by Gerri Hill
Jordan blew out her breath as she remembered Annie’s face buried between her legs, her mouth and tongue driving her mad. For having no experience, Annie hadn’t shied away from anything. Jordan had been embarrassed by the scream that nearly choked her when she climaxed. Then Annie’s mouth and lips made a return journey up her body, stopping only when they reached her mouth, kissing her with such an agonizing passion that Jordan nearly climaxed again.
“I think I’m in big trouble,” she murmured.
She got up from the chair and walked out to get another cup of coffee, anything to occupy her mind and keep memories of last night away.
What was Annie thinking this morning? Jordan had crawled out of bed at seven, and Annie hadn’t even budged. She’d showered and dressed, finding Annie still curled on her side, sound asleep. She decided not to wake her. She didn’t bother with coffee or breakfast. She picked up both on her way to Fat Larry’s.
And now here she was, nervously awaiting Annie’s arrival. Would it be awkward to see her in the light of day? Would Annie be sorry they’d slept together? Would she want to talk? Discuss it?
With a shake of her head, Jordan went back into the office. Whatever Annie wanted, whatever she needed, Jordan would have to go with it. And if Annie thought it was a huge mistake, then they would just have to live with it.
If that turned out to be the case, it would certainly make leaving that much easier. Hell, if that was the case, she might head out earlier than September. No sense hanging around if there was going to be tension between them.
Her head was spinning with so many unanswered questions, so many scenarios running through her mind. She had to stop or she would drive herself crazy until Annie got there. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait any longer. The outer door opened and she glanced up, finding Annie staring back at her. She was relieved by the smile Annie gave her. She returned it, her fears slipping away.
“You’re late,” she said as Annie walked into the office.
“Yeah…about that,” Annie said. “I hope my boss will cut me some slack. I kinda had a rather…well, a rather eventful night.”
“Oh, yeah?” Jordan felt her face turn red.
Annie laughed. “You’re so cute when you blush.”
Jordan blushed even more. “So…do we need to talk?”
Annie tilted her head. “No. I’m good.” She arched an eyebrow. “You?”
Jordan flashed a grin, her relief obvious. “Oh, yeah. I’m good.”
Annie’s slow smile caused Jordan to stop breathing entirely.
“Yes…you are definitely…good.”
* * *
Annie folded up a T-shirt, placing it neatly back in its bin. She found herself singing along to a Lady Gaga song. She smiled when she realized what she was doing. While Jordan allowed most of Matt’s old classics to play, she’d added some songs “from this century” to the mix.
She glanced up as the bell chimed and she smiled at the two customers who had walked in. For a Sunday, they had been busy, and Molly had volunteered to work the afternoon as well as the morning. Normally, she and Jordan handled the Sunday duties by themselves, with one of the others working a short ten-to-two shift. When two o’clock came and the store had been crowded, Molly offered to stay, saying she had no plans for the afternoon. Annie thought Molly had really grown over the summer. She was much more interactive with the customers now and showed none of the shyness that she’d first exhibited. She hoped that carried over to her senior year of high school.
She sighed. School. Yes, her last year of college would be starting soon too. To say the summer had flown by was an understatement. It seemed like only yesterday that they were having Matt’s funeral, that she’d first met Jordan. And it seemed like only weeks ago—not months—that she’d found out she was pregnant. Yet, in three short weeks, she’d be starting classes again.
And in three short weeks, Jordan would be making plans to leave, to go back to Chicago. Annie felt a tightness in her chest that was nearly painful. Jordan was going to leave soon.
She wasn’t ready for Jordan to leave. Not now. Not now that they were…lovers.
She closed her eyes for a second. Lovers. Yes, they were definitely lovers. Images from last night flashed through her mind in record speed, causing her heart to race. What she’d had in the past with Derrick, with Matt, couldn’t even begin to compare to the intimacy of what she’d shared with Jordan last night. Making love took on an entirely new meaning with Jordan.
