They finished their meal with their hands entwined on the table, Annabelle having lost her appetite to the rush of desire that she just couldn’t control. As soon as their plates were cleared away they were back on the dance floor, but this time Michael added some new steps. Annabelle was having so much fun, she didn’t even notice when another man came up and tapped Michael on the shoulder.
With a scowl on his face, he moved away and let the man take Annabelle in his arms, then watched, arms crossed over his chest, clearly not pleased. When the same thing happened the next time he got her in his arms, he decided it was time to leave.
“I’m not in the mood to share you with anyone tonight. Let’s go take a drive.” He said, helping put her coat on.
“That’s fine. My feet are beginning to hurt.” She said, smiling up at him as he zipped her coat, an incredibly romantic gesture that made her heart pound with desire.
“Just you’re feet I hope.” Michael said, carefully.
She knew he was carefully skirting the issue of her hip and that they’d have to talk about it at some point, but she was so tired of it being what defined her that she just shrugged and said, “Just my feet.”
When they got to his truck, they’d already decided that leaving Leslie’s car in town for the night was the best plan since it had been snowing steadily since they’d gone to dinner. Michael opened the door for Annabelle and offered her his hand to help her in. She took one look at the huge step it would take to get in and knew that her hip wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Embarrassed, but not willing to embarrass herself further by falling on her face, she looked up at him, then at the ground hoping he’d understand. Catching on immediately, he grabbed her by the hips and lifted her into the truck. She squealed a little, not expecting him to just lift her in, then laughed, that had been much easier than she’d expected.
Instead of letting go right away, he leaned in and gave her a kiss, then said, “We’re going to have to get you a step or I’m going to have to get a smaller truck.” The shut the door.
Annabelle smiled to think that he’d even consider getting a different truck just for her. Once he was in the truck she said, “I think a step would be easier. Although you could still do that every once in a while.”
“Are you flirting with me?” He asked, pretending to be shocked.
“Maybe a little.” She said, smiling at him.
“Good, now here’s the best part of having a big truck, slide over here.” He said, pulling her over next to him. “And look you fit perfectly.”
Annabelle was surprised to find that she did fit perfectly, especially when Michael had his arm around her like he did now. “I need to let the truck warm up for a few minutes but we can keep each other warm.” He said, his mouth coming down on hers again.
This time, Annabelle was brave enough to wrap her arms around him, even with all the layers between them she could feel the hard muscles of his back under her hands. As Michael deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth, she relaxed in his arms, her entire body on fire with desire.
A kernel of heat began to build in her belly, followed by a tingling between her legs, a feeling completely new to her. Michael’s hands had begun to roam, he unzipped his jacket and then hers, his mouth never leaving her. She welcomed the feel of his hands skimming up her sides and around her back, he pulled her closer then broke the kiss to nibble on her neck.
When his hand skimmed across her breast, the feeling was so intense that she pulled back. Michael, knowing that he’d pushed as far as he could, found her mouth again and kissed her until she was breathless. When he finally ended the kiss, he pulled her into his arms and they sat in silence until the truck had warmed up enough. When they got to the ranch, he walked her to the door, but didn’t come in.
“Just like a real date, I’m going to leave you here, but not without a good night kiss.” He said, pulling her into his arms.
It was cold and snowing outside but Annabelle didn’t even notice, her body was warm with her desire for Michael, her brain so absorbed in the new feelings she wouldn’t have noticed if the house was on fire. But Michael was still aware of his surrounding so when Garrett opened the door to see what was taking so long, he immediately pulled back and released Annabelle.
“Oh, sorry. I just wondered what was taking you to so long. I’ll just....” He said, shutting the door.
They both burst into laughter. “I’d be embarrassed, but he was embarrassed enough for both of us.” Annabelle finally said. “But I better go in. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“I have the whole day off. I’ll be here in the morning with Leslie’s car, maybe we can do something.”
“I’d like that, there’s not much to do around here right now. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and stepping inside. Once inside she leaned against the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear the others talking in the living room, but the last thing she wanted to do was face them, it had been bad enough that Garrett had caught them kissing, but she couldn’t just go to bed without at least checking in.
Poking her head into the room she said, “I’m pretty tired, just wanted to let you know I made it home safe.”
“Okay, we’ll see you in the morning.” Leslie said, suppressing a smile.
The next morning Annabelle woke early to find that overnight at least a foot of snow had fallen, everything was covered in a blanket of white, the sun glinting brightly off the pristine surfaces. Throwing on her robe, she went to the kitchen in search of coffee, already thinking about getting outside to explore the snow. Then with a sinking heart, she remembered that all the new gear she’d bought yesterday was still in her car.
She did have the boots she wore yesterday, but they weren’t right for tromping through a foot of snow. She’d just have to call Michael and see if he could bring the stuff to her when he came up. But as she was heading to her room to find her phone, she heard his truck pull up in the front yard.
Running to the door, she threw it open as soon as she heard his boots hit the front porch, startled when the cold air hit her. “Oh, it’s freezing, hurry.” She said, bouncing up and down on her toes.
