Uncovering Annabelle (7 page)

As if she couldn’t stop herself, Annabelle’s
hips undulated, pushing her more firmly against his fingers. His
erection strained against the zipper of his dress pants, but he
didn’t care. The secluded darkness of the corner, and the long
tablecloth, shielded them from prying eyes. He was so aroused he
hurt, but there was no way he was going to stop yet.

The expression on Annabelle’s face was one
of a woman in the throes of passion. She’d tilted her head back
slightly and closed her eyes. Her skin had a rosy glow and her lips
parted on a low moan.

He could feel the dampness of her arousal
through her cotton panties. She was so wet, so ready. His own body
clenched and his testicles drew tight to his body. He hadn’t been
this close to losing control since he was a teenager. And they were
in a restaurant, a public place.

That thought brought his advances to a
screeching halt. He knew she’d be embarrassed if someone glanced
their way and suspected what they were doing. He’d only wanted to
make a point, not drive them both over the edge. He carefully
pulled his hand away.

Annabelle shuddered and gradually opened her
eyes. They were unfocused and he could tell she wasn’t really
seeing him. She was still lost in the sensual enjoyment he’d given
her. He loved that he’d made her lose all her inhibitions.

Then the sleepy pleasure in her gaze
disappeared, replaced by disbelief and not a little concern. Hot
color shot up her cheeks, but he refused to let her be ashamed of
herself.

“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.” He
brought the fingers he’d used to caress her to his nose and
sniffed. “You smell sexy.” He flicked his tongue out to lick the
top of his finger. “You taste hot.”

Mike could tell she was partly horrified by
what they had done, but she was also very aroused as well. That was
all the opening he needed. “We’d be so very good together,
Annabelle. Think about it. We could do whatever you wanted,
whenever you wanted.”

He barely swallowed a groan when her tongue
slipped out to lick at her lips. He wanted to haul her over his
shoulder and drag her out of the restaurant. He wanted to keep her
in his bed for at least a week, maybe two, before he even
considered letting her out for a break. Instead, he forced himself
to sit there and wait for her to decide.

Annabelle opened her mouth to speak. Closed
it. Took a sip of coffee and pushed her glasses up her nose before
she tried again. “I want to sleep with you. I have things I want to
do, to try.” She held up her hand to stop him before he could
speak. “But I have conditions.”

“Whatever you want,” he promised her. At
this point he’d agree to just about anything. They could always
renegotiate at a later date.

“I don’t want anyone else to know about us.
That way, when we end our relationship, it’s nobody’s business but
ours.” She nervously chewed on her bottom lip, as if afraid he
wouldn’t agree to her terms.

Stunned by her demand, Mike sat back in his
chair and studied her expression. She was aroused, but she was also
deadly serious. She’d certainly shocked him, something he hadn’t
thought possible. Annoyance began to simmer inside him. “Let me get
this straight. You want to have sex with me, but you don’t want to
have a real relationship.” And wasn’t that a kick in the balls.

Most men would be thanking their lucky
stars. After all, what man wouldn’t want hot sex with a gorgeous
woman, no strings attached? But he wasn’t most men and this was
Annabelle. What he wanted from her went beyond the physical.

He felt like his head might explode when she
smiled and nodded. The muscles in his arms were straining as he
resisted the temptation to pull her to her feet and shake her until
she came to her senses. The fact that she looked relieved only
served to heighten his anger. “Why the hell not?”

Annabelle reared back in her seat and
frowned, clearly taken aback by his angry outburst. Her eyes
widened and she shifted nervously in her seat. So she should, he
thought. How dare she try to cheapen what they had together? Not
that she had any idea where he wanted their relationship to go.
Obviously they weren’t on the same page at all when it came to what
they both wanted.

Their role reversal was almost laughable,
but Mike seemed to have momentarily misplaced his sense of humor.
She wanted nothing more than hot sex while he wanted a whole hell
of a lot more.

