by Aubree Lane
He gave her a quick smile before he shifted his eyes back on the road. “I hope it’s going to be impossible.”
Annie’s heart soared. She had won the lottery. She squeezed his hand, but it wasn’t enough. She threw her arms around his neck and covered his cheek with kisses.
The car swerved into the oncoming lane, but Annie didn’t care, the road was empty this late at night. Terence pulled off onto a dirt road and parked and she tried to climb into his lap.
“Hang on a minute,” Terence pressed her back into her seat.
Her excitement waned, and her lower lip stuck out in a pout. “Why did you pull over if you were only going to push me away?”
“It wasn’t safe to keep driving,” Terence said leaning towards her. He caught her mouth with his. His teeth tugged gently on her pouty lip, and a low fierce hunger rumbled deep within Annie’s abdomen. Terence reached across and flung open her car door. “Besides, we’ll be a lot more comfortable in the backseat.”
The need within her howled with wanton fervor.
• • •
It was well into the wee hours of the morning when they pulled into Terence’s driveway. Beads of sweat trickled down between Annie’s breasts. The weather was cool in San Diego, and she had dressed accordingly. She stepped out of Terence’s car and inhaled a deep breath of warm tropical air. Annie grabbed one of her bags out of the backseat. “I need to get out of these clothes,” she complained, fanning her face with her free hand.
Terence smiled at her from across the hood. “Wasn’t our little roadside excursion satisfying enough for you?” he teased. He picked up her other bag. “Come on, I’ll show you the guest room. I don’t believe you had a chance to see it the last time you were in town.”
The roadside excursion had been hot, heavy, and entirely too fast for Annie’s taste. It was nothing more than a little snack to tide them over, and Annie couldn’t wait for the full course to begin.
Annie looked at the room in front of her and gasped. The guest room would have been the master suite in any other home. A king size bed covered in a luxurious deep blue silk spread was the main focal point. The walls had been painted a neutral haze, and abstract artwork strategically placed in geometric patterns decorated each wall. With its private bath, the room was the perfect retreat for anyone lucky enough to be invited.
Annie looked around suspiciously. Everything was pristine. It didn’t look as if it had ever been used before. It also had a different feel from the rest of the house. This was not Terence’s style. She narrowed her eyes. “Do I smell fresh paint?”
He tossed her luggage on the floor and climbed onto the bed. “The windows have been open for two days. I should have known I couldn’t fool you. Come join me, and I’ll tell you a little secret.”
Annie hadn’t waited for him to ask and was well on her way to enjoying some long awaited cuddle time before Terence finished his first sentence. She snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes. That was all she needed. Her body grew heavy, and her eyes refused to open. As exhaustion tried to make her succumb to sleep, she listened to his words as if he were singing her a lullaby.
“Until Christmas this room was used for storage. The moment Lena heard you were coming, she hauled us back over here and made us start cleaning it out. We spent most of Christmas day making dump runs. Then Lena was back here the next morning ready to paint. Her brother-in-law owns a hardware store, and she pestered him until he opened it up for her. She even got him to help her paint while Erika and I snuck away and played at the beach.” He stroked Annie’s hair and kissed her forehead. “I think she was happier about your visit than I was. She and Erika have been fussing over the room ever since, trying to make it perfect for you.”
That bit of news jolted Annie out of her lassitude. “Are we talking about the same woman who wanted to throw me out when you showed up with me last summer?”
Terence gave a slight shrug and an even smaller nod.
“What made her change her mind about me? We haven’t spoken since I left. I thought she only put up with me in order to get some free design ideas. I don’t get it.”
Terence stretched out and lackadaisically tucked his hands behind his head. “She liked that you were willing to make a fool out of yourself just to meet me.” He grinned when he saw the pained look on her face. “Hey, those are her words not mine.” He pulled her closer and stroked her still sweatered arm. “She also liked how you tried to help me with Erika. Until you came along my case wasn’t going anywhere. I was an out-of-state dad, and except for ordering me to pay Hannah child support, I didn’t get any attention from the California judicial system.”
