Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story (65 page)

“Call me,” Jay insisted.

“I will.”

The ride back to the house was silent except for the happy babbling of the girls in the backseat.  Without asking, Annie knew the depth of Michael’s anger by the way his jaw was set and teeth grinding.  It was obvious that he was seething inside, and knowing that gave her a feeling of satisfaction.  If he thought she was sitting around the house pining for him, he was sadly mistaken, she thought with smugness.

Michael remained outside and unloaded the truck.  Annie half hoped he’d simply leave without coming back inside.  She was in the girls’ room changing Angel’s diaper when he made his presence known.

“Everything okay?” she asked coldly.

Anxiously he rubbed at his face.  “Yeah, I guess so.”

“You don’t look okay,” she commented, goading him to say something about Jay.

He pulled his hair back in his hands and sighed heavily.  “What would you like me to say?”

“What you feel.  You’re obviously upset about Jay.  Why can’t you admit that?”

“It doesn’t matter what I feel.”

“Sure it does, because it would prove my point that you being here holds more meaning than what you've already admitted.  And, it would solidify what I said earlier about it not be healthy for us to be spending so much time together when there is
obviously
no future in it.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed in anger, the color in them turning cold, and his lips clenched tight.  She could tell he was ready to burst.  She handed him the baby and laid Sammi down on the changing table.

“Well?  Don’t tell me you have nothing to say about seeing me with Jay.  No questions, thoughts or impressions, whatsoever?  I find that hard to believe.”

Silence filled the room and Michael shifted uneasily, then finally he spoke.  “Have you been seeing him long?” he asked, in a voice she was barely able to hear.

“About a month,” she answered quickly.  “On and off, when our schedules allow.  Does that bother you?” she asked with a hopeful tone in her voice.

He glared at her painfully, the hurt so evident in his pale blue eyes.  His mouth opened to speak but no words were uttered and he turned to leave the room, backing down from a confrontation he chose not to be apart of.  Then he set Sammi gently into her playpen and continued toward the door.

She followed him into the living room.  “What’s the matter?  Not man enough to admit that it bothers you to see me with Jay?”

He stopped in his tracks and faced her.  “What exactly is it that you want me to say?  Tell me and I’ll say it and we can be done with this.  Do you even have an answer for that question?”  He stepped closer, his eyes burning with fire.  “If you’re looking for me to say something negative about you and Jay, I’m not going to.  You have the right to do whatever you want and with whomever you want because of the very fact you reminded me of this afternoon - we’re divorced!”  He turned back to the deck door and reached for the knob.  “Besides, I already have the answers to my questions - without having to ask them.”

“Oh, yeah?  Like what?” she spat, following him to the door.

He spun around again and glared at her.  “Okay, for one thing I know you’re not in love with him.”

“Oh really, and how do you know that?”

He leaned in closer to her face.  “Body language, babe.”

Annie’s face flushed in anger.  “Screw you!”

He smiled, smugly.  “Well, Sweetheart, I can assure you, screwing
me
would give you a lot more pleasure than what he is currently giving you!  And how do I know that?  Ah, yes, body language!”

He stepped through the open door and slammed it shut in her face.

Annie was so enraged she screamed several times to try and clear her head which made both girls cry.  Filled with apologies, she cuddled them until they settled back down in her arms.  The hell with him, she thought.  That was the last straw.  In the morning she was calling her lawyer and putting an end to this nightmare.  Enough was enough.  Suddenly, Jay’s invitation to go out that night quickly came to mind.

Annie picked up the telephone and dialed her closest neighbor.  Within minutes, she had arranged to have their granddaughter baby-sit.  What she didn’t know was Michael was sitting at their kitchen table when she called.  On impulse, he had decided to stop in and visit them after he left Annie’s.  He stayed with them for dinner and even offered to drive Jenna, the babysitter, back to the beach house but she declined.  Jenna didn’t want to upset Annie by arriving in Michael’s jeep.

Michael was still chatting with the older couple when the call came from Jenna expressing her concerns about Angel.  She said the baby had suddenly woken up, sweaty and feverish.  Jenna was asking for advice from her grandmother when Michael stepped into the kitchen.

