by T K Barber
“You’re sure you’re real, right? I’m not dreaming?”
Half of his devastating grin appeared, and he leaned closer. “Why don’t ya kiss me again and find out?”
Annalise locked her bottom lip under her teeth and smiled.
There were a couple of other ways she could make sure he was real, too.
Thomas’s grin dropped, and his brows knitted. He released her hand and tugged her to the edge of the step, against his body. Her heart thundered as he gripped her hip with one hand and cupped her cheek with the other.
She could live off the feeling of his skin on hers alone.
“Quit doin’ that,” his eyes fixed on her mouth as he coaxed her lip out with his thumb. “Or you’ll chew it off.” A short gasp left her, and he flicked his eyes up to meet hers. “Then what’ll—”
She dove at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him. Hard.
Stairs. Hallway. Car. Floor. She didn’t care. She needed him. Wanted him.
She had just moved her hand to his arm when a door opened beside them. They broke apart, and Annalise turned on her heel.
She muttered “hey” to the man she’d never seen before and tugged Thomas up the rest of the stairs.
He pulled back on her arm and stepped up beside her. “That guy live here?”
She shook her head and eyed his tight expression. He glanced over his shoulder with narrowed eyes, then refocused on her.
She shrugged. “Probably just visiting. Mr. Dean’s been sick, I think. Haven’t seen him in a while.”
Thomas grunted and pursed his lips.
Annalise stomped the final stair and took a left, spinning on her heel to jingle the keys in his face.
“Home sweet home!”
His brows jumped up and he snagged them out of the air, examining them with a smirk.
“Hey!” She huffed and reached for them, but he turned, keeping her behind him. He shot out a laugh and thumped a hot pink, anime-style cat face dangling from the chain.
“See? I knew ya’d like cats!” He laughed again and let her snatch them back that time. She puffed out a blast of air, clearing stray hairs from her face and glared playfully.
“Yeah, well. Cats are awesome.”
Thomas grinned and nodded. “Yeah, they are. Hell, I’m too lazy to walk my own damn self, let alone some barky mutt.”
She giggled and unlocked the door, shoving it open with her shoulder.
Thomas furrowed his brow. “It always done that?”
“What?”
He nodded toward the door. “Stuck like that.”
She shrugged and nodded. “Yeah. Since day one. Nick just never got around to fixing it.”
Thomas drew his mouth down into a frown and stepped back. After a few well-placed shoves, bangs, and shimmies he closed the door and grinned widely.
“There ya go.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugged and thumbed his nose before crossing his arms. “Give it a go.”
One eyebrow reaching for the sky, she twisted the knob and pulled the door open with no issue. Both brows launched skyward as she opened and closed it several times.
She blew out a high laugh and twisted her torso to pin him with an amused stare.
“Well, aren’t you Mr. Handy! Good job!”
He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, casting a glance to the floor. “Thanks. A lot.” When he cut his eyes back to her, her heart stuttered. There was a bit more pain behind those amber gems than she was expecting to see. Familiar pain. She made a mental note to shower him with praise whenever possible.
He cleared his throat and drew his shoulders up as he jammed his hands back in his pockets. He leaned in closer.
“What’s more, I ain’t just a pretty face.” He winked, and her heart ran away again. “I’m good with numbers too. Can’t expect to run a business if ya can’t handle the books.”
Anna twisted her lips to the side. V would be so proud.
“Well, thank God then, ‘cause I suck so hard at math it’s not even funny. You can handle that whooole part.”
He sucked in a breath and stepped up to her. He cradled her face and searched her eyes. She almost didn’t care if they ever made it inside the apartment.
He drew in the side of his cheek, swallowing. “You’re gonna let me run the shop with you?”
“Obviously.” She matched the smile that spread on his lips. “It’s got your name on it, silly. Besides, it was your dream, to begin with.”
The kiss he pulled her into that time was so soft, so sweet it hurt. It felt like broken promises and lonely nights. Like heartache and longing.
