by Nona Raines
“Well, this is my idea.” He lightly touched a petal on her corsage. “We good now?”
In answer, Annalee took his arm. She’d be his date tonight. And with any luck, before the night was over, she’d be his lover.
****
The class reunion was being held at The Oaks, a banquet hall on the edge of town. Annalee was quiet when they first arrived. She smiled and nodded at Eric’s small talk and attempts to put her at ease, but Eric couldn’t miss how she surreptitiously scanned the crowd. Why was she so nervous?
“Do we need to sign in?” he asked, gesturing to a table outside the ballroom doors. A couple of women sat there, and one of them narrowed her eyes as they approached.
“Annalee.” The woman’s mouth pursed in a smug little smile. Eric took an immediate dislike to her. “We weren’t sure you were coming.”
“Hello, Sandra.” Annalee’s voice was cool, but her shoulders stiffened. “Why, I wouldn’t dream of missing it. The chance to catch up with all my old friends.”
Sandra whoever-she-was eyed him, then made a show of checking the list in front of her. “You brought a guest? Oh, dear, I don’t see that you RSVP’d for one on the list.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Another, much friendlier, woman moved in. “Hi, Annalee. Eric, so nice to see you again.”
“Hey, Ms. Van Horne.” Eric grinned as he recognized one of his favorite high school teachers. “Uh, is it still Ms. Van Horne?”
“Oh, yes.”
“I’m sorry about the inconvenience. I’ll gladly pay for my dinner.”
“That’ll be fine. We’ve already had a few cancellations, so you’ll help fill in an empty chair.”
“Thanks.” He managed to smile at the Sandra chick as he pulled his wallet out and handed her the cash.
After some sighing and harrumphing, she handed him change and pointed out Annalee’s name tag among the others on the table. As they moved to enter the ballroom, Sandra called out “Oh, Annalee. In case you were wondering, Denny hasn’t shown up yet.”
Annalee’s steps halted, and Eric froze beside her. He ground his teeth, wishing he could give Sandra a swift kick in the ass. He’d completely forgotten that Denny Donovan was in the same class. No wonder Annalee was on edge. Everyone who’d known them as a couple would be watching her, hoping for a meltdown or fireworks.
She took his arm and squared her shoulders as they entered the room. Her glowing smile swept away his anger. “No one’s going to spoil this evening for me. Not Denny and especially not that bitch Sandra.”
“That’s my girl.” He slipped his arm around her, ready to protect her from the busybodies. He’d keep her close, not let anyone hurt her.
Eric’s sister greeted them with hugs and squeals of delight. They barely had a chance to sit down before Dee dragged Annalee to the dance floor. Dee was the life of the party. Pregnancy wasn’t slowing her down one bit.
Two balloon towers of blue and silver, the school colors, were set on either side of the platform where the DJ played a combination of new tunes and those from “back in the day.” Dee requested her favorite song and insisted Annalee join her in singing and dancing the chorus.
Both women were laughing when they returned to their seats. Thom regarded his wife complacently. He was Dee’s perfect foil—calm, dependable, and able to settle her down when she got a little too wound up.
Dee shook her finger at Eric. “Aren’t you Mr. Mysterious? I had no clue you were planning this little surprise.”
“I wanted Annalee to be the first to know.”
His sister turned to Annalee. “Were you surprised? Shocked? Knocked for a loop?”
“All of the above.” The smile she gave him made his chest swell with pride.
He had her up on the dance floor every chance he got, especially for the slow songs. That gave him the perfect excuse to hold her close, to feel her soft breasts against him, to trail his hand down to the small of her back, almost but not quite touching her ass. When a new song began, he ignored the up-tempo change. He and Annalee were the only couple on the floor still holding each other, but he didn’t care. Annalee was in his arms, and he never wanted to let go. She was such a luscious armful. Her scent, light and flowery, made his mouth water.
He wished he could sweep her away right now, have her all to himself. Hold on, dude. Patience.
