Annihilate Me (Vol. 4) (The Annihilate Me Series) (2 page)

Once
I had posed the question, I watched him gradually become erect as he moved
steadfast in my direction.

Our
lovemaking had changed over the last month.
 
Our bond was stronger now, tighter than
ever.
 
When he made love to me, it
was intense, but also sometimes gentle and, in a way, fiercely protective.
 
When he entered me and held me in his
embrace, I sensed with each stroke that he didn
’
t want to let me go.

That
was the case now.
 
I removed my
bikini, laid back on the beach just at the ocean
’
s lapping edge, and watched him standing
above me, appraising me and growing harder.
 
The sun was high above him, but just
below the top of his head, so his face was partly cast in shadow.
 

“You
’
re so beautiful,” he said as he knelt down
on one knee to kiss my lips, my breasts, my belly, and then my sex.
 
“To me, you
’
re perfect in every way.”

He
buried his face between my legs again and I arched my head back in pleasure.

“
Take me,
” I said.

“How?”

“
I don’
t care.
 
I just want you.”

“But
how?”

I
bit my bottom lip and said, “You know how.”

“Do
I?”

“Please.”

“You
mean like this?”

Again
he teased me with his tongue.
 
He
brushed it so lightly over my clit that it was a kind of agony.
 
Unable to bear it any longer, I lifted
my feet, pressed the heels against his buttocks, and gently pushed him toward
me until his tongue slipped deep inside of me.
 

It
was almost too much.
 
My eyes rolled
toward the blue sky, I felt warm waves envelop us, and then I closed my eyes
tightly when his tongue started to dart in and out of me in a continuous dance
that didn
’
t stop until I came with a
shudder.

With
enthusiasm, he reared up and entered me in one deep thrust that made me catch
my breath and wince slightly in pain.
 
Even though he had prepared me for it, I still wasn’t fully used to his
length or his girth.
 

He
pressed his lips against the side of my neck and kissed me, which always did me
in because of the stubble on his upper lip and chin—it sent a powerful,
tingling rush through me that drove me hard against the edge of climax.
 

With
skill, he kept me there in an almost impossible extension of ecstasy.
 
I put my arms around his back and held
him, rocked with him, and arched my back as he pushed me toward orgasm time and
again, all the while holding him closer as we switched from position to
position out in the open in a tropical, foreign land that, for now, was the new
home neither of us wanted.

*
 
*
 
*

When
we were spent, Alex lifted himself off me, slumped back onto the sand, and
laughed.

I
turned my head and grinned at him.
 
“Why are you laughing?”

“Because
that was fun.”

“What
would Steinbeck say?”

“He
’
d tell me to never lose you, and I never
will.
 
Not if I can help it, at
least.”

He
reached over and pulled me next to him.
 
With my head on his chest, we caught our breath and lapsed into
silence.
 
He had driven me to three
orgasms and, at least for now, he was finished with me.
 
I knew more would come later.
 
It always did.
 
Being intimate with each other was the
one thing that continued to keep us grounded despite everything we were dealing
with.

For
several moments, we laid without speaking, listening to the gulls and the
retreating shore while he ran his hand through my wet hair, and I ran my hand
across his torso.
 

“Are
you happy, Jennifer?”

“I
’
m happy to be with you.”

“But
not here?”

I
curled closer to him, and considered my response.
 
I
’
d
never lie to him, so I told him the truth.
 
But I did so gently.
 
“Under
these circumstances, no.
 
But I
assume you feel the same.”

“I
want this over with.
 
It
’
s not in my nature to run and hide from
anything.
 
This has all been about
making sure that you
’
re safe,
not me.”

“I
guess we
’
re two peas in a pod,
because my being here is about making sure that
you
’
re
safe, not me.
 
So, we
’
re each here for our own reasons, which
comes down to love.
 
We
’
ll get through this, Alex.
 
Answers will come.
 
We
’
re
not going to be here forever, even if it feels as though that sometimes might
be the case.”

“Do
you like anything about living here?”

It
seemed important to him that I did, and frankly, it was easy to point out the
many things about life on the island that I did like, so I told him.
 
“I love combing the beach for shells and
finding all sorts of sea life when we snorkel together.
 
I
’
m
enjoying getting close to Ann and her family—she and I have a lot in
common and are becoming good friends.
 
I
’
m beyond grateful that
they agreed to come with us.
 
