Uncovering Annabelle (16 page)

“Pretty.” He pushed open the dress, which
now hung loose around her, and he traced the satin cup of the bra
before sliding his fingers up over the strap. “Is it new?”

“Yes.”

“I like it even more than I did a second
ago.” He eased his hands inside the neck of the dress and eased it
away from her shoulders. The material slid down her arms and over
her hips to pool around her feet. She was left standing in front of
him wearing only her panties and bra.

Mike made a low sound, almost like a growl.
It was very sexy and sent goose bumps racing down her arms. He
seemed to be in no hurry, while she was burning with need.

He glided his fingers over the slippery
satin, encasing her breasts. The darkness of his hands was a sharp
contrast to the paleness of her skin and the delicacy of the
material. She loved his hands. They were large and capable, strong
yet incredibly gentle. A working man’s hands—calloused and a little
rough, which was unbelievably arousing.

Her breathing quickened and her nipples
hardened. Annabelle swayed toward him, trying to get closer, but he
held her away from him.

He skimmed his hands down her sides and
around back to cover her behind. The matching panties were the same
pale blue satin and lace, and Mike’s hands slid easily over the
fabric as he cupped her ass.

“You are so incredibly sexy.” His voice was
low and harsh with need. He put those wonderful large hands to
work, shaping and squeezing her bottom. When his fingers skimmed
the crease between the tops of her legs and her bottom, she
shivered.

Annabelle couldn’t stay still a second
longer. She stepped out of the dress that lay bunched at her feet
and kicked it aside. She twined her arms around Mike’s neck and
buried her fingers in his dark, silky hair. She loved the way it
glided through her fingers, caressing her skin.

She ran her fingers through his hair a
second time, but didn’t let go. This time she held on and tugged
him down so she could reach his mouth. Then she kissed him. She
poured every emotion she was experiencing into it—confusion,
apprehension, fear and love.

In the darkness of his bedroom, with his
arms wrapped tight around her, she finally admitted it to herself.
She was falling in love with Mike. It was crazy considering they
hadn’t been seeing each other for very long. Their relationship was
still new and tentative, and she honestly didn’t expect it to
last.

The smartest thing might be to pull back, to
try to protect herself emotionally. But Annabelle was tired of
playing it safe. She wanted to embrace every moment of their time
together and enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

Acknowledgment of that fact brought with it
a sense of relief and freedom. She had no idea where their
relationship might lead, if it would be permanent or not, but while
they were involved she would give it her all. No longer would she
hold back for fear of being hurt.

“You take my breath away,” he told her.

Feeling bold, Annabelle reached behind and
unhooked her bra. She leaned forward, exposing her cleavage before
giving her arms a little shake. The satin slithered down her arms
and onto the floor.

Mike’s breathing quickened but he didn’t
touch her. His hands were fisted at his sides, but he didn’t reach
for her. He was waiting for her to take the lead in their
lovemaking.

Annabelle never took her eyes off him as she
straightened. Her breasts thrust out in front of her, and his
heated gaze devoured them. She skimmed her hands down her sides to
her waist, tucked her fingers into the waistband of her panties and
gave her hips a little shimmy. Her underwear fell to her ankles.
She stepped out and kicked them aside.

She grasped Mike’s hand and led him to the
bed.

He followed so closely she felt the brush of
his jeans against her behind. She was totally naked and he was
still fully dressed.

Mike reached around her and tugged back the
covers on the bed. When he straightened, he nuzzled the sensitive
skin just behind her ear. “Get in bed, sweetheart,” he urged. She
slid onto the cool cotton sheets.

Mike yanked his shirt over his head and let
it drop. Annabelle lay on top of the sheets rather than crawling
beneath them. She no longer wanted to hide from him. She was proud
of the fact that he wanted her. Propping herself on her arms to get
a better view of his chest, she was unaware of just how provocative
she looked lying there in the middle of Mike’s bed until his
nostrils flared and he sucked in a breath.