“Tell Jenna I’ll be right down,” he said, grabbing his coat and shutting the door behind him.

“No need to bother Annie,” he told Jenna, and sent her home, taking control of the situation.  Two hours and one soiled shirt later, Michael had Angel sleeping comfortably on his bare chest in the living room, her temperature nearly back to normal.  It was a few minutes before midnight when Annie and Jay pulled into the driveway.  Immediately, Annie recognized Michael’s jeep and cringed.

“Son of a bitch.  What the hell is he doing here now?” she complained.

“Who?”

“That’s Michael’s jeep,” she explained, pointing toward the vehicle.

Annie charged toward the house and around onto the deck, taking the steps two at a time.  “Wait here and let me see what’s going on inside,” she said to Jay, and unlocked the door.

Michael never heard her enter.  He was fast asleep on the couch with the baby dreaming happily, pressed against his skin, while his arms held on to her tiny body securely.  The anger Annie felt moments before vanished at the sight.  Angel so pale against his naturally tanned skin, the muscled arms capable of lifting heavy weights encircling her with great tenderness.  Annie closed her eyes thoughtfully.  She remembered the days not so long ago that she had sought solace in the same arms.

She made her way quietly to the couch and sat beside his hip.  She stared at her daughter first then her eyes drifted up to Michael’s face.  He was so serene and complacent with his face delicately placed against Angel’s head, she wondered what he was dreaming about.  Her shaky fingers tentatively reached out to rouse him, as if by touching his skin she’d be burned.  When her fingers grazed against his bicep muscle, an electric current rocketed through her body.  She jerked her hand back quickly.

His eyes slowly opened and focused on her face.  The color in them was rich and fluid.  Then a slow smile relaxed his mouth making it appear full, sensuous and very kissable.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered, feeling her face flushing warm and forcing her eyes off his mouth.

“I was visiting the Anderson’s when Jenna called her grandmother for advice.  She said Angel woke up with a temperature.  I figured since I was right next door I might as well come back and see what I could do.  I didn’t think it warranted bothering you about it.  Why?  Are you mad?”

Annie shook her head.  “I suppose not,” she replied, tenderly stroking Angel’s backside.  “Is she all right now?”

Michael slowly came to an upright position on the couch being careful not to wake Angel.  “Yeah.  Her temperature is back to normal.  Besides puking up half a bottle on me, she did okay,” he chuckled.

Annie glanced over her shoulder at the deck to check on Jay.  He was probably wondering what had happened to her, she thought, but her eyes returned to Michael.

“Is Jay with you?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Michael’s brain fumbled to select the right words.  “I’m really sorry about what I said earlier.  I had no right and it’s really none of my business.”

“You’re right, it isn’t any of your business, but I did egg you on.  I wanted you to be upset about Jay and when you pretended not to be, it only made me angrier.”

He smiled and nodded in agreement.  “I was that obvious?”

Annie’s mouth eased into a full smile.  “Yes.  Very.”

Then Michael grew serious.  “I know I don’t have the right to ask for any favors but, could you just give me a week or so more to see the girls here?  I want to make sure they’re really comfortable with me before I start dragging them away to my place.  I think it would be especially beneficial to Angel, since she hasn’t spent much time away from you yet.”

Annie pondered his question carefully.  Then she released a heavy sigh.  “Just one week?”

“Maybe less, maybe more, it all depends on how well we bond.”

“Okay, fine.”

“And, if I have any say in it, I’d prefer to do the babysitting in the future instead of strangers,” he added.

“Jenna isn’t a stranger,” Annie replied.

“She is to the kids.  I would have stayed, if you had asked me to.”

“I figured you’d probably be busy.”

“Don’t assume that.  I want to be here for them.  Plus, it will give you and Jay a chance to go out and have some fun.  Right?”

They stared at one another for several intense moments before Annie broke the trance.  His gaze was far to intimate and it took her breath away.  Nervously, she reached to take Angel from his arms.  When she did, the backs of her fingers lightly dragged against his bare chest.  Her eyes jumped to meet his and his mouth melted into an astounding smile.  The chemistry between them still simmered, like a smoldering ember that refused to be extinguished.  No longer to be concealed or denied, it burned through the surface of their skin, obvious to both of them; although neither verbalized it.  Annie blushed when she felt the surge of heat and dropped her gaze from the power of his.

