9781618850676UnchainedMelodyHunter (18 page)

“Oh,
love, we can take care of that right here.” Annalise reached for him.

“Stop
it, temptress.” He laughed. “Remember, what you promised me this morning—tonight
is all about pleasuring you. I can’t wait for you to see what comes next.”

He
paid the fee as they left the garage and drove to a similar one closer to the
downtown area. He found a parking place that suited him, helped her out of the
car and asked, “Did you come to 6th Street while you were at UT?”

“No,
I guess I had other things on my mind.” She couldn’t tell him she had been too
traumatized after her experience in Houston to walk down the rowdy avenue with
crowds rivaling the festival atmosphere on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. But
with Ethan at her side, she was fine. He kept her close, his arm around her as
they maneuvered the throng, bars of every description and theme sat side by
side. Finally, he turned into a place called Prospero’s Pub. The crowd appeared
to be a little older here and the music wasn’t quite as loud. He pulled her to
the very back of the elongated bar, through several rooms until they came to a
back patio. A man saw them coming and he greeted Ethan with a wave of the hand.
“Ethan, I have everything ready for you.”

“Hey,
thanks, Chuck.” Ethan drew Annalise forward. “Chuck this is Lise, the love of
my life.” Annalise felt a blush rush up her face. “Lise, this is my old friend
Chuck Davis, we were fraternity brothers.”

Chuck
held out his hand. “Definite improvement, Ethan.”

“You’re
certainly right about that.” Annalise gathered they were discussing Francine.

“The
wine’s is ready, the lights are low, the music is live—enjoy.” Then they were
left alone.

Annalise
was impressed. To reserve a private room on the infamous 6th Street was no easy
task. After Chuck left them alone, Ethan poured them a glass of wine. The
sounds were muted, the music audible but not overpowering and the company was
divine. They sat at a small table at the very back of the outdoor room. “Thank
you for tonight, Ethan.”

“It
is my pleasure and the night isn’t over yet.” He stood up. “May I have this
dance?”

“Ethan,
I don’t…” she started to protest. He took her hand and drew her to him.

“Let
me hold you.” The music was slow and she molded herself against him. His
closeness was intoxicating. She slipped her arms up around his neck and kissed
him. He needed no encouragement. They swayed slowly to the music, finished the
bottle of wine and held one another close. Finally, he whispered in her ear.
“Let’s get out of here; I have something else to show you.”

A
few minutes later they drove up to the beautiful historic downtown
Driskill
Hotel. Annalise assumed they had come for a late
dinner. “Ethan, honey, I’m not dressed for this place.”

“Lise,
where we’re going clothes won’t be a problem.” She allowed him to help her out
of the Viper. A valet drove the car away and they entered the fabulous lobby. Instead
of turning toward the restaurant, Ethan headed for the elevator. “I have
reserved a suite.” Slow on the uptake, Annalise realized Ethan had no intention
of returning home that night. “Do you remember what you promised me this
morning?”

This
morning seemed a lifetime ago. As they went up in the opulent elevator,
Annalise recalled her rash promise. Caught up in the excitement of pleasuring
Ethan, she had foolishly requested a reciprocal act. “I didn’t mean to hold you
to the promise. I just wanted to love you.”

Ethan’s
hand was rubbing her back, his eyes black with desire. “I’ve thought about it
all day.” When the elevator came to a stop, he led her to the room he reserved
for them. The suite was the beautiful LBJ Presidential Suite, easily the most
beautiful room Annalise had ever been in. She made herself dizzy looking at
everything there was to see. The balcony overlooked 6th Street. There was a
beautiful fireplace and a lead glass window depicting a field of Texas
wildflowers. Everything in the room was bluebonnet blue and bedecked with the
Texas Lone Star. The bathroom held a huge Jacuzzi tub and an extra large rain
shower. Annalise spent several minutes trying to determine how dim the lights would
go. She didn’t know how long she could pull off the “I’m shy” routine. If Ethan
had in mind what she thought he did, he planned to be up close and personal
with the very area Annalise longed to keep hidden from him.