“Hey.”
She turned, finding Jordan watching her. She cleared her throat. “Hey.”
Jordan walked closer and Annie felt the heat between them. She thought perhaps Jordan could read her mind, for when their eyes met, she saw a shimmer of desire in Jordan’s.
“My mother called. She’s making lasagna. She wanted to know if we wanted to stop by the house on our way home.”
Annie nodded, even though what she really wanted to do was to head straight home and have a repeat of last night. “Sure.” Then she smiled. “You know I’ll never pass up a meal,” she said as she patted her stomach.
Jordan laughed. “Okay, I’ll let her know.” Her gaze drifted across the store. “Why are we so busy today?”
“School starts soon. A lot of people are taking their last vacations of the summer,” she said. “And you should not be complaining about being busy.”
“I know.” She paused. “I can’t stop thinking about last night.”
Annie reached out and squeezed Jordan’s hand quickly before releasing it. “Me either.”
Jordan’s eyes darkened. “I vote we decline the dinner invitation.”
Annie felt the now-familiar flutter of butterflies in her stomach. “Good. Gets my vote too.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jordan leaned on her elbow, watching Annie sleep. Once again, the lamp had been forgotten and the bedroom was still bathed in a soft glow. Her hand was resting against Annie’s belly…against the baby. She kept still, hoping to feel the baby move, even though it was probably too early. Annie said her doctor told her it would be another few weeks before she felt movement. That thought made her sad. In a few weeks she would be leaving, heading back to her life in Chicago. She knew it would be hard to leave, but now that they were lovers, it would be doubly so.
Annie stirred and Jordan watched as her eyes fluttered open, then closed again. A smile on Annie’s lips told her she was awake.
“I guess we fell asleep,” Annie mumbled. She turned her head, her eyes opening again. “Or I did.”
“Me too.”
Annie rolled over, facing her. Under the covers, her hand moved to Jordan’s breasts, stroking one lightly.
“What are you thinking about?”
Jordan met her gaze. “Nothing, really,” she lied. “I was hoping to feel the baby move.”
Annie took Jordan’s hand and pressed it against her belly. “The doctor said that since it’s my first baby, I probably wouldn’t feel it until about twenty weeks or more. I’m at seventeen now.”
Jordan sank lower under the covers and pulled Annie flush against her. “So…what do you want? Boy or girl?”
Annie smiled. “I don’t know. I think a little boy would be fun. I’m not really into dress-up. Suzanne and Macy both have girls. Macy has two. All the bows and crap they make them wear…I can’t see me doing that.”
Jordan laughed quietly. “So jeans and a Fat Larry T-shirt on the little man and you’re good to go?”
“Wouldn’t that be cute?”
“Yeah, that would be adorable.” Her smile faltered somewhat. She wondered if she’d be around to see it.
“What?”
Jordan raised her eyebrows.
Annie pulled her hand from under the covers and cupped Jordan’s face, her fingers playing gently against her skin. “Do we need to talk?”
Jordan sighed. “I’ll be leaving soon.”
Annie’s hand stilled. “I don’t like to think about you leaving.”
“
The time…well, it kinda got away from me. I was supposed to hire someone to run the store when I leave. And you’ll be starting school again pretty soon.”
“I’m going to still work part-time,” Annie said. “And if Brandon could take some more hours, I think we can manage it.”
“I know the winters aren’t that busy, but maybe Molly would work Saturdays.” She rolled over onto her back and folded one arm behind her head. “I’m not ready to leave, Annie.”
Annie rested her head on Jordan’s shoulder, snuggling closer. “I don’t want you to leave either.”
Jordan sighed again, wondering why she was trying so hard to convince herself leaving was the right thing to do. “I have to. I own a condo. My job…I worked so hard to get where I am. Peter is expecting me by September. I don’t think he’ll hold my job after that.”