“I’ll take her so you can get going,” she stammered, easing Angel’s limp body against her shoulder.  Then she walked into Angel’s room, grateful to be away from him, and carefully placed the infant back into her crib.  She was about to turn and leave the room when she bumped straight into the wall of Michael’s half naked body.  His hands caught her by the shoulders.

“I thought you left,” she said in a hushed, nervous tone.

“I need my shirt,” he answered, reaching around her without moving his body, and collected the dirty shirt from the back of the rocking chair.  This created an even greater closeness between them and Annie began to shake.  Shirt in hand, he paused beside her and the crib and gazed lovingly down at Angel.

“We make incredible babies, don’t we?” he whispered.

She turned to face him in the darkened room.  “Your tone implies you think they’ll be more.”

He cocked his head and grinned.  “I’ve said it before, fate works in mysterious ways.”

Her hand reached out and caught his forearm as he began to drift from the room.  “Not in this case, Michael, so don’t be delusional about it.”

He stepped back toward her and gently squeezed her chin beneath his thumb and index finger.  She willed herself to pull away from his grasp but her body responded immediately to his familiar touch.  Her heart thudded heavily in her chest.  Their faces were close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her flushed cheeks.  The heat radiating from his body began to singe through her clothing.  For an awkward moment, she imagined he was preparing to kiss her.  With no will to stop it, she wet her lips.

Her eyes hung heavy.  Her brain pushed away the logic of turning tail and running.  She didn’t want to.  There was no denying what her body wanted at that precise moment and she silently despised herself for it.  She closed her eyes and felt his body inch closer, then reach for her.  Eager to respond, she placed her hands on his hips, her thumbs touching the bare flesh above his waistband.  Her body flooded with an overwhelming desire.

She felt his face slide against her cheek, his mouth stopping beside her ear.  “What do you think your boyfriend would have to say about you being in here kissing me?” he whispered.

“I’m not kissing you,” she responded.

His lips slid back across her cheek and stopped, hovering over her mouth.

She could feel the quick bursts of his breath burning her skin.

“No, but you want to,” he smiled with smugness.

When she heard his words she slowly opened her eyes.  He was still playing the same painful game.  Her desire was quickly replaced with contempt.  Inside her anger began to rise.  If he wanted games, then games he would get, she thought.

She grazed her lips over his.  “Don’t be so sure of that,” she answered, pressing her body closer to him.  “Why don’t you give it a try and see what happens.”

She sensed his movement forward and tipped her head away from his descending mouth.  “But be forewarned, Michael.  My knee is dangerously close to your groin and I’m not afraid to use it.  As for my hands on your hips, I put them there for leverage.”

His mouth was over hers again, so close her body began to ache, but she held her ground.

“You’re bluffing.  You wouldn’t do that to me,” he answered softly.

She raised her eyebrows.  “Are you sure about that?” she smiled.

He separated himself from her and took two steps back.  A cocky grin adorned his face.

Her hands balled into tight fists.  “I think you should leave now, Michael.”  Hard as she tried, she could not stop the waves of uncontrollable trembling from rocking her body.

He smiled at her in a way that said he knew he had finally gotten to her and penetrated the protective shell she had built to save herself from him.  Waves of fury tightened every muscle in her body.  If the girls hadn’t been sleeping, she would have initiated another argument.  Instead, she let him leave to celebrate his silent victory by himself.  She slumped against the wall of girl’s bedroom and cursed him for re-entering her life.

She took Jay to her bed that night but couldn’t follow through with making love with him.  Her heart simply wasn’t in it.  Her thoughts were consumed with Michael and the rage he continued to fill her with.  She laid in Jay’s arms and listened to the soft thump of his heart.

“Annie, am I the only one in this relationship?” he asked, a hurtful tone in his voice.  “Every time I feel I’m getting closer to you, I sense you pulling away, trying to put more space between us.”