by Ann Lister
He crossed the room and kissed Annie’s forehead. “I’m sorry. Do you mind if we finish our conversation when I get back? I’m going to go kick some sense into that asshole and I’ll be back in a while.”
“Take your time,” she replied, as she listened to him mutter expletives all the way to the front door.
Then she took a deep cleansing breath and exhaled. The house was suddenly quiet. She picked up the letter from the doctor’s office and read through it again. The printed words on the paper gave her mixed feelings but didn’t bring the closure she had hoped for. It was still an open sore but she was going to have to heal herself. Michael had done everything in his power to make her feel secure, safe and loved. He had reached out to her in ways she would not have imaged he was capable of. Their emotional relationship remained rock solid and completely intact. But the physical aspect of their union was still non-existent. Beyond a few erotic kisses, she wouldn’t allow him to progress further and, never once did he push for more. Her protective walls were still large and looming all around her. Somehow, she was going to have to find the strength to begin dismantling the barriers. It was either that, or move out, and she couldn’t bear the thought of being without him.
She went to their bathroom and showered, dusting herself with powder and dots of perfume in all the appropriate spots. Then she slipped on numerous nighties until she found one in which she actually felt comfortable. With her hair still twisted up in a clip, she was tying the last of the shoulder straps when his body filled the doorframe of the bathroom.
Michael stopped short and smiled brilliantly. “Wow,” he sighed. It was the first time in months he had seen her in something other than boxer shorts and a t-shirt.
Her shoulders and eyes dropped. “Michael, please don’t make a big deal out of this,” she said, referring to her attire.
He went to her, his body already swelling with excitement, and pressed his face into her neck. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to go to bed dressed, babe. I’ve always loved the sight of you naked,” he purred against her skin, as his fingers tied the silk strings at the bend of her shoulder.
She watched his face in the mirror as his mouth left delicate kisses up to her ear. His face was flushed and serious. His lips were full and wet.
“You smell amazing,” he sighed, unclasping her hair clip, and moaning softly as the golden strands fell against his face.
She pulled away slightly and turned to face him. “Why don’t you take a shower?”
“Another cold shower?” he asked.
“Whatever you want, Michael,” she smiled coyly.
He studied her face. There was something different in her eyes. A flicker of light he hadn’t seen in a long time. Then again, maybe it was his imagination or his desperation to see something there that wasn’t. Was it a sign of her need for physical affection or something else that might rekindle the spark they once shared?
When he finished in the bathroom he pulled another pair of pajama bottoms from his top drawer and slipped them over his legs. No way in hell was he going to assume anything.
He crossed the room toward the bed. She was lying on her side facing away from him. Slowly, he moved in beside her. His hand slid over her hip.
“Good night,” he whispered, kissing her bare shoulder.
She rolled over to face him. Muted light from the half moon filtered into the room and shadowed her features erotically.
“Good night,” she replied and kissed his lips. When he began to retract from the embrace, she pulled his mouth back to hers and pressed her tongue inside past his teeth. He closed his eyes and groaned, then made love to her mouth.
Her hands roamed the smoothness of his bare chest then gently pushed until his back pressed against the mattress.
“What are you doing, Annie?” he asked.
“I think it’s called touching.”
Her lips replaced her hands on his chest. Hot and wet they inched over his pectorals, savoring each taste as if she had never had the pleasure of doing so before. Her face moved down to his stomach. Her tongue danced around his belly button then dipped inside.
“Annie, you don’t have to do this,” he said, his voice nothing more than a shaky rattle.
She tugged at the strings tied at the waist of his pajama bottoms. One string popped easily, the other seemed knotted.
“Can I ask why you’ve been wearing these awful things?” she asked, pulling harder on the string without success of it releasing.
He attempted a laugh then reached down to dislodge the knot in his waistband. “I didn't want to pressure you by sleeping naked. Not to mention, I thought it might make things easier for me if I wasn't so obvious ,” he smiled.
Annie felt the tie give way. Nervously she moved her hand beneath the cotton fabric and onto his hip. She felt him shudder and inhale sharply.
“Don’t wear them again,” she teased. “You look much better naked.”
Her face inched lower, closer to his heat. Her hands removed the pajama bottoms. She rested her face on his lower belly, rubbing her cheek into the soft hairline leading to his groin. His stomach rose and fell quickly. She closed her eyes, fighting to keep the images of the other woman from taking over her thoughts. It was her loving him now. Tears boiled in her eyes and threatened to spill onto his skin. She took a deep breath and snatched back control.
He arched his back when he felt her lips glide past his hips and onto his flexed thigh.
One by one, she could feel the bricks of her wall falling around her. She kissed and tasted every part of him, re-familiarizing herself with his body.
“Sweetheart, you’re driving me crazy,” he sighed appreciatively.
Every moan he made or word he spoke gave her confidence to continue. Her mouth inched inward, biting and licking toward the center of his masculinity. His fingers disappeared into her hair and lightly tugged.
