She quieted, feeling the heat between them despite the cold and heavy spray of the shower. “Me too.”
He leaned down and took her breast in his mouth as he entered her. His cock pumped hard into her, slapping the water as he pushed further and further into her. She threw her head back, moaning from the pleasure rising from her core to her heart.
They lay on the bed, the night breeze drifting through the window and cooling their heated naked bodies. Her hair was splayed on his chest as her fingers played with the indent at his hips.
“You never told me much about your family?” she asked.
“There isn’t much to tell,” he said, caressing her back.
“Who did you live with after you know… your mom…”
He sighed. “She had a friend. I called her Momma Leticia. She promised my mother she would take care of me and damn, she did live up to that promise.” He let out a small chuckle. “She had two daughters and a son and yet she never treated me any different to them. She praised me when it was needed and rained fire when I deserved it. She was one fine woman. But she was a hotel maid and the guilt got to me, you know. Being there, taking that extra handout when they needed it. So I left when I was eighteen years old.”
“Do you see them often?”
“A few times. But now not as much as before. They’re doing really well now. Jamal, her son plays professional basketball and his sisters are young and beautiful and intelligent women at college and university.”
“You sound awfully proud of them.”
“I am. They’re my family.”
“They must miss you.”
“They do.” He grew silent.
“What’s stopping you to go back to them?”
He combed her hair with his fingers. “It used to be my career.”
“And now?”
He smiled. “You. I want to be with you.”
She smiled. “Where are they?”
“They all live in LA now.”
“I hope I would be able to meet them one day. You don’t mind, do you?”
He kissed her fingers. “I would love for you to meet them.” He rolled her on her back and lifted her chin to kiss her on the lips. “And tell them I’m okay now. That I’ve met the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on and that she is mine.”
She chuckled. “You know you have a way with words that makes my heart flutter. Even if they may not be all true.”
“You don’t believe me?” he said with feigned disappointment.
“Oh come on, Eric. I know you can get any woman you want. And I most possibly am not your dream woman. I’m not normal and no man wants to be burdened with a blind woman. But I’m just happy that you’re here with me for now.”
“I remember the first time I saw you.” He looked into her eyes, seeing his reflection in it, his mind reliving that moment again when he had seen her across the basketball courts. “I thought you were so beautiful, you would never be interested in someone like me.”
“Eric?”
“You are not of this world, Anne Mullen. And if that makes you not normal, then I am the luckiest man alive.”
She traced his face lightly with her fingers. Her heart pounded in her chest. How could a man be so devoted to her? Was it even possible?
She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her, burying her face into his shoulder. Her heart ached. He was a fantasy. And one day she would wake up and he would fade away… back into the world he came from.
I love you, Eric Tanner. I love you so much it hurts.
“What are you going to do today?” she asked as he stood holding her in his arms by the kitchen bench.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged, and then tucked her long fringes behind her ears. “Probably, look at you all day.”
She grew quiet for a while. “I wish I could do that,” she uttered.
He tensed. “Anne?”
She covered her face and shook away the pain piercing inside her. “When I went blind, I had resigned myself to the fact that I might never be able to have everything a normal woman would want. I would never have a boyfriend. And a wedding. A wedding with roses on arches, perhaps, by a lake and bridesmaids in beautiful dresses. No, I would most probably never have a husband, let alone kids.” She sighed. “It didn’t matter then, you see. I had seen my mom and my dad. They were the ones who mattered to me. And when finally I couldn’t see any more, all I had to do was to imagine them. My imagination… that could never be taken away from me. And as long as I had that, I would be okay, right?” Her eyes began to water. “But it’s not okay anymore. I will never see you.”
He lifted her fingers and ran it over his face. “Yes, you can. You see me all the time… with your hands.”
“It’s not enough, Eric.” She bit her lips, trying to stifle the snivels rising up inside her. “I’m sorry for being such a nag. If only I had never known what it was like to see, if only I had been born blind, I would never have missed it so much. I’ve seen silk and peonies and daffodils blowing in the wind. I don’t only know the colors of the rainbow, I’ve seen it too. Damn it, I’ve seen Versace and Gucci and Jimmy Choos.” She let out a little laugh and he smiled.
He cupped her face, lifting it up so he could look into her eyes. “I’m not a doctor and I’m far from being a healer or a god. I can’t give your sight back. But I can give you this. I am your boyfriend. And that is only the beginning.”
Her lips trembled as her tears flowed down from her eyes.
He frowned. “That was meant to make you happy. You weren’t supposed to cry.”
“But I am, damn it.” She chuckled again through her tears. “I am.”
CHAPTER 16
The door bell rung again and he hastily walked up to open it. He turned on the video door bell.
“It’s me,” Lucy said through the camera.
He pulled in a deep breath and unlocked it.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi.” He raised an eyebrow. She was polite.
