Steve came across the yard, glancing at his watch. He was a couple minutes early but was starving and hoped Anna was one of those women that was ready early, and not later. He knew Eric and Jenny had already gone to Danny's house, so she shouldn't have had any distractions.
She opened her front door just before he stepped up on the front porch. "Hi."
"Hi to you too," he replied, admiring the look that she had put together for their outing, still not sure if she considered it a date or just a dinner. Her attire wasn't one where he could generally make an assumption. She had her hair pulled back away from her face in a clip. Her blue dress was fitted around her curvy figure, which made it seem elegant, yet she wore it with a pair of sparkly silver flip-flops that gave off the impression of casual. He wasn't one for knowing fashion or whether something should go with something else, but what he did know at that second was that Anna looked stunning and he felt privileged that she'd be sharing a table with him.
Anna came out and slowly closed the door behind her. She didn't think she would ever see him look sexier than he did in his Navy uniform, but as he stood there in a pair of dark jeans and a starched white shirt open at the collar with his deep Hawaiian tan, she had to argue with herself, which he wore better.
He motioned to her cast free hand. "When did it come off?"
She wiggled her fingers and smiled. "Two days ago." She held it up to him proudly, "No scratching scars."
"Smart girl." He took her by the hand and examined it, flipping it over and only seeing one small scar just below her thumb, but it wasn't from the fall. "How did you get that scar?"
She let out a chuckle, "When I was about twelve I was building a fort in my backyard and cut myself on a piece of glass."
"A fort?" he asked amused. "Were you starting a club?"
"No," she sighed, "I shared a room with my sister at the time and I was building it mainly to just keep people out."
He looked at the small scar once again, caressing his thumb over it before he let her hand go. "I had a sister too," he smiled, "I can validate those feelings."
His touch on her was the same as when he was in her kitchen that day after she broke her wrist, it was gentle. It always seemed to catch her by surprise due to his rugged exterior, it wasn't expected.
She smoothed down the front of her dress, "I hope this is ok. I wasn't sure how nice or how casual of a place this was."
"You look perfect."
He stuck his elbow out to her. "And ready early. I like that. You must be anxious for a night out. I hope I don't disappoint you."
Anna smiled shyly, taking his arm. "I'm sure you won't."
It showed every sign of being date, which flattered her beyond words.
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Steve got out of his truck and slammed the door shut.
Anna did the same on the other side.
She didn't bother to turn around or speak to him as she trotted her way angrily across his driveway and out the gate toward her house, mumbling under her breath.
"If you have something to say, just say it," Steve growled.
She looked over her shoulder surprised he was there. "Why are you following me?"
"Following you?" he snapped, chuckling sarcastically at that statement. "I'm not following you! I don't know what planet you come from, but on mine when a man drops a woman off, regardless of the shitty night, he makes sure she gets home safely."
"Shitty night?" she spat back. "You have only yourself to blame."
"Me?" he pointed at his chest as they came up on her stoop. "You're the one that complained about every little thing all night. The poor waitress was practically in tears," he exaggerated.
Anna fumbled through her purse for her keys. "Aww, the poor thing. And I bet she would have just loved to fall into your arms for comfort. She was a little flirt!"
"Jesus," he groaned, "where do you come up with this stuff?"
She turned around, holding the keys in her hand. "Are you going to stand there and deny it? Seriously?"
He was furious at her, wanting to say yes and that she was being a spoiled brat, but he couldn't deny that the waitress had been a little over the top, but he considered it just a play for a good tip, not necessarily directed at him. He was going to retaliate by saying that every guy in the place was gawking at her, but didn't think he could pull that off as being something he was annoyed with.
"You played right along with her," Anna blasted him. "It was humiliating! If you wanted to pick up on women tonight you should have gone alone!"
That sent him over the top. "What?! I was not picking up on her! I was just being nice! That's another trait from my planet. We are NICE to people and say please and thank you when we are given something or," he held his arms out angrily, "taken out to a nice dinner. I can't imagine you saying thank you for anything!"