“I have to tell you something.” He kept his voice low so the other dancers couldn’t hear. “This morning, when I met you walking the dog? It wasn’t an accident. I was on my way to your house when I found you in the park.”
She blinked in surprise. “You were?”
He smirked. “Yep. I’ve been wanting to make my move ever since Dee told me about your divorce. I wanted to give you some time. But not too much time. I didn’t want anyone else to snatch you up.”
“Really?” Annalee’s voice was soft, her gaze full of warmth.
He cinched his arm tighter around her waist. The scent of her hair made him almost dizzy. “Really.” He twirled her out, even though the music didn’t call for it.
She twirled in. When her breasts nestled against his chest, excitement sizzled through him. “I’m glad you didn’t wait any longer.” Her voice was sultry and low.
That did it. The sizzle flared to a blaze. No doubt now—he needed to get her alone.
“Come with me.” His throat felt thick, making his voice gravelly. Taking her hand, he led her through the glass doors leading outside. In summer, they’d have been standing in a garden, but all the flowers had long since faded.
It didn’t matter. Annalee provided all the beauty he needed.
They found a stone bench far enough from the party to have some privacy. As they sat, Annalee shivered in the chilly night air. With a twinge of guilt, Eric shrugged out of his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. “My bad. I didn’t stop to think how cold it is out here.”
“I’m fine.” She smiled, snuggling into the jacket as though she enjoyed having it around her. “Too noisy inside?”
“Sure. Any excuse to get you alone.” His pulse spiked. It was all he could do not to grab her and kiss her. His gut clenched and sweat dampened his hairline as he took her hand again. “Annalee. Did you know you changed my life, that night you were my date for the prom?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“That night I felt like the biggest loser on the planet because my date had dumped me. It had taken all my courage to ask Cindy Porter to go with me. To tell you the truth, I was shocked as hell she said yes, considering how long it took for me to get the words out. I was the guy who could barely string two words together coherently.” Even now, the humiliation stung.
“Anyway, as high as I was when she said yes is how low I felt when she called a few days before our date, telling me she was going with some other guy. Someone she liked better.
“There I was prom night, lying on my bed staring at the ceiling. Feeling real sorry for myself. Someone knocked on my door. I figured it was my parents, trying to cheer me up. Telling me they ordered pizza or something lame like that. When I finally opened up, there you were. Do you remember what you said?”
She growled like a drill sergeant. “Get your ass in gear, Sorensen. You’re taking me to the prom, and we’re already late.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Exactly.”
“You gave me a hard time, though,” she teased. “Tried to wriggle out of it.”
“Did you know what a huge crush I had on you?”
She nodded. “I had an inkling.”
“You saved my ass. Not only did I go to the senior prom, but my date was the hottest girl there. A college girl, no less. Every guy there wished he was me. And every girl wanted to claw your eyes out.”
****
Annalee’s throat tightened as she remembered. It had been such a simple thing, and she was humbled to know what a milestone it had been for him. But that night with Eric had been special to her, too. He�
��d treated her like a princess.
What happened after the prom made the night truly memorable, though Eric made no mention of it now.
“It was a lovely night,” she said. “But don’t you think it’s a bit much, saying it changed your life?”
“People treated me differently afterward. With more respect. Or, I don’t know, maybe it was because I felt different about myself. I had more confidence. A lot more. I stopped caring so much what other people thought of me. Felt better about myself. Found the courage to get myself the help I needed.”
“You mean…”
“With the stutter, yeah. You can mention it, Anna Banana.”
“You don’t stutter anymore. You seem cured.”
“There’s no cure. It’s not a disease. There’s no pill or medicine to fix it. I went through a program that helped me learn how to deal with it. It took a lot of work. A lot of practice. I’m still working on it. I call myself a recovering stutterer.”
Annalee nodded. “All right.” She couldn’t quite comprehend everything he was saying, because she couldn’t detect a trace of the stutter he once had. At one time, he’d barely been able to articulate a complete sentence.
