by D. A. Young
“Graham came to see you on behalf of Chelsea and Kenya. They, as well as your Aunt Chandra and cousin Inez, have been worried and heartbroken since you left. The uncertainty of whether you were dead or not has taken its toll on them,” Edith said sorrowfully. “The guilt of watching them suffer and knowing you are safe and happy has been an unbearable weight on my shoulders, Annabelle. No one understands better than I that the stakes were too high for you to reach out and make contact. But things have changed. I want you to talk to Graham and just listen to what he has to say. He’s a good man, Annabelle. I trust him implicitly.”
“But why, Edith?” Annabelle leaned back in her office chair, propping her legs on her desk as she focused on the ceiling track lighting in her small office. “What makes him so damn special that you’d break our rules for him? Those rules were put in place for a specific reason, and—”
“Because he is the one!” Edith sharply interrupted the woman she’d come to think of as a daughter. “He helped Misha out of her situation and promised to do the same for me. I put my faith in him, and he more than delivered. Now I’m asking you to please do the same.”
“He’s a man not God, Edith,” Annabelle quietly reminded her. She didn’t give a damn what Edith thought; in her experience, a man couldn’t be trusted to do anything except for his damn self. Yes, she was ecstatic that Misha and Edith were free to finally live their lives but Annabelle deserved the right to reserve judgment.
“You are such a stubborn girl! He’s a man, yes, but unlike any other,” Edith stressed to Annabelle as her phone alarm went off. “That’s my cue; please think about what I said. Oh, and it’d be a nice gesture if you extended a dinner invitation to Graham for a home-cooked meal. What would be nicer is if you invited him to stay with you. It’s the least you could do after he traveled around the world to speak to you and was assaulted for his troubles. Bye, my dear.”
Although it was phrased as a suggestion, Annabelle knew it was more of a directive. Her hands were tied, and they both knew it. It was Edith’s money that provided Annabelle the opportunity to escape from Davis, giving her the freedom that Edith had sacrificed herself for. Being married to a Fowler reaped generous financial benefits, but Edith’s family, the Dowells, had money as well. Her now deceased parents hadn’t approved of their only child’s marriage when it became obvious that something was wrong with her husband.
Uncomfortable with their astuteness, Brenton forbade his wife and child to visit his in-laws unless he accompanied them. As a result, it caused a strain between Wynton and Kassima Dowell, their daughter, and Brenton that remained until her parents died from health-related issues.
At the reading of the will, Brenton was livid to find that his in-laws had left Davis two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars and donated everything else to charities after explaining to the couple that her parents did this token was adequate recognition of their daughter’s union. Her parent’s solicitor had pulled Edith aside from her controlling husband and explained to her that her mother had set up a separate trust fund for Edith in the sum of five million dollars. It was put under the name Edith Nichols, Kassima’s maiden name and could only be accessed if she left Brenton or under the direst of circumstances.
The brutal assault Annabelle had suffered at her own son’s hands definitely fell under dire as far as Edith was concerned. While Annabelle was in hiding, Edith obtained the necessary funds and was there to give them to Annabelle when she boarded a bus to get to her destination— a women’s underground protective organization. From there, she’d managed to obtain a fake I.D. and passport, leading her to a new life. She’d traveled to a couple of cities in the U.S. before settling here in Furla, the place she now called home. Edith had made this possible, and the least Annabelle could do was accommodate her request for a dinner. Except she would take him to dinner. She wouldn’t even entertain the idea of issuing Graham an invitation into her home.
The sound of laughter shook Annabelle out of her reverie and reminded her exactly who was responsible for the coquettish trilling. She’d brought Mr. Carlton back to her job to take make sure he was okay. As soon as they walked in, Annabelle was subtly shoved to the side by the grown-ass women in her workplace. Immediately, they whisked him away and Annabelle took the opportunity to place a call to Edith.
