by Dakote Trace
"I don't know what good it will do, Zephyrus. We went over this last week." Annabelle held the door open and let him enter her apartment.
"I'm not going to stop, Annabelle. I took your virginity, and to me, that means we must get married." He stepped in and closed the door behind him.
"And I told you I wasn't going to be married for that reason alone." She walked over to the couch and turned the TV off. Turning around, she expected him to still be by the door. Instead she found herself face to face with him, only inches separating their bodies. The very familiar burn filled her body at being so close to him. Meeting his eyes took all the will power she had, as his eyes were the same color as the delicious chocolates he made in his shop—a dark, deep, rich brown.
"I brought you something." He handed her the beribboned box.
"What?" she asked warily.
"Open it. It won't bite you, I promise." Placing the box in her hands, he waited for her to open it. Slowly opening the lid, she peeked inside and saw many of her favorite chocolate goodies from his shop including those raspberry chocolate brownies.
"What's this?" She looked up at him. "A bribe?"
"No, your winnings from last month. You never got your chocolates." He stuck his hands in his pockets and waited for her response. Frowning, she looked again.
"You're short…the count is wrong."
"Really?" He stepped closer.
"Yes. Where's my extra chocolate at?" she asked defiantly.
"You'll get those when I get my three hours of paperwork. I figure for each hour you give me, I'll give you three pieces of chocolate."
"What? I won those pieces fair and square." She squared her shoulders and stood toe to toe with him.
"And I won those hours fair and square." He met her glare with a grin.
"The way I figure it, I only have two hours left on that wager."
"I said paperwork, Annabelle." He took the box from her. Pulling her up against him, he continued. "The loving we did in my office does not qualify as paperwork." He leaned in to capture her lips with his. She stilled and then moaned softly before returning his kiss. When he finally came back up for air, they were both breathing heavily. Their strong passions were truly mutual.
"Damn, woman, you don't realize what you do to me. You make me forgot who I am, who you are, and all I want to do is love you to death."
"Zephyrus," she whispered softly. "I can't do this. Please."
"The only thing you need to do is give yourself permission, Annabelle. I know I'm Indian and it's a totally different culture than yours, but I'm still a man—one who wants desperately to make you mine." He explored her ear. When she pulled back from him, she smiled sadly.
"I wish I could just throw caution to the wind, Zephyr, but life doesn't work that way. Someone always ends up getting hurt in the end. What would happen if I did become pregnant after we got married? We would have a half-breed child, who wouldn’t be accepted in your world. I won't put a child through that; and I won't put myself in my mother's shoes." She slipped away from his arms and paced back toward the door.
"What do you mean by that?" He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.
"Haven't you figured it out yet, Zephyr?" When she saw his blank stare, she just shook her head. Walking over to the mantle, she pulled down her favorite picture of Joseph, her beloved cousin. Handing it to him, she watched him gaze at it.
"How do you know this boy, Annabelle?" Zephyr asked as some very important questions whirled through his mind.
"He's my cousin. My father's sister's son."
"That means that you're ---?" Zephyr said slowly, as the truth started to dawn on him.
"I'm half Indian, Zephyrus. My mother loved my Indian father to a distraction. But unlike you, my father didn't want to marry my mother. He wanted to sleep with her well enough, but she wasn't the right race to become his wife. When my mother died, I was sent to my father, who didn't want me at all. He died shortly thereafter in a car accident on his way to the next rodeo. The Whitebears took me in and loved me like their own daughter. But other children can be cruel—even vicious at times."
"I didn't know, Annabelle."
"I know you didn’t know. I'm half Indian, and yet, I look like my mother. Not one ounce of my Indian blood shows. So do you see why this can't happen?"
"No. I'm sorry about how your father treated you, Annabelle, but I’m not him and you're not your mother. We’re two different people in a totally different time. Take a chance on us, Annabelle. You won't regret trusting in me." He pulled her close to him, sighing as her body settled softly against his. The need to claim her was still there, but it had been pushed aside by the tenderness that had always consumed him when he was anywhere near her.
