My Cheeky Angel - Angels Love Romance

by Mimi Barbour

  “No, silly, you won’t. You’ll act like the lady you are, then go home and eat a lot of junk and break every CD he likes.... I’m kidding.”

  “How can you joke at a time like this? You’re supposed to be an angel.”

  “Right, an angel, not a saint. Just stop dawdling. Face the music, and take it like a Psychology Major. If his news is bad, simply fill a prescription for anti-depressives and work on acquiring a taste for lots of wine.”

  She laughed. “You’re joking, right?”

  The soft touch on her cheek turned into a small slap. “Go!”

  Feeling slightly better, she rapped their special one, two, one-two-three knock and waited.

  ***

  The dazzling redhead who opened the door smirked and invited her into the room by placing one hand on her hip and waving the other in a bowing movement as if Annie was royalty. She then reached out to take the plate of goodies before they slid any farther toward the rim.

  “Oh, wow, matrimonial squares. I love them. Hey, Ty, look what Annie brought us.”

  Tyler appeared, standing at the kitchen entrance. “Simone, stop being a brat. Put those down and leave.”

  Simone made a childish face, lips pouting, and Tyler laughed.

  Annie’s sad eyes stared from Tyler to the taunting, smiling face of the beautiful redhead and then back to him.

  He spoke again, sounding like a parent with a naughty child. “One. That’s all you get. Go! You’ll be late.” He picked up Simone’s luggage and proceeded toward the door, grabbing her arm on the way past and hauling her along with him.

  She stopped him by twisting away before he could open it. “First you have to introduce me to Annie.”

  Tyler stood with his head down for a few seconds and inhaled very loudly. Then, he put his hands on his hips and turned to face the two women staring at him—one with a defiant look of glee on her face, the other with a look that revved up his heartbeat. He couldn’t tell if it was from fear or elation. Reflexively, his hands reached up so his fingers could skim through his hair and interlock on his neck.

  She’s wondering why I asked her here. He could see the questions in Annie’s eyes.

  Simone cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to the present circumstances.

  “Annie? I’d like for you to meet my—ahh—goofycousinSimone.”

  “Ex-CUSE me?” Sparks shot from her wide eyes. She looked first at Tyler, and then at his cousin. The next moment, fragrant Chanel No 5 and Simone’s strong arms engulfed her.

  “I’ve wanted to meet you for so long; you’re all this big lug talks about. Annie this and Annie that. Oh, and last night, he begged for my help, so I had to play along with him, but don’t hold it against me, okay?” She moved an arm’s length back from Annie, waiting for some reaction.

  “Oh!” Annie’s blue flashers were sparkling.

  “See, Ty! I told you she wouldn’t be mad. She’s probably so darn happy we’re not hooked up that she’ll forgive me, and we can all be friends.”

  Tyler watched Annie’s reaction and, knowing her better than anyone, clued in to her feelings. He was a dead man.

  “Did you at least have a good laugh at my expense?” Her chin jutted out. Thunderclouds formed.

  “Actually, Ty didn’t, but I have to admit, I got a giggle or two out of it all. You should have seen your face—it was priceless when you looked up and saw us. Did they make you pay for the broken bottle?”

  Tyler groaned and covered his eyes. One finger slid aside to give him a brief glimpse at Annie’s expression.

  She was smiling. Just a little one, but it grew. Then her features broke up and the giggling started. “They charged my boss for the bottle, and since the stuffed shirt was showing off to some potential new customers, he’d ordered nothing but the best.” With that said, the two girls laughed until they clutched their sides. Except that Tyler’s cousin didn’t end up sobbing with tears raining down her face.

  Simone, a tenderhearted girl started to reach over to hug Annie and stopped when she heard Tyler groan. He'd moved swiftly to intercept. So instead she backed away, wheeled her luggage to the door, and closed it behind her—very quietly.

  “Come here, sweetheart.” Tyler gathered Annie into his arms, deliberately slow in case he’d read the scenario wrong and she was still angry.

  “Lizzie’s dead, and I thought it was L-Lea.”

  “Excuse me? You thought Lea was dead? Why would you think that? She’s fine. Who’s Lizzie?” He rocked her, patting her back like he did with the children at the agency when they needed to be held.