“You are pure temptation,” he told her. His
voice was deeper than normal and washed over her like a caress.

He shucked his jeans, and she was surprised
to note he wasn’t wearing any underwear. It made her wonder just
how often he went without them. The image made her shiver with
delight. Then he stood before her, every muscle tense, naked and
fully aroused. It was a sight guaranteed to make any red-blooded
woman weak with wanting.

She licked her lips in anticipation. He was
all hers for the duration of their affair. There was no doubt in
her mind that Mike would see no one else while they were together.
Just as he knew that he was the only man in her life.

Mike came down onto the bed beside her,
dragged her into his arms and kissed her. And the kiss was
ravenous. She tasted desperation, both his and her own. Their
tongues dueled. Lips and teeth teased. He nipped his way down her
neck, spreading hot kisses on her flesh as he worked his way toward
her breasts.

“Tell me you want me,” he murmured as he
laved her nipples with his tongue.

“Yes.” Annabelle clutched him to her breast.
Wanting more. Needing more.

“Tell me,” Mike ordered. She was wet and
ready for him. The time for teasing was over. His fingers delved
between her legs and he worked two of them into her slick channel.
“Tell me,” he demanded.

Annabelle moaned and widened her legs,
urging him to do more, to take more. “I want you. Only you.” That
was the truth and something she could easily give him.

She pushed her hips upward, wanting him
deeper and harder. He withdrew his fingers and spread her wetness
over her clitoris, teasing the sensitive nub.

Mike swore and ripped open the drawer of the
bedside table. He grabbed a condom and was sheathed and inside her
before she could form a coherent thought. And then she didn’t think
at all.

Their lovemaking had been fun and playful.
It had been drawn out and intense. But this time it was raw. There
was no more foreplay and no more talk. Mike draped her legs over
his arms and planted his palms by her shoulders. She was open,
exposed and vulnerable.

Then he laid claim to her, body and
soul.

Mike thrust deep and then withdrew. He did
it again, this time keeping it light and shallow. He continued,
varying his rhythm. She was close to coming but he kept her on
edge. Every time she was about to climax, he’d change what he was
doing.

Annabelle was soon frantic. Mike pulled
almost out of her and stopped, holding himself rigid and away from
her. “Don’t stop,” she pleaded.

“Tell me what you need.”

“You,” she cried. “I need you.” She almost
blurted that she loved him, but fear held her back.

Mike’s control broke. He drove into her so
hard and deep he pushed her across the bed with each stroke. The
headboard slammed against the wall. He curled his hands around her
shoulders to keep her in place.

She dug her fingernails into his back and
matched him stroke for stroke. Their bodies were slick with sweat.
Her climax slammed into her with the force of a freight train, and
she yelled his name.

She was like a leaf floating down a river,
buffeted by the current, or in this case by Mike’s passion. He gave
one final thrust and went rigid. She felt the ripple of his cock as
he came and the heat of his big body as he collapsed beside
her.

A short time later, he slowly pulled himself
out of her, rolled out of bed, and headed to the bathroom.

Annabelle lay there, letting the air cool
her heated flesh. What they had just shared was more than just sex.
She had a feeling that Mike had just branded her in the most
primitive way possible. And she had done the same to him.

The mattress dipped as Mike settled next to
her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his arms.
Neither of them spoke. What they’d shared was beyond words. They
lay in the dark, listening as the sound of the wind rustling the
leaves of the aspen trees drifted in through the open window.

Chapter
Ten

Annabelle bit her bottom lip as she
concentrated on coiling her hair into a neat bun. Sticking the pins
in carefully, she peered hard into the mirror, but the image didn’t
change. She still looked the same as she had this morning when
she’d dressed for work—ordinary and presentable.

Sighing, she reached for her purse, which
she had laid on the vanity in the library bathroom. Her hand shook
as she reapplied the light pink lipstick that she had chewed off.
Satisfied that the color was where it was supposed to be, she took
a deep breath and released it. She tossed her lipstick and brush
back into her oversized purse.

