The Perfect Proposal (17 page)

She snorted at that, an unladylike sound that
was so Annie, Mitch couldn’t help but smile. “I think you’ve got
this courting thing backward. You’re supposed to ply me with
compliments before you take me to bed.” She snuggled closer to him,
sending a current of desire straight to his groin.

Mitch laughed. “Okay.” He cleared his throat.
“Annie, you’re beautiful. You’re gorgeous. You have the most
amazing laugh. I admire your spunk, your tenacity —”

Annie laughed with delight,
then propped herself up on one elbow to gaze at him. Eyes
twinkling, she said, “What are you doing? I told you
before
you take me to
bed.”

Mitch growled and pulled her on top of him.
“I know,” he said meaningfully. “What do you think I’m trying to
do?”

Annie leaned down and pressed her smiling
lips to his. “Well, then shut up and get to it.”

Mitch needed no further encouragement. He
took her lips in a fierce kiss. Tongues tangled, sighs echoed.
Annie left his mouth and touched her lips to his neck, nipping him
lightly. Mitch groaned and slid his hands down her back. Annie left
his neck and moved on to more sensitive territory. Her hair tumbled
over his ribs and her teeth grazed one of his nipples, making him
flinch with pleasure. “Annie, that’s enough,” Mitch rasped. Any
more of this and they weren’t going to make it to the grand
finale.

Seemingly in agreement, Annie sat up and
settled herself on his manhood. Like a divining rod, Mitch felt
himself drawn to the entrance of her perfect body. He held her hips
tightly, studying her, loving the way she looked at that moment.
Tender lips swollen from his kiss. Eyes soft and needy. Hair
spilled around her shoulders like some sort of warrior goddess.
Nipples pearled, awaiting his tongue. Flames from the waning fire
sent light and shadows dancing across her gorgeous body, enveloping
her in a glow which drew Mitch in like a moth to a flame.

Annie began to move sensually against him,
and he didn’t hold back, responding fully to her in ever way.

As Mitch and Annie climaxed together, it
occurred to him that something very important had happened, and he
would never be the same. Nor would she…

Rather than brave her assigned mount from
yesterday, Annie had decided to ride with Mitch on his horse.
Sometime during the night, and Annie wouldn’t know when because
she’d been otherwise occupied, the clouds had rolled out, leaving
the scent of rain in the air and a few scattered clouds in the
sky.

Though Annie would have liked to spend the
entire weekend in the supply cabin with Mitch—they would have to
get back to reality soon enough—Les had called this morning, deemed
the journey safe, and summoned them back to the ranch for the
reunion.

Their inevitable return had prompted a series
of unsettling questions and conflicted introspection. What would
happen when they got back to their cottage? When they got back to
Atlanta? When she became CEO? Annie refused to think about those
things right now. At the moment, with Mitch’s comforting chest at
her back and his arm protectively clasped about her middle, Annie
didn’t want to be anywhere else.

She was happy. And happiness had been so rare
in her life that, despite her misgivings, Annie wouldn’t do
anything to shatter that buoyant feeling. She and Mitch had the
weekend. Was a weekend of happiness too much to ask? Annie didn’t
think so, and even if it was, she didn’t care. For a little while,
she didn’t have to be Annie the orphan, Annie the rock, Annie the
Hightower CEO candidate—she could be Annie the woman. And no one
had ever made her feel more like a woman than the man she was with
right now.

Mitch peeked around at her. “What are you
smiling about?” he asked, a grin in his voice.

“
Same thing you’re smiling
about.”

Mitch chuckled. “Oh, you’re still thinking
about the shower, too, then?”

Impossibly, her grin
widened. Annie felt a flush warm her neck at the memory.
Heat, steam,
water…and
Mitch.
Mercy, what a
combination.

Seeing her reaction, Mitch let out a laugh
laced with male satisfaction. “Just wait until we try out that
tub,” he promised silkily, causing a sensual thrill to skitter up
her spine at the idea.

