“Is that what this is?” Kip’s hands had dropped to his sides and he cast a serious look at Annie.
“Well…no,” she said, keeping her gaze down as she began re-buttoning his shirt. “What is it to you?”
Kip tipped her chin up with his fingers and said, “I was hoping we could see each other…exclusively.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. My granny would have called it going steady. Would you go steady with me, Annie Merriman Cooper?”
Annie laughed and threw her arms around his neck, coming nose-to-nose with Kip. “Will you give me your class ring?”
“If I can find it, it’s yours.” Kip snaked his hand under her dress and ran his finger along the inside of her thong.
“Then the answer is yes.”
Kip sealed the deal by covering her mouth with his, drawing her in to a deep, wet kiss. He tugged the zipper down the length of her back and murmured in her ear, “Now, what were you saying about a nice, soft bed?”
Nineteen
“Oww, damn it.” Annie sat on her bed and looked at the broken nail she’d just received from the stubborn zipper on her suitcase, which she knew she’d packed too full. When Kip had asked her on Wednesday to spend the weekend with him at his river cabin, he had been vague about the itinerary. She decided to pack several outfits, both casual and dressy, along with bathing suits, shorts, T-shirts, and three different options for sleepwear. Hopefully, I won’t be wearing any of them, she thought with a wicked grin.
As she finished filing her nail, her cell phone alerted her to a call from Kip.
“Hi,” she answered, tossing the file back into the drawer.
“Hey, I’ve circled your block twice and can’t find a parking place.”
“No worries, I’m ready. I’ll be down in a minute.” With one last tug to the zipper, the suitcase was secure and she was ready for her weekend.
Kip double-parked outside Annie’s apartment in his new Ford Escape Hybrid and honked the horn with gusto when Annie emerged from the building. He climbed out of the car, forcing drivers to veer around him, and rushed to Annie, who was dragging the heavy suitcase behind her.
“What’s in here, a dead body?” Kip hefted the suitcase into the SUV and tapped the rear bumper with his leg.
“Porter, you leased a sensible, energy efficient car! I’m so proud of you.” Annie threw up her hand in a high-five and Kip smacked his hand against hers, while wrapping his other arm around her waist, lifting her feet off the ground.
“I got the message loud and clear, Coach. I should be a better steward of the taxpayers’ money. It’s less expensive and made in America—maybe.”
He drove them out of the city, away from the noise and crowds, across the Bay Bridge spanning the sparkling Chesapeake below to a land far-removed by more than just miles. They held hands as they passed farms and fields with fresh country air blowing through their opened windows, until they pulled into the gravel, tree-lined drive of Kip’s river cabin.
After depositing her enormous suitcase inside the door, Kip stood back as Annie surveyed the cabin that time had forgotten with its wood paneled walls, brown plaid furniture, and shag carpet. She turned her back to Kip and stifled a laugh over the hideous furnishings.
“Nice, huh?” Kip leaned against the doorway with a smirk on his face.
“Well, now, I think it has a certain charm.” She smiled a little too brightly.
“Oh, is that what you’d call it?”
“It has that warm, lived-in feeling,” Annie said, as she wrung her hands together before pulling on the cord of a bamboo shade. She gave it a hard tug and found an ancient air conditioner sitting in the window.
Kip laughed and sauntered toward her. “What this place needs is the Annie touch. Maybe when the campaign is over you can help me update it.”
“I would love that. This would be such a fun project.” Annie rubbed her palms together and smiled broadly at Kip, her eyes sparkling.
“I want you to be comfortable here.” Kip gathered her in his arms and brushed his lips across hers.
“As long as you’re here with me, I’ll be comfortable,” Annie whispered, rising up on her tiptoes to return the kiss. She dropped back on her heels and grabbed Kip’s hands, pulling him behind her. “Show me everything.”
“Okay, turn around and you’ll see the kitchen.”