  She struggled through every word, shuddering, gasping—trembling. “The police took me to the morgue to identify the body of a young fe-female who I thought would be Lea. Instead it was Hugo’s wife, Lizzie. Someone beat her so badly it was difficult to make out her features. I—I was only able to recognize her by a tattoo she had on her chest.”

  The last statement heralded more grief, and her wails grew louder. He picked her up like one would a child, cuddling her and swinging her from side to side.

  “Shush, baby. Don’t cry anymore. You’ll be sick.” He’d never heard anyone else make the sounds Annie did. Sobs that choked, interspersed with harsh groans delivered in between frenzied shuddering. His eyes narrowed with sympathy. He laid his forehead on hers and blew softly in her face. “Come on, sweetheart. Take a breath.”

  He finally sat down with her on his lap. Her wet face rested against his neck, her damp forehead on his cheek. She continued to sniffle, and every so often another run of quivering took hold. Eventually, she quieted.

  “My poor little Annie. It’s been a terrible day for you. I’m so sorry, honey.”

  “An-and you were angry with me on the phone.” She whispered the words, sounding like a child.

  “Oh, baby, I’ve never been angry at you. Today an incident happened just when you called, and I had no choice but to cut you off. I promise you, the sound you heard in my voice wasn’t anger.”

  She rested, her hand seeking to rub away evidence of her sorrow. She felt the damp T-shirt under her hair, and slowly a smile formed.

  “Ty? I hope your shirt’s been pre-washed. I might have shrunk it.”

  His face lit up and the one-sider formed. “If you did, I’ll have to charge you.”

  “What’s the price?”

  “How about a kiss?”

  “I see a definite shrinkage. What a shame!” She tilted her head back and searched for his lips. Little did Annie know, it was a kiss a teenager might consider sexy, but not the kind of kiss an experienced woman uses to turn on a grown man. No problem. He loved every puckering part of it.

  He thought about how much fun he was going to have teaching her the variety of seduction techniques. But, before other thoughts could enter his befuddled mind, he realized she must have taken a few of his earlier lessons to heart. Her tongue slid inside his mouth and searched for his.

  He tried to put her away from him, slow things down a bit, but no way. She enclosed his face in her soft hands and wouldn’t let go. She nipped at his lips, then licked at the imaginary wounds as if she’d drawn blood. The only blood affected by her machinations was the blood that pooled in his groin. Her squirming increased the pressure, and his tight jeans went from slightly uncomfortable to downright painful. He pried her off and set her gently back against the sofa, then stood up.

  All they’d done was kiss, and look at the shape he found himself in. Celibacy was a bitch if a man practiced the lifestyle for so long that restoring an active sexual routine left a guy with no self-control. And with a virgin, which he knew her to be. Tonight couldn’t be a “wham, bam, thank you, ma’am” kind of encounter. She’d need plenty of stroking and foreplay. God help him, he’d need to go slow and calm her virgin fears.

  While his thoughts played ping-pong, she slowly stood and wrapped herself around him like he was a tree and she the night wind. He scooped her close and stared into her sultry blue pools, all the whil
e trying to concentrate: Remember, take things easy, and build up the excitement, don’t scare her.

  Shit! Scare her? Her hand was groping his fly. Lord, love a duck! She wasn’t willing to play by the rules. Innocent girls were supposed to be shy, timid, and let the more experienced partner lead.

  Right?

  Wrong.

  Annie never did the expected. On her toes, she hugged her body length to his, grinding her hips against his swelling as she began to lick her way around his neck and under his chin. Oh- oh! He was in big trouble.

  “Annie, honey, we have to go slow—down, go...slow...down.” he babbled, and gently moved her hand away from his zipper. Her wandering fingers were already making him into a gibbering idiot. It was time to take charge.

  “Didn’t you like it? Me touching you there?” She looked at him with her thickly black-fringed, sapphire beauties, and he was lost.

  “Oh, God, I loved it!” He groaned.

  Before he could explain further, she cut in and asked, “Do I have to stop?”

