I'd spent the past couple of months reflecting on myself and wondering what he saw in me. My life as he knew it was a mess and if it weren't for him, my kids would be with the pastor's family, and I would be sitting in jail. All of which I had no one to blame but myself. I'd chosen the path I was on and allowed people in my life who served no positive purpose. I didn't realize until I was about to lose it all, that I had the power all along. I also needed to know someone believed I could turn it all around, and the man lying beside me had.
“Hal?” Several seconds went by without a reply so I nudged him.
“Hmm?”
“Would you have turned me into the cops, you know, if I’d rejected your offer for the money?”
“What?” he opened his eyes and blinked a few times before focusing on me. “Why are you bringing that up?”
“Because it was probably the lowest point in my life and believe me, there are plenty to choose from.”
“Jesus!” he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face repeatedly before looking down at me. “No, I would not have turned you in.”
“I would never, ever have dreamed that I would do something like that. I just…”
“Shh,” he placed a kiss on my temple. “You don’t have to say anything more. I know why you did it and it’s over now.” He pulled me to his side and I put my head on his chest.
“Why are you so good to me?”
“You don’t know?” When I furrowed my brow, he sat up on one elbow to look down at me. “You’re under my skin, and have been since the day I saw you crossing the street.”
“What?” I gasped and sat up. “You remember that day?”
He shrugged, and looked away. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve said he was blushing. “I was hoping to somehow run into you again, but there you were a couple hours later applying for a job at the club.” I stared back at him in awe, he’d been aware of me as long as I’d been aware of him.
“Annie, you have so much strength, more strength than I ever imagined could fit in one body. Your beautiful spirit should be free to sing, dance and maybe even fall in love. Watching you struggle felt wrong, I wanted to see you soar, darlin’. To not have to carry the world on your shoulders, instead you should be standing on top of it.”
His words were enough to melt my heart into puddle of gooey warmth. Did men like him really exist? I had known all along that he was the good I needed in my life. Finally, after everything we had gone through, I was ready to accept him as the man I deserved.
I put my mouth on his and we slid down together until we were laying facing each other with our legs and arms entangled. His lips moved along the column of my neck and behind my ear as he pulled me tighter against him.
“I’ve wanted nothing more than to hold you like this,” He whispered, “but I realized when we kissed for the first time, that you weren’t ready, and I was willing to wait. To give you time.” He kissed my lips. “There were no other women after that, only loose ends that needed to be tied.” He didn’t need to say it but I knew his involvement with Tara was part of that.
“Hal.” His name came out as a sigh while I brushed a hand over his cheek. He was right, I wasn’t ready. I needed to work on me first. “What about now? Do you think I’m ready?”
He chuckled low before replying, “You’d better be.” I grinned up at him before he covered my mouth with his. I let the sensations of being in his arms and the deliciousness of our kiss carry me away. I’d never felt that connected to someone, it was like we were made for each other.
Hal lifted my t-shirt over my head and tossed it away. His fingers skimmed down my stomach until he reached the elastic band of my panties. Gently, his fingers slid inside until he found my wetness. He lowered his head so he could swirl his tongue around one of my nipples. I reached down and undid his belt buckle, then shoved his jeans down enough to slide my hand into his boxers. When I wrapped my fingers around his hardness he inhaled a sharp breath. As soon as I began pumping him firmly with my hand, his heavy breathing turned into groans.
I reached for the back of his head as he continued to suck on my tight peaks until I was writhing beneath him. He lifted his eyes and looked at me from under his heavy lashes.
“Every inch of you is beautiful. You’re so one of a kind. I’ve never met anyone like you, Annie.” Warmth filled my cheeks and I knew I was blushing. Instead of replying I pulled him closer and kissed along the side of his neck while still holding his erection in my fist. He exhaled a long breath as his body relaxed against me while his fingers continued to slide along my slick folds, building my wetness until my moans grew louder.
