Erotic Influence (13 page)

He stirred and she watched his face as his eyes blinked
open. His gaze was unfocused for a heartbeat before he found her watching him
and smiled. “Mornin’, beautiful.”

“Good morning.”

“What time is it?”

She rose to one elbow to see the clock on her dresser.
“Almost eight.”

He groaned. “Way too early to be awake if we don’t have to
be.”

“Visiting hours start at ten.”

That seemed to wake him more. “Right. Sorry, babe. I almost
forgot.”

He sat up and ran his hands over his face. She stayed where
she was and took in the view as he stood and stretched. It should be illegal
for a man to look so delectable first thing in the morning.

“Wanna shower and then we can start breakfast? Tammy’s
probably still asleep, huh?”

“Yeah. Sounds good. I’ll wake her when we get out of the
shower so she can take one.”

He nodded and grabbed his jeans from the floor. She got out
of bed as he stepped into them, but couldn’t fight the urge to touch him. He
groaned again as she helped tuck his semi-hard cock into his pants. “Damn.
You’re gonna make it hard to zip these up.”

That made her laugh. “Sorry.”

“I’m not.” He kissed her then finished fastening his jeans.
“You should cover up that wonderful body if you want to get anything done
today.”

She grabbed a robe hanging on the back of her door and put
it on. He continued to watch her with a familiar hunger in his gaze.

“Ready?” she asked.

He shook his head and pulled her to him so he could kiss her
again. By the time he let her up for air she’d forgotten what she was doing.

“Okay. Ready,” he said.

They grabbed clean clothes and quietly made their way to the
bathroom. Tammy’s bedroom door was shut and the house was quiet.

He started the water as Annie shut and locked the door. She
marveled at how comfortable she was being naked with him after so short a time.
It still felt as if the entire photo shoot had happened to someone else. Like
an out-of-body experience or a very vivid dream.

He stepped into the shower and held a hand out to her. She
took it without hesitation. The spray was just the right temperature, warm
enough to ease her muscles but not too hot. As she closed her eyes and leaned
her head back to wet her hair, she felt his hands on her shoulders. His lightly
roughened skin slid against hers as he smoothed his palms down to her breasts.
It was still a surprise how much he seemed to enjoy the small pair, but she
refused to be self-conscious anymore. They’d moved well past that.

“You’re so beautiful, Annie.”

“Thank you.” And she
felt
beautiful too, which was
new for her. Every day with Rick made her feel more and more beautiful.

The next few minutes were filled with Rick washing them
both, his sudsy hands lingering on her most sensitive spots. She forgot about
her dad, Tammy, work, and the growing concerns of the world outside the
bathroom door. Her focus narrowed down to Rick and the magic of his fingers and
large palms.

After rinsing off the soap, Rick kissed a path down her
torso. He went to his knees and moved her up against the cool tile. It was a
shock to her heated skin, but her focus was quickly pulled back to Rick’s lips
on her thighs. A tremor invaded her body and she had to grab his shoulders for
support as he gripped her upper thighs. He used his thumbs to press them open
wide and placed a scorching kiss right on her already hardened clit.

“Oh…Rick.”

He hummed in approval and suckled a moment before sliding
his tongue deep inside. “Delicious.”

She simply held on as he lapped at her, ratcheting her
arousal higher with every swipe of his expert tongue. Soon an orgasm tingled
through her electrified body. She threw her head back and shut her eyes,
moaning from deep within as the climax washed over her. Then she was weak and
sated, wilting into his arms where he still knelt on the floor.

He cradled her against his chest and grinned. “Mmmm.”

“Yeah…mmm,” she said as she tried to catch her breath.

He just chuckled and helped her back to her feet before standing.
He turned away from her to rinse his face and she wrapped her arms around his
waist. His cock was hard and standing straight up as if waiting for her hands.
She didn’t make him wait long.

His hard body tensed as she took him between her hands. She
cupped his balls in one palm and ran the other up his length, then back down to
the base. Small bumps pebbled on his skin and she licked them.

“Hold your hand out, baby,” he said roughly.