Annie curled her arm around Jordan’s waist. “You’re going to come back though, right? You’re not going to disappear, are you? Because I kinda need you here.”
Jordan could hear the panic in Annie’s voice. She rolled to her side again, facing Annie. She kissed her slowly, her lips fitting between Annie’s. “I’m not going to disappear,” she whispered. “I promise.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Annie had just finished with a customer when a familiar face walked into the store. Her mother in Fat Larry’s was the last thing she expected.
“Shopping?” she asked.
Her mother shook her head. “I thought maybe you would have time for lunch.”
Annie’s eyebrows shot up. “Lunch? That’s a first.”
“Well, it’s been a while since you’ve been by the house. Or called, for that matter.”
Annie put her hands on her hips. “Really, Mom? You expect me to continue begging you for acceptance? The last time I called, you were too busy for me. Remember?”
“Yes, I remember. I’m sorry,” she said. Her mother’s gaze swept over her. “You look…really good, Annie.”
Annie smiled. “Thank you. I feel good.”
“So? Lunch? Can you take a break?”
“Sure. Let me tell Jordan. I’ll be right back.”
Annie found Jordan in the office, a smile on her face. She looked up when Annie walked in, and she pointed to the monitor.
“Look at this,” Jordan said. “Even though we give away Fat Larry T-shirts all the time, they’re still one of our top sellers. Especially the new design with Fat Larry sunning on the beach. Crazy.”
“Do I need to remind you who thought of that design?”
Jordan laughed. “No, you don’t.”
Annie touched her shoulder lightly. “It seems I have a lunch date,” she said.
“Oh, yeah?”
“My mother came in. Invited me to have lunch with her.”
Jordan nodded. “That’s good, right?”
“I guess. As long as she doesn’t launch into one of her speeches about how horrible it is to be an unwed mother. Or bring up me and Derrick getting back together.”
“Well, then go to lunch across the street at Pepe’s. That way, if she starts in on you, you can get up and leave,” Jordan suggested.
Annie smiled. “Good idea. I am craving Mexican food, after all.” She raised an eyebrow. “Want me to bring something back for you?”
“Yeah. The chicken enchilada platter would be good.” Jordan stood up and pulled some money from her pocket.
“I can get it,” Annie offered.
But Jordan placed the money in her palm anyway. “No need. You’re about to become a college student again.”
“Don’t remind me,” she said. “Because that means you’ll be leaving.”
Jordan’s smile faded. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about it.”
“I know.” She plastered a smile on her face. “I better get going. See you in a bit.”
“Have fun.”
Annie paused at the door, then turned around. “If I tell you something, will you promise me you won’t freak out?”
Jordan shrugged. “Okay. I don’t freak out too easily.”
Annie met her gaze across the room. “I just…well…I thought you should know that I’m falling in love with you.”
She turned on her heels before Jordan could respond and hurried out the door. God, it felt good to say that. Scary, but good. Because last night when they made love, she could almost feel Jordan taking ahold of her heart. She had felt a swelling of emotions that she’d never experienced before. Surely this is what falling in love feels like.
But should she have told Jordan? God, what if Jordan…what if she wasn’t feeling any of these same emotions? Was she being presumptuous to assume that Jordan was falling in love too? She very nearly panicked. She should go to Jordan, take back her words. Tell Jordan her hormones were all jacked up again.
“Oh, God, you’re so stupid,” she murmured.
But the sight of her mother stopped her from going back into the office. She took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. So she told Jordan she was falling in love? They would deal with it just like they’d done everything else. It would be fine. She would be fine. And maybe it was her hormones. Who knows?
“All set?” her mother asked.
Annie nodded. “I’m craving Mexican food,” she said. “How about across the street at Pepe’s?”
“That’s fine. I haven’t been there recently.”
“I eat there quite a bit,” Annie said as she held the door open for her mother. “Or else Jordan picks up something and we eat in the office.”
