9781618850676UnchainedMelodyHunter (13 page)

Annalise
stood and began to pace. “Well, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. The
heroes in my novels
are
Ethan. The
sex in the novels were memories of him making love to me.”
Annalise’s
voice dropped to a whisper. “Ethan was a fabulous lover.” Then she turned to
Alex, “Why are you telling me this? Don’t you know this is torturing me? Ethan
hates me now, Alex.”

“He
doesn’t hate you. Ethan loves you.”

“Alex,
I don’t know what I can do.”

“I
want you to fix it.”

She
stared at him. He wasn’t joking. He wasn’t smiling. He was serious.

“Fix
it? What in the world do you mean?”

“Go
to him. Crawl in his bed and make love to him. Show him he is still a man.”

“I
can’t. It’s out of the question.”

This
admission shocked Alex “The hell you can’t! I’ve seen the two of you together. You
are as hot for him as you ever were.”

Annalise
sat back down on the couch and drew her legs up to her, making herself as small
as possible. “Alex, there are things you don’t know.”

“So,
tell me. Why can’t you heal my brother?”

“The
same reason I didn’t return to him after spring break.”

“You’re
telling me you met someone else? That you don’t have feelings for him? Just
what are you saying, Annalise? Why did you disappear for six years?”

“I
was raped during that spring break,” Annalise said flatly.

That
admission effectively took the wind out of Alex’s sails.

“I’m
sorry, I had no idea.” Alex didn’t know what to say.

“It’s
okay; it was a long time ago.”

“It
must not be okay if it’s still keeping you from getting involved with my
brother.”

Alex
didn’t pull any punches. Annalise weighed her words.

“Alex,
the rape was more of an assault. It was a gang initiation rite.”

“Oh,
my God, Lise.”

“Wait,
you’re still not getting it. This is so hard for me to talk about. In fact,
I’ve never talked about it with anybody.”

Alex
didn’t urge her on. He just waited.

“The
attacker was drunk and incapacitated. He couldn’t perform and it made him so
angry he picked up a glass whiskey bottle and broke the end off of it. He raped
me with the…” She couldn’t finish. Alex was dying. He wished he’d never brought
the subject up.

“He
tore me up. The scarring is horrific. It was so bad Jeff Ramsey, my husband—he
threw up on our wedding night. Time has passed and the scars are beginning to
fade, but I don’t think I could stand for Ethan to look at me. I know he
wouldn’t want me, not if he…”

“I
think you underestimate my brother, Lise.”

“I
could never ask that of him.” Alex understood. But what about Ethan?

“God,
Lise. Both of you are hurting so bad. I really think if you gave one another
the chance…”

Annalise
looked at the floor. She had to do something. She had to make it up to him. It
was her fault he was hurting. Maybe there was a way—not for her—not for the
long term, but maybe for just one night. “Alex, the dark can hide a multitude
of sins. Which room belongs to Ethan?”

Alex
was afraid to breathe. “His bedroom is the only one on the first floor. It’s at
the back, down the hall and to the left.”

“When
you go back to the main house, leave the front unlocked. I’ll lock it behind
me.” With that, Alex left her alone. But he did exactly as she asked.

* * * *

Ethan
lay on his bed torturing himself with her words. The name Ann Pace no longer
bore the stigma it once had; now it conjured up memories of nights of passion
at Pace Bend. She wrote beautifully. The stories weren’t silly, the characters
weren’t shallow and—oh, God—the sex was so hot, the pages almost burned his
fingers.

And
some of the sexual situations were very familiar. Ethan began to realize Lise had
faithfully recorded more than one of their lovemaking sessions. He was
dumbfounded. The memories all came rushing back, but this was so much more…

He
was reading it from her point of view.

She
was telling him how he made her feel…

What
his hands felt like on her body…

How
she longed for him…

How
excited he made her…

How
his male organ had filled her body…

How
her nipples tingled at his touch…

These
were not the words of an unfulfilled woman…

Lise
had reveled in their lovemaking…

Ethan
was hard as rock.

Ethan
laid the book down with trembling hands. He turned off the light. Every nerve
ending in his body was aflame. He wanted to rush out of the house, break down
the door of her cabin, and ravish her. No wonder Francine had been angry. She had
reason to be. Ethan didn’t care. Francine had never been his woman. Lise was
his woman. And he had just spoke to her as no man should ever speak to a woman
he loves. If he could take the words back he would. God, he hoped it wasn’t too
late. Now what was he going to do about it?

* * * *

Lise
was so nervous she thought she would die. She had showered and dressed in a
short lace gown that came to mid-thigh. It wasn’t particularly sexy, but she had
not been buying her sleeping clothes with anyone else in mind. It really didn’t
matter what she was wearing—this was going to have to be done in the dark. She
was about to walk into Ethan’s bedroom and attempt to seduce him. A few hours
ago she felt she would have known what his reaction would be like. He had made
it apparent that he wanted her. But after he found out she was Ann Pace, he had
changed. Now he may never want her again, but she had to try. Annalise could
not tolerate the idea that Ethan doubted himself. His masculine self-confidence
had been one of the sexiest things about him.

But
what about her? Part of her wanted to protect herself. She didn’t know how she
would survive a rejection from Ethan. The rest of her was aching with desire. It
had been so long since she had been loved. Grabbing a matching robe, she kissed
her dog. “Wish me luck, little man.” The walk from her room to the main house
took only about two minutes, but it was the longest walk of her life.