Annie circled the seventies sofa and saw old wood cabinets lining the wall with aluminum edged Formica counter tops. The table looked like something from a sixties sitcom and the vintage flooring had gone out of style with bell bottoms and peace signs, but the appliances were surprisingly modern stainless steel. “Very unique.”
“Way to put a positive spin on it, Coach.”
“Thanks. So, if I go straight ahead it takes me where?” She looked over her shoulder at Kip standing behind her and caught a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
“The most important room in the house,” he murmured against her hair. “Start walking.”
Through the doorway beyond the kitchen were two rooms on either side of the hall with the bathroom directly between. Kip placed his hands on Annie’s shoulders and directed her to enter the bedroom on the left. It was another wood-paneled room, but it had updated furniture and modern linens. She felt a wash of relief that at least the bedroom wasn’t so bad.
“So I was thinking, since it was such a long drive, before we go out to dinner we should have a nap.” Kip engulfed Annie against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, while nuzzling warm kisses down her neck. “What do you say to that?”
“I say I’m suddenly feeling very sleepy. A nap would do the trick.”
Later that evening, Kip took her to a seafood restaurant along the river where they sat on the deck under a garland of clear light bulbs strung between weathered posts. They ate oyster stew and crab cakes with farm fresh corn-on-the-cob, and washed it all down with a locally-made craft beer. A gray-bearded man played classic rock on his beat-up guitar inside near the bar, and the music floated through the air to their table. Crickets were singing in the tall grass, a light breeze was blowing, and Annie felt a rush of contentment when she looked across the candlelit table at Kip.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Kip pushed his empty plate aside and covered her hands with his, leaning in close.
Annie placed her elbows on the table and leaned to within inches of Kip’s face. “I’m thinking there couldn’t be a more perfect evening than this one.” Her gaze washed over Kip’s gorgeous face, memorizing each curve and contour, as her heart swelled with emotion.
“Just think—it’s not over yet.” Kip smiled and placed a tender kiss on her hands. “Ready to go back?”
On the short return trip to the cabin, Annie’s thoughts were on the night ahead. Sure, they’d made love that afternoon and did indeed take a nap, but something about the way Kip looked at her through dinner and the way he’d said the night wasn’t over, made her think she should consider pulling out the sexy negligee she packed. Would it send too strong a message? They had such a fun, flirty relationship and she didn’t want him to think she was hoping for more than what it was.
Kip answered her question rather quickly when he began lighting candles scattered throughout the bedroom. While he fiddled with the dials on an old stereo in the living room, Annie slipped into the bathroom and slid the short silver silk over her head. She released her ponytail from a hair band and raked her fingers through her long curls. As she walked back into the bedroom, she heard the soft strains of smooth jazz and felt a shiver of anticipation tingle down her spine. Kip was lounging on the unmade bed, his head resting against his folded arms with a sheet barely covering the lower half of his naked body. Annie drew in a quivering breath at the sight of his mouthwatering form.
“Wow,” Kip said, rolling onto his side and propping his head on his hand. “Don’t you look beautiful?” He folded the sheet back and patted the mattress.
“I figu
red two can play this romance game.” Why were her knees shaking? It wasn’t like it was their first time. Annie tentatively climbed in beside Kip, never taking her eyes off his hooded gaze and the tiny grin on his face.
“Mmm, you smell so good.” Kip drew her against him while burying his face in her hair. His hand slid up under her hem line, where he caressed her bare skin. “Thanks for making it easy, babe.”
Annie laughed and rolled onto her back. His little comment helped break the nervous state she’d been in. “I aim to please.”
“And you always do.” Kip smothered her with a kiss, his fingers pulling the spaghetti strap off her shoulder and releasing a breast from its lacy cup. He nibbled and pecked his way from her lips to her breast, tenderly teasing her nipple with the roll of his tongue. Annie arched upward, giving him freer access, inviting him to take all he wanted. She ran her fingers through his hair, cradling his head as he took control of her body. Running her fingertips down his back to his butt, she cupped his rear with its downy soft hair sprinkled across his well-defined muscles. Her hands inched along to his front, where she gathered his erection in her hands.