She did and immediately felt the coolness of the shower gel.
He guided her back to his hard cock and she began to play. The shower gel was a
perfect lubricant and soon he was grunting and thrusting his hips in tandem
with her movements. She couldn’t keep the other hand in place so she
concentrated on masturbating him instead. He placed his palms flat against the
wall and his ass cheeks tightened. A thrill shot through her at the sight,
knowing she was making him feel good.

“Fuck…yes…Annie.”

She sped up her hand and he moaned as warmth flowed over her
fingers. A step to the side put her in position to witness the last spurts from
his cock. She kept him in her hand and rubbed his back with the other.

“Damn, baby. Now I want to crawl back into bed.”

He placed a hard kiss on her lips and grasped her wrist. He
washed her hand before kissing her again. “Thank you.”

“Thank you too…for everything.”

His smile slowly faded. “No thanks needed. I’m here for you,
Annie. No matter what. Okay?”

She nodded and leaned against his chest a moment. “It’s a
little overwhelming, but I can’t help feeling like I should be able to handle
everything on my own. I’m an adult too.”

He tipped her chin up with one hand. “There’s a difference
between being of age and having dealt with situations like this before. I know
Henry has always handled everything, and he hasn’t exactly allowed you free
rein. Don’t feel bad about it, Annie. It’s not your fault.”

His words helped a little but she nodded as if they wiped
away all her worries. She could pretend for now. She could go on with her day
and everything she needed to do with Rick by her side. But soon things would
have to change. She needed to take control of her life and her future.
Especially if she planned for Rick to remain a part of it. She hadn’t had
something to look forward to in so long it was almost frightening. But then she
saw the gleam in his eyes after he shut the shower off and looked at her wet
body. It was all the encouragement she needed.

He started breakfast while she went to wake Tammy. Her
thoughts were still filled with Rick. So when she opened Tammy’s bedroom door
and saw the empty bed it didn’t register right away. A heartbeat passed and
panic flooded her as she hurried through the house. The wash room, bathroom and
her bedroom were empty. So was the living room. She ran past the kitchen and
burst into her dad’s bedroom, startling Tammy into wakefulness from the bed.

“Jesus, Tammy, you scared the crap out of me.”

Her sister just blinked at her with puffy, red-rimmed eyes.
“Huh?”

“Nothing. Get up and take a shower. We’re making breakfast
and then going to see Dad.”

Tammy rubbed her eyes with both fists like a child,
endearing Annie as she remembered a similar scene from not so long ago. She
moved to the bed and sat beside her sister. “What brought you in here?”

Tammy shrugged and looked around as if she didn’t remember
where she was. “I woke up and remembered where Daddy was, and it scared me. I
couldn’t fall back asleep so I came in here.”

A shot of guilt hit Annie. If her door had been unlocked and
Rick hadn’t been in her bed, Tammy would’ve found her way there instead. “We’ll
go see him in a bit and I’ll bet he’ll look a lot better than he did last
night.” She wrapped an arm around Tammy and hugged her. “Breakfast will be done
by the time you’re out of the shower.”

“Okay.”

Annie stood and walked to the door, took one last look at
her sleepy sister then headed for the kitchen. It was time they both grew up.
Just as much as Annie relied on Henry, Tammy relied on her. They both needed to
learn independence if either of them was going to have any kind of future as
their own person instead of just Henry May’s daughter.

She joined Rick at the stove and watched him frying bacon.
The sight made her frown and she opened the refrigerator, staring at the
contents with a critical eye. “I’m going to have to clean this place out before
Dad comes home. I do all the grocery shopping. Hopefully if there’s nothing
here he’s not supposed to have he’ll be forced to eat better.”

Rick made a sound of agreement. “He could just stop at a
fast-food joint whenever he’s out, but you’re right. It’s best to get as much
temptation out of his way as possible… Will he give you shit about it?”

She shrugged and shut the refrigerator. “Probably. But if I
just ignore him and keep cooking good stuff he’s not going to refuse to eat it.
He hates to waste food and he won’t pass up an already cooked meal.”

“Good.”

She went to the pantry and started rummaging through it,
pulling out everything she thought her dad shouldn’t have. The doctor would
give her take-home instructions with guidelines that gave her a better idea.
But for now she already knew all the sweet stuff had to go.

“Hey, you want some of these?” She held her offerings out
for Rick’s perusal.

He grinned. “I’ll have to hit the gym twice as much, but
yeah. I’ll take them.”