"I say thank you! I've told you thank you!"
"Yea," he grumbled, "and it felt as sincere as a driving nails into my skull!"
She looked horrified over that remark. "You want a proper thank you for that dinner? Here!" She cupped the back of his neck and pulled him in, pressing her lips on his. There was absolutely no thank you in the gesture.
He tried to pull back without hurting her, but the hold was relentless. She finally released him and he glared at her as she stood her ground.
"Happy now?"
"That's about what I thought," he huffed, "you're kiss is as cold as you are."
"And your lips were about as emotionally expressive as I figured they would be. You call me cold? I got a chill!"
She didn't know it but she had just dug the knife into the same wound that he'd been nursing since losing Becky, and having been told again that he was emotionally detached was like pouring salt in that wound. That wasn't him. He didn't want to believe Becky and he certainly wasn't going to give Anna Jordan the satisfaction of being right. So he did what he felt he had too. He took her this time by the back of the neck and pulled her in, only his kiss wasn't forceful and demanding like the hold he had around her waist was.
She put her hand on his chest to push him off when she felt his arm slide around her back and grip her tightly by the waist. He tilted his head just slightly and the strength of the hold was nothing like the kiss that he was laying on her at that second. He was trying to prove a point and no matter how much she wanted to resist and prove him wrong, she couldn't make herself push him away. She hadn't been kissed that way in a long time, maybe ever.
He felt her hand on his chest, ready to break away at her slightest defiance, but it wasn't a resistance touch like he was anticipating, instead she wavered and leaned back against the door, reaching down with her other hand for support on the frame, not wanting to give him the complete satisfaction of knowing just how much she was enjoying it. He on the other hand caught on to her defiance, finding it charming and a boost to his ego. It was what he had been hoping for. He prolonged the moment enjoying the feel of her as well. Once her guard was down, she felt every bit as good as she looked.
He finally broke away, still holding her in place with very little personal space between them.
Neither said a word as they stared at each other, both feeling the same effect from it but neither wanting to confess it to the other, or worse yet, say something that would ruin it, instead they took a silent truce and both leaned into each other at the same time, partaking another kiss. This time Anna let nature take it's course, giving him what he had just given her.
The two participating equally was off the charts as far as kisses went. The competition now to out do the other only increased the staying power. They wanted to hate it but neither could break away from it either, even if someone had put a wedge between them and tried to pry them apart, it would have been useless.
All he could think about now was what she would be like in bed. All that anger and heated frustration she harbored toward him had turned into an aphrodisiac, and he wanted it. Not to mention that she was drop dead gorgeous, that he had been fighting since the first time he laid eyes on her.
He didn't have an approach to broach the delicate subject; this wasn't a typical good night kiss. He was about to forgo the fantasy when she broke away from him; to his pleasure her mind was on the same path as he.
"Do you…" she hesitated almost breathless, knowing her chances were fifty-fifty and probably worse than that. "Do you want to come inside?" She held her breath, feeling the humiliation if she got the wrong answer.
He didn't answer her in words but with his arm still around her waist he simply guided her through the door, closing it behind him.
He held her there, neither of them reaching for the lights.
She felt his hand caress her throat as he stared at her lips, holding her closer than when they had kissed.
"I wasn't flirting with that waitress," he whispered to her. "I couldn't even pick her out of a line up."
Anna bit her bottom lip trying not to smile, "Are you just that nice to everyone then?" she teased him.
"If we ever end up going out again," he grinned, "I'll be sure to act like an LA prick if that's what you're used too."
She moved her hand up his arm and over his shoulder until it was around his neck, "Jerk," she panted, feeling his rapid heartbeat against her breasts.
He slowly leaned in for another kiss. "Brat."
She stood on her toes to get every bit of what he was offering.
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She fell back on her bed as he came down with her, bracing both hands on either side of her body, kissing her again. She pulled him down, not realizing just how much she had missed the feeling of a man on top of her. Steve didn't feel like Daryl had though, he was leaner and he certainly kissed better than Daryl had. His touch was softer even though his palms were rough; she hardly noticed, too caught up in the way they glided up her body.