The
first thing Ethan did was call room service. She heard him ordering a sumptuous
meal of lobster and champagne. Annalise had nothing to change into so she stood
and watched Ethan talk. He had dressed in casual clothes, jeans and a denim
shirt, but there was nothing casual about him. Just looking at him took her
breath away. His shoulders were so broad, yet his waist and hips were in
perfect proportion. He was a big, sexy hunk of a man and he literally made her
mouth water. If only she could love him the way she wanted to without having to
hide and cover up the part of her body she was so ashamed of.

He
hung up the phone and came to her. “Supper will be here in a moment so we have
to put off the main course.” He tapped her sweetly on the nose and she realized
the main course he was referring to was her. She began to tremble from a
combination of desire and trepidation. “But I believe we do have time for an
appetizer.” He picked her up completely until her breasts were even with his
lips and he drew a nipple into his mouth, cotton blouse and all. The cotton was
sheer, his mouth was hot and a lightning bolt of desire hit Annalise directly
between the legs. He tongued her breast, gently nibbling at the rock-hard nub.

“Oh,
Ethan, the other one wants you, too.” Completely shameless, she offered the
other breast to his eager lips. More than willing to oblige, he let go of one
nipple only to begin ministering to the other. Despite her efforts to be still,
Annalise couldn’t help but move a little. Ethan felt her tiny movements and
carried her to the big leather couch in front of the fireplace. He sat her in a
corner of the couch and stretched out so she could cradle his head in her arms.
The kiss they shared was combustible.

Ethan
was on the verge of losing control. He pulled his lips from hers and rested his
head against her breasts, breathing hard. “Just give me a minute.”

Annalise
knew Ethan was turned on. He had been turned on all night. “Baby, you don’t
have to hold back, I’m right here.”

“The
damn food will be here any minute,” he growled and Annalise laughed in spite of
herself. The little bit of levity seemed to take the edge off it for him. “Did
you enjoy my fantasy at the concert?”

“More
than you could possibly imagine.” Weren’t they trying to calm down? At that
moment, there was a knock at the door and Ethan sprang up to let the waiter in.
He brought in a cart filled with huge platters covered by sterling silver
domes. Ethan tipped him well and sent him on his way.

Annalise
helped him set up for their meal. There were four huge lobster tails and two
bowls of melted butter. She sat out a large bowl of steamed vegetables and
sliced the crusty French bread. Ethan prepared the lobsters so she wouldn’t
have to worry with taking them apart or removing the shells. Another tray
revealed huge, red, juicy strawberries and chocolate sauce for dipping. They
refused to sit across the table from one another. Instead, she pulled her chair
close to his so she could feed him large bites of the succulent lobster
dripping with the butter sauce. He returned the favor, but his aim wasn’t quite
as good as hers—soon her pristine white blouse had tiny drops of butter on the
front. “Oh, no, I have nothing to change into,” she feigned despair.

“I’ll
take care of you, sweetheart,” he assured her. She didn’t doubt him, but she
was pretty sure he wasn’t talking about clothes. Surprisingly, they put a dent
in the food. Ethan had a healthy appetite and Annalise wasn’t worried about
calories right now. The strawberries proved to be their undoing. It might have
been the sweet red juice he kissed from the corners of her mouth or the
chocolate sauce she licked from his upper lip, but their hunger for each other
soon trumped their lust for food. “Come with me.”

He
led her to the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower. As he was
adjusting the temperature, she lit a couple of vanilla scented candles and
turned off all of the other lights. He didn’t question her or seem to mind the
sudden reduction of visibility. They undressed one another slowly, knowing soon
all of their pent-up longing would be rewarded.

