Authors: Missy Jane
“You don’t have to, you know. There’s one more set of
visiting hours from five to seven. You could always come back for us then.”
He shook his head before she even finished. “Nope. You’re
stuck with me.”
“Well, at least go find something to do until three. I hate
knowing you’re just sitting here.”
“If I get really bored I’ll find the gift shop and buy a
book.”
“Promise?”
“Yup.”
She smiled again and kissed him before leaving the room.
* * * * *
At three o’clock Annie found Rick asleep, slumped in his
chair against one wall. Guilt assailed her again at the sacrifice he was making
in being there with them. Tammy laughed and grabbed his shoulder to shake him
awake. He didn’t startle, but simply blinked up at her with a frown. “Three
already?’
“Yeah, sleeping beauty,” Tammy said.
It was good to see her smiling. Annie had really worried
about her for a while that morning. But their dad was improving nicely and the
doctor had seemed happy with his exam. She dropped into the chair next to Rick.
“We can go home now. Dad said he’ll see us tomorrow.”
Surprise lit his face and he immediately looked to Tammy for
confirmation. She just shrugged. “Yeah. I’m cool with it. Peggy’s staying for
the last visit.”
“I think Dad’s getting tired of all of us in his room
staring at him for two hours,” Annie said with a smile.
Rick chuckled. “I’ll bet. Well, if you’re sure then let’s
go.”
They stood as Peggy finally walked into the room. She sat
and looked ready for the two-hour wait.
“Peggy, do you need us to get you some food or anything
before we leave?” Rick asked.
His consideration for the woman who was practically a
stranger warmed Annie. She wasn’t surprised. Everything she knew about him so
far pointed to him being a kind and generous person.
Peggy smiled and shook her head. “Nah, I’m all right for
now. I’ll get something in the cafeteria downstairs later.”
“Okay.”
The three of them left the hospital and headed home. Tammy
was quiet the whole way, completely unlike her. Annie tried not to worry, but
she knew Tammy was going to fret over their dad no matter what she said. For
now she would just try to remain positive, and hopefully some of that would rub
off on her sister.
Rick pulled into his driveway and shut off the car. But when
they got out he followed them across the street. Tammy didn’t seem surprised
when he walked into the house as if he belonged there. Annie led him to her
bedroom but left the door open before stepping into his arms.
He held her tightly and placed a kiss on her temple. “You
okay, baby?”
“Yeah.”
He seemed to just breathe her in for a few minutes and she
relaxed in his strong embrace. Finally he pulled back enough to look at her. “I
need to run home for my laptop and some clothes.”
“Okay. Take your time. I need to talk to my sister.”
One thick brow went up in question. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I don’t want her to miss another day of school. Dad’s
stable for now and I doubt there will be much change tomorrow. They might take
him out of ICU but that will be an improvement.”
He nodded his agreement. “Peggy will most likely be there
anyway. I can even call her tonight to make sure.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“All right. I’ll run home and come back in…thirty minutes?”
“That’s good.”
“Okay.”
He kissed her, slow and sweet, making her crave a longer
embrace. But she really did need some alone time with Tammy to convince her
sister they couldn’t hang out at the hospital all day again. To be honest,
Henry had seemed to be getting sick of them by the end. With both Peggy and
Tammy hovering, Annie had been forced to stand back and lean against the wall
doing nothing more than watching. Henry had ignored all three of them part of
the time.
She followed Rick out of the room and to the front door.
Tammy was curled up in their dad’s recliner, seemingly swallowed by the large
piece of furniture.
“What do y’all want for dinner?” Rick asked. “I can run to
pick something up.”
Annie looked to Tammy, who just shrugged. “Chicken?”
Rick looked at Annie. “Um yeah,” she said. “Chicken sounds
good.”
“All right. Chicken it is.” He placed a quick kiss on her
lips before stepping out the door.
She shut and locked it then turned to face her sister. “Hey.
How are you feeling?”
Tammy shrugged again and rubbed her eyes. “Tired. Drained.
Like I should cry again but I guess there’s no reason, huh?’
“I don’t know. It’s kinda scary having Dad in the hospital.
He is better though. You know? I think he’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah me too. At least, I hope so.”
“Me too.”
Annie dropped down onto the sofa and rubbed her temples.