“I think we should talk,” she said uneasily.
“I think we should introduce ourselves first is more like it.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I admit I was a little rude.”
“You call that a little?” he asked amusedly.
“There was a reason.”
“Anne,” he concluded for her.
She sighed. “Is it reason enough?”
“I suppose if she were my daughter, I would have done the same. She’s special.”
“She may not have come from my womb, but I raised her like she was my own.”
Eric put his hands in his pockets. “Anne did mention that you were close.”
She adjusted her bag on her elbow, her eyes darting about the room nervously. “I don’t see her. Where is she?”
“She’s in the garden. Do you want me to get her for you?”
She shook her head. “I’ll go see her. But first, there is something I want to ask you.”
Eric braced himself. Maybe she would tell him to fuck off. Having a little conversation didn’t quite mean she approved of him suddenly.
“What is your relationship with Anne?” she asked.
He folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not sure I should answer that. The question is intrusive and my relationship with Anne is a private matter.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I suppose if you were only friends or acquaintances, you wouldn’t have felt so touchy about the question.”
His jaw tensed. She was just not a pretty face after all. She was also sharp and intelligent. It didn’t surprise him that Anne looked up to her all these years.
“You seem to be spending an awful lot of time with her,” she continued.
“I guess I live with her is part of the reason,” he replied bluntly.
“You… live with her?” she swallowed, trying to register the shock of his words. “She let you move in here?”
“Is that so surprising? She is my girlfriend and u
sually that is what happens when couples tend to take things more seriously.” He refrained from mentioning that was not at all how they had started their relationship, momentarily reveling in the little amusement her shock was giving him.
“That is so unlike her,” she muttered to herself, confused by Anne’s decision to let a man move in with her only after knowing him a short while. It was then she looked at him closely. “How long have you known her?”
“Long enough.” He shifted uneasily, the delight he had been enjoying at her expense now gone. “Are you heading anywhere with these questions?”
She stepped back slightly, observing him closely. “Are you sure we haven’t met before?”
He looked away, pretending to be annoyed by her interrogation. “What do you think? I’m under the impression, Miss Farrell that you rain hard on any man brushing close to Anne. I don’t think I would be fortunate enough to be spared from your wrath now, would I?”
“I suppose not. You’re the kind any woman would keep an eye on when he is even sniffing the same air as her daughter’s. But I don’t know why I can’t shake off that feeling that we’ve met before.”
He wanted to walk away and not listen to her anymore. He didn’t want to trigger her old memories of the first time they had met all those years ago. There were things that needed to be buried, and that was one of them.
“In any case,” she continued. “What I would like to know is how much will it take for you to move away from Anne?”
“How much? Are we talking about money here?”
“Yes.”
He thought for a while. “How much are you offering?” he asked curiously.
“Twenty-five thousand.”
He let out a loud throaty laugh. “I think I should call Anne in now. Besides, I have work to do.”
“Forty thousand then,” she added hastily.
“Miss Farrell, you are insulting my sentiments for Anne.”
She grouched. “Seventy-five thousand, and that’s the best I can offer you. Anymore and I’ll have to speak to her father.”
He grinned. “I’m sorry; I can’t accept your offer. Should I call Anne or would you prefer joining her in the garden?”
“How much do you want?!” she almost screamed in frustration.
He stared down at her firmly. “You can’t afford me, Miss Farrell. Not even her father. I won’t leave Anne only because you showed me a bag full of dough.”
“How about a good reason?” she asked with despair.
“Excuse me?”
“I can tell Eric, that you genuinely do like Anne a lot. And for some reason, that does give me some peace in my heart. To know that she is with someone who will protect her.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “So you approve of me now?”
She let out a tired breath. “If it only were up to me, but it’s Anne I worry about. Eric, Anne’s father and I have found a wonderful man who is willing to marry her. A man who will respect her and protect her for the rest of her life. He can give her all those things that you might never be able to”
“And how do you know I can’t do the same?” he interrupted her angrily.
“How long do you think you will stay with her? It takes a special man to share his life with a disabled woman.”
“And that man is not me, I assume?” he said sarcastically. “How can you be sure that it is also not the man you’ve arranged for her?
She touched the base of her throat. “I need something to drink.” She walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured herself a glass of wine. “You want one?”
“I don’t drink so early in the day,” he replied drily.
“Neither do I, Mr Tanner.” She took in a long swig of her drink. “I just can’t believe I am resorting to this. But I have to. This is for Anne’s sake.” She glanced down at her now empty glass. “We know him. We’ve seen him grow up into the fine man he is now. He is loyal. He won’t go back on his word. Furthermore, Anne’s father has taken precautionary measures that he would never be able to even if he wanted to.”
