Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story

by Ann Lister

  Annie’s heart beat loudly in her chest and she closed her eyes. She quivered when his fingers stopped inches from her pulsing mound, her breath caught sharply in her dry throat.

  “You have beautiful legs,” he whispered, his crystal blue eyes drifting up to meet hers.

  “Not any more.”

  “They are to me.” he answered, slipping the trash bag over her cast and securing it with a rubber band. “Do you need help getting into the tub?”

  Annie nodded.

  “Then put your arms around my neck,” he instructed, “and hold on.” In one quick motion, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. Then delicately set her on the edge of the marble tub. “Enjoy your bath,” he said, kissing the nape of her neck and then stepping toward the door.

  “You’re leaving?” she asked, suddenly feeling deserted.

  “I thought you might want some privacy,” he replied, inching his way back toward the tub. “Why? Do you want me to stay?” he asked with a hopeful tone to his voice.

  Annie nodded, unnerved by her own invitation, then swallowed hard and droped the satin robe off her shoulders and onto the floor. She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Can you help me into the water?” she asked, her voice weak and shaky.

  Michael stood frozen, his eyes burning down the length of her spine and stopped when they reached the outward curve of her hips. He could just barely see the crack of her bottom. Quickly, his groin responded to the visual stimulation. He exhaled heavily and moved to her side.

  “Okay. Give me your foot and slide that way into the water,” he suggested, trying desperately not to stare. When she was safely submerged, with her foot elevated onto a dry ledge, he sat beside the tub on a marble step and rested his elbow on the edge.

  “Is the water too hot?” he asked, adjusting himself in his pants to reduce the ache in his crotch.

  “No. It’s perfect,” she replied, reaching for a face cloth and lathering it up with soap.

  Michael’s eyes languidly crept over her. The memory of being in bed with her returned with the force and speed of a tornado. Everything about her aroused him. Even the very sound of her voice gave him chills.

  “Would you like to do this?” she asked, breaking his trance.

  “Do what? Bathe you?” he asked, stumbling over his words.

  Annie nodded with an innocent grin and handed him the face cloth.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Well, you bathed me while I was in the hospital, didn’t you?”

  Michael quickly sat upright, stunned by her remark. “Annie, that was one time and only because I wasn’t about to let that guy touch your body,” he replied, his voice defensive.

  Annie beamed. “That guy was a male nurse,” she teased, “And it was his job.”

  “I didn’t care if he was a priest. He wasn’t putting his hands on you. If any guy was going to touch you, it was going to be me.” Michael studied her expression. “Why? Are you mad?”

  “No, I’m not mad. I only wish I could have been awake to enjoy it!”

  Michael’s face softened as he began to slide the face cloth down her neck and over her shoulders. “How did you find out?”

  “The day nurse told me. She thought it was romantic.”

  “It wasn’t perverse, Annie. I only did what I’d seen the nurses do at night and that was it.”

  Annie bent in close to his face and brushed his lips with hers. “Are you going to tell me it didn’t excite you to touch my body?”

  Michael opened his mouth and sighed against her lips. He could feel the soft rush of her sweet breath and saw the lust in her eyes. His soapy hand drifted onto her left breast and began to gently knead the flesh between his fingers. Then he smiled lovingly.

  “I was hard enough to break glass. Is that what you want to hear?”

  “Only if it’s the truth,” she replied.

  She kissed his mouth hard and moaned when she felt his fingers progressing over her stomach and down between her spread thighs. Then her head dropped back against the tub and she shut her eyes, while Michael’s fingers worked their magic.

  He propped his head against his extended arm and watched in amazement as her face flushed with the heat of ecstasy. It was a work of art, he thought; better than any painting he had ever seen. She had never looked more beautiful to him.

  Annie rolled her head to face him. For several minutes they stared at one another - serious soulful looks, as if trying to read the other’s mind. Annie’s eyes began to mist with emotion. The level of intimacy she could feel from the penetration of his gaze was beyond belief. There was an indescribable connection between them that scared the hell out of her. It was a feeling she had never experienced or knew to exist. The way he was looking at her made the bottom drop from her stomach.

  “Take me to bed, Michael,” she said abruptly, as if the notion had suddenly registered in her brain. “I want you to make love to me.”

  Michael sat upright, replaying her request in his brain to make sure he had heard it correctly. “I don’t think that’s such a great idea,” he replied, shaking his head.

  “Why not?”

  “Because you just got home from the hospital and you’re still recovering from serious injuries.”

  “My doctor said it’s okay,” she argued.

  “You talked to your doctor about this?”

  “Yes. Before we left I asked him and he said sex was fine, as long as you didn’t go crazy on me.”

  “He said that?”

  “Not in those words, but that’s what he meant.”

  Michael studied her expression and smiled. “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Annie,” he said, shaking his head.

  “You won’t.”

  He stood slowly and tried to adjust the knot in his groin to make it possible to walk. Annie’s eyes followed his every move. “I’ll get you a towel,” he said, and disappeared behind a closet door. Then he helped her out of the tub and into a sitting position on the edge of the marble. Slow and methodical, he patted the towel over her body to remove the excess water, then tightly wrapped it around her torso.