“A lot of good I did you. Look how it turned out.”
“Since you came along, I have spent more time with Erika than I have her entire life. And I have her till the end of the school year, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. If it weren’t for you, Larry might have taken Erika away and not given me a second thought.”
Annie smiled when she heard Terence refer to her surrogate father as Larry instead of Mr. Wright, and she hoped that progress was being made on that front.
She sat up and pulled off her sweater. “I’m still hot.”
Terence ran his fingers lightly down her spine. When she shivered, Terence chuckled and flipped her onto her back. The newness of the comforter pricked at her moist skin and Annie instantly knew the material wasn’t nearly as expensive as it first appeared.
She held up her hand and halted Terence’s incoming kiss. “Do you think we could sleep in your room tonight? This bedding is a little scratchy.”
A look of relief washed over his face. “Thank you, I thought I was going to have to put up with it all night. Don’t tell Lena. We’ll sneak it out to a laundromat tomorrow and soak it in fabric softener. My washer isn’t large enough to handle this monster.”
He got up and pulled Annie along with him. “By the way, Erika and Lena will be here for breakfast, and if Erika gets her way, breakfast will be very early.”
Annie unzipped her jeans, stepped out of them, and left them on the floor. “Well then, I guess we better hurry.” She unclasped her bra and tossed it away. Annie walked out of the room and left Terence to pick up the trail of discarded clothing she left in her wake.
• • •
As tired as they both were, they still acted like a couple of monkeys getting to know each other again, picking, prodding, grooming and tasting each other until they were thoroughly satisfied. Now weak with fatigue but still unable to sleep, Terence stroked Annie’s thighs as she sat mounted on his pelvis.
“More?” he asked with eyelids so heavy they drooped.
Annie shook her head. “I won’t be able to walk tomorrow as it is.” A finger ran down his jaw. “Neither of us will be taking off this time, right? I know what you said earlier about how you hoped it would be impossible for me to leave, but did you mean it?”
He felt an energy rush. He hesitated a moment before he reached over to his bedside table. He opened the small drawer and pulled out a little velvet box.
Annie’s eyes flew open. She bit her lower lip, then tentatively reached out and opened it.
Inside was a diamond mounted on a simple gold band.
“Oh my!” she exclaimed. Her hands flew up and covered her mouth as she waited for him to speak.
Terence took a deep breath. When he envisioned this moment it had been in a romantic restaurant or on the beach, not stripped naked in the aftermath of sex. It was too soon, but he was committed now.
“I’m hoping we will be together for the rest of our lives.” His voice came out squeaky and not nearly as cool and collected as he had intended, and his eyes burned with tears.
This was not going at all as he’d planned. He was supposed to be the strong, calming force, not a stammering idiot.
Annie cooed calmly and brushed his tears away.
She closed the box with the ring still inside and placed it back inside the drawer. Inwardly he berated
himself. He let himself get caught up in the moment and ruined everything. Blood rushed to his head, and he couldn’t think. All he knew was that his world had just caved in.
Annie leaned down and kissed him. She slid down beside him and mumbled something he didn’t understand. She stroked his face and slowly he came back to reality.
“Sorry, that didn’t come out the way I wanted,” he apologized.
Annie scrunched her eyebrows together. She blinked a few times and pulled away. “You don’t want to marry me?”
“No, I rushed things. I should have waited.”
Her body stiffened in his arms. She bolted upright and glared at him. “You’re taking it back?”
Terence didn’t know what was happening. He was trying to smooth things over and make it right again. Why was she mad? And why did she look so confused? “Am I missing something?”
Annie looked at him as if he were a stranger. Shaking her head in disbelief, she asked, “Did you hear anything I just said?”