“Well.” Annabelle glanced around to make
sure the waiter wasn’t nearby. She chewed on her bottom lip,
something he’d noticed was a nervous habit. Watching her teeth play
over her lip, Mike had the sudden urge to nibble on that luscious
mouth himself. He would need hours to properly explore it.

“If people know about us, then when you
don’t want me anymore, people will pity me and talk about me. I
know this isn’t about marriage, I like my job, and the town
. . .” Annabelle trailed off into silence, suddenly
becoming very interested in the tablecloth.

Holy hell
. Mike wouldn’t have been
more stunned if someone had hit him up the side of his head with a
two-by-four. This wasn’t about him at all. It wasn’t that she
didn’t want to be with him. It was that she didn’t think he’d want
anything permanent.

This was about Annabelle’s insecurities as a
woman.

What kind of an idiot had her college
boyfriend been that she felt a man would only want her for a short
while? Mike had the sudden urge to find the loser and beat him
senseless for the harm he’d obviously wreaked on Annabelle’s
self-esteem. Just the thought was enough to make his blood pressure
soar. And what about the men she’d dated since?

He took a deep cleansing breath to calm his
tumultuous emotions. The object of his anger was nowhere in sight
and a show of temper was the last thing that Annabelle needed.

The only sign of Annabelle’s agitation was a
slight tremble of her hand as she sipped her now cold coffee. At
that small betraying tremor, Mike felt his heart turn over. She
still hadn’t looked him straight in the face since she’d finished
her little speech.

A sense of certainty settled over Mike the
longer he studied her. He knew she wouldn’t believe him if he told
her he was thinking long-term, that the idea of marriage had even
crossed his mind. She’d certainly think he was handing her a
line.

And maybe she’d be right. There was no way
of knowing where their relationship might go. All he knew was that
he wanted to seriously date Annabelle with an eye to a future
together.

He’d have to show her instead. His actions
would prove to her how desirable she was as a woman and a partner.
He wanted her to know her power as a woman and then choose him.

The silence between them had lasted several
minutes. It was not a comfortable silence. The very air around them
almost crackled with the growing tension. Mike decided that the
first step in his plan would be to make her at ease around him once
again. So he would agree to her terms, let her have control of the
situation, let her take the lead. He didn’t mind. He was confident
now that he would eventually get what he wanted—Annabelle,
forever.

“If that’s the way you want it, then that’s
the way we’ll play it.” As a reward for his agreement, she gave him
a shy smile, full of promise. Her lips tilted up at the corners
until the smile lit her face with a beauty that almost took his
breath away. When she nodded, he felt compelled to add, “For
now.”

Annabelle didn’t seem to take exception at
this addition. He could tell that she was feeling more confident
and in control of the situation. Now that all the terms had been
settled to her satisfaction, she looked happy.

Anticipation swelled inside him. Life was
looking very promising for the days and weeks ahead. He intended to
fulfill every fantasy she’d ever had and, hopefully, satisfy a few
of his own in the process. His entire body clenched in anticipation
as he watched her relax even more.

Once she was comfortable with the idea of
them as a couple, he’d renegotiate the terms, preferably in bed.
He’d wait until he had her mindless with pleasure and then lay out
a few demands of his own. He was looking forward to the
challenge.

Annabelle began to chat about work. It was
only then that he understood just how uptight she’d been during
dinner. Now that she was totally relaxed, he was seeing a different
side of Annabelle, and this woman was even more entrancing. She
entertained him with a story about her catching two young
twelve-year-old boys ogling naked women in a book on women’s
health.

“They turned so red when I asked if I could
help them with their research.” She grinned and gave a small laugh.
The candlelight reflected off the wire rims of her glasses. “They
ran off when I tried to give them a book specifically geared toward
questions young boys have about their sexuality.” Her eyes sparkled
with humor as she continued. “Honestly, I was just trying to help
them become better informed.” She paused for a breath. “They were
so cute.”

Mike laughed at her story. It was easy to
picture the boys sneaking down a library aisle and getting the
courage to open the book to take a peek. With parental controls on
computers, it was one of the few ways to check out a naked woman
without anyone knowing . . . provided you didn’t get
caught.