Kip grasped her hand. “Slow down, baby. There’s no rush.” His command was soft and full of emotion, and Annie sank into the mattress, content to let him set the pace. He opened his eyes and held her gaze as he kissed her, devouring her mouth, watching the fire surely flaring in her eyes.
“Ah, Annie,” he murmured as he blazed a trail with his tongue between her breasts to her navel while his hands captured her thighs, lifting them to rest on his wide shoulders. The touch of his fingers, his tongue, was too much.
“Kip,” she moaned.
“Shhh, I’m here.” Kip continued his delicate, intimate assault and Annie was nearing an excruciatingly wonderful explosion. His touch was slow, tender, unhurried precision, and it was driving her mad.
Annie wiggled her legs off his shoulders and slid deeper beneath him, taking his face in her hands. “I want you with me.”
“I’m with you.” He entered her with painstaking slowness, methodically building to a crescendo that sent them both reeling, gasping for air and clinging to each other. As they slowly descended their mountaintop, Kip brushed Annie’s damp hair from her forehead, tapping tiny kisses where it had lain.
“Annie…ah, Annie.” He exhaled and buried his face in the pillow with his cheek pressed to hers.
“Kip,” she murmured while running her hands over his back. “I—” Kip lifted up his face and buried her lips under his. Annie swallowed the thought, saving it for later. I love you—damn it.
Saturday morning, Annie woke to the strong, smoky smell of bacon frying and the sound of Kip singing in the kitchen. She lay there smiling; her handsome, smart, sexy guy could also carry a tune. She jumped out of bed and caught Kip laying placemats on his Formica table with a water glass full of wildflowers in the center. He turned with a start when he realized she was in the room. He shrugged and threw up his hands.
“It’s not Martha Stewart or Annie Cooper, but it’s the best I could do.”
“How nice. I’m impressed. When did you have time to do all this?” She tucked herself against his chest and slid her arms around his waist.
“While you were snoring away in there.”
“Snoring?” Annie’s head snapped off his chest. “I don’t snore,” she protested.
“Did I say snore? Purr maybe. That’s it. You purr in your sleep.”
“Oh, stop it.” She playfully slapped her hand over his heart and looked over her shoulder. “What are you making?” She dipped her finger in a glass bowl of batter and plunged it in her mouth. “Pancakes?”
“Not just any pancakes. Cinnamon, apple, caramel pancakes.”
“What?”
“A Porter family tradition. My dad created the recipe when I was a kid. He was the pancake expert in our house and we had them every time we came out here.”
“Sounds delicious…and fattening.”
“Fattening, pff.” Kip gave a quick pat to Annie’s rear end. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
With deft, professional ease, Kip cooked a dozen pancakes, flipping them onto a round plate with flourish and placing them on the table. When Annie took the first bite, she rolled her eyes in ecstasy. “You’re killing me. These are delicious.” She shoved another big bite in her mouth and looked up to find Kip staring at her, a humorous expression on his face. She gestured for him to start eating by rolling her hand in the air and Kip laughed as he picked up his fork.
With the last sip of her coffee, Annie leaned against the chair back, more than satisfied with the incredible breakfast. Kip was at the sink, filling it with hot sudsy water.
“Let me do that,” she said.
“Nah, I got it. Relax.”
“You’re spoiling me, Porter.”
“That’s the plan.”
Annie got up and padded across the floor, her bare feet slapping against the cool linoleum. She picked up a towel and began drying the dishes resting in the rack.
“So, are you up for a day on the water?” Kip flashed a smile as he rinsed a frying pan.
“Sure, what did you have in mind?”
“I’m going to borrow Rob’s boat and take you out on the bay. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great.”
Kip leaned down and pecked a kiss on her forehead. “It will be.”