Terence felt like a fool, he hadn’t heard a thing. “I kind of shut down when you closed the ring box, I assumed your answer was no.”
Annie grabbed his face and squished his cheeks together until his lips looked like a fish. She shook his face lightly back and forth. “Now listen carefully,” she commanded. “Before I put on that ring, we need to have a long talk about our future. A lot of people will be affected by this decision, but when we have worked out all the details, that ring is mine.” She slowed her speech and emphasized each remaining word. “Do you understand?”
He understood. A smile spread out across his face. “You said yes.”
Annie corrected him in the same slow commanding tone she used before. “I said, probably.”
He grabbed her and pinned her beneath him. “You said yes,” he said firmly.
She laughed softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I said yes.”
Terence reached over and pulled the ring box back out of the drawer. “In that case,” he said happily. “I think you should try this on to see how it feels.” He opened the box and took out the ring. He picked up her left hand and lifted her ring finger.
“Wait!” She pulled her hand away. “That’s the wrong one.”
With his confidence fully restored, he pulled her hand back and slid the ring on. “It’s the only finger I’m interested in. All the others are a waste of time.”
He brushed a tear away from her cheek and kissed her lovingly.
Now that was more like it.
• • •
Annie hovered in a state somewhere between the dream world and consciousness. Strange images flashed through her head. She could hear the ocean crashing on the shore, but she couldn’t see it. Familiar voices swirled around her, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Something tickled her nose, and she reached up to scratch it.
Annie felt like she was being watched!
Her consciousness pulled her to the surface and she opened her eyes.
Erika was nestled between her and Terence. Her first thought was how grateful she was that Terence insisted they get dressed, in case Lena wasn’t able to rein Erika in.
“Look Daddy, she’s awake,” Erika cried happily.
“I think that was your goal when you jumped onto the bed and began talking as loud as possible.” Terence wrapped a tender arm around Erika’s middle and pulled her back into his chest to give Annie a moment to regain her senses.
Annie yawned and opened her arms. Erika twisted out of Terence’s grasp and fell into the hug.
“Good morning,” Annie whispered into her ear as she squeezed her tight. “It’s so good to see you.” She rolled Erika back between them and shot Terence a look, silently asking if he had told her their news. He gestured for her to go ahead. Annie held up her hand and showed Erika the ring. “Do you know what this is?”
Erika let out a screech that could wake the dead and flew out of the bed. “Auntie Lena,” she cried racing out of the room. “Daddy gave Annie Grammy Javier’s ring! They’re going to get married!”
The door slammed behind her, leaving Terence and Annie with their hands over their ears, wincing in pain.
With tears in her eyes, Annie looked at Terence and laughed. “That actually hurt. Does she do that often?”
“Welcome to parenthood,” he snickered. “How do you like it so far?”
Annie playfully slapped Terence’s arm. “Are you trying to get me to back out?” Then she sucked in a sobering breath. “I hadn’t thought of that. I’m going to be a stepmom, sort of.” Her eyes grew wide with horror. “Oh dear lord, I’ll have to deal with Hannah on a regular basis.” She covered her hands over her eyes and rocked back and forth. “Think happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts!”
Terence pulled her close and kissed her. He didn’t stop until he felt her relax in his arms. “Are you thinking happy thoughts?”
Annie nodded tentatively.
“Good because I am the glue and you are stuck with me,” he sang horribly off key.
Annie burst out laughing. “Oh, I get it.” They had been quoting a kid’s animated movie. “Once you become a parent, no more original thoughts are allowed to come out of your mouth. You are reduced to imitating cartoons in order to get your thoughts across.”
“Only the good ones,” Terence confirmed.
“That was a good flick. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.”
Terence refrained from telling her she would get her wish over, and over, and over again, probably within the next few hours after the excitement wore off and Erika got a hold of the DVD player.
“Hey,” Annie said looking at the ring on her finger. “Did I hear something about this being Grandma Javier’s ring?”
