Chapter 11: Confession
Annie smiled and seemed a bit flattered at my request. I could feel my blood pounding furiously within my veins, pulsing beneath my skin that was suddenly tingling in anticipation for her kiss. She stepped towards me, her lovely blue eyes locking with mine as she slid her arms up around my neck and pulled me down toward her lips.
Her kiss was soft at first, but after a moment it grew harder, more confident. Unable to help myself, my tongue parted her lips and searched for hers. Her eyes flickered open in shock but she didn't pull away, tentatively mimicking my tongue with her own.
I enclosed my arms around her slender waist as my lips left hers and drifted down her chin and to her neck. I felt her jerk in surprise and then she held me tighter as her lips drifted over my face. I pulled away, breathing so fast I feared I'd never be able to breathe normally again.
She looked at me, slightly startled as she tried to control her own breathing.
"Did …. Did I do something wrong?" she finally managed. I reached for her hands and brought them to my lips, kissing each one softly.
"No. I just didn't want us to get too far …. with you, I might not be able to stop," I admitted. Her expression suddenly deepened, making her look wise.
"Me too. I feel that way too," she said, her eyes wistful. As I stared at her, desire shot through every part of my body but I held it back, closing my eyes for a moment. I opened them when I felt Annie's fingertips on my face. I enclosed my hands around hers and brought them slowly away from my face, not breaking our intense gaze.
"I just …. I want it to be different, Annie," I said. Her eyes hazed with slight confusion.
"What are you talking about?" she questioned. I started to smile and then I stopped, growing serious. I wanted her to see I was serious.
"Look … we've only known each other for what, three days?" I asked and she nodded, even though her face looked a bit troubled.
"So what are you saying? For us to just be friends?" she asked, her blue eyes beginning to harden. She tried to pull her hands away from mine, but I held her hands tightly.
"No. I don't want to just be friends. I just want things to be different with us, Annie. I've already told you I had a history of using women and I'll be damned if I ever use you," I finished.
"What do you mean by different?" she asked, squeezing my hands.
"I want … you to be happy. With no pressures or anything being weighted on your shoulders. True, we're still strangers but we've already discovered so much about each other … and I don't want to stop discovering you. I hope there will always be some mystery for me to discover."
She smirked.
"Who said you'd discover all my secrets?" she teased and I laughed.
"Oh, but I will." She rolled her eyes and stepped forward to embrace me warmly.
"Bart … I really am touched and thrilled at your words …" she said, pausing as a slow rumble filled the air. I looked down at her stomach and she blushed.
"I didn't eat breakfast. So I really am … hungry," she finished.
"I can tell," I said, still looking down at her stomach.
"Bart! Stop it!" she cried. I looked at her for a moment, confused.
"Stop what?"
"Quit looking at my stomach!" she said, trying to wrap her arms around her waist as my eyebrow lifted curiously.
"What? Don't tell me you're ashamed of that!" I cried, nodding at her stomach.
"Why? It's … perfect," I breathed, sliding my arms around her.
"Bart …really …" she stuttered, her face beginning to glow. I grinned at her wickedly and wiggled my fingers against her stomach, causing her to yelp and crumble with vulnerability and laughter.
"Bart!" she cried, trying to dodge my fingers but I kept tickling her without mercy until she was breathing hard between her giggles, shaking all over. I laughed and embraced her, kissing her neck. I slid my hands over her stomach and she winced as if I was about to launch another tickling attack.
When my fingers were obedient and still, she relaxed. Then her stomach angrily growled again and we both laughed. I felt the quiver against my hands and wondered briefly if this was the way the stomach of a pregnant woman felt. I'd never touched Melodie; we'd both pretended she wasn't pregnant at all.
"Look what you did. You made it mad," Annie said. I laughed and patted her stomach affectionately.
"I'm sorry," I said in a voice that sounded like it was reserved for a small child.
"Sorry isn't going to cut it," she said, eying me pointedly.
"Oh, well, in that case … come, Miss Tatterton. Let's go to lunch," I said. She nodded and began to take down the ebony hair she'd put up in a ponytail, but I stopped her.
"Just leave it. It looks … nice."
"I have a pencil behind my ear," she admitted. I grinned.
"I see that. Keep it … I might need it to write the check." She laughed and shook her head.
"You're a bit incorrigible, aren't you?" she asked. I chuckled.
"More than you think," I said with a devilish grin that made her gasp even though she smiled.