I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you just downed that.”
She grinned. “Let’s just say I learned a lot during extracurricular activities my freshman year.”
“I see.” When I swallowed my Jack, Annabel poured us another drink, but this time she sipped at it more cautiously. When Jolting Joe left us, we were alone again. “You want to talk about earlier?” I asked.
“No,” she replied, then took another sip. She cut her eyes from watching the couples on the dance floor back to me. “I’m sorry I freaked out like that,” she said softly.
“You didn’t freak out, and you don’t need to apologize.”
She sighed. “I feel so selfish being jealous of Alexandra. I mean, it’s not like I’m ready to have a baby right now. Maybe it’s something stubborn in me that only wants what it can’t have.”
I shook my head. “I think you have every right to be upset. A part of your future was taken away. It doesn’t matter if you wanted a child today or if you’d never wanted one.”
Annabel gave me a sad smile. “You always say just the right thing.”
“Once again, I think you’re flattering me.”
“Guess I haven’t worked my magic on you in the last month,” she mused.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I told you that day at tohi a-ma that I wanted you to be able to see how wonderful you are. Being modest is admirable, but it doesn’t mean you always have to discredit your strengths and talents.”
Just like Annabel, I remembered that day. What she had said to me had stayed with me this past month. Part of me was flattered by her compliments, while another part of me doubted their authenticity. As much as I hated to admit it, everything seemed to have changed between us. No matter how hard I’d tried to stop or fight it.
With most of the wives and families clearing out, the band had cranked up even louder. Some of the unattached men were enjoying the scantily clad sweet butts or club whores who came around on party nights. When clothes started coming off, I turned to Annabel. “Maybe it’s time we got out of here.”
She giggled. “Oh, Rev, that”—she motioned with her glass to the half-naked women gyrating against the men—“doesn’t bother me. I might as well be back at a sorority party.”
Although she said it didn’t bother her, I didn’t want her to be around anything that could trigger a backlash of emotions for her. “I would feel better if we went back to my room.”
“Your room?” she questioned in surprise.
“Yeah, the officers in the club have rooms in the back so we can crash here. Tonight some of the other guys will be using them.”
“For indecent purposes?” she teased.
I laughed. “Yes. I’m sure for that.”
“I don’t think I’ve had so much Jack that I can’t make it back to the house. I might not be able to walk a straight line, but I’m pretty sure I can walk.”
“I’m sure you can. As president, I need to hang around a while. I’ll feel better knowing you’re close.”
She smiled. “Well, when you say it like that, how can I refuse?” She hopped down from her stool and staggered a bit. “Hmm, maybe I have had a little too much.”
“I think anything after the first shot was too much.”
Slinging my arm around Annabel’s shoulder, I drew her closer to me as I led her to the back. “I don’t know how easy it’s going to be for you to go to sleep with the music going.”
“I’ll be fine. I can always read.”
“Did you bring your e-reader thing with you?”
With a grin, she replied, “No, but I figured your room would have some books.”
My chest tightened at the fact that she knew me so well and could even remember it in her slightly inebriated state. I opened the door for her, and she stepped inside. Turning around in a circle, she took in the room. She pointed at my bookcase. “Told ya.”
I laughed. “Okay, okay. You know me too well.”
Annabel tossed her purse onto the bed and then walked over to the bookcase. “The complete works of Shakespeare.” Making a tsking noise, she added, “You are hard-core.”
“I like the tragedies.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Even through the walls and the closed door, the beat of the music was audible in the room. When the band changed over to a slow song, Annabel began to sway back and forth on her feet. “Are you all right?” I asked.
Glancing at me over her shoulder, she said, “Dance with me.”
My heartbeat skipped and seemed to pop erratically like an old vinyl record. “What?” I managed to ask when I recovered.
“Dance with me.”
“Here?”
“Why not?” Turning around, she walked over to me. Although in my warped mind, it was more like she stalked over to me like a cat. “Don’t tell me you can’t slow-dance.”
“I can slow-dance just fine.”
As my arms went around her waist, I drew her flush against me. The contact of our bodies caused us both to suck in a breath. Sliding her arms up my chest, Annabel then brought them around my neck. When her fingers glided through the strands of my hair, I fought to keep my composure. Call me a pussy, but there was something that turned me on about a woman playing with my hair, tugging on it wildly as she rode out an orgasm.
I lowered my head to rest it on Annabel’s shoulder. Closing my eyes, I allowed my mind to wander. Like the dirty bastard I was, I envisioned having Annabel on the bed, legs spread wide, my head between them, and her clutching and clawing my hair and scalp as she came on my tongue. Just the thought sent a shiver of need down my spine and caused my whole body to tremble with desire.
“Are you cold?” Annabel asked.
“I’m fine,” I croaked.
She tightened her hold on me while pressing her body tighter against mine. It was a sweet gesture of compassion to warm me up that had the opposite effect than what she had intended. “Rev?”
“Hmm?”
“Look at me.”
When I pulled my head off her shoulder, I stared into her green eyes. The look in them told me everything I needed to know about what was going on in Annabel’s head. Motherfucker. I was a dead man.
I knew right then and there I needed to extricate myself from the situation and get the hell out of there. But instead, I remained frozen in place. I didn’t even jerk back when Annabel brought her lips to mine.
Oh damn. Those lips. Those soft, soft lips. Warm, inviting, and full. I imagined them moving all over my body, especially on my dick. As her mouth worked against mine, those fingers began to work their magic in my hair.
Grabbing my shirt, she pulled me down onto the bed. While our arms and legs tangled together, our mouths never parted. When she thrust her warm tongue into my mouth, I groaned and gripped her tighter. It was all so wrong and so right at the same time.
When I started to get up, she tried to pull me closer. “Where are you going?”
“I need to check on the guys. Make sure everybody gets out.”
“Oh. Okay.” A pleading look entered her eyes. “But you’ll come back to me. Won’t you?”
“Sure. Just let me take care of some things. I’ll also lock the door.”
She gave me a drowsy smile as her head lay back on the pillow. Her eyes closed in contentment, and she sighed. “You’re always so good to me. No wonder I’m falling in love with you.”
Her words had the same effect on me as standing in a field during a lightning storm. Electricity zapped the top of my head and ran through my body. Without a word to her, I backed quickly away from the bed and disappeared from the bedroom. I had been fearing something like this in the last month—the way she looked at me, the way she talked to me, the way she’d wrapped herself around me in the night. I’d been a selfish bastard and enjoyed it too much to put a stop to it. Now I’d somehow managed to lead her on. I was the sickest type of fucker out there. I’d preyed on an abuse victim.