He kissed her hand and rubbed the ring. “That’s right, it was my grandmother’s.”
“I just realized I don’t know anything about your family.”
Terence got up and pulled Annie along with him. “I guess we’ll have to remedy that, but can it wait until after breakfast? I’m starving.”
Feeling the weight of parenthood looming over her and believing she may have already blundered, she stopped him. “Was it all right for Erika to see us in bed together?”
“Did she look upset to you?”
“No, but shouldn’t we be setting a good example?”
“Do you love me?” he asked seriously.
Annie grabbed his arm and caressed it tenderly. “Absolutely.”
He kissed her forehead. “Then I think we just set a terrific example.”
Annie melted. “You’re good.” She tugged his arm and tried to pull him back to bed.
“Oh no, you don’t.” He gripped her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. “Making love when Erika could walk in at any moment would not be good. So remind me to put a lock on the door.”
Annie giggled and followed him into the kitchen.
Lena welcomed her with a hug, “Good to have you home.”
Her future sister-in-law’s greeting touched Annie. “I take it you approve of our decision?”
Lena smiled at Annie and shot her brother a teasing wink. “I only hope you don’t live to regret it. By the way, you are invited to a luau at my place this evening. It will give you a chance to meet the clan.”
Terence sat down and filled a bowl with cereal. “How did you manage that so fast? Didn’t you just find out we were engaged?”
Erika, who had been happily smacking a bowl of whole grained goodness, suddenly buried her face inside her bowl.
Terence grinned. “So you two had it planned all along. What if I hadn’t asked her yet?” He glanced over at Annie with a twinkle in his eye. “And what if Annie said no?”
Annie suppressed a chuckle. She couldn’t wait to call Marissa. Terence had been crushed when he thought she refused him. As if she could refuse him anything. If he had asked her to go to the moon, she would have gone and loved every minute, lack of oxygen and all.
Lena sat down and grabbed a bowl for herself. “I said luau, not engagement party, although that’s what it is now,” she sang cheerfully. “Either way, Annie would still need to meet the family. She’s part of us, whether you two figured it out or not. By the way, have you told Annie about Erika’s tutor?”
Annie poured a cup of coffee and was about to join the family at the table, but the tone of Lena’s voice put her on edge.
Erika was quick to fill in the blanks. “Auntie Lena thinks Miss Murphy likes daddy. Daddy doesn’t like her, though. He yelled at her yesterday.”
Annie let out a sigh of relief. She sat beside the little chatter box, grateful that Erika never held anything back. “Do you like Miss Murphy?” she asked Erika.
“Yeah, I think she’s cool. She helps me a lot.”
Annie eyed Terence suspiciously. “Anything else you need to let me in on?”
“Nope. That about sums it up.”
Terence hadn’t looked her in the eye, and Lena’s disgusted little humph let her know there was more to the story, but Annie let it slide. She trusted Terence, besides, Lena would have never brought up the subject if it would betray her brother in any way. Whatever he wasn’t telling her, she didn’t think it was anything to worry about.
Lena changed the subject. “So tell me all about it. How did he propose?”
Annie hesitated, not knowing if Terence would appreciate her blabbing the story all over town. “I think Terence and I should keep that to ourselves for the time being.”
Terence choked on the bite of cereal he had just spooned into his mouth. He recovered and pointed at the kitchen counter. “Your phone is right there. You’ve been eyeing it since the moment you walked into the room. You’re dying to call Marissa. I’m pretty sure our private conversation is only going to remain private for about another two minutes.”
Annie blushed. She was guilty as charged.
Lena cleared her bowl. “Never mind, I have to get a move on. I have a luau to prepare for, and that new comforter needs a good washing.”
Annie instantly felt remiss, she had forgotten to thank Lena for all the hard work she put into the room she had not slept in. “The room is gorgeous!” she praised honestly. “Are you sure you weren’t a designer in a former life?”