by Josie Kerr
Pierce blinked. “What the fuck, Annie? It’s because of me that you even encountered that crazy woman in the first place.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Surely you can see that? And what’s this bullshit about you owing me anything? You don’t owe me anything, much less something that you don’t want to do.”
“It’s fine.”
“Babe, it is not fine. I can tell by the look on your beautiful face.” He leaned toward her but didn’t touch her. “I don’t want this . . . whatever we’re starting . . . to be from a sense of obligation, and I don’t ever want this to be something that’s just . . . ‘fine.’ You’re so, so much more than that.”
He tenderly pushed her hair away from her face. Annie didn’t know how to respond.
“Man, that fuck did a number on you. I want to go to that shitty motel and beat the crap out of him, make him pay for all the wrongs he did you.”
Annie was surprised at the amount of fury evident in Pierce’s voice, and that fury both scared and comforted her.
“Jeff’s a little . . . different. He’s very practical. Nothing wasted. He was always thinking that someone was taking advantage of him, trying to get something for free. Always made sure he got something out of every situationS. I think that’s why my father liked him.”
“Did you love him? Jeff, I mean. I’m assuming you loved your father.”
“I loved my father because all children love their parents, but mostly I feared him. He ruled that house with an iron fist.”
“He hit you?”
“Only when we pushed him. Normally, he would just freeze us out, give us the silent treatment. It took a lot to get him to lash out. It happened a few times.”
“Did Jeff hit you?”
“Oh, no. That was one thing that he didn’t agree on with my father. But he got me out of my house, and even though he didn’t do it in the most romantic way, I’m grateful for that.”
“How’d he do that? Is this going to piss me off?”
“Probably.” Annie laughed softly. “He’s ten years older, right? He’d been married once before, which my father wasn’t crazy about, but it’s not like he was divorced—his wife died in a car accident. Father started bringing him around, which was odd because he generally didn’t do that. But he did, and we got to know each other. Father wanted us to go out on a date, so we went out. It was exciting for me. I didn’t get out much. We went to a white tablecloth restaurant. We had wine. One thing led to another.”
“Jesus Christ, Annie. That fuck raped you.”
“I didn’t say no.”
“You didn’t say yes.”
“Anyway, Father hit the roof. I’m sure Jeff knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that Father would insist on him marrying me because, you know . . .”
“And that was that.”
Annie nodded. “That was that. So, that’s me.”
“How old were you?”
“Does it matter?”
“Hell yes, it matters. I already know this guy’s a rapist; I want to know if he’s a pedophile.”
“I was sixteen. I mean, it was my sixteenth birthday.”
“Annie, man, I am so, so sorry.”
She shrugged again. “What can you do? It was a long, long time ago. We got married. No harm, no foul.”
“But he kept you isolated, didn’t he?”
She nodded. “We moved away about two months after we got married.”
“How did your father feel about that?”
“He was happy that I had someone to take care of me and that he didn’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“And your mother?”
“She cried. That was the only time I ever saw her defy my father. She wanted the marriage annulled. When he didn’t agree, well . . . it was ugly.”
“That was one of the times when your father got violent.”
She nodded.
“Let me guess: the other time was after that asshole raped you, but I’m betting that he blamed it on you.”
“I shouldn’t have had the wine. I was sixteen. I knew better than to drink underage, much less get drunk.”
“It’s still rape.”
Annie kept her eyes averted. “He took care of me, and in turn, I took care of his needs.”
Pierce took her hand in his. “Just because you were his wife doesn’t mean it wasn’t rape, Annie. And just because he never hit you doesn’t mean you weren’t abused. And that hurts my heart. And makes me furious.”
Annie looked deeply into Pierce’s eyes and saw his fury and how his heart hurt for her pain.
“You don’t have to stay tonight. Johnny called, and they’re going to send a car around hourly.”
“Annie, honey, I want to stay with you, but only if you feel comfortable with it.”
Annie chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted something so much.”
Pierce grinned at her. “I’m so glad to hear that.” He pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand. “And I’m honored that you’re letting me. Your shirt is almost dry, but why don’t you go change and I’ll finish up in the kitchen.”
Annie leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek. “Thank you.”
Pierce nodded.
Annie got up and went into her bedroom. While she was changing her clothes, she contemplated Pierce. Pierce had not judged her at all; he’d shown only concern. She glanced at her bed and made a decision.
When she got out to the living room, the scene was much like the morning, but with Pierce in a pair of loose pajama pants and a T-shirt and bare feet.
Yep, his Flintstone feet were still cute.
“Um, I was thinking. I know my couch is pretty comfortable, but the bed is a lot better. Would you like to sleep in there? You know, with me?”
“Annie, I . . .” Pierce closed his eyes. “Wow.”
“ ‘Wow’?”
“That is about the sexiest damn nightgown I’ve ever seen.”
“What?” Annie certainly didn’t expect that reaction to her sleep dress.
Pierce pinked up and shrugged. “Hell yeah.”
“Uh, okay. Um, would you be all right with just sleeping? Lying beside me all night? Because I don’t know if I’m ready for . . . you know.”