It was magical how he could send his emotions through his touch.
Tears spilled from her eyes, each one caught by his thumbs. She didn’t want to move. Or breathe.
It ended too soon, and he rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you, Anna.” He whispered, then added louder, “I wanna change the name to what I was gonna use.”
“Okay.” She took a slow breath to control her stampeding heart. “Whatever you want. What was it?”
He tilted his head back and kissed the tip of her nose. “Anna’s.”
Okay, she did care. Not in the hall.
She shot out a breath and pulled him, and his surprised grin, through the door by the front of his shirt.
When she flicked on the light, Thomas’s mouth gaped.
She tried to see it like he might, but all she saw was her sanctuary. Her home.
He slapped his hands to his cheeks and shot out a loud laugh.
“My God, Anna!” He caught her gaze as his eyes widened. “Did a candy store blow up in your apartment?”
Thomas
Since when did pink come in that many shades? There wasn’t a speck of that place not touched in some way. Pink on the floor in fluffy rugs. On the wall in some abstract looking art. On the couch as blankets and pillows. Even a whole pink chair all by itself. Pink towel on the stove, pink cups, pink bowls, pink cloth on the coffee table . . .
He spun a small circle, hands still in place on his cheeks until he faced her again.
His nerves buzzed when he noticed the stain on her cheeks. That one. That was his favorite shade. Anna Blush.
“It’s not all that, I know. But—”
“It’s cute.” He grinned at her, and she smiled back. “Ain’t even on the same planet as you as far as looks, but it’s cute.” He quirked a brow and plopped his hands on his hips with a frown.
“Gotta be honest though, I was expecting more cats. You ain’t even got one.”
She laughed, gripping his heart again, and groaned into her hands. “You’re such a goof.” She tugged her hands down and gave him a sweet smile. “And I love you for it.”
Jesus. Every time she said that his heart jumped into his throat, and all his muscles tensed. Him. She loved him.
He cleared the space between them in two strides and ducked down, winding his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck, under that curtain of black hair. Safe. She hooked her arms around his head and sighed.
“Anna, I love you more than my heart can hold. And I’m gonna tell you so much, the words are gonna wear out. They’ll have to come up with some other way for people to say it.”
“Mmm. Sounds good to me!” She pushed him back a bit, planted a quick kiss on his lips, and gestured to the kitchen.
“Do you—” She swallowed. “Are you hungry? I don’t have all that much, but I can make you something.”
His stomach started gnawing on itself, and he nodded. He hadn’t had much to eat today, in fact. Drama and all that. “Hell yeah. I’m always hungry. It takes a ton of fuel to keep up this level of awesome.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes. His heart stuttered.
Dear God, he’d missed her. She stepped back and spun on her heel with a wobble. He smirked. No clue why, but he never pegged her for graceful, and he was app
arently correct. It was cute as hell. He followed behind her, eyes trained on her hips.
Soon he’d know every inch of that tight body.
He leaned over his elbows on the bar, watching her back as she moved around, straightening up random things.
All that thick hair. He plopped his chin in his hand, and a smile plastered itself to his face. It was like a midnight waterfall rippling over her shoulders.
“Anna.”
“What?” She tossed a glance his way over her shoulder with her brows lifted.
“Love you.”
She laughed. “You weren’t kidding, were you?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Also, you got any damn idea how gorgeous ya are?”
She turned back to the counter and stood on her tiptoes, arm stretched to reach into an upper cabinet. Her head tilted side to side, then her shoulders lifted in a short shrug.
His smile fell. How could she not know? Didn’t she ever look in a mirror? He made a mental note to make sure he told her every chance he got.
His stomach grumbled again, and he frowned. “So what’s on the menu? You gonna fix some fancy meal with ten courses and towels in bowls?”
She laughed again and dropped back down to her heels holding two neon pink bowls.