  “Annie, you don’t have to do this for me,” he stated, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her over to his bed. “I don’t mind waiting another week or so until you’re completely healed.”

  “Lay with me,” she sighed against his ear.

  He set her down on the edge of the bed and eased her back against the pillows. Then he laid down beside her and placed his hand on top of the towel tied at her breasts. His eyes bore deeply into hers. “I can’t believe you’re really here,” he sighed. “There were times in the hospital when I didn’t think we’d ever leave.”

  “We’ve come a long way since that night you walked me home from practice,” she smiled.

  “I remember that night as if it happened yesterday,” he sighed, undoing the knot in the towel, and gently pushing the cotton terry fabric off her body. He heard her breath stop short and smiled at her. “I fell in love with you that night.”

  “I fell in love that night too, Michael,” she replied, reaching up to stroke his clean-shaven chin. “After everything we’ve been through, I didn’t think we’d ever be together like this again.”

  “And here we are,” he answered, dropping his head against her chest and taking a responsive nipple into the heat of his mouth.

  “Take off your clothes,” she said suggestively.

  “Excuse me?” he smiled.

  “I’m naked and you’re still fully clothed. Not fair,” she teased.

  He sat upright and pulled his shirt off.

  “Pants too,” she said.

  He laughed loudly and slid out of his jeans then rolled over to face her. She ran her fingers down the length of his midsection and through the soft fuzz of hair on his lower abdomen. The visual image of her destination was perfectly burned into her brain. Then she felt the heat and gentle throb of
his organ as it tapped against her palm.

  Face to face, they laid and stared, sharing kisses and their touch. The only noise in the room was the sound of their breathing. Annie’s fingers moved between his legs and circled his organ. Slowly she began to stroke.

  He reached down and stopped her movements. “Babe, you know that drives me crazy. It makes me desperate to be inside you,” he whispered against her mouth.

  “Then make love to me.”

  “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”

  “You won’t.”

  She touched his face and outlined his lips with her index finger. “I want you to make me feel like everything can be normal again, like it was before the accident.”

  Tentatively, he moved closer. “My feelings haven’t changed, Annie, if that’s what you’re thinking. If anything, my feelings have intensified.”

  “Then show me. I’m lying here covered in scars and feeling a bit self-conscious about it. I want to feel human again. I need to feel whole.”

  He traced the outline of her abdominal scar with his finger. “Is that what this is all about?”

  Annie began to cry.

  Michael’s face grew stern. “Annie, you know what I see when I look at your scars? I see a living, breathing miracle. Those red lines made the difference between you living or dying. Every time I see those marks, I thank God you lived. So, don’t ever diminish the value of them. Without them, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

  Annie’s tears turned into a heavy sob. “I know you’re right, Michael. But my head is filled with stupid irrational thoughts. It’s overwhelming. Sometimes I feel like nothing is the same anymore and never will be again. I get angry because I look this way and then I feel guilty because I survived the accident and Sammy didn’t. It makes me feel like I’m going crazy, like I’m in the middle of a nightmare.”

  He pulled her close against his body and stroked her hair. “Annie, watching you recover from that accident made me realize how precious and fleeting life is and that we should appreciate every day we have.”

  His head dropped and met her lips. “Eventually, everything will be normal again. I promise. But it’s gonna take some time and you’ll have to be patient.” His tongue darted out and flirted with the tip of hers. “I love you so much,” he sighed, pressing his mouth against hers.

  Eagerly, she responded and kissed him back then sucked in her stomach as his hand drifted between her parted thighs. He moaned into her mouth when he felt her wetness. “Please, Michael, can we at least try?” she pleaded. “If it hurts, I’ll ask you to stop.”

  “You drive me to the brink of insanity,” he whispered, carefully moving his body between her legs. Resting his weight on his elbows, he gazed lovingly into her face. Her eyes hung heavy with emotion and lust.

  “Are you sure?” he asked again.

  “Very,” she exhaled, as if waiting another second would surely kill her.

  He bent down and kissed her with love, his chest pressed her breasts flat against his. Then, slow and tentative, he eased himself inside her body.

  “I wish you knew how good you feel, Annie,” he said, inching in to fill her completely. His body moved with tenderness, gently rocking in time with hers, never taking more than he thought she could comfortably give.

  Annie slid her hands onto his backside. She marveled at the motion he was creating, and how perfectly their bodies fit together. When she reached the point of no return, she cried out, only to have her voice stifled by his mouth as it descended upon hers. A few strokes later, he groaned against her neck and shuddered as the waves of orgasm rocketed through his body.

  “God, I love you,” he whispered softly beside her ear.

  Lovingly she stroked his back. “I love you too.”

  Carefully he rolled to her side and kissed her softly. He looked delirious. A long satisfied sigh escaped his mouth as he lightly touched her lips with a finger. “Sheet music,” he whispered.

  “You said that the last time,” she smiled.

  “Well, it’s definitely still sheet music,” he answered.