She snorted a laugh at the thought of him needing to work
out any more. He already had the body of a Greek god. As if a little refined
sugar was really going to do much damage. She grabbed a used grocery store bag
and started stuffing it with the junk food.

“Won’t Tammy mind?” Rick asked.

“If she starts going through Twinkie withdrawals she’ll just
have to run over to your house.”

He chuckled and pulled the eggs out of the refrigerator.
“I’ll have to be sure to stay stocked. Just in case.”

They shared a smile and some of her tension eased a bit.
Everything with her dad would be okay. She’d make sure of it.

Rick sat in another uncomfortable plastic chair in a different
waiting room. Both daughters had been allowed to visit Henry now that he was in
a private room, despite finding out Peggy was already there. Annie had seemed
surprised. Tammy had been pissed. Rick chuckled to himself at the thought. They
were probably going to have to get used to the poor woman, but he didn’t envy
Peggy’s upcoming battle of wills. Personally, he thought Peggy’s presence was a
good sign. Maybe Henry wouldn’t be as dependent on his older daughter with a
girlfriend in the picture. At least he could hope.

He flipped through his text messages, replying to Wes’
question on how Henry was faring. Rick had peeked into the room and the older
man had looked worn out but alert. Both Annie and Tammy had seemed to be happy
with the way he’d looked. Rick had asked the nurse when he might be released
and she said not for a few more days. He’d had major surgery and with his high
cholesterol, high blood pressure and borderline diabetes, they wanted to make
sure he was well enough to go home before they released him.

Rick’s thoughts returned to Annie diligently going through
the kitchen and removing as much temptation as possible. It made him smile. She
was so mothering, nurturing. Exactly what he would want in a wife when he
decided to settle down. Would she want someone like him as a husband? He was
pretty sure she wasn’t ready for that conversation yet, but he was hopeful.
First he had to get her on some kind of birth control as promised, then into
his bed every night.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Annie walked into the
waiting room and looked around. As soon as her gaze fell on him she smiled and
closed the distance.

He stood. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Tammy was being a real bitch to Peggy at first but I
think they’ve come to some kind of truce. Dad seemed really embarrassed when
she outright asked why he hadn’t told us about Peggy. He actually blushed. It
was funny.”

He chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. She
licked her lips, as if trying to catch his flavor with her tongue. A flash of arousal
shot through him and he barely stifled a groan. “What time are visiting hours
over?”

“Between eleven and one. Then we can see him again from two
to four. I guess they just don’t want him to get overwhelmed.”

“Yeah. He’s probably still a little fragile.”

Her smile disappeared and he wanted to kick himself. But he
knew sugarcoating the situation wouldn’t do her any favors. If Henry took a
turn for the worse, Annie needed to be prepared mentally and emotionally.

“Well, he looks a lot better this morning. Of course, he was
still on a breathing machine last night. I think that’s what upset Tammy the
most,” she said.

“I’ll bet. When is his doctor coming by?”

“Probably not until this afternoon. He’d already checked on
him before we got here.”

He nodded his understanding and finally gave in to the urge
to pull her into his arms. She melted against him, just like always, and it
warmed him from head to toe. “We can head to lunch and then come back at one.
As soon as you two are ready to go.”

“Thank you for driving us down here, Rick. I don’t know what
I would’ve done without you.”

That brought up another thing he’d been curious about.
“Annie, do you have a driver’s license?”

“Um…no.”

He pulled back enough to look her in the eye and didn’t miss
the slight blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. “No? Do you… Do you know how
to drive, honey?”

She sighed deeply and shook her head. “No. I’ve never really
had the chance to learn from anyone and lessons cost money.”

That made sense. “Do you
want
to learn?”

Her eyes widened as she looked at him warily. “Are you
offering to teach me?”

“Yeah. I’ve never taught anyone before but I think we can at
least get through the basics.”

The shock on her face soon melted away to unease and she
shook her head. “No way. I can’t possibly learn in your Camaro.”

“Why not?”

“Are you kidding? What if I hurt it?”

“It’s just a car, Annie.”

She looked at him skeptically. “You called it your
baby
.”

He chuckled. “So? It’s still just a car. I swear, Annie, I
won’t mind.”