“If there’s ever a meal that big, you’ll be helping.”
He chuckled. “As long as you cook with me, I’d cook all day and night.” He took the bowl she held out to him and frowned. “But I’m starvin’. What are we havin’ for real?”
“I’m going to make you the Chef Anna special.”
His brows lifted, and she turned to rummage in another cabinet. He hoped it wasn’t something too fancy.
When she turned back around holding a box of cereal, he plopped his hands on top of his head and shot out a loud laugh.
“You shittin’ me?! I swear ta God, Anna! It’s like you were put on this Earth just for me!”
She smiled shyly, her cheeks tinting again as she set the box down. Turned out, he liked that smile almost as much as her other ones. She spun the box around to display the orange tiger on the front, and he scrunched his nose up.
No clue why they even made that nasty cereal.
He dropped his arms in defeat and thrust his bottom lip out in a pout. Anna giggled and shrugged. “It’s one of my favorites.”
“What else ya got up there?” He popped up and bumped into her on purpose on his way to the cabinet.
Had to be something up there worth eating. He rummaged around until he laughed and pulled out a box of all marshmallow cereal, hidden at the back. She tilted her head to the side and cast her eyes up as she bit her lip.
“Holdin’ out on me, huh?” He grinned. “I see how it’s gonna be. This here’s the way to go.” He shook the box close to his ear, then gestured to the one she held. “That one’s all wrong for ya.”
He snagged the box out of her hands and stuck the other one in its place.
She laughed. “What if I don’t like this one?”
He chucked the other one back on the counter, where it slid to the wall on its side. “Then you wouldn’t have bought it.” He winked.
She laughed and playfully shoved him in the back as he stepped over to the fridge. He tugged open the door and stilled. There was barely anything there. Milk, some take out containers, mustard, half-full bottle of soda, a pack of hot dogs and butter. He swallowed. Was she still not eating?
He snagged the milk and hip bumped the door shut, clearing his throat.
“That one there has too many vitamins an’ shit.” He unscrewed the lid, gave the jug a sniff, and set it down beside her.
“Hey, Anna.”
She laughed and lifted her brows as she opened the box. “Yes, Thomas?”
He rounded the bar to face her and lowered his brows with a sigh.
Her smile dropped. “What?”
“Why is there hardly any food here?”
She hugged herself and chewed her lip as she looked at him. “I don’t—” She rubbed her neck, recrossed her arms. “Eat here a lot. I go to Nick and Scarlet’s. Or V takes me to eat.”
“Vincent, right?” He picked up the box where she left it and filled up both bowls.
She nodded and loosened her arms. “Yeah. He actually loaned me the money for the cafe.” She opened a drawer in front of her and pulled out two spoons. “But we don’t have to make the first payment until the month after it opens.” She handed him one, and he smiled.
We.
“That’s real nice of him. But he’d always been nice to me. He and my pop went way back. Think they lived on the same street or something. Vincent was my ma’s friend when they were younger, too.”
Never had the time of day for Pop while Tommy was growing up though, but who could blame him.
He poured milk in Anna’s bowl first, then his own. They gazed at each other for a few seconds before Thomas smiled and held out his spoon. Anna tilted her head then laughed, held up her own spoon, and clinked his with it.
“Atta girl. Eat up.”
He chewed a large mouthful of what turned out to be slightly stale cereal as he watched her. She stared at the bowl, spoon clutched in both hands now. The silver glittered as her hand shook, and he swallowed.
“Gorgeous.”
Her face snapped up, and she locked her wide eyes onto his.
He gestured to the bowl with his spoon. “What’s up?”
“It’s still hard.” Her voice was so tiny his throat closed. “I either go too fast and get sick or take one bite and get sick. Then . . .” she swallowed. “Sometimes I’m fucking starving and can’t even make myself eat.” She swatted a tear from her cheek and shook the hair off her shoulders.
“Well, which one are ya now?”