They spent the whole day out on the water on Rob’s boat, which had been docked at a local marina. Kip took them on an hour-long drive into the bay and pulled the open-bow boat into a cove, where Annie felt they were secluded from the rest of the world. While Kip dropped the anchor, Annie pulled colorful towels out of a beach bag and two water bottles from the cooler. Sunshine beat down from a cloudless sky, but thankfully there was a light breeze across the water.
While she slathered on a coat of sunscreen and Kip draped their towels across the vinyl seats lining the bow, Annie said, “I’d like to hear that story about breaking Virgil’s propeller.”
“Oh, no…no way.”
“Why? What have you got to hide?” Annie teased him by squeezing a blob of sunscreen on Kip’s chest.
“Hey.” He snatched the bottle from her hands and patted the seat opposite him. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Oh, please…what’s the story?”
“Promise not to laugh.”
“I can’t promise anything.” Annie stretched her legs across the seat, picked up her water bottle, and pinned Kip with a look. “Go on…start talking.”
“Fine. But I’ll expect you to tell something personal after I’m done. Deal?”
“Maybe,” she replied with a crooked grin.
“You’re tough, Coach. Okay, the marina where Rob keeps his boat?” Kip continued after Annie quickly nodded her head. “That’s Virgil’s marina and I worked there every summer of high school, pumping gas, cleaning boats, stuff like that. Anyway, one summer I decided I was finally going to get laid by this hot chick from Delaware. I was sixteen, all my friends had done it—”
“Or so they said,” Annie interjected.
“Right. And I decided that was going to be the summer it happened. Anyway, this hot chick from Delaware came down every weekend with her parents. Tiffany Sue Buttons.”
Annie sat up and spurted out her water. “Seriously?”
“Yep, Tiffany Sue had the biggest breasts I’d ever seen and she made sure everyone knew it.”
“A boob man, huh?” Annie tipped her sunglasses down and cast a look over the frames.
“You should know that by now.” Kip mimicked her move, but leveled his gaze at her cleavage pressed inside her scant bikini top.
Annie flicked a handful of water at Kip and said, “Go on.”
“As I was saying, she had flirted with me for a few weeks and all the guys at the marina encouraged me to take her out. So one Saturday night I asked Virgil if I could borrow one of his boats. I took her across the river into a cove.”
; “Please tell me we’re not in the same cove.”
“We’re on the bay; that was on the river. So, it took a while—she had a lot to teach me—and it was getting dark. I forgot to drop the anchor and the boat drifted into shallow water. I guess Virgil was worried because we hadn’t come back, so he came looking for us. We did it right there on the floor between the seats.” Kip pointed to the floor and gave Annie a wink. “And just as I was pulling up my pants, I saw Virgil coming. I started the engine without realizing we had run aground. It damaged the prop and he had to tow us back.”
“What did Virgil say to you? Was he mad?”
“No, he wasn’t mad, but believe me he never let me forget it. All he said was, ‘Now that you’re a man, remember next time to borrow a cabin cruiser’.”
Annie sat up and tucked her head into her knees, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Hey, it wasn’t funny. It was embarrassing. The story spread throughout the marina and I was a joke the rest of the summer.”
“Don’t you wonder what he saw?”
“Probably all of it.” Kip sat up and laid his hand on her knee. “Your turn. Got anything as humiliating as that one?”
“Hardly.”
“Okay then…how many broken hearts have you left in your wake?” He struck her with an intensive gaze. Annie got up from her recline and wiggled to the edge of her seat, placing her hands on his thighs.
“None that I know of and I don’t have anyone in my past as interesting as Tiffany Sue Buttons.”
“I don’t believe it.” Kip leaned close and kissed the tip of Annie’s nose.
“Believe it. I’ve had my heart broken a time or two—been played way too many times to count. For example…” Annie stopped momentarily to catch her breath, the memories still stinging after all these years. “In college, I dated a guy for a while who told me he was a journalism major whose life goal was to work at the Washington Post. As it turned out, he was a poli-sci major who wanted an internship in my father’s office. When he didn’t get it and I refused to talk to my dad, he dumped me.”
Whatever You Call Me Page 15