He stared at her coldly. “I don’t know if I should be insulted that you’ve offered me a lesser deal than this other man you’ve arranged. Either way, you’re paying money for one to leave and the other to stay. But the difference between him and me, Miss Farrell, is I care about Anne. And I will do anything to protect her from getting hurt. If that must mean protecting her from you and her father, then I’m up for that challenge too.”
She let out a little laugh. “Well, you definitely prove to be one. Philip is not going to like this.” She glanced up at him and smiled. “If only I had met you five years earlier, we would be having a different conversation right now.”
“Anne?” Lucy said as she neared the bench the younger woman was sitting on.
Anne turned towards her. “Lucy?”
“Can I join you?”
Anne smiled. “Of course.” She shifted up the bench to give her some space.
“It’s a beautiful morning.”
“It is. I love how the sun feels on my skin.”
“I love how it glows against your hair as well.” She brushed her fingers lightly over Anne’s hair. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman, Anne. A smart, independent woman. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
Anne clasped her hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Is this about the disagreement we had the other day? You know I can’t live without you for long.”
“Neither can I.” She sighed and glanced over to admire the flower blooms. “You have a rose in your garden.”
“Yes. How is it?”
“It’s very beautiful. They are a deep velvety shade of red.” She shook her head, incredulous almost of seeing one in her garden. “Don’t tell me Eric has anything to do with this.”
“He surprised me one day.”
“I bet he did. Even after you must have told him that your father forbade the one plant in your garden.”
Anne laughed. “How did you know?”
“I’ve kind of have read him properly by now.”
“He is a good man, Lucy.”
“He is.” She licked her lips, wondering how to broach the subject. After the debacle they had before, she was hesitant to become a wedge anymore between Eric and Anne. But what about Philip? She loved him too. What does a woman do when she’s caught between her child and the man she loved?
“Lucy, is everything okay?”
“Anne, please give another thought to your relationship with Eric.”
“Oh Lucy, not again. I thought we had settled this,” she groaned.
“Well, it’s not. Do you know the havoc your father created when I told him about it?”
“You told him?” Anne paled.
“I had to. Anne, he is planning to have you married to Nicholas Bradley. And you know how he gets when things don’t churn out as he had intended.”
“Well, he should have asked me first. How dare he go ahead and plan something such as a marriage? We’re not living in the sixteenth century, Lucy. I don’t have to do as he bids.”
“You’re right. You don’t have to do this. All I am asking is that you think about it.”
“You’re agreeing to this?” Anne asked, her shock evident in her face. “You think I should marry a man my father has arranged for me? A man who probably will never love me. A man I hardly know, Lucy.”
“Of course, you do. He is Nicholas, the boy who followed you around, pestering you.”
“He was a boy then. He is a man now. And what do I know of him as one? With the attitude he showed me at the party, he didn’t like me as a boy, and he most certainly doesn’t now.”
“When men pester you like the way he does, they’re telling you they like you.”
Anne held up her head stubbornly. “I prefer they be clearer about how they’re feeling. I am blind, Lucy. It’s enough that I am battering my way through this world without the added burden of the befuddled emotions of a man. I would rather he be like Eric. In fact, I w
ould prefer that he is Eric.”
Lucy sat back tiredly. “I don’t know how long your father and I will be together. And when he does break up with me, I will be hurt. I will weep and probably not eat for a couple of days. But one day I will get up, and the pain won’t be as much as before. I will move on and if I am fortunate, I might even find another man who will love me. But for now, your father has been the best thing that has happened to me. You see, men had never treated me as a woman until he came into my life. Not all women are lucky like your mother was, Anne. I’m afraid that if you give up on the chance on being with someone like Nicholas, you will never get another like it again.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t just give up my heart for Eric and marry another man because of a rare possibility he might like me. That is absurd, Lucy.” She reached out for Lucy’s hands. “Eric is different. He treats me with respect. I don’t know if he loves me, but he does like me a lot. He planted this rose for me. For god sakes, he spent three days on his hands and knees retiling my bathroom only because I slipped and hurt myself one day. He cares for me, Lucy. And I wish you and Dad could see that. I wish you both could be happy for me on this one occasion.”
Lucy clasped her face and kissed her brow. “Honey, we will always love you. But your father is as adamant as you are. Probably, unreasonably more. I’m afraid that if you don’t yield to marrying Nicholas, he will not support you financially any longer.”
“He said that,” Anne concluded sadly.
She nodded. “Yes. He wants the best for you, Anne. You might not be living in the sixteenth century. But in your father’s world, you might as well be. He’s never going to have any peace in his heart unless he is sure he can secure your future.”
“Because when he sees me, all he can see in me is what I can’t do,” she muttered under her breath. She sat up straight. “I’m my father’s daughter, Lucy. And I’m not leaving Eric.”
Anne closed the door behind her.
A Jar of Dreams Page 15