  “Yeah, it is,” she agreed and moved closer to his side. A grimace replaced her smile.

  “Are you in pain?” he asked.

  “A little bit.”

  “Have you taken any pain medication yet?”

  “No,” she lied.

  Michael handed her the pill bottle from the nightstand and she took another dose. Fifteen minutes later she was sound asleep with Michael slumbering beside her.

  He woke with the sound of a car horn outside the window. Annie barely stirred in the bed. He pulled on his pants as he made his way to the window facing the driveway.

  “Ah, shit.” he grumbled, half zipping his pants.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, hearing his discord.

  “Brian’s here.”

  “So what? Bonita will tell him you’re sleeping and he’ll go away. Come back to bed with me,” she teased.

  Michael laughed. “You don’t know Brian very well, do you? If I don’t go down to see him, he’ll be up here banging on the door.”

  Before he finished his statement there was a loud knock at the bedroom door.

  “See, what did I tell you?” Michael chuckled, making his way toward the door. Behind him, Annie pulled the bed covers over her head, sighing loudly.

  Michael cracked the door open and saw Brian standing beside a very nervous Bonita. “I’ll be right down,” he stated, and began to shut the door. Brian stopped it with his foot and grinned like a Cheshire cat. Bonita rambled through a continuous apology for bothering him, making Michael laugh.

  “I didn’t come to see you, dick head. I came to welcome Annie home,” he informed, attempting to push past Michael.

  “She’s sleeping,” Michael lied, stopping Brian with his arm.

  “Bullshit. I can smell sex in this room! And might I add, I’m disgusted by the thought of you taking advantage of a woman fresh out of the hospital,” Brian snickered and flopped himself across the foot of Michael’s enormous bed. “Wade, I do believe you have sunk to a new low!”

  “Would you believe me if I said it wasn’t my idea?”

  Brian roared with laughter. “Nice try, but I’m not buying it.”

  Michael followed his friend over to the bed, trying to stifle a laugh. “Annie, are you up for a visitor?” he asked, peeking beneath the bed sheet where she was hiding.

  “Do I have a choice?” she asked.

  “Not really,” Michael teased. “Persistence is just one of Brian’s many endearing personality traits.”

  Michael bent and picked up his discarded shirt from the floor then stuffed it beneath the sheets. “Here, you can put this on.”

  “Brian, I can’t believe you’re making me do this,” Annie protested, rustling under the sheets. Moments later, her head appeared from its hiding place and Brian burst out in laughter.

  “Hey, if you want to be a part of the Thrust family, you’ll have to be prepared for my unexpected visits. Isn’t that right, Mike?”

  Annie’s eyes drifted toward Michael. He was grinning from ear to ear with his arms crossed over his bare chest. “He’s right, babe.”

  “Does that mean we get to reciprocate unscheduled meetings at your house too?” she asked Brian.

  “Certainly, but I’ll have to warn you, I don’t wear much clothing around my house and I rarely dress for guests.”

  Annie giggled and tossed a pillow directly at Brian’s head. “Now, that is an image I really didn’t need in my head,” she squealed.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The first several days, Annie rarely left the master bedroom. Michael took care of her completely. Lovingly, he took upon the task of bathing her and washing her hair. He paid great attention to the details of her care and loved every minute of it.

  Hour by hour, they shared the intimate stories of their lives. She learned more about him in those first days than he had shared with any other person in his life. And, they shared t
heir bodies too, in a way that neither had experienced. Along with the details of his life, she was also discovering the nuances of his body and the reactions he’d give back to her whenever she kissed or touched those places. The bond they were slowly building had a life all its own and enthralled them completely. In a sense, they were creating their own mini-universe with a population of two.

  Each morning, Bonita would leave a tray of fresh fruits and hot black coffee outside their door. Then they would spend the next several hours feeding each other in bed.

  Annie smiled lazily as she watched him return to bed with the tray of fruits. He placed the tray beside her and slowly lifted the hem of her sapphire nightie exposing her feminine triangle and stomach. Then he placed a thick, juicy slice of honeydew melon across her belly. Salaciously, he began to lick and nibble at the fruit, making loud slurping sounds as he collected it in his mouth. With each bite he took, she shivered; her excitement escalating a notch.

  “Michael, tell me about your first time,” she asked.

  “Man, that was a lifetime ago,” he replied, as he sucked the fruit juice from her belly button. “I’m not sure I can remember back that far.”

  “Oh, come on. Everyone remembers their first time.”

  He sat up and took another slice of melon from the plate and placed it lower on her abdomen, just above her hair line.

  Annie propped herself up on one elbow and watched him work his tongue over the fruit and her skin. “You’re really enjoying that fruit, aren’t you?”

  “More than you know.”

  “You do realize, of course, you’re making a sticky mess out of me.”

  “Yes. And I’m also getting a very clear visual of the fun I’ll have cleaning you later in the bath tub.”

  The slice of melon was gone, but his mouth continued to savor the taste it had left behind on her skin. Then he stopped and rolled his face to meet her gaze.

  “Heidi Cashman,” he said with a sly grin.

  “What?”

  “She was my first.”