"I just don't know." She laid her head on his chest.
"Think about it." He slowly rubbed his hand across her back.
* * * *
Hestia waited until her brother had walked back into the house they shared before she pounced on him.
"How did it go?"
"A little better than I expected. Did you realize, Hestia, that Annabelle is half Indian?"
"Annabelle? Are you sure?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, she's Joseph's cousin." He slumped on the couch next to her.
"Well, maybe you can find help from her family. Surely they know her well and might have some insight into her that even I don't have," Hestia urged. "Just like if she wanted to know anything about you, she could call me."
"If she wants to know anything about me, she can ask me, not my big sister!” He surged off the couch and began to pace.
"Just think about it, Zephyrus. It's worth a shot."
“Yeah, I'll think about it. Good night, Hestia." He left left the room and headed to his lonely bed.
* * * *
The next morning, Zephyr told his sister to go ahead and open the shop.
"You’re not feeling good?" Hestia asked, immediately concerned.
"I'm feeling fine, Hestia. I just have a few things I want to do today before I come in. I got everything ready last night as usual, so all you have to do is put the merchandise in the cases and open the front doors." He leaned over and tied his walking shoes. Straightening, he brushed a kiss on his older sister's cheek.
"You aren't going to do anything rash, are you?" Hestia asked hesitantly.
"You mean like kidnap Annabelle until she says she'll marry me?" He stretched and smiled down at her.
"You've asked her to marry you?" Hestia squeaked. "You didn't tell me that!"
"Yes, I asked her—but before you say anything, she turned me down. She says she needs more than one reason to get married. "
"What? She's crazy about you."
"But not enough to marry me." His discontentment showed on his rugged face, and then his look changed, a determined light entering his eyes. "But I'm going to change her mind."
"That's the brother I know. Determined to the end."
* * * *
Zephyr walked up the sidewalk to Joseph's house. The young man would be at school, which was fine, as he wasn't here today to play the big brother, even as much as he enjoyed it. He was here to talk to Annabelle's aunt and uncle. He needed some way to get through to her, and perhaps her uncle and aunt knew by what means he could unlock Annabelle's heart and slip inside. Stepping onto the porch, he pasted a smile on his face before knocking gently on the door. When Joseph's mother answered, she was surprised to see her son's friend at the door.
"Zephyrus, hello. I'm sorry to say Joseph is at school right now."
"I know he is. As much as I enjoy his company, I'm not here about him. I've become involved with your niece and I came to talk to you both since I understand Annabelle's parents are both gone now."
"Come in, Zephyrus. This is quite startling to say the least." Joseph's mother, Kira, urged him in, standing aside.
"Thank you," He crossed the threshold.
"Let me get Christopher." Kira turned, looking for her husb
and.
Zephyrus kept the smile pasted on his face as Christopher and Kira joined him in the kitchen. They were sitting at the table and Kira served freshly brewed coffee.
"How's the chocolate business going?" Christopher asked.
"Quite well. Even better, since I turned my paperwork over to your niece." Zephyr sipped his coffee after blowing on the steaming brew.
"That Annabelle is a whiz with numbers."
"Yes, she is. But the reason I'm here is because I'm trying to court her, and she's being a bit resistant to me. Is there something I need to do or not do to make it easier for her to say yes?" He asked a carefully worded question. There was no way he was going to tell her adopted parents he’d slept with her, or that he was going to marry her the first chance he got.
"Are you sure that she wants to see you?" Christopher asked with genuine concern.
"Yes. I've already taken her out to a mini-golf course and we had a ball. But she closed up after that. She said something about her skin color, which I find nothing wrong with. She's a wonderful woman, no matter what color her skin is."
"It has to do with her childhood, Zephyrus. Her mother and father were never married."
"Yes, I know. She told me about them. But I want to convince her I’m not like that. I want to be with her, and I want to court her."
"And I see you’re trying to sugar-coat it for my aunt and uncle." Annabelle stood in the open door, her back stiff.