“Jesus, Annie, I’m not going to last much longer.”
She gazed up at his lust tortured face from between his legs. “But I haven’t even gotten to the good part,” she teased, taking his organ in her hand and gently stroking the flesh.
He smiled back at her, his body straining to control his carnal urge. “It doesn’t matter. What you’re doing to me is…unbelievable,” he sighed and fell back against the sheets as he felt her mouth engulf him.
She eased him inside slowly, inch by inch. His hips lifted and pressed against her face. He praised and coaxed her with beautiful words that made her heart flood with joy. She felt his release build long before she wanted it to end but she knew there would be no stopping the inevitable either. His orgasm rocked him and seemed to last forever.
She watched his facial expression change from total insanity and then drift back to bliss. She had moved him emotionally and physically; it was written all over his face. He gazed down at her, too weak to manage a full smile. Love poured from his eyes.
“Come here,” he said in a low satisfied whisper.
She kissed his stomach and dragged her tongue up between his breasts, then fell into the bend of his extended arm.
His head rolled to face her. “I love you so much,” he said. So much…”
Then he kissed her slow and provocative. Her neck bent back and she opened her mouth wider for him, moaning softly against his lips. He pulled her closer until their bodies molded as one.
“Thank you,” he said.
“For what?” “For loving me. No one has ever moved me the way you do. The power of your touch is overwhelming.”
He bent to kiss her again and she recoiled. Without explanation, she slipped from the bed and headed toward the bathroom.
“Annie? Where are you going?” he called after her.
He muttered a curse and slipped on his pajama bottoms. A few seconds later, he filled the doorway of the bathroom. “Annie? Are you all right?”
She was sitting on the toilet seat with her face in her hands.
“I’m okay. I just need a minute,” sh
e replied, wiping at her cheeks.
He saw her tears and his heart sank. “Annie, you didn’t have to do that if you weren’t ready.”
She looked up at him. “I know. I did it because I wanted to.”
“Why are you crying?”
“Because I felt you were comparing me to…her.”
He leaned against the door, his brain racing to remember what he had said. Then he went to her and pressed her face against his stomach, his arms sliding around the back of her head.
“Annie, that wasn’t meant as a comparison,” he answered, his arms dropped to her shoulders.
“I’m sure it wasn’t. It’s me being overly sensitive. Look, you’ve done so much to make things right between us and express your love. The rest is up to me. I’m the one that has to break down the walls I’ve built around myself, but it’s hard. I want to move beyond this and put things back together with you. I want to be your wife in every sense of the word. I want to…”
Michael fell to his knees, level with her eyes, and took her face in his hands.
“Annie, do you love me?”
“Yes.”
“Then, come with me,” he instructed, taking her by the hand and leading her back to the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to help you break down the wall.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her between his spread thighs. He pressed his face against her stomach and his hands drifted up her bare legs.
“Annie, I’m going to love you like I’ve never loved you before,” he sighed against her belly button.
“Michael…”
“Take your nightgown off for me. I want to see your body.”
Their eyes burned into each other. He could see her reluctance but also felt the fire between her legs.
“Annie, please. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you naked.”
His hands slid around her hips. Then his fingers tugged at the waistband of her panties. She shivered when she felt them graze the skin of her legs and glide down to her ankles.
She could feel the heat of his breath as he bit at her hip through the sheer fabric of her nightgown. His hand shifted between her thighs. Her eyes rolled back in her head. It had been too long since he had touched her and the pleasure racing through her body was electric. His fingers found her wetness and she exhaled loudly.
“Oh, my God, Annie. You are so ready.”
Her hands fell to his shoulders, the fingernails digging into his flesh. Then she flexed and crested as his fingers disappeared inside her body. When her spasms slowed, he massaged her thighs.
“Now, will you take off your nightgown for me?” he asked with a brilliant smile.
One by one, she untied the straps of the garment. When it began to fall she attempted to catch it but he tugged it from her hands.
“I want to see all of you.”
The nightgown fell to the floor and piled at her ankles. His eyes and hands quickly lifted to her breasts. They were much fuller than he remembered, like ripened pieces of fruit, and the nipples a deeper shade of pink. A thin blond hairline descended from her navel to her light brown triangle, mapping out a wondrous journey he had been fantasizing about for months.
She stood before him, exuding femininity, vulnerable, and yet ready for him in every sense. So consumed with thoughts of lust, he could think of nothing else but devouring her. He wanted to love her, head to toe, inside and out - completely, until she begged him to stop. As promised, tonight he would love her like never before.
She saw his eyes roam her nakedness and wondered what he was thinking. His face so serious; it unnerved her. Was he pleased? Shocked by the changes of her body after giving birth? She had never felt so exposed to him. Self-consciously, her arms lifted to cover herself. His hands quickly pushed them away. Then his mouth relaxed into a magnificent smile and bent to kiss her belly.