Knowing that she wouldn’t have time to go
home to change after work, Annabelle had dressed with care this
morning. Her skirt was long but was made of lightweight, turquoise
blue cotton and swished when she walked. It made her feel young and
flirty. She’d topped it with a plain white tank top, but she had
one of her sensible white bras underneath it and had covered it
with a light cotton cardigan for work.

Feeling daring, she unbuttoned the sweater
so the scooped-neck tank top was visible. She had the strap of her
purse in her hand when she muttered a curse and dropped it back
onto the counter. Before she could talk herself out of it, she
pulled her sweater off. But she couldn’t quiet shake the sensible
Annabelle. Rather than take the sweater to her office, she stuffed
it into her bag. Just in case.

Her shoes were flat with soft soles that
made no sound as she left the ladies’ room and hurried toward the
front door of the library. Not that it mattered. Everyone was gone
for the day and she was there alone. Most of the town would be at
the fair tonight. There would be food of all kinds to enjoy and
booths where you could try your luck at winning a prize. Charity
groups would be selling crafts and homemade items as well as raffle
tickets on prizes donated by local businesses. There were carnival
rides for the kids, and later tonight a band would entertain the
crowd.

Annabelle had never been to a fair with a
date before. Back in her hometown, she’d helped out at various
charity booths, always watching the fun, but never a part of it.
Not this time. For the first time, she was going to the fair to
have fun. And if her stomach didn’t calm down, she’d throw up
before she even ate a bite of food or had a spin on one of the
carnival rides.

She and Mike hadn’t spent a lot of time
together since the weekend. He’d had to put in extra hours on one
of the job sites a couple of nights, and she’d had to attend a town
council meeting on another. He’d dropped by during her lunch hour
but it wasn’t the same. She missed sleeping with him. Not just the
sex, but the closeness that came after, being able to roll over in
the middle of the night and wrap her arms around him.

She had it bad.

He hadn’t pressed her any further about
their relationship. She didn’t know if she should be happy or sad
about that. She knew she was being foolish to worry so much about
what other people thought. Most people were too wrapped up in their
own lives to care. And both she and Mike were adults. What did it
matter if they were dating?

She closed and locked the door behind her,
tugging to make sure the lock had engaged. The walk to the
fairgrounds would give her time to calm down. After all, millions
of women around the world went on dates every single day. It was no
big deal.

Annabelle jumped when she felt a hand on her
shoulder. Her foot hit the edge of the library stairs and she
started to stumble. Her purse went one way and she went another as
she flailed her arms out to try to catch herself.

She didn’t fall, but it wasn’t because of
anything she did. Instead she was pulled into a pair of arms that
she recognized well. Heart pounding with fear, she let herself sink
into Mike’s embrace.

“Are you all right?” She caught the edge of
fear in his voice.

Annabelle nodded, her nose rubbing against
the soft cotton of the T-shirt he wore. She caught a whiff of his
scent and took a deep breath. He smelled like soap, sunshine, and
sexy male, and it was more calming than fresh air. “I’m fine.” Mike
held her at arm’s length, a frown on his handsome face.

“Are you sure?” Mike stared at her, as if
trying to gauge her mood. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I finished
work early so we could walk over to the fair together.” He ran his
hands up and down her arms, as if to assure himself that she was
indeed fine.

“Sure. Yeah. All right.” She could feel the
blush stealing up her cheeks. Part of her wanted to run back inside
the library, to safety, rather than face a public date. Groaning
inwardly, she tried to pull herself together. She was acting like a
complete idiot and couldn’t blame it on the near fall, because she
hadn’t hit her head. “That would be nice.”

Mike gave her an odd look, but reached out
and took her hand in his. “If you’re sure?”

She nodded, but continued to simply stand
there until he gave her hand a tug to get her moving. “My purse.”
It had landed several feet away on the concrete walkway.
Thankfully, nothing had spilled out. Mike retrieved her bag and
handed it to her. “Thank you.”