"Annabelle." He quickly rose to his feet.
"What he isn't telling you, Aunt Kira and Uncle Christopher, is that I took advantage of him and now he feels honor bound to marry me." She walked farther into suddenly silent room.
"Please, Annabelle?" He pleaded with his eyes for her not to make a scene.
"I don't have secrets from my aunt, Zephyrus. She would have known as soon as she saw me." She turned and locked gazes with her aunt and uncle.
Uncle Christopher had a stunned on his face while Aunt Kira a satisfied one. "It's about time, Annabelle, that someone came along and knocked you off that shelf where you’ve placed your heart."
"Your heart?" Zephyrus whispered as a few things snapped into place...and suddenly he understood several things.
"Don't worry about, Zephyrus. It's nothing of great concern." Annabelle opened the door to the ’fridge and walked over to the cupboard with a carton of juice. After pouring herself a glass, she turned to find her aunt and uncle gone, and she was left her alone with him. She drew a startled breath as he backed her against the kitchen counter.
"Don't worry, Annabelle, I won't take you here with your aunt and uncle so nearby. But I intend to have a kiss. Unless you can tell me you don't want it, I'm going to kiss you until you can't think about anything other than marrying me." He brushed his lips against her softly parted lips.
"No!" She gasped, fighting herself and him. Her body was claiming this man's arms were home and it didn't want to leave. Even though she wanted to agree with her body's response, her mind knew it was a dangerous path to begin any journey.
"Yeah right." He slowly thrust his tongue into her warm mouth to tangle with hers. When he finally lifted his head, he brushed a kiss across the tip of her nose. "Give us a chance," he coaxed. "I promise you won't regret it."
"I can't." She pulled out of his arms. Already she felt the disappointment of leaving the warm haven of his arms. He looked and smelled so delicious –so ‘chocolate-ty’.
"We can do this one of two ways, Annabelle—my way or your way. Which way will it be?" he finally asked her.
"Huh –what do you mean?"
"Doing it your way, we'll try the dating thing, and we take it one step at a time."
"Okay and what's your way?" She looked at him uncertainly.
"My way? Well that's easy, Annabelle. I'll just seduce you every chance I get until you give in and marry me. And I can tell you what my choice would be, so decide." Annabelle gasped softly as he backed her up against the kitchen counter again.
"I don't know."
"Decide before I do." He braced his arms on either side of her.
"I can't," she whispered.
"Fine. My way it is!" He covered her mouth, giving her another kiss.
* * * *
Annabelle groaned softly. She could smell Zephyr's cologne and she was still sitting in his office working on his paperwork. She’d thought to come over when she knew he was going to be busy with Joseph. In fact, the last two times she’d come to the chocolate shop to work on his paperwork, the scheme had worked perfectly. She had Hestia time her comings and goings and give them to Zephyr. This was to be her last time, as she had put in three of the four hours she’d promised. Now if she could wrap this up, she could get out of here before Zephyr came back. It seemed Hestia had a million reasons to interrupt her today, and she had a feeling her best friend was trying to stall her until Zephyr came back. No way in hell was she going to chance that happening. She’d been lucky so far, but she didn't want to push her luck.
* * * *
Zephyr put a finger to his lips to show his sister he wanted her to be silent. Arching an eyebrow, Hestia silently asked her brother why. Standing close enough for just her ears to hear, he explained.
"I know she's here, and I don't want her running off. I want you to lock us in together again. I'm going to give you my key. Hopefully by the time tomorrow morning comes, we'll have worked all this out and you'll have a new sister."
"So now you want me to lock you in together?" She stared at him in horror. When he nodded, she shook her head. "Would you make up your freaking mind?" She took his keys from him, grabbing her purse and coat. Making her way to the front door, she shook her head again. Her brother was damn near impossible these days. So, if locking those two in together would fix what was ailing him, she’d lock them in for a night – for a week – even throw away the keys.
