“Hey, I’m running across the field right now to come get you.”
I frowned, confused. “What? What field?”
“The corn field. I’ll be there in ten. Meet me out front.”
“Robert, I’m in the city. Are you down at my house?”
“No,” he sighed. I could practically hear him rolling his eyes. “I know exactly where you are. Just go with it.”
I bit my lip and grinned. “Alright. Ten minutes.”
“And Anna, dress warm.”
I hung up and quickly pulled on my sweatpants and sweatshirt, then headed for the front hall, taking out my coat, a hat, and a scarf. I rushed out of the apartment, barely remembering to lock the door, then hurried downstairs. The doorman looked at me like I was insane, dressed like a hobo and hurrying out into the night. I shoved the door open, grinning as I ran outside. I looked to my left, but I didn’t see him. I turned just as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me hard. I laughed against his lips as he slipped his hands inside my coat, pressing them against my skin.
“Your hands are freezing,” I yelped.
“You’ll keep me warm.”
He grabbed my hand and started running, pulling me along behind him as we raced down the street.
“Where are we going?” I shouted, laughing as passersby stared at us.
“To see the stars,” he yelled over his shoulder.
We got to the crosswalk and raced across the street, just barely making it across before a car zoomed past us.
“You’re crazy! You’re going to get us killed!”
But he didn’t stop. He just kept running until we saw a sign that said Oak Street Beach. We ran across the deserted beach until he pulled me down into the sand just feet from the edge of the water. Pushing me down in the sand, he laid down on top of me and kissed me hard, wrapping his hand up in my hair as he possessed me. When he pulled back, there was a feeling of normalcy that settled between us.
He slowly rolled off me and took my hand in his as we stared up at the sky. “I want to give you everything you’ve ever wanted,” he started, taking me back to all those years ago when he used to do this very same thing.
“I want to be happy.”
His thumb brushed against my hand. “I don’t want you to ever have to worry about money again.”
I turned my head to watch him. “I want you to always kiss me like you need me.”
He slowly turned to me, his gaze burning into mine. “I always will.” He slowly rolled on top of me, his hands slipping under my sweater to cup my breast. “If there’s one thing these past thirteen years have taught me, it’s that I wasn’t really living without you. I don’t ever want to lose you again.”
His lips met mine and his hand slid down to my pants, pushing at them just like when we were kids. I could feel his erection pressing against me. I could feel the way he needed me, not just for sex, but for the connection we had. I lifted my hips and allowed him to push down my pants. Then his fingers were buried inside me and he was fucking me, his lips kissing me all over. I fumbled for his belt, needing more than just his fingers right now. It didn’t matter that we were on a public beach or that we were in the city. Right now, it was like we had shifted back in time and it was just the two of us, making love under the stars.
I shoved his pants down over his ass and spread my legs, allowing him to settle between them. In one swift move, he was settled inside me. Our breath huffed out in little white puffs all around us as he slowly moved in and out of me. His hands were in my hair and his lips kissed my nose and then my mouth, then over to my ear. His cock thrust slowly in and out, making me feel every inch of him. I gasped, not able to get enough of him.
“I love you, Anna,” he whispered in my ear. I wanted to say it back. I wanted to give him all of me, but I was still scared. With one final thrust, he spilled himself inside me and pulled back to look into my eyes. I saw the uncertainty. I saw the longing, but most of all, I saw the disappointment. I swallowed hard, trying to find something to say, anything to make this moment better. If I said it now, he would know I was only saying it because he had. What’s that saying? If the answer doesn’t immediately come, maybe it’s better left unsaid? Something like that.
I wasn’t sure where we went from here, but he bent down and kissed me. I knew he was about to say something when a bright light shone over us.
“Hey! The beach is closed. You can’t be here.”
“Oh shit,” Robert muttered, pulling out of me and quickly pulling up his pants as I did the same. He pulled me to my feet as the police officer ran toward us. We took off, my hat flying off my head as we ran for the street.
“Hurry!” Robert shouted, pulling me along behind him. I was laughing so hard that I could barely keep up. The crosswalk sign flickered on just as we reached it. We ran across the street and headed toward his apartment. When I glanced back, I saw the cop had been stopped at the crosswalk and we were in the clear. We laughed all the way to his building, and when the door man let us inside, Robert pushed me up against the wall and kissed me again. I melted into his touch, our cold noses brushing against each other.
“Come on,” he whispered. “Let’s get upstairs and warm up.”
“And shower,” I laughed. “I’m pretty sure I have sand in my vagina.”
I was just finishing up for the day when my phone rang, and it was a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Anna, thank God, I really need someone that’s not a complete idiot to talk to. Please tell me you’re free for lunch tomorrow.”
“Uh…” I frowned, pulling my lip in between my teeth. I felt kind of ridiculous. This person obviously knew me, but I had no clue who she was. “Who is this?”
“Rebecca,” she said in exasperation.
Rebecca….oh! “Oh!,” I said in surprise. “Um…what time were you thinking?”
