.” Alex was more than intrigued. He, for one, couldn’t wait
for the wedding.

* * * *

Annalise
sat on a barstool eating shrimp. Ethan had not completely abandoned her. He
made his way to her every few minutes, making sure she knew he was nearby. As
far as she was concerned the evening was a complete success. There was no doubt
in Lise’s mind if something untoward happened and Ethan walked away from her,
he would not remain alone. He now knew he was a desirable man and a superb
lover. She had made sure of that.

The
strangest conversation of the evening came at the end. Annalise was tired and
the hour was getting late. Most people had abandoned mixed drinks and were now
drinking beer. She began tidying up the bar area and the dozen round white
tables dotting the lawn. Shelley Thompson walked up to her. When she did,
Annalise was humbled. Shelley was tall, elegant, perfectly tanned and even
after a dip in the pool, her hair looked like it had been styled by a
professional. But what she said was amazing. “You are a very lucky woman, Miss
Pace. Yes, I know who you are. I am definitely a fan.”

“Thank
you, Miss Thompson.”

“Please,
call me Shelley. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of one another. I’ll admit,
I’ve always wanted Ethan. Francine wasn’t the only woman to go after him after
you disappeared. He is an extraordinary man, but alas, there is no doubt he
belongs to you. He made sure everyone knew it. Every time a girl made even the
slightest advance, he made sure they knew who the love of his life is. And
that’s you. So, congratulations, Ann Pace, you have been blessed with a real
life love story of your very own.”

* * * *

Annalise
was so tired of being on her feet that she let the guys do the bulk of the
clean-up work. She walked the dogs, fed them then she took a hot soak in the
tub. Donning a white eyelet gown, she lay down in their bed and waited. Her
eyes grew heavy and she was just going to rest them for a moment.

Something
felt so good; Annalise luxuriated in the feel of his hands on her body. She
stretched and drew nearer to him, seeking him out even in her semi-dreamy
state. He had removed her gown and was working his way north from her feet. “Ethan,
you are an angel,” she muttered appreciatively. He massaged her calves and
lower back, paid special attention to the tightness in her shoulders and at the
base of her neck. His hands were big, slightly roughened and touched her with
more love than she ever thought possible.

Then
things started to get interesting. He was kneading her back, but with every
stroke he went farther and farther down her sides until he was brushing the
outside of her breasts with each downward pass. The teasing continued. She had
never had her bottom patted, petted, or bitten before. She squealed with
delight. “Can we try something new, babe?” he asked her softly.

“Anything.”
Boy, had times changed. She knew the change had been due not to his renewed
self-confidence, but to her own. He arranged an intriguing stack of pillows in
the middle of the bed.

“Lie
across these, babe, and raise your sweet little bottom high in the air.” She
did as he asked, her middle lying on the stack of pillows, her breasts free on
the other side. She was at his mercy, and honestly, there no place she’d rather
be.

She
lay there, quivering, as he took his time. He kissed the side of her neck then
rubbed her back from the base of her spine up and over her shoulders. Next, he
cupped and molded her bottom, sending shivers all through her. Spreading her
legs, he massaged her pussy, readying her to accept him. Never one to hide what
she was feeling Annalise gyrated against his hand. Every move caused her cheeks
to move against him resulting in an erection that was about to get out of hand.

“I
can’t wait, Lise.” He leaned over her, supporting himself with his knees and
entered her from behind. Immediately, she tightened around him increasing his
pleasure. He had never been with a woman with more muscle control than she had.
He tried to pace himself, it would be so easy to just let go and catapult into
ecstasy. While this position was tremendously exciting, he sought to increase
her enjoyment. “Sweetheart, raise up.” He carefully lifted her, his penis still
deep inside her canal until she was leaning back against him. “Now I can touch
you.” Both hands were free to move around her body. He teased her breasts,
causing her to moan, then one hand lowered to manipulate and rub her clit. This
trifecta of sensations brought her to a stunning, deep climax, which allowed
him to take the sweet release he’d been holding on to by the sheerest of
threads. Still connected, he turned her face to his and kissed her with all the
love in his heart. She was still quaking with tiny flutters he could feel
vibrating around his cock. “I love you so much, Lise. I can’t wait to have
babies with you.”

Chapter Ten

In
a single moment, Lise went from absolute joy and contentment to absolute
devastation.

Ethan
wanted babies.

Her
heart sank.

Of
course he would want children and no one deserved them more.

She
had been so preoccupied with the scars on the outside of her body she hadn’t
stopped to consider the scars on the inside. Dr. Rollins had made it abundantly
clear he had done everything humanly possible to reconnect and repair her
female organs, but the likelihood of her ever becoming pregnant was almost
nonexistent.

She
lay in his arms all night, but she didn’t sleep. The pile of issues she was
keeping from him was growing to unconscionable levels. She was either going to
have to come clean with him, or…or—the alternative was unbearable. She cuddled
next to him, relishing the feel of his big, strong body next to hers. She
wanted to be everything he needed and deserved, but she had grave reservations that
this could ever be true. Soon she would have to make a few critical decisions.

* * * *

Game
day had finally arrived! It was the first Texas Longhorn game of the season and
they were playing at home in the Darrel K. Royal Memorial Stadium. That morning
Alex surprised Annalise by driving a massive RV to the front of the B&B and
proceeded to load mountains of food and drinks into its storage units. Annalise
had learned that in addition to helping Ethan run
Lost Maples
, Alex was an environmental
consultant who helped companies navigate their projects through governmental
compliance and impact assessment procedures. Apparently, it paid very well.

“I
admit it’s big.” He laughed as she explored the forty-five foot
Newmar
Essex that had set him back more than half a million
dollars.

“My
Lord, Alex, this is a mansion on wheels.” Everything was white leather and
cherry wood, the gourmet kitchen had every conceivable feature and the bed in
the master bedroom was the biggest she had ever seen. “I can’t wait for Scarlet
to see this, she has always dreamed of having an RV.”

“I
can’t wait to show it to her.” Alex was becoming more intrigued by
Annalise’s
sister every day. He had been tempted to ask
Annalise for a picture, but he just hadn’t found the right time. Today Annalise
seemed all right, but he was beginning to develop an instinct where she was
concerned. Something was wrong, or should he say, something was wrong besides
the usual. Around Ethan she was careful to maintain a smile on her face, but
when he wasn’t near, it was like the air went out of a balloon—she deflated. He
wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she wouldn’t be still long enough so he
waited for an opportunity.

Bobby
was already back in Austin; the team gathered early in the day to begin their
preparations for the football game. Ethan handled all the last minute B&B
business while Alex and Annalise iced down cases of beer and soft drinks. Alex
watched her carefully, starting a normal conversation. “This is going to be
fun, just you wait and see. Did you go to many games while you were at UT?”

“Just
one or two. I didn’t have a lot of extra money to spend on things that weren’t
absolutely necessary. That’s one of the reasons I started writing. It was
something I could do to earn money and I could do it anywhere, anytime—day or
night.”

“Are
you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Quick and to the point.

“Oh,
you’re good,” she halfway teased him. “Alex, I am going to talk to Ethan soon. I
can’t stand it anymore. He deserves my honesty and I just hope he will
understand my deception.”

“You
haven’t really deceived him; you’ve just kept the details to yourself. Believe
me, he’s going to understand.” Alex had no doubt his brother’s love for this
woman could scale any hurdle. About that time, the door of the RV opened and
Ethan entered. He was decked out in a burnt orange t-shirt, blue jeans and
cowboy boots.