She drew in the side of her mouth and stared at him. Surely someone had thought to ask that before.
He smiled. “I’m gonna guess the last one. Lemme help.”
He pushed back from the bar and moved in front of her. She furrowed her brows and shifted her weight on her feet. “What are you doing?”
He fished around in the still-open box under her watchful eye, on the hunt for a specific shape. He grinned when he found it and pulled out a tiny red heart.
He smirked and held up the marshmallow. “Open up, gorgeous.”
Her eyes widened, and she passed a glance between him and it. Her chest rose and fell faster, nostrils flaring.
Damn.
He twined the fingers of his other hand with hers and squeezed. “It’s just one, yeah? And it’s a heart. They taste the best.”
He gave her his brightest, widest grin, and she laughed. A long, slow breath left her pursed lips, and she squeezed his hand back.
“Ready?”
She blinked at him twice and shook her head. “This is ridiculous.” Her voice graveled. “You shouldn’t have to even do this. It shouldn’t be like this!” She squeezed his hand harder, eyes boring into the marshmallow like it was going to attack her.
He shrugged and stepped against her. “Should or shouldn’t, it just is. Open up ‘fore it sticks to my fingers.”
She snorted with a small smile which dropped when he brushed the heart against her bottom lip. She locked eyes with him, and he lifted his brows. Would she—
Her mouth fell open, and despite the fact he had wanted this to be playful, his muscles tensed.
He dropped his gaze to her mouth and eased the marshmallow past her teeth. She flexed her fingers against his, and slowly pulled the little heart into her mouth on her tongue.
How could feeding someone a damn marshmallow be that sexy?
His body lit on fire. Thank God there were about a thousand left.
He realized his finger was still on her mouth at the same time she moved her face forward and closed her lips around it.
Air left him on a burst. His brows shot up at the same time his eyelids became heavy.
Jesus. When he coul
d make his eyes reopen, he caught her gaze again. There was the slightest crinkle in the corners of hers, and it made his heart stammer. At least she wasn’t sad anymore.
She flicked his finger with her tongue, and he clenched his jaw as his knees nearly buckled.
“Anna,” his voice rasped, and he cleared his throat. “What’re you doin’?”
Eyes locked on his, she pulled back, slowly releasing his finger. Which was good, since apparently, his arm forgot how to move.
She chewed the marshmallow with two short motions, and when she swallowed, she crashed into him.
Her mouth was sweet and hot, just like always. Only now, it tasted like his favorite marshmallow too.
He held her tight, molding her body to his, as she dragged her arms down and gently squeezed his biceps. Not normally a thing anyone would think of, but something was off.
He pulled away and sucked in a breath. Streams of tears sped down her cheeks, and he cupped them.
“Anna,” he moved her face a little. “Where’d ya go, gorgeous?”
Finally, her stunning eyes focused on him. “You can’t leave.” Her voice was even. Calm. Features scarily still as rivers rolled down.
How could someone cry without crying? Did heartbreak just drop on its own? His own heart wrenched as he gazed into her wet eyes.
“Well.” He smiled and rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks. “Unless I’m movin’ in, I kinda gotta. Hell, even then I’d have to go get my stuff. Though, you could come with me. Uh. You know. If that was somethin’ you wanted. Hopefully. Someday. I ain’t sayin’—”
“You could. Can. And I’ll buy you new stuff. You can’t—” She gulped. “You’re not leaving me again.”
“Gorgeous, I don’t wanna go. But my guy, Booker, the one I mentioned? He’s down in the car.”
“Call him.” Her voice rose, thinned, panicked. “Tell him, Thomas.”
It was all he could do to keep his gaze from the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Until her eyes dilated. When she looked through him, he could see it.
The warehouse, the bed, the door.
She shook her head as her fingers closed around handfuls of his shirt. “You can’t.” It was as heartbreaking a whisper as he’d ever heard. “Everything just stopped hurting,” she whimpered. “You can’t go now.”