Michael had been focused on getting in the house, his arms filled with Annabelle’s shopping bags, but when she threw open the door, his progress halted when he saw her standing there in her flannel pajamas. She looked absolutely adorable standing there in the doorway, her pajamas covered with little yellow ducks. He had the urge to drop the bags and pull her into his arms, but instead he smiled at her, his eyes roaming over her body.
Annabelle suddenly felt very exposed as Michael’s eyes went from her tousled hair to her bare feet, the look in his eyes making her heart beat faster. Then she remembered his hands on her last night and the way he’d kissed her and she blushed, heat flaring between her legs.
“Thank you.” She said, grabbing the bags and running up the stairs, but not before planting a kiss on his lips.
Michael just smiled and made his way back to the kitchen, thinking about taking those pajamas off Annabelle. Leslie and Sebastian were sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast, he joined them after getting a cup of coffee. They discussed the progress on the cabins, the weather, and the opening of the ski area now that there was enough snow. Finally though, Leslie couldn’t resist asking about their date the night before.
“Did you two have a nice evening last night?” Leslie asked, trying to appear innocent.
Michael actually blushed, which Leslie found endearing. “We went to the bar and had dinner, I taught Annabelle to dance. It was fun until the rest of the guys tried to move in on her.”
“Do I detect a bit of jealously?” Sebastian said, enjoying Michael’s discomfort, remembering all too well that feeling.
“You bet, who wouldn’t be jealous?” He said, seriously.
“Just don’t let it get the better of you.” Sebastian advised.
>
“Don’t worry, it’s just a matter of making sure everyone knows she’s mine.” Michael said with conviction.
Annabelle had been about to walk into the room, but had stopped when she heard them talking about Michael being jealous. Her heart swelled with joy when she heard Michael say she was his, no one had ever considered her theirs and that it was Michael made it even better. Finally deciding she couldn’t wait a second longer to see him, she walked around the corner into the room.
She’d chosen her outfit carefully from the new clothes she’d bought yesterday, a new pair of jeans with her new silky long underwear under them and a purple sweater that hugged her curves. Michael jumped to his feet when he saw her and gave her a hug, enjoying the way she smelled and how soft and warm she was.
“I’ve got to do a few things in the office, but then I’ll be free for the rest of the day.” He said, keeping her securely in his arms.
Annabelle was a little bit disappointed, but Michael did have a job to do and he’d said it wouldn’t be long. “Okay, that’s fine. I’ll wait here for you, even though I’m dying to get out in the snow.”
“Whatever we do with the rest of the day it will definitely involve the snow.” He said, giving her a quick kiss. “I won’t be long, I promise.”
Chapter 7
Sebastian followed Michael out leaving Leslie and Annabelle alone in the kitchen to finish their coffee. “I think I might have an idea for your day.” Leslie said, sliding an envelope across the table to Annabelle.
Annabelle opened the envelope to find season lift tickets for the ski resort. “Oh thank you, I’ve been wanting to learn to ski for a long time.” Annabelle said, jumping up to hug Leslie.
“I love to ski, of course I probably won’t do much of it this winter, but I thought you might want to try. There’s one for Michael in there as well, I also called the pro shop and arranged for a ski rental and a lesson for you both. Go have some fun.”
Annabelle was out the back door as soon as she could get her coat on. She found Michael in one of the cabins, he was on his computer, but jumped up when he saw the huge smile on her face. “You look like you just won the lottery.” He said, not able to resist putting his arms around her.
“Leslie just gave us lift tickets to go skiing.” She said, pulling the envelope out of her pocket.
“I don’t know how to ski, do you?” He asked, opening the envelope.
“No, but she got us a lesson too.”
“Alright then, I guess we know what we’re doing today. Give me a few more minutes and I’ll be done here, just need to send a couple more emails to the new crew.” Michael said, sitting down behind the desk again after another quick kiss. “I’ll meet you back at the house.”
True to his word, Michael was back at the main house in just a few minutes and by mid-morning they were on the ski slopes with their instructor. They both found that it was much harder than it looked, but by the end of the day they were both able to get down the hill without falling down. After their last run of the day they collapsed into chairs in the lodge exhausted but completely in love with skiing.
“I think I spent more time on my butt, than I did on my feet.” Annabelle said, pulling off her ski boots.
Michael laughed, “You did better than I did. I think I went down the mountain on my butt more than I did on my feet.”
“I’m ready to do it again.” Annabelle said, her eyes shining with excitement. “But maybe not tomorrow, I think I’m going to be sore.”
“Well, then we’ll wait at least a day. I don’t know about you but I’m starving. Let’s go get some dinner.”
“Sound good to me.” Annabelle said, getting to her feet, then sinking back down in the chair. “But I think I need a minute more before we go.”
“Fine with me, I’m not sure I can get up yet either. What would you like for dinner, if we can ever mange to get up?” Michael said, said laughing.
“I don’t know. How about pizza? That sounds easy.” Annabelle said, her mouth already watering just thinking about food.