Pierce crossed the living room in three strides and took her hands in his. “Honey, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” He bent down and placed the sweetest of kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, her eyes, and finally, her mouth.
She smiled shyly and turned to head back to the bedroom, tugging his hand, but he resisted.
“I gotta brush my teeth and take care of some stuff.”
“Sure.”
Pierce left to the living room, and Annie practically ran into the bedroom and jumped into the bed. She could hear Pierce in the bathroom, moving around.
“Annie, you have lost your mind,” she murmured to herself.
The bathroom door opened, and Pierce’s big body blocked the light.
“You sure about this?”
“Oh my gosh, not at all,” she said with a laugh. “But I want to.”
“All right, then.” Pierce turned off the bathroom light. He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed.
“You sure about this?” Annie teased.
Pierce rumbled a laugh. “Not at all.”
A giggle erupted from Annie, and that was what seemed to convince Pierce to lie down in the bed and pull up the covers. They lay face-to-face, very close together but not touching.
“Thank you, Pierce.”
Annie could see him nod. She leaned forward and kissed him softly and then leaned back. Pierce pulled her into his arms, and Annie pressed her head against Pierce’s broad chest, listening to his heart thump. Then they both stilled, finally sleeping, legs tangled with one another’s.
Chapter Twenty
Annie didn’t know how long she lay there in the bed and looked at Pierce in the half-light of morning, but she bet it would qualify as “creepy.” He yawned, waking up,
and opened his eyes.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
Just do it, you scaredy-cat. Touch him.
As if he could read her mind, Pierce pulled the sheet down lower, exposing his broad, inked chest, and smiled encouragingly at her.
“Where’d your shirt go?”
“I got a little warm with you plastered up against me, so I took it off.”
“Oh.” Annie giggled, hoping that she didn’t sound as hysterical as she felt. She reached out and stroked Pierce’s thick pec. She was very conscious of his hand on her hip as she traced the lines of dark ink that trailed over his shoulders and chest. Annie could feel his eyes on her, studying her as she explored his body with her fingertips.
“You shaved your chest?” Annie ran her fingers over the short, rough stubble.
Pierce rumbled a laugh. “Yeah, I used to do it only before a fight, but then it’s itchy when it grows back, so I do it all the time. I need to shave everything again, though.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Everything?”
“Yep.”
“Wow,” she whispered but didn’t remove her hand.
She licked her lips and trailed her fingers over his heart. The skin pebbled in gooseflesh at her touch. His nipple tightened and peaked when her fingers drifted over the flesh there.
When he sighed, Annie dragged her attention back to his handsome face. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed a bit like he was concentrating on something.
She ran her fingers down his washboard abs, tracing each lobe, traveling farther down until she reached the waistband of his pajama pants. Annie pressed her lips against his jaw, stalling while she tried to decide if she was brave enough to continue her exploration.
Pierce’s hand tightened on her hip, and she heard him suck in a breath.
“Are you okay?” she asked when she realized that he hadn’t let his breath out. “Pierce?”
He pulled her against him, and she could feel his erection nestled between them, his breath, warm and steady, on her cheek. His hand, so big it spanned almost half of her back, was also warm and steady, but not pressuring. Just . . . comforting.
Annie licked her lips, and with a little prayer, dared to dip her fingers a little lower. She felt more than heard his rumbling chuckle when she snatched her hand away after brushing the silky head of his cock.
“Go ahead,” he whispered in her ear. “You can touch me, Annie, if you want to.”
Annie sneaked a peek at the man she was sharing a bed with. His eyes remained closed, but he had the most curious expression on his face. She couldn’t decide if he was amused, or confused.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked him. “What is that look on your face?”
Pierce chuckled again and opened his eyes to gaze down at her. Annie’s hand was still on his lower abdomen, two fingers on the elastic at his waist.
“I’m thinking that I’m dying for you to touch me.” Another shy grin.
“Oh.” Annie gulped. She took a deep breath and slid her hand between the waistband and the smooth muscles of his lower abdomen. His breathing hitched when she ran her thumb over the head of his cock, feeling the slick fluid that seeped from the slit at the end, and his hand pressed harder against her back.
“Annie, touch me. Please.” Then Pierce slowly kissed her. Soft, deep kisses that reassured her, emboldened her, and then sweet baby kisses that he peppered across her cheek and jaw, working his way to the space in the crook her neck.
Annie let out a groan and tentatively slid her other hand into his sleep pants, cupping and stroking him with both hands.
“Damon, does this feel okay?” she asked.
Pierce nodded and slid his hand around her waist to pull her to him.
“Damn straight that feels good. It feels awesome.” He kissed her again, this time running his tongue over the seam of her lips, asking her to open. She did, and they spent the next long minutes exploring each other. Pierce’s hands roamed over Annie’s back and rump, on top of the soft material of her gown, while Annie’s explored his length, his girth.
In seventeen years of marriage, she had never done anything remotely as intimate as what she was doing with this big fighter, who, really, she barely knew.
