by Unknown
“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 s
ome 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.
The one called Ronny knelt down in front of her. She tried to get up, he slapped her hard. Blood ran from the corner of her mouth. He threw her dress up and jerked her cotton panties down her legs.
“Please, don’t.” The one holding her right arm punched her hard in her mouth.
She quit begging. Ronny fumbled with his pants and Annalise braced for the attack. Nothing happened.
The other three laughed. “Damn, Ronny, can’t you get it up?”
The young man was furious. He snarled at his companions and reached for a glass whiskey bottle, draining the last few drops. “Well, do something, Ronny—or move over and give me a turn!”
Ronny looked down at Annalise quivering in terror. Taking the empty bottle in his hand, he struck the neck of it on the concrete, breaking off the end and creating an ugly, sharp, jagged weapon. Then looking defiantly at his companions, he jammed it hard into Annalise. She screamed in agony.
“Hey, man!” one of her subduers cried, “That’s a waste of good pussy!” Over and over again he thrust the broken bottle between her thighs.
“Oh, Ethan!” she cried. “Please help me! Oh God, it hurts!” Not satisfied with just raping her with the bottle, he proceeded to cut her legs, her groin, her thighs—anywhere he could reach, he lacerated her repeatedly with the instrument of cruelty. He thrust until the blood ran so thick he couldn’t see any more flesh to mutilate.
“Shit, you sure ruined that. No place to play, now.” They turned her loose, but Annalise couldn’t move. The pain was white hot. She knew she needed to try and get help, but maybe if she closed her eyes, just for a moment. “Oh, Ethan, it hurts!”
Ethan awoke to the sounds of Annalise crying. “Oh, Ethan! Please help me, oh God, it hurts!” Terrified, he flipped on the bedside lamp and took her in his arms.
“Oh, baby, what’s wrong?” He picked her up in his arms, not knowing what to expect. Then he realized she was sleeping, dreaming, crying in her sleep. He kissed her awake. “Sweetheart, wake up. It’s all right. I’m here.”
Annalise opened her eyes, tears still streaming for them. She threw her arms around him and held on for dear life. She offered no explanation.
“Are you all right?”
“It was just a nightmare. I have them sometimes.” He waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.
“You called for me. You called my name and begged me to help you. You screamed something was hurting you.” Ethan, more than shook up, realized there was definitely something wrong and he intended to find out what.
“I’m sorry, Ethan. It was just a bad dream. Don’t worry.”
“Was I there? Was it me hurting you?”
“No, of course not. Turn off the light and just hold me, please.” He did as she asked.
“Tell me about the dream.”
“No, please don’t ask me to do that.” He was disturbed to hear a sense of panic in her voice.
“Is it about the attack? How often have you had this dream?”
“Yes, and unfortunately, I have had the nightmare about once a week, for the…uh…past several years, I guess.”
“Do you always call out for me?”
“Ethan, please…”
“You’ve called out for me, but I was never there.”
“You’re here now that’s all that’s important.” She covered them back up, now it seemed their roles had reversed and she was comforting him. “Hold me.”
He held her and kissed her, wishing she would tell him everything she was feeling. He rocked her until she went back to sleep. Ethan lay there awake trying to put two and two together.
Annalise awoke alone in the big bed the next morning. She got up and looked in the closet and sure enough, there was a beautiful, soft, cotton robe. She slipped it on and went to the bathroom. Ethan was nowhere in the suite. She knew he wouldn’t leave her, but she had no idea where he would have gone. The tub was so big and inviting she gave into the temptation and filled it full of warm water and sweet smelling bath salts that produced a mountain of fluffy white bubbles. Easing down into the silky water, Annalise tried to relax. Last night had been a close call. She knew she was playing Russian roulette trying to protect her secret, yet still succumbing to the heady temptation to make love with Ethan at every opportunity. In the shower, Annalise knew he was only inches away from placing his lips on a detectable ridge of scar tissue when she panicked and asked him to stop. She had enough insight to realize for a moment he had assumed he was being rejected again.
The nightmare returned last night, also. She hoped Etha
n wouldn’t bring it up today, although that was unlikely. Annalise rested her head on her knees, pondering the mess she had gotten herself into. She had come to Lost Maples to work on her latest novel and here she was back in the arms of the only man she’d ever loved—and now she loved him a thousand times more than she had before. She was tempted to call Dr. Rollins and schedule a consultation for the additional surgery he wanted to do. But the outcome was not guaranteed and the longer she kept Ethan under the impression they had a future, the more dangerous the game she played became.
Hearing the door to the suite open, Annalise stood up ready to find out what Ethan was up to.
“Lise! I’m back.” He walked through the parlor, the sitting room, the bedroom and found her standing up in the tub with bubbles clinging strategically to all the right places. Ethan stopped in his tracks, stunned by the sight of her—naked, wet and flushed from the heat of the water, eyes betraying the simple joy she found in his presence. He dropped several packages on the floor of the bathroom and shed his clothes in about ten seconds flat. “Is the water still warm?”
“Yes, there’s a temperature control.”
He walked to the tub and flipped the switch turning the jets on. Stepping into the tub, he sat down in the water, pulling her back down with him. Annalise couldn’t have missed his aroused state if she tried. Almost instantly her nipples swelled and her heart began to flutter. He had such an immediate and tremendous impact on her libido. He leaned against the end of the tub, spreading his legs wide. He pulled her between them and she rose on her knees scooping water and bubbles over the muscles of his arms and chest. “Remind me in a minute that I bought something for you.”
“There’s only one thing I want,” she stated emphatically as she sought to get closer to him. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he watched her trying to maneuver herself into his lap.