“Noon. Are you staying with Robert?”
“Yes.”
“Great. I’ll have a car pick you up at 11:30 outside his apartment.”
My head spun. How did she know where Robert lived? And why would she want to have lunch with me? I just met her for lunch the other day at a small restaurant. Of course, the lunch had been interrupted by her work and we didn’t really get a chance to actually talk. So, why did she want to get together again?
“Wait, where are we going?”
“Alinea. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She hung up before I could say anything else. I googled Alinea and my eyes bulged out of my head. This wasn’t lunch. This was my grocery budget for the next four weeks wrapped into one meal. The interior was fancy and looked like something set out of a totally different time period. I was just about to text her back and tell her that I couldn’t go when Robert called.
“Hey,” I said, my hand shakily running across my forehead as I took in the images and prices before me.
“What’s wrong? You sound stressed.”
“Rebecca just called. She wants me to go out to lunch with her tomorrow.”
“That’s great. Does she want me to be there?”
“She didn’t say anything about you.” I chewed my lip. “She said that she would pick me up outside your apartment. How does she even know where you live?”
I heard his snort on the other end. “This is Rebecca Morrison. She knows everything, and she can find out anything.”
“Then how am I supposed to fool her into thinking that we’re engaged?” I shrieked.
“Relax. We already convinced her.”
“Right,” I nodded to myself. “There’s just one problem. She wants to take me to some restaurant called Alinea.”
I heard his low whistle over the phone. “Wow. Do you have anything to wear?”
“What, like there’s a special dress code?”
“Uh, yeah. You can’t walk in there in jeans and a t-shirt. And frankly, if you did, you would embarrass Rebecca.”
“Robert, I can’t go to that restaurant. It’s
so pretentious looking.”
“It’s her style and you agreed to this, remember?”
“Nobody said anything about fancy restaurants.”
“I’ll pick you up in a half hour and we’ll go shopping for some things for you to wear. We can go out to dinner afterwards.”
“Shopping? You want me to go shopping?”
“Doesn’t every girl love to go shopping?” His voice relayed his confusion, so I figured I’d clear that up right now.
“No, not every girl likes to go shopping. I hate it. In fact, I order most of my stuff online for the simple fact that I hate going into a store where people shove things in my face and demand I go into a dressing room to try things on.”
He chuckled. “Well, I won’t let them shove anything in your face. Besides, you’ll get to try on fancy clothes and those shoes all you chicks like.”
“Shoes? The only shoes I wear are tennis shoes, unless it’s summer. Then I only wear flip flops.”
“Hmm. Well, it’s too cold for sandals, but we could find you some warm boots.”
“Flip-flops,” I said slowly. “Not sandals. If I have to actually attach them to my feet in some way, it ain’t happening.”
“Really? You have a problem with sandals?”
“Yes, I happen to hate them.”
“Jesus wore sandals,” he pointed out.
“Jesus was crucified. Do you still want to use that argument? I’m not sure his sandals won him any points.”
“Wow, okay, I won’t mention the sandals again.”
“I don’t want to go try on any clothes,” I said, almost whining. I hated shopping so much.
“Well, you can’t go out to lunch with Rebecca in your clothes. Besides, you’re representing the firm. I’ll be home soon.”
He hung up and I couldn’t help the pang that hit me deep in the chest. You can’t go out to lunch with Rebecca in your clothes. There was nothing wrong with my clothes. I knew that he wasn’t criticizing my clothes, but deep down, I wondered if he wished I dressed differently. He was always walking around in his fancy suits. Meanwhile, I was comfy in just loungewear if I could get away with it.
I tossed my phone on the bed and hurried into the bathroom to take a look at myself. I was rumpled from sex on the beach last night. After our shower, I had let my hair air dry and today I had lounged in sweats all day since I was working from home. And I had a stain on my shirt from where I spilled hot sauce when I was eating lunch. I tore off my clothes and rushed into his shower, turning on all the dials I could. I couldn’t remember which ones controlled what. He had one of those double showers that sprayed from both sides, but the control panel was in the center of the wall. I pressed button after button, screaming when water started spraying at me from hidden holes in the wall. Then the water started from the ceiling.
“Shit!”I hadn’t been planning on washing my hair. I hit more buttons, growing more frantic as the water pressure and temperature increased with every button I pressed. “You fucking piece of shit!” I shouted, slamming my hand against the panel. Nothing would stop the water and now it was too hot to even stand under. I tucked myself into the corner where the water wouldn’t reach me and started screaming in frustration.
The door to the bathroom was flung open and Robert raced in, panic all over his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Your stupid shower doesn’t work, and it’s trying to burn me alive! And I can’t turn it off, and then it started spraying me from everywhere!”
He bit back a smile and reached through the scalding water, pressing a button. Everything stopped suddenly and the steam that filled the bathroom hung heavily in the air.
“How did you do that?”
“I pressed the off button,” he said, reaching forward. “Right here.” He pointed to the big red off button in the middle of the panel that I had somehow missed.