Having once been a twelve-year-old himself,
he understood their fascination on that very subject and
sympathized as well. What Annabelle didn’t seem to understand was
that it was something a man never seemed to outgrow. And his own
body was making him very aware of the consequences of thinking
about such things.

It was time to leave. Mike raised his hand
and signaled the waiter.

When the bill was presented, he paid and
escorted Annabelle from the restaurant. He nodded at a few people
he knew, but Annabelle kept her head down and went straight for the
exit. He didn’t know if she was purposely trying to hide or if she
was simply in a hurry to get to the next portion of their evening.
Either way, he didn’t stop to speak to anyone. He was just as
anxious to leave as she was.

The silence continued as Mike guided her
across the parking lot. He rested his palm just above her behind,
being sure to keep things respectable while they were in public.
Instead of leaving it in one spot, he rubbed small circles on her
lower back as they walked. She leaned into his hand instead of
pulling away. Taking advantage of her slight encouragement, he slid
his hand around her side and gave her a quick squeeze as they
reached the vehicle.

Mike settled her into the passenger seat of
his truck, making sure her dress was in no danger of being caught
when he closed the door. His hand accidentally grazed her leg.

Annabelle gave a small cry, more a sweet
moan than a gasp. Her leg twitched and moved restlessly. He hastily
pulled the seat belt across her and clicked it into place. When his
palm brushed her breast, it was on purpose. He felt her nipple,
taut and puckered, through the thin fabric of her dress. She moved
sensuously against his fingers and her breath quickened.

Mike swore under his breath, closed the
door, and took a deep breath of evening air before he walked around
and climbed in on the driver’s side. He put the keys in the
ignition but didn’t start the engine.

He turned slightly in his seat and reached
out to cup Annabelle’s chin in his hand. “Do you want to go to your
place or mine?”

She licked her lips nervously, but spoke
without any hesitation. “Yours. It’s closer.”

Mike reached over and dropped a quick kiss
on her lips. “My place it is. Relax and enjoy. It won’t take long.”
He started the truck, put the vehicle in gear, and pulled out of
the parking lot and into the night.

Mike was fiercely glad that she had chosen
his house over hers. It was a primitive response, he knew, but he
wanted her in his home. He wanted her to get used to being there,
because if he had his way, she would never want to leave.

Chapter
Five

Annabelle was quiet on the drive to Mike’s
home. She was committed to making love with him, but she was
nervous, excited but nervous. Her hands clutched at the purse in
her lap, giving her something solid to hold on to.

“Almost there.” Mike’s voice was soft, as if
he was afraid he would spook her and she would jump out of the car
and run away.

She needed to say something. Anything. She
cleared her voice. “It’s a nice night, isn’t it?”

Had she really said that? God, what was
wrong with her? Her anxiety was turning her into an inarticulate
idiot.

“Yes, you really did say that and it is a
beautiful evening.”

Annabelle groaned and buried her face in her
hands. This was getting more awkward by the second. She hadn’t been
aware of speaking that concern aloud. She felt the light brush of
his hand on the top of her head. The small caress sent a shiver
down her spine.

“Are you cold or just nervous?” Mike’s hand
never lost contact with her as he spoke.

She hated that she was suddenly tongue-tied
and self-conscious. But hiding her face wasn’t going to change
anything. She was a grown woman. She could do this.

She straightened in her seat and turned to
look at him. His features were shrouded in the dark interior, but
every time they passed a streetlight she caught a glimpse of him.
He was big, solid and gorgeous. And she wanted him.

“I’m nervous, but excited too.” Best to be
totally honest. Annabelle reached out and placed her hand on his
thigh. It was rock-hard. She was encouraged when Mike suddenly
placed both hands on the wheel and gripped it tight.

She skimmed her hand over his thigh. Up and
down. The muscles flexed beneath her hand. She loved the feel of
him. Annabelle could only imagine how incredible it would be when
he wasn’t wearing any clothes.