She still didn’t look convinced but didn’t argue further.
Instead she rested her head against his chest again. “Okay.”

He tightened his hold and savored her warmth. There was just
something about Annie that seeped into his bones, relaxing him on a level he’d
never experienced before. He liked being her savior in any capacity. He liked
being able to help her and her sister. But what he liked most of all was the
way she made him feel. It was so much more than he’d experienced in any of his
past relationships, even back when he’d thought he was in love.

Now he was certain he was really experiencing love for the
first time and it surprised him. Shy, unassuming Annie. Who would’ve thought?
Certainly not him when he’d first spied her across the street, but now that she
was his he wasn’t letting go.

She returned to Henry’s room for the remaining few minutes
of the allowed visiting time and Rick sat back down. Soon all three women were
walking into the waiting room with various expressions on their faces. Peggy
looked tired, Tammy angry, and Annie sad. Rick stood and opened his arms for
her. “Ready to go eat?”

She shrugged and looked at Tammy. “You hungry?”

“Sure.”

Peggy took a seat and appeared ready to remain waiting the
two hours between visits. Tammy headed for the door but Annie hesitated. “Peggy,
would you like to join us for lunch?”

Peggy looked so surprised Rick felt bad for her. She
obviously knew she wasn’t making friends with Tammy, but Annie seemed to be
trying.

“Uh…sure?”

Peggy looked at Tammy as if gauging her reaction but the
grumpy teenager kept her back to them. Annie looked up at Rick with a question
in her gaze.

“Yeah, Peggy, you’re more than welcome to come with us. I
know of a deli within walking distance so we don’t have to move our cars out of
the garage,” Rick said.

She gave him a relieved smile and stood, swinging her large
purse over one shoulder. “All right. Sounds good to me.”

Rick nodded and urged Annie toward the door. Tammy huffed
loudly but said nothing as they all walked out together.

It was a short walk to the deli and the weather was
unusually mild. Rick held Annie’s hand while Tammy walked ahead as if she knew
where they were going. A tingle of guilt went through him at Peggy trailing
behind, but the sidewalks were too crowded for three across. Annie kept smiling
at her over her shoulder.

Soon they were at the deli and in the midst of the early
lunch crowd. Tammy found a table while the rest of them got in line to order.
Once they had the food, Rick sat beside Tammy so Peggy wouldn’t have to. Annie
smiled in understanding and his chest warmed.

“This sure looks good,” Peggy said to Rick. “I’m glad you
knew this place was here. Thanks for buying our lunch.”

“No problem. I’ve only eaten here once and it was a while
ago. But the food still looks the same.”

They all dug in and conversation lapsed for a few minutes.
Finally, Peggy set down her napkin and looked at the girls nervously. “I was
thinking. When they move Henry out of ICU and into a regular room, he can have
an overnight visitor. Did one of you want to stay the night?”

Tammy and Annie looked at each other then back at Peggy.

“Um, no,” Annie said.

“You can’t,” Tammy replied.

Annie frowned at her sister. “Tammy.”

“What? You know that’s what she’s getting at, right? But
they’re not married. She can’t stay with him.”

Rick decided to intervene before things got too heated.
“Tammy, if Henry and the two of you allow it, the nurse will let her stay. It
might still be another day before he’s out of ICU, but having someone by him
overnight probably isn’t a bad idea. You should take advantage of Peggy’s offer
while she’s giving it. You’ll be taking care of Henry quite a bit once he’s
back home.”

She gaped at him as if shocked at his betrayal. He held her
stare with one brow raised, hoping a small part of her would grow up enough to
see the truth of his words. His family was pretty tight knit and his little
sister was definitely their father’s princess. He could just imagine Miranda
arguing with their own mother about staying with their dad in the hospital. How
much harder would it be if it was a complete stranger?

After another minute Tammy finally released a deep sigh and
slumped in her chair. She wouldn’t look at any of them as she nodded her
agreement. “Fine. Whatever.”

Peggy smiled and her relief was palpable. Annie looked surprised.

“Thank you,” Peggy said. “I promise to call right away if he
needs either of you.”

“Why don’t you program my number into your phone,” Rick
offered. “I’ll be staying with them until Henry’s back home.”

Annie tried to hide a smile at his announcement but wasn’t
very successful. Tammy just rolled her eyes.