Tired and drained about covered it for her too. “I was thinking…maybe we don’t
need to go to the hospital tomorrow. What do you think?”
Tammy frowned and looked down at the worn arm of the
recliner. She played with some loose threads and Annie waited for the
inevitable outburst. But her little sister surprised her by giving a slow nod.
“Yeah. You’re probably right.”
For a moment Annie was too stunned to respond. She fought to
keep the surprise off her face. “Yeah. Good. I mean, I don’t think you should
miss any more school anyway.”
Tammy’s frown deepened. “I know. I need to keep my grades up
or I might lose the scholarships I got.” She finally met Annie gaze. “Peggy
will be there with him though, right?”
The complete one-eighty in her attitude wasn’t a big
surprise. Tammy was pretty much known for them. Annie just smiled. “Yeah. I’ll
bet she will be.”
“Good. I know he thinks he doesn’t need anybody. But really,
he’s kind of a big baby.”
They giggled over that together and Annie finally relaxed.
“I think he’s just gotten too used to us doing everything for him.”
“Maybe. Rick said Peggy might help out after we both move
away. Like, maybe she’d move in.”
Annie thought that over for a moment and realized what a
blessing Peggy could be for all of them. “What would you think if she did?”
Tammy bit her lip and looked away. She was quiet so long
Annie thought she wasn’t going to reply. But then she looked back with tears in
her eyes. “You don’t think he’ll forget about us, do you?”
Annie left the sofa and squeezed onto the recliner with
Tammy. “No, of course not.”
“But Mom—”
“Was a selfish bitch who didn’t deserve us.”
Tammy’s eyes widened, probably at the venom in Annie’s
voice. But Annie was so sick of their mother’s betrayal plaguing her steps her
whole life. She wouldn’t deny the knowledge she hadn’t been enough to keep her
mom home had always been in the back of her mind. Somehow Rick had been able to
breach the wall she’d built to protect from that kind of betrayal ever
happening again. He’d freed her and she never wanted to feel inferior again.
“Mom made her decision to leave for reasons we’ll never
know. It had nothing to do with us. Okay? She probably just couldn’t handle
being who we needed her to be. That’s her fault, not ours.”
Tammy nodded her ready agreement as the tears finally
slipped from her eyes. Annie wrapped her arms around her and held on tight. “I
love you, Tammy. So does Dad. A lot. He’ll never, ever forget we’re his
daughters.”
“O-okay.”
“From the little I know of Peggy, I don’t think she’d let
him either.”
Tammy nodded against her shoulder. “’Kay.”
They stayed that way for endless minutes, until Rick came
knocking on the front door with dinner.
They ate at the small table in their dining room area. Tammy
had to clear off a year’s worth of junk mail and other miscellaneous items
they’d thrown onto the nearest available surface without thought. Rick hadn’t
said a word as they’d quickly set the table, but one corner of his mouth
twitched as if he wanted to smile.
They ate in near silence. Rick tried to fill it but when
Tammy only replied in one-word answers he stopped. Annie smiled at him weakly
and he gave her a reassuring wink. Just knowing he was so patient with her
sister helped. Add on top of that his confidence and strength the past couple
of days and Annie knew she was head over heels in love with him. She’d never
felt such a connection to anyone before. Even Tammy. There was just something
about Rick that allowed her to relax completely and not worry about taking care
of things like she had her whole life. Giving up the reins was bliss.
Once dinner was done Tammy shut herself in her room. Annie
was about to remind her they had to clean the kitchen, but Rick immediately
stepped in to help. There wasn’t much and they finished quickly.
“You’re okay with me sleeping here again?” he asked.
“Of course.”
He smiled and pulled her into his arms. “Good. Tammy hasn’t
said anything about it, has she?”
“Amazingly enough, no. She even agreed to go to school
tomorrow.”
“Yeah? Should we check her temperature?”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Maybe.
She even seems to be warming up to the idea of Peggy hanging around.”
He closed his eyes and huffed out a breath in relief. “Thank
god.”
When he looked at her again Annie saw a definite change in
his gaze. It was more intense. More intimate. He kissed her slowly and walked
her toward the doorway. “We should go to your room now.”
“Okay but…”
“But?”
She glanced toward the hallway leading to her and Tammy’s
rooms. “Our walls are really thin.”