“There was one bad thing,” he said. “After the prom, you went back to being my sister’s friend.”
“I was always Dee’s friend. I was your friend, too.”
“I didn’t want to be your friend. I wanted more.” He shook his head with a sad smile. “Our timing was always out of whack. When you were in college, I was a kid in high school. Then when I got to college and finally thought I might have a shot, you’d gotten together with Denny.”
She and Denny had been a couple in high school but had broken up by graduation. She’d gone away to school, but her father’s heart attack during junior year caused her to move home and transfer to a local college. Denny was already working at his father’s dealership by then, and since they were both in town, it didn’t take them long to reconnect. It had been easy to fall back into their old connection. Looking back on it, maybe too easy.
“I kept thinking you’d wise up at some point and dump him, but no such luck,” Eric went on. “Next thing I knew, you were engaged, then married. I never had a chance.”
A flicker of anxiety flashed through her. What he was describing was more than a boyhood crush.
To play it off, Annalee rolled her eyes. “You gathered no moss. Every time you came home, you brought a different girl with you.”
“Well, I couldn’t stay a virgin forever, could I? The woman I really wanted was off limits, so…” He lifted his hands in a gesture that asked what else could a poor guy do?
“Then you were seeing Katie. The two of you seemed pretty serious.”
“Katie and me? No. Well, she was serious, but I…no. We broke up. I heard she’s engaged to someone else now.”
She should say she was sorry. Katie was a sweet girl.
But I’m not sorry. Not now.
Eric ducked his head. “The truth is I’m glad Katie’s moved on and found a guy who loves her the way she deserves. I could never be what she needed.”
He slid closer until their bodies touched. Heat suffused her, and she grew lightheaded under the intensity of his stare. Her heart beat frantically with fear and excitement. What’s wrong with me? I want him, but it’s been so long.
“I, uh…” Her glance skittered toward the ballroom. “Do you think Dee and Thom are wondering where we’ve gone off to?” Damn it, Annalee. Stop being such a chicken.
“Don’t worry about them.” He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. Flames raced through Annalee. Her nipples bunched. Dizzy now, she gripped his arm to steady herself. Eric held her close. He wouldn’t let her fall.
“Don’t run away from me, Annalee. This is the first time we’ve both been free, and we have too much unfinished business. We stopped at a kiss twelve years ago. Now’s our chance to make up for lost time.”
Her thoughts whirled while her body hummed with arousal. Her breath stopped as Eric lowered his face to hers. Their lips brushed, then clung.
She’d felt the breadth of his shoulders, the broadness of his chest while they were dancing. How large his hands were when they held her. Now, Eric’s masculine presence completely enveloped her. The boy she knew no longer existed. A grown man stood in his place. Instantly, her hesitation fled and desire roared to life.
She threw her arms around him and crushed herself to him. Lightning crackled down her spine and flared out to her breasts, her lips, the crux of her thighs. Even her fingers and toes. A whiff of lime from his aftershave tickled her nostrils. She opened her mouth to his insistent tongue, as hungry for him as he was for her. As their tongues caressed silkily, she tasted the smoky flavor of scotch.
When they broke the kiss, her softer parts ached, wanting him. She licked her lips, tender from his kiss. “Come home with me tonight. Will you? After the party?”
He laughed softly and lowered his head to kiss the side of her neck. “You mean I need to wait that long?”
Excitement zipped through her. “Anticipation will make it that much sweeter.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “All right.” The low timbre of his voice sent goose bumps prickling her skin. “If I can have a little something to tide me over.”
“All right.” She kissed him again, the aggressor this time, searching for his tongue and inviting it to duel with hers. Annalee was breathless when she pulled away. “Better?”
“Very nice,” he answered. “But I had something else in mind.” Shifting a bit, Eric kept his right arm around her while his left hand settled on her knee. “Something a little more daring.”