“That does sound good. We could pick one up and take it to my apartment, it’s not much but its close.” Michael said, thinking it would be nice to be completely alone with Annabelle.
“Okay as long as I get mushrooms on my pizza.”
“That’s a deal, I love mushrooms.”
Michael called and ordered their pizza so when they got there it was ready, Annabelle didn’t even get out of the truck while he ran in and picked it up, then he drove the short distance to his apartment. “One of the benefits of living in such a small town is that it’s not far to anywhere.” He said, when they pulled up in front of the little apartment building where he lived.
Annabelle was pleased to find that while his apartment wasn’t big, it was clean and tidy. It was clear that the apartment had come furnished, but Michael had added some touches of his own, especially in the living room. The most striking was the huge couch that filled almost the entire room. He’d also put pictures of his family up on one wall, she was dying to ask about them, but she’d over heard enough conversations to know that there’d been a problem between Michael’s father and Jonathan.
They took the pizza and some sodas to the couch and turned on the television. Annabelle was starving but once her hunger was satisfied, she found that exhaustion was quickly taking the place of hunger. Michael put his arm around her and she put her head on his chest, thinking she’d only close her eyes for a minute, but when she opened them it had grown dark.
She was also lying on the couch with Michael’s arms wrapped around her, his hard body pressed against her back. Breathing deeply she could smell his distinctive scent, an intriguing mix of the outdoors with spicy scent of freshly cut cedar, which he’d been working with lately. Snuggling closer, she thought about just going back to sleep, but Michael put an end to that idea when he pulled her closer and kissed the back of her neck.
“Did you have a good nap?” He whispered in her ear, raising goosebumps and making her shiver.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. What time is it?” She said, content to just lay there in his arms.
“It’s only six o’clock. We haven’t been asleep that long.” He said, nuzzling her neck. “We still have plenty of time before anyone will be looking for us.”
Turning in his arms, she met his eyes, shocked to see the desire in them, then realized that she could feel his erection pressing against her stomach. Her eyes widened at the thought and she sucked in a deep breath as desire slowly spread though her, making her tingle between her legs. Knowing that the smart thing to do would be to untangle herself from him, she did the complete opposite and pressed her body against his.
Michael growled and rolled her onto her back, his mouth coming down on hers in a searing kiss. Desire raced through Annabelle’s body, no man had ever kissed her like this, possessed her so fully with only his mouth. As his mouth explored hers, his hand began to roam up and down her body, finally finding her breasts, cupping first one then the other.
Annabelle’s body exploded with pleasure at his touch, every nerve ending suddenly on fire, a sudden yearning for something more springing to life. Kissing Michael had been wonderful, but this was something even better, this was passion, a new and all absorbing feeling for Annabelle. Her body was practically humming with pleasure, but when Michael’s hand slid down her body to the junction of thighs and he rubbed her there, fire exploded in her veins.
She could feel the moisture making her panties wet as Michael stroked her, making her spread her legs for him and arch her hips. Michael’s hand moved to the waist band of her pants and slid inside making Annabelle’s breath catch in her throat, but when his fingers brushed across the scar on her hip she went rigid thinking about the ugly puckered skin.
Michael immediately stilled his hand, thinking that he’d pushed her too far, then slid it back up to her rib cage where he rested it until she’d relaxed again. He
continued to kiss her, bringing the passion back into the encounter, before breaking the kiss and laying down on his back and pulling her close until her head was resting on his chest.
“I’m sorry.” She said, looking up at him.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, if you’re not ready that’s okay.” Michael said, holding her gaze.
Annabelle wasn’t sure if her reaction had been about not being ready for sex or about her scars, but for now she’d let him think it was about sex. No one had seen her scars except the medical staff that had cared for her, to her eyes they were not only ugly but evidence of what she’d been through. She herself tried not to look at them if she didn’t have to, she could just imagine what Michael would think when he saw them.
Since she’d gotten to Pleasant Valley, she’d been trying to ignore what had happened that night, but tonight that approach hadn’t worked because no matter how well her mind healed, her body would always bear the scar, a reminder that would never go away. A reminder that violence was only a step away from her no matter how secure she felt.
“It’s not that, it’s....” She trailed off unable to express what she was feeling.
Michael immediately understood what was bothering her, but instead of forcing the issue, he didn’t push her. Eventually they’d have to talk about what had happened to her, but for now he was content to let her set the pace, after all she’d lost her parents and a part of herself that night to the type of violence he’d never experienced.
“It really is okay Annabelle.” He said, sitting them both up on the couch. “I understand that there are things you’re not ready to talk about, but when you are I’ll be here to listen. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you, it’s not just physical attraction you know. I like you for who you are, an extremely intelligent, caring person who makes me want to be a better person.”
Annabelle listened to Michael’s words and knew them to be true, but she still hesitated. Now would be the perfect time to tell him the story but she just wasn’t ready. “I spent the last two years of my life being defined by what happened, I don’t want that to come between us. I’m afraid that if I tell you it will change things between us, that you’ll see me differently because of it.”
I'll Be There: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 5) Page 7