He smiled even as he groaned and leaned his forehead against
hers. “Damn. Okay. I can wait to make love to you, but we’re still sleeping
naked tonight.”
She just laughed before kissing the tip of his nose. “Okay.”
A few minutes later they snuggled beneath the blankets and
she rested her head on his chest. He ran a hand through her hair and she knew
this was exactly how she wanted to fall asleep every night. Love for him was
all but bursting from her and she couldn’t hold in it a second longer. Fear
tingled through her but she had to take this chance. Losing him out of fear
simply wasn’t an option.
“Rick?”
“Yeah?”
“I…” She sat up and looked down into his curious gaze.
Though his face was mostly in shadows she knew it well enough now to imagine
every inch. “I love you.”
His slight grin faded and his arm tightened around her
waist. “I love you too, Annie. So damn much.”
Tears of happiness stung her eyes but she pushed them away
and kissed him. He deepened the kiss but she pulled away before things got out
of control. “Good. I’d like to keep you for a while.”
He chuckled as she settled on his chest again and drifted to
sleep with a smile on her face.
The next morning went as normally as possible. Rick
surprised them by making French toast for breakfast. Then Tammy took the bus to
school and Annie started cleaning the house. She refused all his offers to help
and he tried to hide his frustration. Finally he grabbed his laptop and plopped
down on the sofa. When Annie pulled out the vacuum cleaner he cleared his
throat loudly. She looked at him with one brow raised and he grinned.
“You know, there are some maid services that do that kind of
work topless.”
The other brow shot up in surprise and she looked down at
the vacuum cleaner. “Topless? You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Since you won’t let me help, it’s the least you could
do.”
She laughed and shook her head. “How do you figure?”
“Well, I’m working right now but the vacuum cleaner is a
loud distraction. But if you were topless I could fill the time watching you
instead of trying to work.”
“Oh really? I’m not sure that even makes any sense…but
okay.”
Before he realized she’d agreed she was stripping off her
t-shirt and bra. It didn’t matter that he’d already seen her naked too many
times to count, or that he’d just made love to her when they’d woken. His cock
swelled in his jeans so fast it made him lightheaded.
“Damn.”
She laughed again and unsnapped the button on her shorts.
“Do any of them ever vacuum completely naked?”
He nodded quickly, damn near giving himself whiplash. “Yeah.
Oh hell yeah. All the time.”
Her smile lit up her face even as a light blush filled her
cheeks. Without another word she peeled off her shorts and panties. He’d tried
to talk her into going without, but she wanted to be fully clothed when Tammy
was in the house. Now he was doubly glad Tammy had left for school.
Annie finally revealed every delectable inch of her glorious
body and went back to the vacuum cleaner. His amusement and admiration grew.
Only a week ago she wouldn’t have been caught dead doing the same thing. Now
she boldly bent over to plug in the cord, giving him a full view of heaven. He
nearly swallowed his tongue. Then she straightened and flashed a grin over her
shoulder. His grip on the laptop tightened until it hurt. He was tempted to
throw it to the ground and go to her, but decided to let her tease him a bit.
She seemed to be enjoying it as much as he.
The roar of the vacuum barely registered as he watched her
hips sway with the back-and-forth movement. She took her time circling the
small living room, walking right up to the sofa and passing so close he had to
lift his legs. He set his laptop aside and ran a hand over her backside. She
smiled at him again before moving away. They played the game of voyeur and
exhibitionist for a few minutes, his cock growing harder by the second. Soon he
knew watching wasn’t enough. He had to touch her.
Rick stood and pulled his shirt off, tossing it onto the
sofa. Annie kept vacuuming but now her attention was on him. He stepped out of
his shoes and socks then unbuttoned his jeans. She turned off the vacuum and
wound up the cord. By the time she was done he was naked too and very clearly
ready to make love to her. He wrapped a hand around his cock and stroked up to
the tip. She gasped, her eyes riveted to the motion. It dawned on him there was
one thing they’d never done together.
“Come here and sit on the sofa, baby. I want to watch you
touch that beautiful pussy.”
She blushed again but did as he said. He hadn’t really
talked dirty to her before because he hadn’t wanted to embarrass her. But the
look in her eyes gave her approval. She licked her lips and relaxed into the
sofa, spreading her legs wide for him.
“Yeah. Just like that. You’re so fucking beautiful, Annie.”