She drew in her breath as he slid his hand up her thigh, his fingers delving under her satin skirt. “What are you—” Instinctively, she stopped his upward movement. “We can’t. Someone will see.”
“Relax.” He caressed her thigh, his fingers making a soft rasping sound against her nylons. “We’re too far away from the windows. If anyone sees us, we’ll just look like a couple of shadows. Trust me.”
She did trust him. Drawing her hand away, she let him continue.
“Shh,” he soothed. “Lean into me. Yes, like that. I’m only holding you, that’s all. Mmm.” He growled in satisfaction when he discovered the lacy tops of her thigh high stockings. His index finger traced the design in the lace. “Thank God, you’re not wearing panty hose.” He chuckled and she found herself laughing with him.
Her laughter dried up as he trailed his fingers up the bare skin above her stocking. She held her breath, anticipating his touch, and jolted when his thumb brushed the satin panel of her panties. She clutched his thigh.
He paused. “Do you want me to stop?”
His low voice sent a rush of moisture between her thighs. “No.” She wanted this, wanted him and didn’t care if they were outdoors, or even if they could be seen. This was her fling. She was sick of being proper and upright. Tired of taking the high road. She wanted to be wicked, and Eric was just the one to help her.
“No,” she repeated, her voice stronger. “Don’t stop.” He teased her again, lightly sweeping his thumb over the satin. Each time he did, needles of desire raced through her, zeroing straight to her sex. It wasn’t enough. She needed more.
She moaned in disappointment when he stopped. “Hold on,” he murmured, moving his other hand over the bodice of her dress. When he fondled her breast, she suddenly hated her beautiful new dress and the layers of fabric between Eric’s hand and her flesh.
Now it was Eric’s turn to groan as he pinched her ripe nipple between his thumb and index finger. He turned her face up and crushed his lips to hers. They ate each other’s kisses greedily. Shifting on the bench to give him better access, Annalee widened her thighs, silently urging him on.
He tickled her between the legs and slowly slid his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties. She was dripping. Eric swirled a finger in her slickness, then circled her aching clit. Need flooded her, the pr
essure building. Any second she’d explode. She hung to the edge of a cliff by her fingernails.
He had no pity. He toyed with her relentlessly. She trembled, desperate for relief. She dug her fingers into his thigh, ready to gouge holes in him if he didn’t finish her off soon.
And he did. He flicked her hard nub one last time, and she flew over the edge, holding him tight as the orgasm rippled through her in wave after wave. When it subsided, she nestled against him. Yet, in spite of her satisfaction, Annalee wanted more.
Did he want her, too? She snaked her hand to the front of his slacks, and elation rushed through her. He was hard. When she tried to fondle him, he stopped her. “No. Not here.”
“You said no one can see.”
“That was for you, Annalee. I don’t need you to pay me back.” Though it was too dark to see his expression, there was no mistaking the tension in his voice. “Not now, anyway. Save it for later.”
He stood and helped her up. Her legs were a bit unsteady. “You good?”
“Yes.”
Eric slipped his arm around her again. “Let’s stroll around a bit.” He glanced down at his swollen groin. “Before we go back in.”
She let him lead her away, though part of her wanted to pull him down and take him right now. Lay him on his back on the hard stone bench, ride him until he came—until she came again. She compressed her lips to keep from laughing aloud. God, who’d believe she could be such a straight up hussy?
She loved it.
A bit later, they threaded their way through the crowd. Dee shot her a look from the dance floor, where she and Thom were shaking it. She would surely waste no time getting Annalee alone to quiz her.
Annalee smiled. She had a secret Dee would never get out of her.
Chapter Three
When the dance ended, Thom led Dee off the floor, gently taking her by the arm. She was rolling her eyes by the time they reached the table.
“I can make it across the room on my own, you know. I’m not an invalid.” Just the same, she couldn’t hide the tiny smile that told how special her husband made her feel.