Annie stopped her explorations as Pierce pulled her closer and ran his hand under her nightie, sweeping against the swell of her buttocks to rest on the bare skin at the curve of her waist.
Slut.
“Let me taste you, Annie, please. Let me love you,” he whispered in her ear.
Whore.
His eyes snapped open at her inhaled breath. “Annie?”
She could feel the heat of shame crawling up her neck.
“Annie, darlin’, come back to me from wherever you are. Please talk to me.” Pierce’s hands returned to her face, cupping it gently. He traced a small circle on her temple with his thumb and pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead. “What are you thinking? Just tell me. Never be afraid to tell me.”
“I’m worried about what you’re thinking of me right now.”
“You wanna know what I think of you? Honestly?”
“Maybe?” She gave him a weak smile.
Pierce rolled over onto his back and pulled her against him. Annie wrapped herself around his side and tucked her head under his chin. Pierce stroked her hip and was quiet so long that Annie didn’t think he was going to answer.
“I think you . . . are a beautiful, sexy woman.” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I think you know what you want but aren’t quite at the point where you realize that you can have it, that you deserve it. I also think that, yeah, you deserve a hell of a lot more than you’ve gotten for the past seventeen years. I’m, uh, I’m not sure that I’m the guy who can give that to you. But I’d like the chance to try.”
Annie propped herself up on her elbow so she could look right at Pierce’s face, directly into his eyes.
“So you don’t think I’m being too forward by doing . . . stuff . . . with you? I feel kind of slutty.”
Pierce rolled his eyes. “Honey, you have no idea what forward is. You are a grown-ass woman, not a little girl. Babe, you can have anything you want. You wanna lie here in the bed and kiss until we’re almost late for work? Bring it on—you’re a great kisser. You wanna stop right where we are? That’s fine. I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping with you. Seriously, last night was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years. But if you want to sit on my face and let me eat your pussy, I am definitely down with that. Um, no pun intended.”
“Wow.” Annie looked at Pierce, really looked at him, and saw the caring, sweet man that he was, gazing back at her.
“So, what do you say, Annie? Do you wanna try this?”
She nodded her head, and one of his rare smiles lit up his face.
He kissed her again, a hot and sweet openmouthed kiss full of promise. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he rolled her under him.
“Am I too heavy for you?” he whispered between kisses to her jaw.
“No, you’re just right.” Annie wriggled against him, enjoying the weight of him pressing her back into the mattress, the delicious friction of his body rubbing against hers.
“Fan-fucking-tastic.” Pierce’s mouth returned to hers, and she thought he might actually consume her. And she was absolutely fine with it.
Her hands gripped his bare back as she lifted her hips, and Pierce slipped his hands around her bottom. His fingers edged under the elastic of her panties, and he pulled her to him, grinding against her as he sealed his mouth over hers and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist.
“Annie,” he whispered in her ear as he continued to roll his hips against her. “Let me make you feel good.”
“Yes.”
Annie could hear his throaty chuckle as he nibbled on her neck. She vaguely wondered what making her feel good would entail until she felt him slide a hand from where it gripped her butt cheek to the space that throbbed between her thighs. His
thumb stroked her nub through her panties, the soft cotton adding an extra layer of friction.
Annie panted. She’d never felt pleasure like this before. She didn’t know what to do with her hands, so she clawed at Pierce’s throat and chest, running her hands over his tight nipples. She had her eyes screwed shut, but she could tell he was watching her reactions. And when he applied the pressure just so, her back arched, her legs tensed, and she let out a low, long groan as pleasure coursed through her body, radiating from where Pierce’s talented fingers worked their magic, all the way to the tips of her fingers and her toes. She opened her eyes, breathless, as wave after wave flowed through her, and locked eyes on Pierce. He was staring at the fingers that were giving her so much pleasure, concentrating. His mouth hung slightly open, and with his other hand, he stroked his erection in time.
He flicked his thumb, and Annie’s whole body jolted. Small aftershocks of pleasure reverberated through her, and she watched him throw his head back and bring himself to completion.
Holy wow!
And when he stopped jerking, Pierce pulled Annie into his arms and held her tightly. She clung to him, kissing his chest and tasting the mix of salty sweat and something a bit sweeter.
Pierce kissed the top of her head, and Annie climbed up him to where she was eye to eye with his handsome face.
“Hi.” Pierce grinned at her.
“Hi, yourself.” She grinned back at him. “So, uh, that was pretty great.”
He nodded but kept grinning. He kissed her lightly, but the grip he had on her bottom belied the sweetness of the kiss.
She squeaked when he squeezed her ass, and groaned when he thumbed her nub one more time.
“Sweetheart, I gotta start thinking about going. C will have my hide if I’m late.”
Annie nodded solemnly but then began to giggle. She slapped her hand over her mouth, and Pierce chuckled. He leaned over her and kissed her sweetly.
“So . . . you ever showered with a man before?”
She shook her head.
Pierce wiggled his eyebrows. “You wanna shower with a man?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Well, come on.”
And he picked her up over his shoulder and headed into her bathroom.