He stood between her open legs and started rubbing his fist
up and down his cock. She watched him with avid fascination as the fingers of
one hand played through her pubic hair.
“Play with those perfect nipples too. Can’t forget about
those.”
She nodded absently and squeezed one small breast in the
palm of her free hand. A gasp left her and she arched her back. The sight of her
tight pink nipples almost had him coming on the spot. He tightened his grip on
the base of his cock to hold back his release.
“Lick your finger. Then rub it over your nipples.”
She slipped one digit through her pink lips and sucked,
never taking her gaze from him. It came out wet and glistening. He groaned as
she followed through with wetting her nipples. Then she ran a trail of moisture
down her torso and through her curls. She slipped it into her pussy and cried
out softly. One finger from each hand worked in tandem, fucking her with
smooth, even strokes. Rick jacked his erection faster, spreading the moisture
leaking from the tip all along the warmed skin. An orgasm tingled at the base
of his spine. It wouldn’t be much longer.
Annie lifted her feet so her heels rested on the edge of the
sofa, opening her impossibly wider to his view. She slipped three fingers from
one hand inside while the other hand rubbed her clit. Her panting breaths and
heaving breasts told him she was just as close as he. He took a step back and
moved his hand faster.
“I’m ready to come, baby. So ready to watch you come too.”
She nodded wordlessly and licked her lips again. That was
all it took to finally send him over the edge. With a groan he leaned back,
tightened his ass and moved his hand faster. A shout left his lips as a
milky-white stream shot from his cock and landed on her breasts. She cried out
and bucked her hips, moisture coating the insides of her thighs.
Rick stumbled back a step and squeezed the last bit from his
still-hard cock. Annie rested against the sofa with her eyes closed, a small
smile on her face.
“Damn,” he said. “We need a shower. But I’d love to see you
like that all day.”
Her eyes opened and she laughed as she looked down at the
mess on her breasts. “I think it would get uncomfortable soon.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
He pulled her up gently by the arms and led her to the
bathroom. Washing her without going for another round of sex was hard as hell,
but he didn’t want to wear her out. She had to go to work in the afternoon and
he knew she planned to clean some more first. As soon as they were done and
dressed again he talked her into letting him help with the laundry. They worked
side by side as if they’d always done so, no awkward moments or bumping into
each other. He loved every minute of it. The domesticity filled an emptiness in
him he hadn’t even realized was there.
It was on the tip of his tongue to bring up moving in
together. She’d already confessed to loving him and hadn’t freaked out when
he’d said
he
loved
her
. Moving in together was the next step,
right? But as he watched how she went through the routine of separating
everyone’s clothes, neatly folding Tammy’s just like she liked them, he
realized she still might not be ready to leave her family. He was just across
the street, but it would be worlds away when it came to her normal day. He didn’t
want her to be his maid, and definitely wouldn’t allow her to do as much as she
did in her current home.
They needed to get through the this crisis with Henry first.
Hopefully Peggy would become more of a fixture and Annie would feel okay
leaving Tammy and Henry in her hands. Tammy was about two months away from
graduation. Then she had to get through two months of summer before they could
secure her on the university campus in south Houston. He was glad she’d be far
enough to live her own life, but close enough for Annie’s peace of mind. And
hopefully she wouldn’t be able to get into
too
much trouble.
They finished the laundry and she headed for the kitchen.
Rick followed close behind. “We already did the breakfast dishes.”
“Yeah but I need to get the oven clean. I meant to do it
this past weekend and forgot.”
He cringed at the chore to come but stepped up to help in
whatever way she needed. That was his plan. To be whatever she needed for as
long as she allowed. Soon he would have her trust and they would live together.
He could hardly wait.
* * * * *
They finished the oven in good time, thanks to Rick’s help.
He had taken the grueling job of scrubbing the oven itself while Annie washed
the racks. She had been surprised at his offer to help, then shocked when he’d
taken the dirtier task. She silently chided herself. She shouldn’t be surprised
anymore by anything he was willing to do for her. Hadn’t he proven his love
over and over again in the past few days? Yes. Definitely. She just prayed this
wasn’t a short-lived affair. He had said he loved her. Just thinking of that
moment warmed her all over again. It was almost too good to be true. So, now
what?
Getting out of her dad’s house was the next step for sure.
