Uncovering Annabelle (13 page)

He’d taught her so much since last night.
The best lesson of all was that she should be proud of her body. It
might not be model thin or perfect, but it was still beautiful.
There was power in owning her sexuality and embracing it.

He tore his lips from hers and kissed his
way down to her breasts, opening up enough buttons to expose them.
She clutched at his hair when he licked one of her nipples before
drawing it into his mouth to suck and tease. He hadn’t shaved this
morning and the slight bristle of his beard added another layer of
erotic stimulation to each caress.

He unlocked her legs from his waist and
draped them over his shoulders. Each thrust seemed deeper and more
powerful than the last.

Annabelle moved with him and set a rhythm
she liked, and Mike let her. The smack of their skin as they thrust
toward one another was the only noise besides the sound of their
labored breathing.

Every muscle in his arms and chest were
taut. He was straining with each stroke. She knew he had to be
close. Her own body was screaming for release. He gripped her waist
and quickened his pace. “Let go, baby. Let go.”

His urgency triggered her orgasm. She kept
her eyes open, wanting to watch him come. The muscles in his neck
and jaw tightened. He closed his eyes and tipped back his head on a
roar. The shirt he wore was open, exposing sleek, hard muscle.

When it was over, he collapsed on top of
her. She slipped her legs off his shoulders and let them dangle
over the end of the table. His heart was pounding as fast as hers.
She managed to find enough energy to caress his face before letting
her hand fall back to the table with a thud.

Mike started to laugh. “What’s so funny?”
Annabelle asked.

“We are.” Mike managed to raise his head
from the cushion of her breasts. “You, Miss Annabelle, have been
totally corrupted.”

She could only imagine how debauched they
looked, both of them partially naked. She couldn’t help but grin.
She was thoroughly corrupted, and she kinda liked it.

Mike braced himself against the table and
slowly withdrew. He reached out and snagged some napkins off the
table and used them to clean away all traces of their lovemaking
from her.

Annabelle felt as limp as a noodle when he
lifted her off the table and deposited her onto the bench seat. He
strode to the garbage and disposed of the condom and the napkins.
He hitched up his jeans and fastened them before returning to
her.

She swiped her hair out of her face,
straightened her glasses and leaned back against the seat. Mike
shook his head as he walked back to the table and hunkered down
next to where she sat. She could only imagine how she looked all
flushed and mussed.

He tucked a long strand of hair behind her
ear. “I don’t want you to ever think that I don’t want you. This is
more than a one-night stand. Much more. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Annabelle was both scared and excited
by the prospect. Mike turned her so she was facing him and buttoned
her shirt, adjusting it until she was completely covered once
again. She caught his hand and squeezed it. He dropped a kiss on
her swollen lips.

“I understand.” She took a deep breath and
then spoke again. “And thank you. It means more to me too.”

Mike’s stomach chose that moment to emit a
huge growl. Annabelle looked at his abdomen and began to laugh. “We
need to feed you to keep up your strength.” She started to get up
from the table, but he stopped her.

“You just sit there and keep me company. It
won’t take me long to get breakfast on the table.” She wanted to
help but settled for simply watching him.

He scowled at the pan before scraping the
now cold eggs into the garbage. The cold slices of toast followed.
He opened the refrigerator and pulled out more eggs.

“You sure I can’t help?”

Mike winked at her. “Next time.”

He was an easy person just to be with. Once
she decided to accept the fact he wanted to cook for her, she sat
back and enjoyed it. “You sure you can handle it?” she teased.

“Behave or you won’t get any.”

She mimicked zipping her lips. He laughed
and put more bread in the toaster.

When they finally sat down to a breakfast of
scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice and coffee, Annabelle was
totally relaxed. All the unfamiliar activity and lack of sleep last
night were catching up to her, and by the time they’d finished
eating she was yawning. Mike had kept her up most of the night and
she’d already had quite a workout this morning.