  The uncertain look in her eyes and the hunching of her shoulders made him realize it was not the best moment for a verbal sex lesson. She was so uninhibited, a man’s ideal, that he snatched her back into his embrace and whispered words that made the blunder of his abrupt halt disappear.

  “God, no—don’t ever stop touching me. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. I needed to see your beautiful eyes the first time I said it.” His brain might not be working at top speed, but he was no fool.

  She melted right in front of him. Her legs buckled. So he lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bedroom, to his bed, and fell onto it with her clutched tight against him.

  Over and over she repeated, “I love you, too. I’ve always, always and forever, loved you. I didn’t realize. God, Tyler! I wouldn’t admit to myself how wonderful you were until I thought I’d lost you.”

  As she babbled, she struggled to remove first his clothes, and finding that too difficult she tried hers, pulling, tearing, ripping intolerantly at the stubborn articles. “Hurry, hurry, please hurry.”

  All she’d managed to do was get him caught up in his T-shirt—with it half on and half off so his hands were useless. Finally he got it untwisted enough to remove it and looked over to see her with her New York T-shirt trussed over her face while she frantically pulled at it. Her jeans were at half-mast as she wiggled and bucked, obviously frustrated by the universe’s sense of humor.

  He grinned. He couldn’t help it. She was amazing. “Honey, hold still. I’ll help you. Look, I have to ask you a very personal question. Please don’t feel shy, but I need to know. Is this your first experience with a man?”

  She froze just as he gave one hard pull and released her from the prison of her top. Enormous smoldering eyes stared at him. Her hair was standing on end, and the fact that she was almost naked didn’t help his concentration. Redness invaded her neck, her cheeks, and even her forehead.

  “I’ve never been with a woman, either.”

  “Cute, real cute!” His sigh was loud and bordering on a chuckle. “Tell me, are you a virgin?”

  “Does a boy’s bicycle bar count?”

  “Excuse me?” He leaned away and stared at her, his eyes twinkling.

  “Well, when I was twelve, I stole the neighbor boy’s bicycle and tried to ride it, but only because my parents refused to get me one of my own. My parents considered them dangerous.”

  “A bike—dangerous? Give me a break!”

  “I’m serious. Turned out she was right. I took a fall, and I began to bleed from my—ahh, you know where. Mother became hysterical. She rushed me to the closest hospital, straight to the emergency. A nice female intern told me that I’d ruptured my hymen and explained what it meant. I was devastated. I mean, how the hell does a girl tell her first fellow he was bested by a boy’s bicycle bar? And you can quit laughing. I truly don’t think it’s that funny.”

  The only way to keep her from flouncing out of his bed was to choke back his chuckles and step up his seduction. “God, Annie. I’ll love you forever.” He started towards her.

  “For your information, I’m not a total dunce when it comes to making out.”

  “I didn’t notice. Seemed to me you were doing just fine.”

  “You’re teasing. You can tell, can’t you? Damn! I watched a couple of X-rated movies so I’d get it right, but I’m flubbing it. I knew after you pulled my hand away.”

  “You’re adorable, you know that? I didn’t move your hand because I disliked what you were doing. The problem was that I liked it too much. Annie, honey, there’s nothing you can do wrong. Nothing! Don’t you get it? When two people make love, anything goes. Just let yourself relax and enjoy the mood. Don’t get caught up in the mechanics. And honey, you can do whatever you want with any part of my body anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Got it?”

  “Got it!”

  “Come here.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Carefully, he scooped her under him and leaned over her, watchful of his weight. He kissed her, and at first it was nice—nice and gentle. But soon he moved his tongue inside her mouth like a weapon of pure sin. His lips were sucking her soul right out of her. She trembled with passion and, as much as her body ignited, her mind was totally concentrating on those killer lips. A moan broke loose. He answered. Next she whimpered, and he moved his assault to her throat.

  Her hands reached for his shoulders and moved around, then down, rubbing his hips, then lower. She slid inside his open jeans and tentatively caressed his bottom. Every inch of this man belonged to her now, and she needed to lay her claim, to meld into him, and be as close as humanly possible. Pushing upwards, she ground her pelvis into the hardness that drew her like a male’s eyes were drawn to naked boobs. Then she felt him undo the fastening on her bra.