She felt something inside of her shift as he moved from her lips to her neck. Unlike her sister, her sexual experience had been minimal. Daryl had been her first true love and even with him she'd never taken the initiative, it was always him that had instigated it and then finished it, more often than not before she had a chance to really enjoy it. But right here at that moment she felt sexy and desirable, knowing that Steve wanted her. He was without a doubt the best looking man she had ever been with and the reaction from the waitress tonight only solidified the fact that he was desirable to other women as well. The waitress wasn't the only one she had caught admiring him. It had made her self conscious and angry earlier, but suddenly now it gave her confidence and made her feel dominant. He was with her, not them.
Her hands went over his shirt, unbuttoning it, which told him she wanted this as much as he did. He didn't think about afterward or tomorrow or how this would affect their lives, he was too caught up in her at the moment to think about any of that.
He knew her dress had no zippers or buttons on it. He'd spent a majority of the evening scanning that outfit. The information came in useful to him now. He slid his hand under it, beginning at her thigh, gathering the thin material in his hand as he made his way up, lifting it over her head, looking down at her exposed breasts and bright red panties. The sight was breathtaking to say the least.
She followed his eyes as he scanned her body, trying to see if he saw in her what she saw on him. It wasn't until he made eye contact that all her worries were put to rest. She reached behind her head and fumbled with the clip that held her hair in place, feeling it release and then tossing it on the side table. He rested on his elbows watching intently as she slid her fingers inside the blond silk and pulled it around, laying it across her chest, scarcely covering her breasts.
His heart began to race as the thought of being inside her swept through his head. She was the most challenging woman he'd ever met, yet at the same time she was also the most incredibly beautiful and admirable one he'd ever met. The combination was fatal in his want for her.
He kissed her again igniting that fire in Anna, compelling her to take the lead and take from him what she wanted so badly at the moment she could hardly contain her enthusiasm. She just knew once it began it was going to be explosive and better yet, she hoped unpredictable. He just seemed reckless to her in that sense. She used her toes to gently caresses the back of his leg over his jeans, slowly moving it up as her legs parted around him all the while trying her best to tantalize him with her tongue during the marathon kiss.
That seductive move cleared the path for him. He pushed off of her and sat up between her legs, undoing his belt as she worked on the zipper, both with the same enthusiasm, anticipating the next few seconds and barely able to control the excitement from it.
He stared at her lips as she unintentionally licked them while undressing him. He let out a soft moan over that and leaned over her, taking possession of them once again.
Her heart beat so hard she could almost feel the blood coursing through her body, every nerve begging to be touched and caressed by this man that had her head spinning. And then all at once as if he read her mind he touched her in the place that was most aching for him. Just like earlier it wasn't impatient or needy, but delicate, making her body shutter. She reached down and gripped the wrist of his hand that was pleasuring her so much she wasn't sure she could hold back the release that was begging to get out.
He understood her reaction and moved his hand around the outside of her thigh as hers moved up his arm, squeezing his bicep that was flexed as he held himself up just barely above her so he could see her face, all the while removing the cumbersome jeans that separated them.
Her nails dug into his shoulder and back as he rolled to the side, taking her with him and then with his free hand, pulled her panties down over her legs, rolling back over on top of her, separating her legs again with his knee. She raised her hips off the bed joining the effort, never feeling anything quite so pleasurable before as the way he entered her, like before it was patient and gentle.
Her body wrapped around him as he began to move more freely, the sensation that rippled through him only encourage the progression, not to mention the pleasurable sounds that came from Anna, those alone were enough to satisfy him knowing she was enjoying it as much as he was.
She held tightly around his shoulders, his face buried in her neck. She could feel his gasps of warm breath from every stroke of his body as he held her close. The pace increased as he lifted up, searching out her lips. The kiss wasn't direct but more or less tantalizing which was even more fun. His pace slowed to an almost questionable stride and she looked up at him, feeling a slight disappointment.