The ride back to the stable passed too
quickly to suit Annie. Mitch regaled her with tales about his many
adventures, and she did her best to look suitably impressed. They
argued good-naturedly about books and movies, likes and dislikes.
Annie had been appalled to learn that Mitch put ketchup on his
eggs. Mitch had been equally appalled to learn that Annie didn’t
particularly care for Clint Eastwood movies. All things considered,
conversation flowed like a river to the sea, and if it occasionally
lulled, it wasn’t because there wasn’t anything left to say, but
because they could enjoy the silence together.

Mitch urged his horse up a knoll which
overlooked the impressive Peters estate. “I want to steal a kiss
before we get down there with that little cowboy’s loony
relatives.”

Annie attempted an outraged laugh. “Mitch,”
she admonished. “You can’t assume that all of Les’s family shares
his affinity for rhinestones.”

Mitch smiled grimly. “Let’s hope not. We’ll
need awfully dark sunglasses if they do.”

Annie chuckled again and turned her head to
face him. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”

A flare of desire lit Mitch’s blue gaze and
he lowered his voice to an intimate level. “Kiss you.”

He did.

To Mitch’s surprise—other than great-aunt
Ophelia who insisted she had been Cleopatra in another life and
carried a snake around her neck—Les’s family was relatively tame.
As soon as they’d made it back from the supply cabin, Annie and
Mitch had gone quickly back to Rose cottage then, after several
heated embraces, proceeded to get ready to attend the reunion.

The hour had grown late, and still the party
raged on. And no wonder, Mitch thought. Though reluctant to admit
it, Mitch found his host’s eccentric clan utterly delightful. There
had been plenty of good food, good music, and good company. Mitch
had enjoyed all three.

Having eaten his fill of the homemade ice
cream, at the moment Mitch was enjoying his favorite of the
three—good company. Annie’s hands were clasped about his neck in a
fashion that made him long for a more private dance. As the band
played a soft country ballad, her womanly hips rolled with his. Her
scent, something musky and feminine, drifted around him, making him
inhale deeply and savor it. His groin tightened and he fought the
urge to press against her.

By unspoken agreement, nothing concerning
Hightower Advertising was supposed to intrude on their remaining
time together. Annie hadn’t said as much, but Mitch knew. And it
suited him just fine. Monday would roll around soon enough, and
their brief but emotionally turbulent relationship would have to
end. Though Mitch was reluctant to learn why, the possibility of
never holding Annie again, hearing her intimate laughter, made him
unreasonably dejected. More so than it should.

“
I’m getting tired,” Annie
said softly. “Are you about ready to leave yet?”

Mitch nodded. “I think we’ve fulfilled our
obligation to Les.” Mitch drew away and threaded his fingers
through hers, then tugged her from the dance floor. “Let’s go say
goodnight, then we’ll go home.”

Home?
Mitch marveled at the slip of the tongue. Had he actually
started to think of the little cottage as home? Or was anywhere
with Annie home now? The disturbing question rang through Mitch’s
reeling mind. Shaking his head as though to clear it, Mitch located
Les and made a bee-line for him. Apparently Annie had chosen the
right time for them to make their escape, because Les was
attempting to take the microphone away from the singer and lead the
festivities himself.

“
See here,” Les boomed at
the band. “You boys know Sweet Home Alabama?”

Mitch silently shuddered to think what the
eccentric little meat magnate would do to the timeless rock-n-roll
song. He smothered a chuckle, then cleared his throat to get Les’s
attention.

But Les began to belt the lyrics in a voice
so off-key it was painful.

“
Les?” Mitch
said.

The older man started, then his round face
broke into a broad grin. “Why, Mitch! Don’t tell me you can sing,
too?”

“
Uh, no, sir. Annie and I
just wanted to come and tell you good night. You have a fine family
and we’ve enjoyed ourselves.”

Les puffed up until the rhinestone buttons on
his fitted vest almost popped. “Why, thank you! They are purty
special. Les proudly beamed at the crowd he called family. “Sure
you don’t want to stick around? We’re gonna start up this here
karaoke machine and have a singalong.”

Mitch’s lips twitched and beside him, Annie
managed a strangled cough. “Uh, no, thank you, sir. I think we’ll
pass.”