Mike tossed the dishes in the sink, and when
Annabelle objected, he kissed her soundly, picked her up and
carried her back up the stairs to bed. “You need a nap. We’ll do
the dishes later.”

Annabelle smiled and cuddled into his arms
and allowed him to carry her to bed.

Chapter
Eight

The man was driving her crazy. Her nerves
were frazzled and she was at her wit’s end. Mike Sloan didn’t know
the meaning of the word
discreet
. He’d visited the library
every day this week. People were starting to notice. Soon they
would start asking questions. And Annabelle didn’t have any ready
answers.

Just thinking about last weekend brought a
blush to her face. She’d had no idea that people really made love
that many times
and in
so many ways
. Annabelle didn’t
think she’d ever be able to look at Mike’s kitchen table as just a
place to eat. It would forever be the site of one of her most
erotic experiences.

The entire weekend was filled with sensual
memories. But it had been so much more than that. Mike had been a
tender and considerate lover. He’d also been wild, bringing out a
side of her that she hadn’t known was there. There was a part of
her that reveled in his loss of control when he just had to have
her. She understood those urges, because he made her feel the same
way.

In spite of the amazing lovemaking, it was
the quiet times that had meant even more. She’d slept most of
Saturday away after he’d carried her back to bed. When she’d
finally awakened, the sun had been sinking in the sky and Mike was
lying next to her . . .

• • •

Propped up on one arm, he ran his free hand
through her hair that trailed down over the covers. “Hey,
sleepyhead.”

“
How long was I out?” The room was
shadowed, but there was still some light outside.

“
It’s almost time for dinner.” He
smoothed a lock of her hair away from her face. He looked handsome
as ever, but it was the expression on his face that made her want
to weep. He was watching her as if there was nowhere else he wanted
to be and nothing else he would rather be doing. As if she was the
most important thing in the world. He made her feel
cherished.

“
I ran you a bath.” He motioned to the
bathroom. “You could probably use a long soak.”

His thoughtfulness made her feel special.
“Thank you.”

He nodded and levered himself off the bed.
“Come downstairs when you’re finished. I’ve got steaks marinating
for supper.”

“
You’re not joining me?”

He grinned but shook his head. “Baby, you’ve
got to be sore. If I take a bath with you, I’ll end up balls deep
inside you again.”

He words were blunt and sexual and sent a
shiver of longing through her, but he was right. She was sore. “I
won’t be long.”

He dropped a kiss on her forehead and left
her alone in the big bed. She rolled out and stretched, feeling
rested but stiff. The master bathroom was gorgeous. She’d already
used the shower, but now she had the chance to try the tub.

It was oversized, plenty big enough for two.
She slipped off Mike’s shirt and slid into the steaming water. It
was heaven. Mike had even lit several candles and placed a glass of
wine on the wide rim of the tub. It was pure decadence. Annabelle
leaned back, content to just loll about in the water and sip her
wine.

When her fingers started to prune, she had a
quick wash before she pulled the plug and climbed out. After drying
off, she slipped into a clean shirt Mike had left for her. The man
had thought of everything.

Wanting to join him, she quickly tidied the
room, grabbed her glass of wine and went to find him. He wasn’t in
the kitchen, but she could see him through the patio door. She slid
it open and a wall of heat hit her. It felt wonderful on her skin.
She tipped her face up to catch the dying rays of the sun.

“
Hey, baby. Feel better?” He was in front
of a large stainless steel grill. Steaks sizzled and the smell made
her stomach growl.

“
I feel great. Hungry. Can I do anything
to help?”

“
Potatoes are in the microwave and the
salad is in the fridge. You can bring them out if you want. I
thought we’d eat outside.”

“
Sounds good to me.” She went inside and
topped up her wine before she started poking around the cupboards.
She found a large tray before she checked on the potatoes. They
were done, so she loaded the potatoes, salad, butter, dressing and
everything else they needed on the tray.

It was such a domestic scene. Mike was
cooking on the patio and she was puttering around the kitchen. She
could get used to this.