"Did you…" she hesitated, breathless from what had transpired so far, wondering if he had finished, leaving her longing for more like with Daryl. "Are you finished?"
He rose up. "Finished?" he questioned, smiling devilishly at the frustrated look in her eyes. "I haven't even begun." He moved down her body, kissing her breasts one by one as she moaned softly, thrilled over not only his answer but the way in which he delivered it, carrying out his promise and then some.
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They both lay on their side with Anna's back pressed against his chest. She reached back, grasping his neck, her body arched, pushing into him as he did the same. His arms tightly wrapped around her, helping the cause.
She didn't know where he was getting his strength to keep up the incredible pace that he'd bestowed upon her over the last half hour, but at that second she didn't care as long as it held out for just few more seconds.
And then it hit her all at once. "Oh God!" she called out, gripping him tighter as he increased his stride, knowing what he was doing to her and enjoying every second of it as he felt his own body reacting just as ferociously, as Anna matched his movements.
They were both blindsided by the ending result that left them sedated as they both lay there in the same position, breathless and speechless after the reckless and torrid encounter.
Her grip on his neck relaxed along with her body as she lay still against his sweaty chest, moving her hand up into his equally sweaty hair, stroking him, silently thanking him for that.
He did the same by kissing her shoulder, moving to her neck, getting another taste of her that had begun what he considered mind-blowing sex. Still shocked that it came from her. A half an hour earlier they were standing at the door screaming at each other and now here they were lying as close as you could possibly get to another human being and content over it.
She couldn't imagine what was going through his mind at the moment, afraid to ask, fearful it would be regret now that it was over. She on the other hand felt her heart flutter wishing she could reel it in but it was impossible, what he'd just given her wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced before. It wasn't just the sex that put her over the top it was the intimacy. If he was playing a part just to get her where he wanted her, then he should win an Academy Award she thought. Just as her heart began to fear the worse she felt his hand move down her body and his voice whisper to her.
"Anna, Anna, Anna," he teased. "You're just as feisty in bed as you are in life. It's a lethal combination." He smiled, pulling her in even closer against his body.
She felt her heart sore as he wrapped a leg around her, holding her in place as if preventing her from escaping, realizing then he wanted her close. The intimacy seemed to have no end and there was no cause to doubt it either. She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled as he kissed her cheek. She didn't reply with words but just let her body relax against him, closing her eyes.
The haunted images he had of this room never crossed his mind as they both drifted off to sleep.
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Anna slowly opened her eyes, feeling his warm breath on her shoulder as he lay in the same position. A smile slowly began to spread across her face when it suddenly vanished at the sounds coming from downstairs.
"Anna, we're home," Eric yelled.
"Anna!" Jenny yelled. "We had so much fun."
Steve sat upon on his elbow and wiped his fingers over his eyes as Anna whipped the covers off, falling on the floor on purpose. She gathered up their clothes and stood up, dropping them on the bed as he scooted over to the other side and stood up, slipping his underwear on.
"Holy shit," he whispered loudly to her, reaching over for his pants. "What time is it?"
"I don't know," she whispered back in a panic. "Hurry! They're coming up the stairs."
"Hi guys!" she yelled back to Jenny and Eric, motioning Steve toward the bathroom. "I'm glad you had fun. Hold on. I'll be down in a second, ok?"
Steve grabbed what he could and went for the bathroom as Anna followed behind him with his shirt and shoes. She tossed them on the floor and realized then she was still naked. He grabbed the robe off the back of the door and wrapped it around her shoulders as she stuck her arms through it, seconds before Jenny entered.
"Anna," Jenny said opening up her door and coming inside. "We slept in a tent in Gracie's room!" She jumped up and down, "Danny made popcorn in this funny pan." She started to laugh over the memory of it. "It got really big and round like it was going to explode."
Steve hid behind the door, trying as quietly as possible to get dressed.
Anna stuck her head out the bathroom door. "That sounds so cool. I want to hear all about it but I was just about to take a quick shower. Is Danny still downstairs?"