“Wait,
here.” He left her for a moment and strode off buck-naked. There wasn’t a shy
bone in his body and oh, what a body it was. The intervening six years had been
more than kind to Ethan Stewart. He had developed washboard abs, strong legs
and a perfect V shape that made a female’s mouth water. He came back with the
champagne and two glasses, which he set on one of the built in shelves in the
massive rain shower. Stepping down into the tiled enclosure, he held out his
hand to help her in. The water fell as gentle droplets from an overhead cloud. He
gently pushed her up against the cool tiled wall and pressed his rock-hard body
up against hers. “You are so beautiful,” he spoke against the soft skin of her
neck. His erection was massive and the feel of it against her thigh turned her
insides into jelly.

Annalise
couldn’t keep her hands off him. She loved him so much; she kissed his chest,
his neck and finally his lips. She was more than ready for him, so when he
gently pulled away from her, she groaned her protest. “Hold on, love, not just
yet.” Pouring some champagne in one of the goblets, he brought it to her lips. Giving
her a small taste, he then poured a thin stream over each of her breasts. Setting
the goblet back on the shelf, he returned to her, licked the droplets off her
soft skin, kissed the valley between her breasts then sank to his knees. Baby
soft kisses were offered to the smooth skin of her middle then Annalise
realized he had every intention of pleasuring her orally. His hands were
clasping her hips, his fingers massaging the soft curves; gradually he let his
mouth lower until he was kissing the very outer portion of her mons.

“No,
stop, Ethan.” The words burst from her. He froze and she realized what he must
be thinking. “Oh, baby, come up here.” She held his shoulders and urged him to
his feet.

“What?
You want me to stop?”

He
looked so sad, she realized he thought she was rejecting him. “No, you don’t
understand. Don’t make me wait, Ethan, please. I want you inside me. Now.”

If
she could have seen the expression on his face, she would have seen blessed
relief. He picked her up, steadied her against the shower wall and entered her
full force. She had been ready for him, but still the suddenness of his
complete possession took her breath away. He held nothing back and she would
have had it no other way. “You made me so hungry for you at the concert and the
slow dancing only fanned the flames.” The words she whispered were intended to
soothe, what they did was inflame.

Ethan
groaned in blissful agony, spilling his seed into her. Annalise held on to him,
her spasms of pleasure shimmering over her entire body. Still wet, he carried
her to the huge King Size bed and lovingly placed her on it. Returning for a
towel, he gently dried her entire body and then his own. Turning down the
covers, he drew her to him. “For a moment, I thought you didn’t want me.”

“Impossible.
I will always want you.” She snuggled down into his embrace, exhaustion
overtaking her. She could count on two hands the number of times she had been
able to rest in his arms so her body instinctively acknowledged the rare gift
and sought to be as close to him as possible. Ethan kissed the top of her head
and shut his eyes, joining her in blissful slumber.

Chapter Eight

Annalise looked down at the ruined dress. She was such a klutz. Glancing
at the street sign, she knew she only had to cross one more street before she
arrived at the block their hotel was on. This part of town was not as well lit,
so she tried to watch her step, not wanting to trip over a crack in the
sidewalk. Stepping off a curb, she started to cross the last alleyway before
reaching the parking garage attached to the hotel.

Ethan had been on her mind all day, she missed him so. She hadn’t told
her parents about him; she didn’t want to listen to their lectures on saving
herself for marriage and keeping up her studies.

Annalise was completely and utterly in love. Only three more days and
she would be back in Austin with him. Deep in thought, she never saw it coming.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and dragged her into the alley. There were
five of them, young and high on God knows what. Annalise tried to get away, but
she was one against five. “Shit, we snagged you a looker, Ronny.”

“Yeah, when you’re through with her, we’ll all have a go.” Annalise
struggled and cried to no avail. They threw her to the ground and held her out
spread-eagle.

“Please, I don’t have any money.”

“It’s not your money we want, bitch!” One dragged her wallet out and
looked just to be sure, but they didn’t let her go.