“
That’s too bad,” Les
sighed. His happy gaze took on a shrewd quality. “Okay. Remember
now, no work tomorrow. Y’all have a free day. I expect you to bowl
me over with your fine ideas come Wednesday.” He grinned again.
“You young folks have a good night.”

Mitch and Annie shared a secret smile. They
fully intended to.

“
Open up,” Mitch commanded
softly.

Annie sighed and did as she’d been told. Who
knew feeding someone—or being fed—could be such an erotic
experience. The sweetly tart flavor of fresh strawberries tempted
her palate even as Mitch’s hand smoothed over her thigh and made
her tremble.

Sunday had been a marathon of new experiences
for Annie. Some more pleasurable than others, but all lessons of
the senses. Some of the heart. She’d played the student, Mitch the
teacher. And, oh, what a consummate instructor he’d turned out to
be.

Now, as night descended outside, Annie wished
that she could turn the clock back and make time stand still. At
least for a little while longer.

But she couldn’t. Despair cloaked her spirit,
resulting in a defeated sigh. Morning would come whether she wanted
it to or not. Besides, even though the feelings Mitch had awakened
in her made her weak in the knees, other feelings lurked making her
wary and almost anxious to call a halt to the fragile relationship
they’d begun. Could something so wonderful be trusted? Annie
wondered. For that matter, could Mitch?

Truthfully, Annie did trust Mitch. She
genuinely liked him. More than liked him. Another stronger emotion
she didn’t dare label had imprinted itself on her heart and it had
Mitch’s name in bold italic written all over it. Before Annie could
contemplate that particular sentiment, her sense of
self-preservation told her not to be so damned sentimental about a
mere fling.

Inwardly, Annie sighed.
Still, Mitch was smart and funny and sensual and capable…A frown
lined her brow as she realized she was running out of adjectives.
What exactly was it that Mitch possessed to make her so, well,
so…
needy?
Annie
didn’t understand it. She’d always been strong. So why was it that
she wanted him to hold her, shoulder her burdens for a while and
shower her with love until she almost melted with joy? She
literally craved his touch and wondered sadly what she would do
without it.

Nevertheless, for all her misgivings about
it, Annie also knew that the time they’d shared hadn’t left him
unaffected. There had been several moments in the past thirty-six
hours when she’d caught him looking at her with the most perplexed
and tender expression. Mitch didn’t know what to make of all this
either. That much was obvious and provided a little comfort.

But Mitch might allow them to go on this way
indefinitely because he had a confidence that Annie admittedly
lacked. In that regard, Annie was a coward. She’d rather pull her
bets than hedge them. At least this way if she lost, it would be
her own doing and not someone else’s. Furthermore, when this
contest was over, that would be the end of their personal and
professional relationships. From the beginning she had ignored the
possibility that her weekend of happiness might cost her…her
heart.

“
Hey,” Mitch interrupted her
woeful reflections. “Why the frown?

Annie told herself it was
now or never.
But why did never sound so
much better?
“I was just thinking that is
was almost time to go to bed.”

Lips quirked into a sexy grin, Mitch circled
her breast with his finger. “I must have really dazzled you, honey.
That’s where we are.”

Annie laughed despite herself. “You know what
I mean.” She drew a deep breath to bolster her courage. “We have a
big day tomorrow. T-time to start those campaigns.” She strove to
sound chipper.

Mitch stilled. Annie felt him withdraw from
her, though he hadn’t moved an inch. Her mouth parched and tears
rose in her throat. Swallowing, she forced them back.

“
Yes, I suppose we do,”
Mitch replied at last. He searched her face, willing her to look at
him. Annie couldn’t. If she did, she’d be lost, and then neither of
them would win. Good grief, had anything ever been this
hard?

“
I just thought it would be
best if we, you know…” Her throat tightened. She couldn’t
finish.

“
I know,” he said at last,
his voice oddly thick. Mitch pressed an achingly soft kiss to her
lips which seemed to say only good-bye, then calmly rose from the
bed and exited the room.

Silence descended and the blissful intimacy
they had shared faded away, gradually replace by a chill so utterly
desolate, Annie didn’t think she’d ever be warm again. Inside her
chest, she felt her heart shatter, then fall unheeded into little
bits about her weeping soul.