Mike’s house was secluded and there were no
neighbors within sight. It was just the two of them surrounded by
trees. Birds sang and chirped while bees buzzed around the flowers
that grew in large tubs on the deck. It was beautiful and
relaxing.

They sat at a wooden patio table and
polished off a huge supper. Food had never tasted so delicious.
Annabelle suspected it had a lot to do with the company. They
lingered over coffee, chatting easily, sometimes falling into a
comfortable silence.

After the dishes were cleared away, Mike
took her on a tour of his home. She loved all the wood and the
simple lines. It was typically male, without much to make it cozy,
but the potential was there. Annabelle could envision plants, throw
pillows, and a comfortable chair or two. It was all too easy to
picture herself there as well. That thought worried her, but she
was in too mellow a mood to let it take hold in her mind.

They finished the tour in the living room
and ended up curled up on the sofa watching an old movie on
television. It was a romantic comedy. She laughed at parts, but
there were poignant moments that brought tears to her eyes.

Mike hadn’t asked her what was wrong or
commented in any way. He’d simply wrapped his arm more securely
around her and pulled her onto his lap. Annabelle had never been so
content in her life and it scared her
. . .

• • •

Sighing, she shoved the memory away and
shuffled the papers on her desk for the tenth time. When it was
obvious she wasn’t going to get anything done, Annabelle pushed her
chair away from her desk.

She rubbed her temples to try to stop the
pounding in her head. It didn’t help much. Sleep hadn’t come easy
this week and her days had been stressful. Mike had kept her on
edge. She just didn’t know when he was going to show up or what he
was going to do next.

He had promised her that they would keep
their affair a secret, but that was proving to be impossible. Mike
had arrived up at the library first thing Monday morning with
coffee and muffins from Sammy Joe’s Bakery. The coffee had two
sugars, just the way she liked it, and the muffin had been oatmeal
raisin, her favorite. He’d delivered it along with a long,
lingering kiss before heading off to work, whistling all the way
out the door.

On Tuesday a bouquet of wildflowers had
found their way onto her desk. There had been no card, but she
hadn’t needed one. Several people at work had noticed the flowers
and teased her about her secret admirer.

Wednesday afternoon Mike had dropped by with
a small bar of imported chocolate, a weakness of hers that she’d
admitted to last weekend. He’d shut the door to her office and made
himself right at home. He’d taken a seat, pulled her down onto his
lap and fed her pieces of chocolate until the wrapper was empty.
Then he’d kissed her senseless, announced that the chocolate was
delicious, and left her bemused and on a sugar high for the rest of
the day.

Thursday at lunchtime, he’d dropped by with
a huge garden salad from her favorite deli—extra cheese and
tomatoes and no onions—iced tea with lemon in a large take-out cup,
and a warm oatmeal cookie to round out the meal. He’d delivered it
with a flourish and a kiss and then was gone again. He’d passed
Mrs. Casey on the way out and had just smiled and said hello.
Annabelle had been so flustered she hid in her office, away from
the woman’s knowing gaze.

Now it was Friday and she was on pins and
needles, not knowing what was going to happen next. They’d made no
plans for this weekend. She didn’t know if she should ask him to
come over to her apartment after he got off work or if she should
wait to see if he asked her back to his place. She had no idea what
the rules were when it came to dating.

She tilted her head back and rested it
against the comfort of her chair. Closing her eyes, she took a deep
breath and tried to release the tension. Having an affair was more
stressful than she’d anticipated.

Annabelle was not a deceptive person by
nature and keeping a secret of this magnitude was more difficult
than she’d thought it would be. She rubbed at the knot in her
stomach. Concentrating on taking one deep breath after another, she
finally felt the tension of the week begin to melt away. It was
late Friday afternoon. Whatever else happened, she was finished
with work for the week and had two whole days off to rest and
relax. She’d take a hot bath, eat something healthy and have a good
night’s sleep. That was the plan.