Alex
had left the door unlocked. She opened it quietly and was careful to lock it
behind her. She crossed the front welcome area and entered the private
quarters. Going down the hall, soon she was at his door. She stood there for a
few moments, resting her forehead against the cool wood. Finally, she gave the
door the slightest of taps.

* * * *

“What
is it?” Ethan assumed it was Alex or Bobby and in no mood for company.

“Ethan,
its Lise. May I come in, please?” He was off the bed the moment she said his
name. The light from the front room illuminated the hall enough he could see
her standing there as he opened the door. She was so beautiful.
God, give me strength
. She was wearing a
gown and robe, with flat little slippers on her feet.

“Thank
you. I couldn’t sleep knowing you were angry with me. Please, let me explain.” Soundlessly,
he stepped back allowing her room to enter.

He
wasn’t saying anything. Why wasn’t he saying anything? This was going to be so
hard. She tried to see his expression in the dark, but his face lay hidden in
deep shadow. She didn’t dare turn on the light. “I have come to tell you how
sorry I am.”

“What
are you sorry about, Lise?” She couldn’t quite catch his mood. His voice
sounded strained.

“I’m
sorry I hurt you. I am sorry you disapprove of my writing.”

“I’ve
changed my mind.”

This
surprised her. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve
been catching up on some reading.”

“You
have?”

They
were standing about two feet apart, but she could feel the heat emanating from
his body.

“Yes,
you write very well.”

“Thank
you.” Did he know? Did he recognize himself from the cover and from the pages
of the book? She had to get this out in the open. “I shouldn’t have used you
like that, Ethan. Not without your permission. It was just my way of living in
your world, remembering what it was like to love you. Please forgive me.” She
stood there and waited for his reaction.

There
were a few more moments of silence and then he began to speak. “What I read
tonight was beautiful. I had no idea words could paint such a picture.” He came
to her and tenderly touched her face. “I am so sorry I said those things to
you. What Francine did, it wasn’t your fault. I know that now.”

Annalise
didn’t say anything else. She couldn’t. The words were stuck in her throat. Now
was the time, she had to do it now, but she couldn’t find her voice.

“Lise,
what are you doing here?”

He
wasn’t going to make this easy.
Well,
here goes
. “Ethan—oh, this is so hard.” He moved even closer to her.

“What’s
hard,
Lise
?”

She
bowed her head and looked at the floor then she began to speak, in words so low
he had to bend near to hear them. “Would you make love to me, please?” She
tensed waiting for his response.

He
didn’t move.

He
said nothing.

Oh,
God, he didn’t want her!

She
stood there for another second then with a harsh intake of breath, she jerked
around turning to go. In shame, she twisted the doorknob and the door opened a
fraction.

Then
it slammed shut.

Hard!

He
had moved—one hand holding the door closed—the other wrapping around her waist pulling
her back against him, tight. His erection was huge against her hips. He pushed
her hair away, so his lips could find the skin of her neck. His hands covered
both breasts. “You want
me
to make love to you?” His hands began to
move, massaging her breasts through the soft gown and robe.

“Oh,
yes, please.” She leaned back into him, raising her arms to caress his face and
hair. One of his hands left her breasts and slid down to cup her mons. She
gasped at the luxurious contact of his fingers caressing her through the silky
fabric. She attempted to turn in his arms, hungry for his mouth. He allowed the
movement. Her eyes had adjusted to the dim light. He was so beautiful. Standing
on tiptoe to gain better access to his lips, she found he was majestically
nude! She ran her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. This time she held
nothing back. She pushed her tongue between his lips and kissed him wildly. She
couldn’t get close enough to him. Her hands tangled in his thick dark hair and
she tugged at it gently. Her hips were beginning to make little movements,
pressing her flat stomach against his engorged cock.

He
took all he could stand then he picked up the gown and robe from the bottom and
pulled them over her head in one movement. He flung them to the floor, picked
her up and carried her to his bed, laying her down gently. “Get down, Mojo.” He
ordered the little dachshund to her other bed on the floor. Gently, he removed
the slippers from her feet, then standing over her, he allowed his eyes to rake
over her shapely body. “Are you sure, Lise?”

“Ethan,
I want you more than anything.” He stood there for a moment more, Annalise
realized he was trembling. The pale moonlight allowed her to see him, his thick
maleness jutting straight out. Then she realized if she could see him that
well, he could also see her. Her legs had spread wide, unconsciously inviting
him in. Quickly, she closed her legs together tightly, hoping he had not
focused his eyes on the ugliness.

He
hadn’t seemed to notice. He knelt by the bed and placed his head on the smooth,
warm skin of her middle. “Lise, oh Lise—I have dreamed of this for so long.” He
placed sweet, tender kisses on her midriff and then up in the valley between
her breasts.

She
cradled his head. “I’ve dreamed of loving you for six years.” She touched his
shoulder, urging him to join her on the bed.

He
didn’t have to be asked twice. He stretched out beside her, placing one arm
under her head. He kissed her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, again,
again and again. His hand smoothed over her body from shoulder to hip.

She
couldn’t wait any longer. Her hand reverently touched his manhood. He gasped
with joy. She caressed him, soothing her fingers up and down the velvety skin covering
the quivering steel. “You feel so good in my hand. I want to kiss you.” He
leaned over to capture her lips. “No, I want to kiss you here.” She squeezed
his shaft gently.

He
lay back and she knelt beside him. She pressed light, feathery kisses all over
the head of his penis then accepted him into her hot, wet mouth. His hips
bucked upward as her tongue encircled the tip, around and around. He drew his
breath in sharply as she took more and then more of him into her mouth.