Chapter 60
His deep green eyes melted, his love evident as Michael gazed down at her. He didn't know what he'd do if Annie told him that she wouldn't give them a chance. She meant more to him than breathing, and without her, his life would never be the same.
"We should get you back to your room," Annie whispered, but she didn't move as her hands continued to caress his muscular back.
Michael had ignored her soft-spoken statement and let his eyes drift to hers. When he did, he got lost in eyes that reflected her intelligence, her strength, her power, and something more. Something that maybe he'd inspired…
Michael held her gaze a moment before he felt the pressure of her hands against his back pulling him closer. He sucked in his breath in excitement as Annie lifted her mouth, pressing her lips to his right there in the hallway.
If anyone passed by, Michael wasn't aware of it. He wasn't aware of anything but the feel of her mouth under his, the wonderful return of what he'd been unconsciously craving since the moment he'd met her. It seemed odd that despite his debilitation, Michael could feel so alive, but in her arms, he felt unstoppable.
This kiss was no mere peck. It was a real kiss. A kiss between a man and a woman. A kiss so adept, so tender. A kiss that went long enough for him to savor it, to come close to losing himself in it before it ended.
When it did, Michael looked deeply into her eyes and smiled, "I'll take that as a maybe."
"Maybe," Annie chuckle in the midst of a struggle to regroup, obvious that she was trying to remember why she shouldn't be doing this over and over and over again.
"I love you," Michael whispered, holding her eyes with his, fingering the tendrils of hair at the nape of her neck. He slid his hand slowly to her shoulder and down her arm in a lazy caress that left her stomach aflutter.
"I love you, too," Annie smiled quietly back, her fingers stroking the sinewy muscles along his spine.
Suddenly, Michael realized just how much the trip into the hall had taken out of him as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Annie quickly tightened her arms around him as his knees began to buckle.
"Michael," she gasped.
"Ah, I guess we should be getting me back to my room," Michael joked, repeating her earlier phrasing as Brenda rushed over to help.
"Yeah, honey, I think that would be a good idea," Annie smiled as the two women took up position on each side of him. "And no more running around in the halls," she ordered concerned.
"All you want is an excuse to keep me in bed," Michael teased, laughing at the pink tinge that rose quickly on the tall blonde's cheeks. I'm one lucky man, he thought as they made their way slowly back to his room. One very lucky man.