“You live together, you work together and you eat together? You must be sick of each other’s company by now.”
Wow. They hadn’t even made it across the street yet and her mother was already starting. Annie decided she wasn’t in the mood to argue with her today.
“We get along great, thanks.” When they got to Pepe’s, she again held the door open for her mother. “And we don’t always work together. Jordan comes and goes, especially since Brandon can close now.” She smiled at Emily and held up two fingers, then turned back to her mother. “How is Dad?”
“Fine. He misses you. We both do.”
“Funny. He hasn’t called me once.” She smiled quickly. “Neither have you.”
Emily came up. “How’s a booth today, Annie?”
“Great. Thank you.”
They followed her to their table and sat down. Emily didn’t even bother to place a menu in front of her, only giving one to her mother. A basket of chips and two small bowls of salsa were brought out and Annie reached for a chip immediately.
“No menu?” her mother asked.
“I get the same thing every time,” she said. “Chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce.”
“Sounds good. I may try that too.”
Annie loaded a chip with salsa, nearly moaning at the taste. While she’d always enjoyed Mexican food, her sudden craving for hot and spicy food was a bit odd for her. Thankfully, she had no adverse effects from it and ate it at will.
“So I guess you’ve been to the doctor a couple of times now, right?”
“Yes.”
“And when are you due?”
“January fifteenth,” she said.
“That will be here before you know it.”
“I know. I’m told the last couple of months are the longest,” she said.
“So have you told everyone?”
Annie smiled. “It’s not like I can hide it any longer,” she said, motioning to the blouse she was wearing. “Suzanne went shopping with me, since you were too busy to go,” she said. “I didn’t get a lot though. I can’t believe how expensive maternity clothes are.”
Her mother ignored the jab at her. “Well, you look beautiful, Annie. Happy. Radiant, in fact.”
Annie felt a blush on her face. She wondered if her sudden radiance was due to being pregnant or to having the best sex she’d ever had in her life.
“I feel good,” she said. “My morning sickness stopped, thankfully.
I’d read horror stories of women being sick for months during pregnancy.”
“I only had a touch of it myself,” her mother said. “You don’t look like you’ve gained weight. I hardly gained any when I was pregnant with you.”
“I feel fat and I eat like a pig,” she said with a laugh. “Jordan assures me that I’m not fat, however.” She looked up as Emily came back over.
“Ready to order? I’m assuming you’ll have your usual?”
“Yep. And my mother will have the same. Two teas.”
“Okay. It’ll be right out.”
“Oh, Emily. And I need an order to go.”
“For Jordan? The usual? Extra rice, no beans?”
“Yes, thanks.”
“I guess you must come here a lot if they know what you order each time,” her mother said.
“At least once a week, sometimes twice,” she said. “Either that or Subway. I get a turkey sandwich with mounds of banana peppers on it. I don’t know why I’ve been craving peppers and spicy food.”
“Everyone craves different things, I guess. I was predictable and ate a jar of dill pickles nearly every day.”
“So far, no pickle cravings,” she said.
Her mother folded her hands together, a gesture Annie knew signaled an end to their small talk.
“We want you to move back home with us.”
Annie frowned. “Why?”
“You need to be with your family, that’s why.”
Annie leaned forward, eyebrows raised. “What about all of your worries? What will the neighbors say? What about your friends at church? What about all that?”
“I was…in shock, Annie. You, of all people, getting pregnant? I handled it poorly, I know.”
“Poorly is an understatement, Mom. You turned your back on me,” she said bluntly.
“That’s not true. I asked you not to move out. I asked you to stay.”
Annie shook her head. “I’m not going to argue with you. And thank you for the offer. But no.”
“No? Why not? You’ll need some help, Annie. Once this baby is born, you’ll need my help.”
“And you’ll be welcome to come out to Pelican’s Landing to help, if you’d like. I know Loraine will be there.”