  He leaned away from her and slowly peeled it off, gazing at her nakedness. The worshiping glint in his eyes, when he searched hers, melted the last of her shyness. With a cheeky wink, he resumed his play. First, he rubbed his face gently against her swollen breasts as if inhaling her essence. Soon his hands traveled over her, caressing, exploring. She heard him take a long, noisy breath, and he seemed to hold it forever.

  Exhaling finally, he cupped her fullness, and then lowered to lick at the prize he held so reverently. His face nuzzled between the two nipples, kissing his way from one to the other. He made sure not to miss one little inch on her trembling chest, covering the silken skin in sucking kisses, licks, and a few love bites here and there. Then her nipple was in his mouth.

  Not knowing how a man-made orgasm felt, she was unprepared as the first overwhelming sensation flooded her. Sweeping through every nerve ending she possessed, it ended in vibrant pulsations at the core of her lower body. She cried out, totally engaged in the beauty of her feelings, jerking and throbbing, whimpering and soaring.

  He gathered her to him and held on while she rode the waves, her rhythmic movements lifting her to an all-time pleasurable high. She soon quieted, and her small voice peeped out, “I screwed up again, didn’t I?”

  “Baby, screwing is what we’re doing here. You’re so uniquely responsive, which means I’m going to be a very fortunate man. Trust me when I say lots of women wish they could be so lucky.”

  She smiled at him, delighted with his reaction. The sweat from her body cooled, making her shiver. Once again he used himself as her blanket, and she felt the bulge he couldn’t hide. Wishing him to understand she was ready to play again, she pushed herself up against him and made a circular movement with her hips, an action inviting a response. He leaned away from her and took a few seconds to enjoy the sight of her in skimpy, soaked, white-lace panties. Then, he shimmied down and kissed her through them. Swiftly, she grabbed his hair and tried to yank him upwards.

  “Unless you intend for me to have all the fun, my suggestion is—you’d better not go there.”

  His side grin lit up every feature on his face. It was like a moving wor
k of art. “Annie, honey, I adore you.”

  In succession, he laid kisses on her stomach moving up from her navel to her throat, his ultimate aim—her lips. Meantime, he shed the last of his clothing from his lower body, and then took care of hers. In a few short seconds he was fully on top of her, fully aroused and full to the brim of baby-making juice.

  “Damn!” He groaned, jerked stiffly, and rolled to the side of the mattress, his hands groping furtively, searching for the packet in his jeans pocket.

  “What? Don’t stop. God, Tyler, please. What are you doing?” Annoyance came through loud and clear, if her whining was anything to go by.

  “Shush, sweetheart. I’m getting a condom. I don’t aim to make you pregnant.”

  “Why not?”

  “Are you kidding me? You want to have a baby?”

  “Your baby? Sure. I’d love it.”

  His voice turned hoarse with emotion. “Did I happen to mention how much I adore you?” Soft lips returned to kissing her as if he’d never get enough, and his pants were flung into the corner—packets and protection completely forgotten. One hand cradled her face, while his other traveled a slow routine up and down, from her neck to her knees and not missing any of the places invented specially for pleasure.

  At the same time his penis made its way home. As soon as Annie felt the first prod she took matters into her own hands. Literally. She guided him and made sure she wriggled enough to have him firmly in place. He held his breath and tried not to be disgraced from the touch of her diligent, gripping fingers.

  Now in position, his hips began to thrust as she held her breath. First he slid in just a little— followed by a suggestive wiggle—and out—then in again, and another wiggle. Her tight, slick sheath stretched and accommodated him. The wetness made the passage easier. The friction made them both crazy.

  The moans and sighs peaked as she tried to help things along by giving one gigantic shove upwards. Not being slow to take a hint, he pushed in and out of her body with more vigor, faster and harder, again and again. Beyond thinking, her head rolled from side to side, until he reached for her hands and lifted them over her to hold them entwined in his. The look in his eyes, one she’d never forget, showed his smoldering desperation, the state of his extreme arousal and his love. In return, her eyes bathed him with adoration. She felt consumed in an agony of bliss.