"No," she shook her head. "He heard you and left."
"Ok, I'll be right out. Close my door please."
"Ok." She went out and closed the door behind her.
Anna did the same with the bathroom door, leaning against it with her eyes closed, letting out a breath of relief. She opened them to the sight of Steve zipping up his jeans, shirt still unbuttoned and grinning at her as if they had just got away free and clear.
"That was close," he chuckled.
"Really," she raised her eyebrows, "and do you plan on staying in here the rest of the day, because we aren't out of this mess just yet."
His cocky smile faded, not having thought that far ahead. "Oh crap."
He went to the window and looked down at the height.
"You're not going to jump out that window?" she gasped over his idea.
"Not this one," he declared, going by her back out to the bedroom. "This one is easier to get out of."
"Steve!" she whispered to him. "Are you crazy, that has to be about twenty five feet?!"
He chuckled at her exaggeration. "No its not, it's about maybe fifteen feet. I've jumped from a lot higher."
She grabbed his arm, still not convinced it was the right thing to do. It worried her. "Just wait a second, will you please?"
"Are you going to walk me down the stairs and out the front door?" he asked with a teasing grin, unsnapping the screen and setting it on the floor.
She groaned over their dilemma, "No, but…just be careful."
He started to go out and then stopped. "Wait." He put an arm around her waist and pulled her up against him. "Thanks for last night," he winked, "I had a swell time." He gave her a quick kiss before resuming his duty of going out the window.
She giggled at his choice of words, "You're crazy." She watched him make his way out and then stuck her head out as he hung there ready to drop. "Hey," she said looking down at him. "I had a swell time too. Let's do it again real soon."
He liked the sound of that and told her so by doing a pull up on the windowsill and kissing her again before he dropped to the ground.
She couldn't help but giggle at their playfulness as she watched him dash around the side of the house and over the fence going around to his back door so the kids wouldn't see him. She closed the window, forgoing the screen for now and did a 'Jenny leap' as she went back into the bathroom.
He came in through his backdoor, carrying his socks and shoes, setting the hide-a-key on the counter.
"Good morning," Danny blurted out, startling him. "And where are you sneaking in from? The neighbors maybe?"
"Jesus Danny," Steve blasted him. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"So how did your night go? Pretty well it seems. How did you get out of the house without being seen?"
Steve dropped his shoes on the floor and went for the fridge. "How do you know I was in the house?"
"Because," Danny laughed, "Anna had that panicked tone of voice. She defiantly didn't want the kids coming up stairs. It took all of about three seconds for me to figure out why."
Steve laughed before he took a long drink of water from an old milk jug in the fridge.
"A little dehydrated there, buddy?"
He wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand, not replying to that.
"So how did you get out?" Danny asked again.
Steve put the jug back in the fridge. "The window." He looked over at him and they both busted up.
"That's classic," Danny laughed, clapping his hands together as if applauding him. "So I take it then it was a date and not just, "he used his fingers as quotation marks, "a friendly get together?"
Steve leaned against the counter contemplating that. "No, not really. To tell you the truth I'm still not sure. It was weird."
"Weird?"
"It started out really nice, and then it kind of turned sour during dinner and then really bad on the drive home and then once I got her to her door, we were literally yelling at each other," he shrugged, his expression perplexed, "the next thing I know we were in bed. It was weird."
Danny nodded his head as if understanding, "LA, Hollywood. She likes drama." He pushed off the counter, "Careful of that."
Steve shook his head, "She's not a drama queen," he defended her, recalling the waitress incident. "I think she's just guarded is all."
Danny huffed, slapping him on the arm as he went by him toward the door. "You two have a lot in common then."
"Hey," Steve said, "let me ask you something. This may sound a little narcissistic but…" he made an uncomfortable face.
Danny stood with his hand on the doorknob, waiting. "What?"
"Do you think I flirt with waitresses?" he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling even more uncomfortable just asking, but wanted Danny's opinion since they did eat out a lot together.