She jumped out of her chair and swiftly left the office to find the source of the laughter even though she already had a sinking feeling that she already knew. As she walked down the hallway, the noise grew impossibly louder. From the kennel section, the dogs barked loudly and the cats hissed and meowed in response to the noise. Toussaint squawked and mimicked the boisterous mirth from his perch as his wings flapped with excitement, exposing the lighter gray feathers of his chest and the maroon feathers of his bottom.
“Did you need something, Dr. Peterson?” Dotty inquired, knowing damn well she had no business being in an examination room instead of at her station upfront.
Yes, for you to get your ass back to your workstation, Annabelle thought with annoyance as she backpedaled and stopped in the doorway. Words failed her at how many women were squeezed into the small room and crowded around Graham Carlton, who was leaning against an examining table. One receptionist, two kennel attendants, three client care members and two technicians. All that was missing was a freaking partridge in a pear tree!
For some reason, the appreciative stares they were giving the man irked the hell out of Annabelle. Her eyes met his over the heads of his adoring fan club. The superior smirk and raised eyebrow Graham gave her let Annabelle know he was aware of her disapproving thoughts and was challenging her to do something about it. Her narrowed eyes dropped to his crotch, and Annabelle made a subtle kicking motion with her foot. Somehow, she managed to refrain from doing some satisfied smirking of her own at his shout of laughter.
The deep, husky sound settled over her like a cozy blanket, and Annabelle needed a moment to process exactly why she was perfectly okay with that. In the meantime, she addressed the staff with firm authority. “Ladies, is there some reason that every employee on duty needs to be in this room right now? Aren’t there clients to tend to? Let’s give Mr. Carlton some breathing room so that he can be on his way. As it is, we’ve taken up enough—”
At Graham’s overexaggerated throat clearing, and her team’s expressions of polite disbelief, Annabelle grudgingly corrected herself. Treating him to a fulminating glare, she acknowledged, “Fine! I meant I’ve taken up enough of his time today.”
The group chorused their goodbyes to Graham, who, in turn, rewarded them with a smile so dazzling, it caused the women to suck the oxygen out of the room, Annabelle assumed. How else would she be able to later rationalize why she couldn’t breathe in this moment? But forget about that. Annabelle’s current situation was demanding to know who in the hell gave him the right to use that damn smile without issuing a warning first?! He was liable to give some poor, unsuspecting female a damn heart attack, she thought sourly.
Annabelle noisily cleared her throat and jerked her head toward the door. The women took the cue and finally departed, leaving her alone with Graham. He was assessing her with those unfathomable eyes and Annabelle found it unnerving, but forced herself to step further into the room. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he rattled her. Nervously, Annabelle shoved her suddenly sweaty hands into her white lab coat as the silence lengthened. Graham remained perfectly still as if he knew that being in such close proximity to a man was a daunting experience for her. The thought left Annabelle feeling raw and exposed at the same time. With him being from Baymoor and Edith’s friend, of course he would know about her past and most likely pitied her. She defiantly lifted her chin to meet his gaze.
“How are you feeling?” Heat crept up Annabelle’s face as she remembered how much force she’d put behind her kick. She waved awkwardly at his lower area. “Did they give or at least offer you an ice pack?”
Graham was amused at her acute discomfort. He w
atched her worry her bottom lip and anxiously shift side-to-side. Annabelle looked like she wanted to bolt from the room, and Graham gave her props for not doing so. He’d gotten over his initial anger to now understand why she panicked, and respected the hell out of her punt game. He’d give her a pass, but that wouldn’t stop him from giving her shit about it as well.
“No, they said that I was to wait for you to physically examine me for an accurate diagnosis.” Graham laughed silently to himself as her eyes popped wide open and her mouth formed a perfect O. He straightened up from the table and lifted his shirt up, using his other hand to grab the waistband of his shorts. “These have to come off, correct?”
Mesmerized by the expanse of inked-up muscle he’d just revealed, Annabelle was finding it hard to speak. Heaven help her! His six-pack led to a v-cut that looked like a mythical unicorn she’d only heard about. She was shocked to find herself wanting to trace every single ridge with her tongue. She swallowed her drool before she choked on it.