I turned and glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest. “Well, if it wasn’t so damn steamy in here, I might have seen that.”
He nodded, pulling his lips between his teeth. “I know you would have.”
“Shut up,” I glared at him, stepping out of the shower.
“I didn’t say anything!”
“Your eyes said it.”
“My eyes?”
“Yes,” I spun around, pointing a finger at him accusingly. “You and your eyes are laughing at me, mocking me and the stupid, big, red button!”
“I swear, I was not laughing at you.”
I turned and heard him stifle a laugh, then spun around just in time to see him school his features. My nostrils flared in annoyance and I snatched a towel off the rack, wrapping it around myself. “I’ll be in the other room. Is there anything out there that’s going to attack me? Closets that’ll lock me inside or lights that will drop down from the ceiling?”
He shook his head, but I could tell he was on the verge of laughing at me again. Frankly, if the situations were reversed, I would be laughing my ass off at him. But since they weren’t, I didn’t appreciate the humor. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater that would be easy enough to pull on and off. Then I slipped on my fake ugg boots that I only got because they kept my feet warm.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” Robert asked as I pulled my wet hair up into a bun.
“Is there a dress code for shopping for clothes now?”
“No, but I wanted to take you out to dinner afterwards,” he said, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my neck.
“Then you need to give better warning. After being attacked in a shower, I’m in no mood to go sit in some fancy restaurant.”
“Then what did you have in mind?”
“Do they have a Taco Bell close by?”
He grimaced. “Really?”
“What? It’s the food of my people.”
“Are you Mexican and I didn’t know it?”
“No, it’s the food of people that are too lazy to cook and hate going out to fancy dinners.”
His eyes twinkled at me as he crossed his arms over his chest. “What about Applebees? Is that considered fancy?”
“No, that’s dining casual.”
He nodded, his brows furrowing. “And what is considered fancy dining?”
“Anywhere you would take me.”
“I see, and what’s in-between?”
“What do you mean? Like you want a list?”
“Never mind. What sounds good for dinner tonight? You want Mexican?”
“No, I’m not really in the mood for Mexican.”
His brows furrowed again. “But you just asked for Taco Bell.”
“Well, I wanted to know if there was Taco Bell, but that was more out of curiosity.”
“Okay, how about pizza?”
“Eh, I’m not really in the mood tonight. What do you want?”
He shrugged slightly. “How about Chinese food?”
“Oh, I love Chinese food,” I grinned.
“Great, we’ll get takeout.”
“But I can’t have it,” I said, grinning playfully at him. “It makes my stomach hurt.”
He sighed and sat down on the bed. “Okay, then what else sounds good?”
“Honestly? I’m not really sure. How about you start naming stuff and I’ll tell you if it sounds good.”
“Are you serious?”
“Totally.”
He sighed and flopped back on the bed. “Okay, how about Thai food.”
“Too spicy.”
“Italian.”
“We just had Italian.”
“Steak.”
“Hmmm. That could be good.”
“Steak it is.” He sat up, but then I changed my mind.
“No, wait. I don’t really want steak. It sits so heavy in my stomach. And I really like it better when it’s grilled. And nobody is grilling on an actual grill right now outside,” I said, gesturing to the windows that showed the approaching winter weather. “You know what? You just choose something and we’ll eat it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yep. I’m pretty easy.”
I thought I heard him grumble something under his breath, but when I turned around, he was smiling. I followed him into the living room and grabbed my purse and coat, ready to get this horrible trip over with. We walked into the hallway and a smell instantly struck me. I sniffed the air and turned to Robert with big eyes. “Is that pizza?”
“Yes.”
My eyes widened even further and he sighed. “So, you want pizza?”
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
“Do you mean we could have saved five minutes of my life by just opening the front door and letting you sniff the air?”
“Hey, I can’t help it. Sometimes just reading about food makes me go crazy for it.”
“Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” he joked.
“You know, you say that like it’s funny, but one of these days, you’ll say that to a woman and she actually will be pregnant. I’d love to see your face then.”
And with that, I wrapped my coat tight around me and headed for the elevator.
Robert
I leaned back in the plush chair and stared up at the ceiling of the department store. When Anna said that she didn’t like to shop, she wasn’t joking. She couldn’t pick an outfit to save her life and she was snapping at the ladies that were trying to help her. She criticized every single outfit that I suggested and even threw one at me when I told her that it would make her look classy.
She flung back the curtain and stepped out, her eyes darting to everywhere in the store but at me. She really sucked at allowing people to compliment her. The sales women were hiding at this point, and I was terrified to open my mouth. The outfit she threw at me previously had a belt attached and I now had a welt on my forehead.
So when she stepped out and looked at me in challenge, I shrank back in my seat and swallowed hard. “What do you think of this one?” I said slowly, hoping I wasn’t offending her in some way.
“This one isn’t horrible.” She rolled her eyes, throwing her hands on her hips. “But I feel like an idiot. I would never be caught dead walking around in something like this.”
Collateral Damage: A Small Town Romance Page 20