Danny laughed, "No. I don't think you do it consciously, but they sure do. I've noticed that when you and I go out together, I get better service."
He put a hand on his chest. "So you agree? I'm just being nice and not purposely flirtatious?"
Danny stared at him for a second and then just shook his head. He walked out the door, closing it behind him, ignoring Steve's plea for recognition.
He stood in the room alone, wishing he hadn't said anything at all. Thinking back now, maybe he had been flirtatious with her. Over the last couple of months he'd felt a shift in his ego and self-confidence when it came to the opposite sex. A set of emotions that had never bothered him before, but it was amazing what one person could do to another in a split second decision that could cause havoc in so many others lives. He felt that aftermath with Becky and it had manifested into his relationship with Anna now.
He did recall feeling pretty good at one point with beautiful Anna sitting across from him and the waitress making a funny comment that made him laugh, wondering now if the comment wasn't appropriate after all and if he shouldn't have given her the acknowledgment of it. But at that moment he felt a jolt to his ego that had been lacking, but now thinking back, he had to consider the feelings of Anna and how that might have sounded to her. He tried to put the shoe on the other foot and decided that maybe he'd gone too far in his pleasure over the attention he was getting from two women.
The one meant nothing to him, while a smile slowly emerged on his face, focusing solely on the other one that had him on the run at the moment. The night before ended nothing like he had expected, yet it turned out to be everything he was hoping for, but didn't know it until just now as he stood there thinking about Anna Jordan. She could infuriate him at the drop of hat, but she could also ignite his want for her in ways that he never wanted anyone else before.
His smile grew wider, knowing what it was now about her that drove him mad both in their friendship and in bed. She challenged him. He never knew what to expect from her and the mystery of that was thrilling to him. He liked that her mood could be unpredictable and that she called him on things that made her mad, laughing to himself over that, picturing her anger the night before. She didn't pout like most women he'd been with, making him guess and play those games that he hated so much. No not her, when Anna Jordan was mad at him, he was going to know it.
He pictured her stomping across the yard toward her house, feeling his heart rate begin to accelerate at the memory of how it all started. One thing he knew for sure, whether she was sitting across from him, lying beneath him or yelling at the top of her lungs at him, she was sexy as hell.
He walked over to the window and looked at the house across the way. He didn't feel the anxiety over knowing she was so close to home like he thought he would, or the fact that he would be pretty much attainable at all hours of the day or night; there was no buffer zone. The only negative feeling that struck him at the moment was that he missed her already. That surprised the hell out him.
Anna bent over, wrapping a towel around her wet hair and then stood up, seeing her reflection in the mirror. She leaned in a little closer, tilting her head, noticing a slight red mark on her neck just below her ear. A smile erupted on her face as she blushed over the memory of Steve indulging himself in that spot several times the night before while they made love. She had her first hickey.
She laughed out loud rubbing her two fingers over it. "He is an animal," she chuckled using Danny's namesake for him. She glanced over at the bed that was still in disarray picturing the two of them in it the night before. She blushed again recalling the pleasurable things they did to each other, the different positions they skillfully attempted and pulled off with even greater satisfaction. She'd never made love like that before, ever.
She looked at her reflection once again, staring at her image in the mirror. She felt different on the inside, wondering if it was visible from the outside as well. He'd opened a door to a place inside of her where no man had ever been before. She had no idea where this relationship was going to go from here, but she did know for certain that she wanted one with him, hoping that it was mutual.
Her eyes that sparkled over the thought of him suddenly narrowed, wondering if she were setting herself up for another heartbreak. She wanted this but did he? What if he was home right now trying to figure out a way to let her down easy, or worse yet, maybe he'd just pretend like it never happened. It was she after all that invited him in she thought nervously, regretting now that bold move that was so unlike her, fearing it was going to backfire on her now in the worse way.
That pleasant feeling inside of her began to turn. The only choice she had was to trust him. She had to trust the man she invited in the night before as being the same one that she knew, and not one that would just use her. She would know for sure the next time she saw him, wondering when that would be.