“I can’t …ah…need you, darlin’.” He lifted me so I was straddling him. I shimmied down my panties and he positioned himself at my slick opening. After taking a long scan of my body, he licked his lips and looked up at me.
“You ready for me?” He asked and when I nodded he entered me in one swift movement. We both moaned at the pleasure of being joined. He felt right, like everything I didn’t know I wanted until that moment. I slid myself up and down, slowly getting used to the way he filled and stretched me. The feeling was so intense that my eyes rolled closed.
He laced his fingers into mine and I leaned forward so our hands were on either side of his head. I lowered my face and hovered just above him, so close that our lips were barely touching. His eyes were still on mine, hazy and full of raw passion.
“So can I?” He whispered.
“Can you what?” I asked, breathlessly.
“Call you mine?”
“You’d better.” I replied with a laugh that ended on a moan.
His lips curved into a smile that nearly stopped my heart before they claimed mine. We became one being full of wild passion. We were all lips, teeth and tongues as we panted and sighed. Needing more and craving everything the other had to give. Rolling my hips, I moaned louder as I increased my pace. I was so close.
“Yes, darlin’. Let it all go. I have you now.”
He thrust his hips harder before letting out a low groan as he stiffened beneath me. That was all it took for me to explode around him, my inner muscles clenching greedily at his hardness inside me. The moment was so intense, that we lay there limply, trying to catch our breath.
I rolled off him and rested my head on his chest with a dreamy smile on my face.
He was definitely real.
I was just dozing off when he tried to pull the covers up over us.
“No, no, no.” I said, rubbing my eyes and pushing the blanket away. “If I’m going to have fresh biscuits ready for breakfast, I’d better get started.” I sat up and reached for my t-shirt that was tossed to the floor. “Oh, and bacon! I’ll make bacon.”
“Wait, you can ride like that and make biscuits from scratch, too?” He rubbed his stomach and groaned. “Woman, you’d better be careful, I just might fall in love with you.”
“Shoot, sugar. You won’t be able to help yourself.” I gave him a sassy grin and kissed his lips with a loud smacking noise.
“Uh-oh, looks like I caught myself a wild one.” His laughter followed me down the hall, through the house and settled deep in my soul.
So this is what doing things right felt like.
Pure bliss.
THE END
or should I say…
THE BEGINNING.
Follow Annette and Hal into their happily ever after in
Fox (Drive Me Wild book one)
Available now! Check your favorite eBook retailer!
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed Annette and Hal’s story. I felt I wanted to share a brief and slightly tamed glimpse of how they met. Without them, Fox would not be Fox, there would be no Jonna at all or Annette’s Catch, the best damn place on Sea Whisper Island to get a bacon and egg sandwich!
Their love story was first and has lasted for more than twenty years.
I have such a fondness for Annette’s character. She reminds me of my own mom, a bit
kooky at times but I couldn’t imagine life without her. Like Annie, my mom was young, beautiful and wild. To her surprise, she became a mom at age 19. While she wasn’t perfect and made her share of mistakes, one thing is for sure, she loved her kids.
It is because of her that I can live my dreams, understand that my mistakes don’t define me and love with my whole heart just the way she loves me.
Love you, Mom (or Mother when I’m annoyed with you.)
xo-G
P.S. Don’t forget to leave a review. It doesn’t have to be fancy if that’s not your style, even a few words to express your thoughts is more than enough.
Heat Playlist
(Available now on Spotify)
“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
“Sirens” by Daniel Ahearn & The Jones
“Georgia” by Vance Joy
“Sound and Color” by Alabama Shakes
“Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin
“Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash
“Falling” by Hall & Oates
“Tokyo Sunrise” by LP
“Catch” By Dresses
About the Author
Gwendolyn Grace loves writing steamy stories full of emotion, love, and a little bit of angst, but promises to wrap it all up with a happy ending …somehow. She lives in Virginia with her family and loves to daydream about fictional characters. In her spare time, she is a blogger and book reviewer but writing has been her passion for as long as she can remember.
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Author Gwendolyn Grace Website
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