“Something wrong, Doc?”
“No, everything’s fine!” Annabelle managed to hoarsely reply. Her eyes rose to meet his and squinted evilly at the unholy gleam she saw flickering there. Jerk! Well, two can play his game. With a sweet smile, she grabbed a pair of latex gloves from a box on the counter and nodded her head. “And only the shorts will need to be removed for the prostate exam I’m recommending. When you’re ready, just bend over the table and spread ‘em, Mr. Carlton.”
With a deep chuckle that made Annabelle’s stomach quiver, Graham righted his clothes. “My list of wild and kinky things to do with a woman is lengthy and creative, but that is nowhere on it. Not even with a woman as beautiful as you, doc. Oh, and the name is Graham. Use it.”
Ignoring the pleasure blooming inside of her at his compliment along with the curiosity sparked by him having such a list, Annabelle removed the gloves and shoved them in her pocket. “I don’t doubt that your list is…impressive,” she responded dryly, to which he wiggled his eyebrows roguishly. Was it just her or had someone turned the heat up on the thermometer?
Pay attention! Do not be distracted by his flirting! Annabelle scolded herself.
“Look. Why don’t we just cut the crap and get to the real reason why you’re here. I can get someone to cover the rest of my shift today. Let’s get out of here and talk, shall we?”
Annabelle looked as if she’d prefer a root canal to a sit-down, but Graham appreciated the way she addressed the purpose of his visit head-on and didn’t try to avoid him. He smiled wickedly as he held the door handle and made a sweeping motion. “I’m all yours, Doc. Lead the way.”
All hers, Annabelle speculated.
Now there was a thought.
Chapter Five
Annabelle removed the lab coat and draped it over her arm as they headed to the entrance. Behind her, she could feel the searing laser-like intensity of Graham’s eyes boring into her back, and the inferno of heat from his nearness caused a faint sprinkling of perspiration to form between her shoulder blades. Annabelle willed herself to pace her steps and hoped they were even, deliberate, and projecting an air of composure she was nowhere near feeling.
Graham was content to let her take the lead while he enjoyed the alluring view of Annabelle from behind. Her crisp, white short-sleeve blouse was tucked into a knee-length, lightweight blue floral skirt that accentuated the enticing sway of her full hips. She wore bright pink espadrille wedges on her feet, and he liked the way the ribbons wrapped around her slender ankles. It gave him ideas of tying Annabelle to bed posts, leaving her wide open for him to worship her body to his heart’s content.
He waited patiently by the entrance while Annabelle spoke with the staff. She was professional but kind, and Graham could tell they respected her by the way they listened attentively to her, especially the parrot who leaned his head on Annabelle’s shoulder adoringly while she spoke. Lovingly, she stroked his feathers and ran her fingers over his beak before telling him goodbye and stepping into the restroom to wash her hands.
“Bye, Graham!” the staff chorused while the parrot treated him to a suspicious beady-eyed stare then squawked, “Goodbyeee, Dr. Peterson!”
They walked out into the bright afternoon sunshine, and Graham waited until they were away from the open entrance way before speaking. “Peterson?”
Annabelle smiled tightly. “For identity purposes, you understand. I liked my first name more than my last, which wasn’t exactly a hardship to give up.”
Especially not after what her parents had done to her, she thought bitterly.
Graham pointed at a food truck within walking distance surrounded by a large crowd. “I’m hungry and a group of that size is an indication that the food might be halfway decent. Let’s grab something from there and find a spot to talk.”
They headed toward the popular seafood truck where Annabelle ordered a blackened fish taco with pineapple-cucumber slaw while Graham got lobster spring rolls. She tried to pay, but the look he gave her had Annabelle meekly sliding her wallet back into her clutch. He grabbed the brown paper bag that contained their food, and Annabelle grabbed their honey-mint iced green teas. They found an empty bench facing the ocean, and the tantalizing aromas of their food called to them. The duo dug into the delicious food with gusto, eating in surprisingly companionable silence as they people-watched.