There was no way she could afford her own place yet, but maybe if Wes would use
her on a regular basis… Then there was the flicker of hope she kept pushed way,
way down. After all, Rick had offered to let her move in when they thought
Henry was going to kick her out. But he hadn’t said anything about it since
then. He’d probably just felt sorry for her. But if he really loved her…
She put those thoughts aside and walked across the street
with him to his house. He carried his dirty clothes in one hand and held her
hand with the other. As soon as they were in the house he dropped the clothes
and pulled her into his arms. “So what should we do with the rest of the
afternoon?”
A loud growl from her stomach had them both laughing.
“I need to feed you,” he said pointedly.
“We could go back to my house and have leftovers.”
“Nah. I’ve got fixings for grilled chicken salads here. Why
don’t you lie down for a bit while I get everything ready?”
A slight tinge of guilt filtered through at the thought of
resting while he made lunch. But she couldn’t deny she was tired, and she had
to go to work in a couple of hours.
“Go on, baby,” he said, as if he sensed her unease. “I’ll
wake you when lunch is ready.”
He gave her a soft kiss before pushing her toward the bed.
She didn’t bother arguing.
* * * * *
A short while later Rick walked back into his bedroom and
looked down at the vision on his bed. Annie was fast asleep, snoring softly
with both hands tucked beneath her cheek. She was so beautiful he almost
couldn’t look at her. Her shirt had ridden up to expose a line of her belly. He
ran the tips of his fingers over the exposed skin and caused a line of tiny
bumps to rise. She shivered and rolled onto her back. Her eyes fluttered open
and fell on him immediately.
“Hey, sleeping beauty. Lunch is ready.”
A smile lit her face as she stretched. She arched her back
and he couldn’t stop himself from palming both perfect breasts. “Mmm, are you
really hungry?”
She laughed and gently pushed his hands away. “Yes, I am.
Besides, if I have to shower again today my skin will be raw and dry.”
“We definitely can’t have that. I’ll just have to slather
lotion all over every delectable inch.”
A shiver ran over her and he pulled her into a sitting
position, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her briefly before helping her
out of bed. It was a shame to do so but then her stomach growled again.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s quiet that raging beast.”
She laughed as he pulled her from the room.
They had lunch and returned to her house so she could get
ready for work. Tammy was due home within minutes and Rick couldn’t fight the
restless feelings plaguing him. He watched Annie brush her hair into a ponytail
as he paced around her small room.
“You don’t have much space in here,” he said.
She shrugged. “I let Tammy have the bigger room because of
the larger closet. She has more clothes than I do.”
That was so like her. “Does the master have a walk-in closet
like mine?”
“Yup.”
“I don’t have many clothes either. I don’t even fill half my
closet. There’s a lot of room in my dresser too. Definitely enough for another
person’s stuff.”
She froze and dropped her gaze into her lap. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Plus I have one bedroom almost empty. I was thinking
of making it a workout room, but it’s not really big enough for the equipment I
want. That’s why I just go to the gym.”
He watched her swallow as she played with the brush in her
hands. “Yeah. Makes sense. The other seems good as your office though.”
“It is. But that extra room…it could be anything. A second
office, a craft room…anything you want it to be.”
He closed the distance and dropped to his knees to be at her
eye level. She sat on the edge of her bed, fidgeting rather than meeting his
gaze.
“Annie.” He waited until she finally looked at him. “I want
to fall asleep with you in my arms every night, baby. I want to wake up and
have breakfast with you every day. I love showering with you, and doing laundry
and other chores. Move in with me. Please?”
Her mouth dropped open as moisture pooled in her eyes. It
worried him a little but at least she hadn’t said no…yet.
“Rick…I—”
“Helllllooo?”
They jumped apart at the sound of Tammy’s voice coming from
the living room.
“We’re in here,” Rick answered. He stood and blocked Tammy’s
view of Annie as she appeared in the open doorway. “Hey. How was school?”
“Sucked as usual,” Tammy said while smacking a wad of gum.
He snorted and gave her a smile, though he really wanted to
shut the door in her face and get back to his conversation with Annie. He
glanced over his shoulder to see she’d cleared her eyes and was watching him
warily. “I’m gonna run home while you finish getting ready for work, okay?”
Annie simply nodded. He faced Tammy again and flicked her
nose with one finger. “See you later. Think about what you want for dinner.”