* * * *
Annabelle placed the last piece of paperwork in Zephyr's ‘out box’ and gave a sigh of relief. The end was in sight, as she’d just finished working on his books and everything was in place. Now it was time for her to escape.
Standing up, she pushed the chair away from his desk and grabbed her briefcase, purse and coat. Walking through the kitchen, she paused before going through the kitchen door. It was awfully quiet. Too quiet! Maybe Hestia had locked up already? When she came around the counter, she was enveloped in a pair of warm arms—warm, naked arms, she corrected. And by the familiar tingle in her abdomen, she knew exactly who the culprit was. Inwardly she groaned. Damn it, she’d been too slow! But maybe she still could escape. Glancing around, she looked for Hestia, but her heart began to beat faster when she saw the “open” sign had been switched off.
"Please tell me she didn't lock us in again." She looked around wildly.
"No–she didn’t–I did. And we're not leaving until we get this settled for once and all, you little hothead." He pressed his mouth against her ear. "By the end of the night, you're going to tell me you love me, and you’re going to marry me. Or we can stay locked in here for the rest of our lives. Because I won't live without you." He backed her up against the glass case holding his wonderful chocolate goodies.
"I won't! You can’t make me!" She fought the natural rise of desire flodding her whenever they got within touching distance of each other.
"Yes, you will." His eyebrow lifted arrogantly.
"Yeah, right." She tried to squirm away from his powerful embrace. Sitting her on top of the large case, he spread her legs and stepped in between them. He smiled wickedly when he felt her squirm against him, her thighs clamping onto his shoulders.
"Untie my hair." He leaned against her. "I want to feel your hands running through it.” He growled happily when she obeyed without thought. Annabelle tried unsuccessfully to keep herself from responding to his closeness because she didn't want him to know either her feelings or her passionate response to him.
Zephyrus trembled as he felt Annabelle's warm fingers run through his midnight
-colored hair. Capturing her gaze, he slowly and methodically peeled off his clothes. By the time Annabelle realized what danger she was in, Zephyr was standing before her, naked as the day he was born, and reaching for her buttons.
"What?" She looked at him wildly and got an eyeful. She immediately looked away. It wouldn't matter she’d only gotten a brief look, for his true masculine beauty would be etched in her memory forever.
"Look at me, Annabelle! I want you to see me." He lifted her chin with his hand. He looked eyes with her before continuing, "And my body's expression of my love for you."
"Love?"
"Yes." He kissed her gently on the lips. "I may have forgotten to mention this, Annabelle Whitebear, but I am head over heels in love with you."
If a joy-filled hug and deeply passionate kiss were what Zephyr was expecting when he finally declared his love for her, he was sadly mistaken.
"You idiot! You jerk!" Annabelle shoved at him. "You tell me you love me, now! Now!? What about all the weeks and times we’ve been together?"
"But, little one..." He was shocked at her response to his honest declaration.
"Don't you 'little one' me, Mr. Chocolate Man. I can't believe you’ve put me through hell these last few weeks, when a simple 'I love you' would have solved everything," she shouted at him despairingly.
"You mean to tell me you would have said yes, if I would have told you I loved you?" A growl rumbled out of his throat as his frustration built.
"Of course! Men!" Turning, she intended to stomp back into the kitchen. She was surprised when he grabbed her from behind and pinned her, face first, against the display case.
"What are you doing? " she exclaimed, not frightened in the least. Her Indian side loved the near savagery that lay under Zephyrus Raincloud's civilized veneer.
"I'm going to love you ‘til you can't walk, and then in the morning we're going to fly to Vegas with our parents and get married." He nibbled on her ear silkily, as he hauled up her skirt.
"You're not serious?" She jerked and then squealed as she felt him strip her panties down her long legs.
"As a heart attack!" Zephyr toyed with her curly pubic hair. Sliding his fingers through it, he found her nubbin and slowly stroked and rubbed it. When she gasped in pleasure, he smiled wickedly. He was just beginning. Annabelle groaned softly as she saw the look on his face in the mirror behind the counter.