Although they weren’t touching or looking at each other, Annabelle was hyper-aware of her lunch companion. Covertly, she watched Graham’s long, tapered fingers handle the translucent rice papered rolls filled with lobster and assorted brightly colored vegetables. He chewed slowly, taking the time to savor his meal, and it made her mouth dry. Sensuously, his tongue flickered over those sexy lips, and Annabelle’s nipples pebbled as she imagined him licking her breasts in like fashion. Or her lips. Or between her legs. Oh, hell, all over her damn body! Just the thought of it caused her sex to pulsate, and she squeezed her thighs tightly together to relieve the building pressure.
There wasn’t a doubt in Anabelle’s mind that Graham knew how to satisfy a woman. He exuded an easy confident swagger in everything that he did that was not just appealing but arousing as well. It was the last thing she should be concerned with but all she could think about. With a sigh, she shoved the last of her taco into her mouth and concentrated on chewing before she did something insanely reckless like knock him over the head and drag him cave-man style into the bushes to have her way with him.
This was bad. Like, really, really, bad. Annabelle didn’t consider herself to be hyper-sexual and hadn’t dated or slept with anyone but Davis. The brutally oppressive years she’d been bound to him had absolutely put her off intimacy of any kind with the opposite sex. Had she been asked out and pursued? Yes, but she had more important things to focus on than allowing another man in and having her emotions and spirit hijacked ever again.
“So, you’re Georgie’s big brother? I can see the resemblance in the eyes.” Except where Georgie’s were pretty, Graham’s were panty-meltingly sexy. Dammit, woman; stay on track! “We lost touch but I always liked her. How is she?”
“Georgie is the best,” Graham confirmed proudly as he stretched his legs out and set his empty food carton in the bag. “Right now, she’s very worried about you, but not just her, all of your friends are.”
Annabelle glanced down at her hands that were clenched tightly around her cup. “And you think it’s your job to bring me home and make them happy? I’m not a puppy in the window. Are you supposed to be some kind of superhero, Mr. Carlton? You fly all over the world getting people what they want in order to make them happy?”
Graham smiled to himself. “I’m no one’s superhero, Annabelle. I’m just a firm believer in justice being served. And again, the name is Graham. How long do you intend to stay here in Furla? You don’t miss your friends and family at all?” Graham quizzed her.
Annabelle stiffened as the pangs of guilt assailed her with her lie. “I do miss them, but I’ve put that part of my lif
e behind me. I wished they’d do the same because I’m never going back. The bad memories far outweigh the good ones. I’m only interested in moving forward and keeping the distance between Davis and me as far as possible.”
“That’s some bullshit if I ever heard it,” Graham scoffed. “In case you haven’t realized it, you’re living a lie because of your past, and today it finally caught up with you. You’re lucky it was me. What if it had been Davis instead? Or one of his family members?”
The thought made her physically ill, and Annabelle had to squelch the urge to vomit. “I’m sorry. Did you miss the part where I handed your ass to you earlier?”
“No, I didn’t,” Graham said seriously. “I’ve no doubt that you could be a badass when needed, but please believe the only reason you got the jump on me was because I was distracted by,” his intense gaze swept over her, “other things.”
And just like that, her imagination was off and running again as her body temperature soared to a level that should have made her combust on the spot. Annabelle’s mouth was parched at the thought of his mouth exploring her body and those big hands full of her ass while she rode him with abandoned passion. The scalding images dampened her panties as her breasts grew achy and heavy for his attention.
She liked the idea as much as he did, Graham mused as he took in Annabelle’s flushed cheeks, parted lips, and dilated eyes. Jesus. The realization made his dick lengthen and lust roll through him. Graham groaned inwardly with sexual frustration as he was once again reminded of how long it’d been since he got any, thanks to her. Seeking relief, Graham subtly shifted his position seeking to discreetly ease the pressure. No such luck. Annabelle’s eyes dropped to his lap and lingered before she ripped her gaze away with a flushed face.