I like
the sudden, dramatic shifts in the weather; I
’
ve enjoyed turning our hut into a home; and
I certainly don
’
t mind
being this tan.
 
I can
’
t remember when I was this tan.
 
As a Maine girl, you
’
ve got about two good months in the summer
to get a trace of color before you turn pale again.
 
But most of all, Alex, I love being here
with you.
 
I wouldn
’
t want to be anywhere else but with
you.
 
I hope you know that.”

“I
know it
’
s not ideal.”

“We
’
ll be back home soon.
 
But let me ask you the same
question.
 
Is there anything you
like about being here?”

He
considered it for a moment.
 
“I once
told you that I
’
ve
always wanted to leave the city for some place more rural.
 
But I think that after being here for a
month, I
’
ve changed my mind.
 
Probably because this place is beyond
rural.
 
I miss the city.
 
I miss being in the middle of the action
and making deals on the fly.
 
That
said, and despite everything, you
’
re
right—it is beautiful here.
 
I
have you here, which means everything to me.
 
And I
’
m glad that Ann, Mark, and Max are
here.
 
I owe them a great debt of
gratitude.
 
Not many would have done
what they did, which reaffirms my faith in the inherent goodness of
people.
 
Having you here with me is
humbling.
 
When I was a kid, I
watched my family pay for loyalty.
 
Or at least what I believed was loyalty.
 
But it wasn
’
t.
 
They just paid people a fat salary, and they got what they wanted.
 
But what you
’
ve shown me?
 
That
’
s real loyalty.
 
And that makes me happy.”
 
He turned to me.
 
“So does waking up to you, making love
to you, and being here with you.
 
That, I love the most.
 
You
’
re here because of me.
 
I know that and I feel it every moment
of the day.”

*
 
*
 
*

When
we returned to the hut, Alex reminded me that today was my day to Skype with
Blackwell and Lisa.
 
Not that I
needed to be reminded—I was eager for it.
 
Today was catch-up day.
 
Blackwell was first, then I would get to
speak to Lisa, whom I was dying to see.

“You
’
ve got fifteen minutes to shower,” he said.

I
shot him a sidelong glance as we entered the building.
 
After our talk, which took a more
serious turn than I anticipated, I wanted to lighten the mood and make him
smile.
 

“How
can I speak to anyone after what you just did to me?
 
My knees are still wobbly.
 
And by the way, what was it with that
last move of yours?
 
Where did that
come from?
 
I was lying on the beach
thinking, ‘Who are you?
 
What
’
s my name?
 
Where am I?
 
Are we in Kansas?
’
 
I
’
m spent.”

He
kissed me on the cheek.
 
“What you
are is smart.
 
Blackwell won
’
t sense a thing.
 
You
’
ll just ride through it.”

“That
’
s an appropriate way to put it.”

He
smiled at that.

“And
it
’
s also a fib.
 
Blackwell knows everything.
 
You of all people know that.
 
She
’
ll see my sexy glow even on Skype.
 
She
’
ll know.”

“And
that
’
s a problem because...?”

“Point
taken.
 
We are, after all, engaged.”

“Indeed
we are.”

I
cupped his face in my hands.
 
“I
love you, Alex.”

“And
I love that you can finally say those words to me, because you know exactly how
I feel about you.”

CHAPTER TWO

In
our office, I woke the computer from its slumber, logged on to Skype, and
looked up at the television monitor mounted above me where Blackwell was
flickering onto the screen like a hawk ready for a feast.
 

Always
on time.
 
Never late.
 
She was wearing a fitted black suit,
diamond studs at her ears, and no other jewelry from what I could see.
 
Though it was hard to tell because she
was leaning so close to her computer that her face completely filled my
television screen.

“You
’
ve gotten fat,” she said.

“I
have not gotten fat.”

“Your
boobs look bigger.
 
I see fat.”

“Then
stop looking at my boobs.”

“Impossible.
 
Apparently, they
’
re the main attraction.”

“They
certainly were an hour ago.”

Her eyes popped.

“And
besides, how can I be fat?
 
Most of
what we eat here is fruit.
 
Oranges.
 
Pineapples.
 
Coconuts.”

With
an accusing flash, she pointed a finger at the screen and stopped me cold.
 
“Coconuts?”

“That
’
s right.
 
They
’
re everywhere here.
 
One nearly dropped on my head the other
day.
 
They
’
re delicious.
 
And better yet, they
’
re organic.”