“You are absolutely beautiful, Annie,” he said, his tongue leaving trails over her stomach.
“I’m still fat,” she replied.
“You just had a baby. There’s a big difference.”
“It’s been almost two months,” she answered.
“Lay down for me,” he asked, standing to make room for her. Then he untied the string holding up his pajama bottoms.
Annie watched his movements in awe. Unlike her, his body was unchanged. He was still an intricately detailed statue of lean muscles, dark flawless skin, with hair in all the right places and completely male. Her heart missed a beat when his organ sprang free from the garment and slapped against the flatness of his stomach.
He smiled coyly at her on the bed. “Not bad for an old man, huh?”
“You’re far from being old, Michael.”
“Fifty is closer than I’d like it to be,” he answered, sliding up against her.
“Fifty going on twenty-one,” she teased.
He kissed her, gently dragging his tongue over her open mouth. “You wouldn’t have wanted to know me at twenty-one,” he answered. “I was wild and without fear, which is never a good combination.
“And you’re not now?”
His attention moved to her throat then to her breasts. His lips ignited little fires on each spot he touched. “A small part of me will always remain wild. It comes with the music I play. But, for the most part, I’m tame.”
“Michael?” He glanced up at her, his eyes heavy with lust. “Yeah?”
“Show me your wild side.”
His mouth slid into the provocative half-grin he was known the world over and fell back onto her skin. Then he loved her. He loved her first with his fingers, then with his mouth, and when she absolutely begged for it, he loved her with his sex. Over and over, he chased her up peaks and teased her in valleys, never thinking of his own reward. Watching her body flush red and glisten with sweat was gift enough for him.
Then her hands circled his neck and pulled him close. “Baby, I love you so much,” she sighed.
It had been months since he had heard her say the words with such sincerity, it made his eye fill with tears. “I love you, too.”
They lay entwined, without disconnecting. He closed his eyes, completely content for the first time in months. She cuddled against his chest, her fingers drifting about his torso with no destination in mind.
“You know our first anniversary is coming up soon,” he said softly, toying with the strands of her hair.
“Yes, I know.”
“I think we should go away and celebrate. We can go anywhere you want: Paris, Rome, Tokyo. You name it and I will make all the arrangements.”
Annie tipped her head back and studied his face. “Does it have to be so far away?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’d rather not travel out of the country with the baby. Could we stay closer to home and her doctor?”
“I suppose so. We could head north to Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine.”
She smiled. That’s sounds a lot better.”
“Okay. I’ll make some calls.”
“You don’t mind if we stay local, do you?” she asked.
“I don’t care where we go as long as you’re with me.”
The next day, Michael set the wheels in motion for their anniversary trip. Annie didn’t want to go for a full week so a long weekend was planned instead. He had the travel agent his band used reserve a secluded cabin in New Hampshire on a lake beneath a mountain. Wanting the destination to be a surprise to Annie, he kept the final arrangements to himself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
On the event of their first wedding anniversary, Michael, Annie and Sammi headed north. For four glorious days they lay low, ate gourmet meals prepared by an on-site staff, took long walks with the baby and made love until Annie begged for rest. And they bonded as a family; which was the most important of all. It was perfect.
But, the joy they shared over that weekend came to an abrupt end as Michael took the turn down the street to their home. Ou
tside the iron gates that led to the estate, two unmarked police cruisers waited. A knot in Michael’s stomach quickly formed.
“Oh shit,” he said, slowly pulling his Land Rover up to the security system beside the gate. He pressed the number code into the call box and waited while the iron gates swung open.
“What’s the matter?” Annie asked, craning her neck to see better.
“We’ve got company,” he answered, watching his rear view mirror as the police cars pulled into the driveway behind him.
“Who? Fans?” she asked, knowing it wasn’t the first time cars were seen lurking outside their gate.
“No, it’s the cops.”
“The police?”
Michael parked the Land Rover in front of the double mahogany doors, stepped out of the vehicle and went around to help Annie. After helping her from the car, he handed her the house keys. “Here, take Sammi inside. I’ll see what they want.”
Annie quickly pulled a sleeping Sammi from the back seat and headed toward the front doors, and disappeared inside.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Wade,” the first detective greeted as he approached Michael.
Michael tossed him a suspicious nod. “What can I do for you?”
“We’ll get right to the point, Mr. Wade,” the second detective said.
“I wish you would,” Michael replied, his patience already waning.
“When was the last time you saw Brian Lofgren?” the first detective asked, pulling out a small note pad to scribble any information Michael might supply them.
Michael shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know…last Thursday, I think. Why? What’s he done now?”
“Statutory rape and attempted murder,” the second officer announced flatly, without making eye contact with Michael. “And that’s just for starters. I’m sure there’ll be more charges filed,” he added with sarcasm.
Michael shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like something Brian would do. He’s not the violent type.”
“You can call him whatever you like, Mr. Wade, but this time, your friend has got himself into some deep shit.”