“All right,” Peggy said.

She pulled her phone from her purse and he rattled off the
number. She sent him a text so he would have hers.

“Good,” he said. “Now if everyone’s done we can always walk
around a bit. We still have an hour to kill.”

Peggy elected to go back to the hospital but Annie and Tammy
wanted to explore. Neither of them had been through downtown Houston more than
a couple of times. They took the METRO light rail the handful of stops to
Hermann Park and walked through the Japanese Gardens. The delight on Annie’s
face made Rick feel ten feet tall and he vowed to put it there more often.
Amazingly, even Tammy was impressed with the authentic Japanese tea house and
gardens.

Soon it was time for the return trip to the hospital.
Tammy’s quiet withdrawal had Annie looking at her with concern but Rick had
expected it. She was seated alone in front of them as they rode the light rail
back to The Medical Center. It was a short trip but felt as if they’d crossed
miles.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered in Annie’s ear. “She’ll be fine
as soon as she sees your dad’s better.”

She leaned into him and he put his arm around her shoulders.
With a soft sigh she seemed to relax a bit. “You think he will be?”

He had no clue, and didn’t want to lie. But he also wanted
to stay positive. “Yeah. He’s getting top-of-the-line care.”

“Thank god his insurance is so good. I was terrified I’d
have a huge bill to deal with when we got here.”

He had wondered about that but hadn’t wanted to pry. “Oh?
You didn’t?”

“Nope. Not even a copay since they admitted him. There might
still be a bill at the end but we’ll deal with that when it comes in the mail.”

He inwardly cringed at the thought, knowing she would feel
responsible for helping Henry pay it. But there was no sense in worrying about
it for now. Instead, he sat back and enjoyed the short ride through downtown as
they passed other hospitals and motorists. They got to their stop and he
escorted the women across the street. As they walked toward the waiting room he
spied Peggy walking into the hallway leading to Henry’s room.

“We can go back in now,” Tammy said.

She quickened her step but Rick caught her arm before she
could reach the door. “How about giving Peggy and your dad ten or fifteen
minutes alone together?”

She scowled at him and shook off his hand and probably
would’ve stomped through the door if Annie hadn’t stepped in her way.

“Yeah,” she said. “I think that’s a great idea, Rick. Come
on, Tammy, let’s sit and wait.”

The urge to argue was clear on Tammy’s face, but with both
of them in her path she had little choice. She spun on her heel and stormed
into the waiting room. Annie looked at Rick and shrugged. “She’ll get over
it…eventually.”

He followed her into the waiting room and headed to where
Tammy sat in one corner. Annie took a seat near the door but Rick dropped into
one next to Tammy. “Hey. Have you considered what your dad’s going to do once
you two move out?”

She’d had her back to him but now spun to face him with a
frown. “Annie’s moving out?”

“Not yet but she will eventually. And you’re going to stay
on campus at U of H, right?”

She shrugged as her gaze darted to her sister for a second.
“That’s kind of the plan…or it was before.”

“That doesn’t have to change, you know? I’m sure Peggy would
be willing to stay with Henry. Maybe she can convince him to eat better and
take better care of himself.”

Her frown deepened but she didn’t argue against it right
away, which he took as a good sign. Now that he’d planted the idea in her head
he hoped she’d cut Peggy some slack. They didn’t have to be best friends, but
scaring the woman off when she could be the answer to their problems wasn’t
smart.

“He might not even like her that much,” she finally said.
“He never even told us about her.”

The pain in that confession was palpable and he wanted to
punch Henry in the face for it. It wasn’t fair to any of the women that he’d
kept Peggy a secret so long. But now that she was no longer a secret they could
include her in their plans. Rick’s ultimate goal was to have Annie move in with
him. Hopefully Peggy’s presence could speed up the timeline on that
possibility. The sooner the better.

Exactly fifteen minutes after they’d returned Tammy popped
up from her chair and headed for the door. “I’m going in to see Dad.”

Annie watched her disappear through the doorway and looked
at Rick. “Do you want to go in?”

He shook his head. “For all I know seeing me will raise his
blood pressure.”

She smiled sadly and closed the distance. He stood to receive
her hug and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’ll be right here waiting for
you, honey.”