Love Charms (20 page)

The
box was heavy in her lap and she wondered what was in it. Her mind wandered as
she traced the pattern on the box again, like some grooved finger labyrinth.
The trials of the week had exhausted her: meeting Dita, the spilling of the
beans, Virgil and the killer bees, Herman and the secret monastic sect, the old
man and the Black Death, and now this strange odyssey into The Elysian Fields.
The thought of seeing Eric again, the object of every action she had taken
lately, made her stomach clench. What would he say? Would he welcome her? Would
he want her?

Annie
swallowed hard as she recalled Kora’s smile when she spoke of Eric. Had he been
with that little goth-girl? She wouldn’t doubt it, at least not from the
impression she got from his mother.
Do you believe her?
Annie felt dizzy
and looked at the clock again. She hadn’t eaten since the honey cake. She
couldn’t imagine eating now, anyway. She was nauseous at the thought of facing
Eric.

Dita.
The image of Eric’s mother laughing made Annie cringe.
There’s a woman who
needs therapy.
She smiled at the thought. The box seemed to grow heavier in
her lap and she shifted. She wondered again what was in it. Dita had said
beauty cream. This didn’t look like a box for lotion. It looked like a box for
jewelry.

The
stocky guy carried his clipboard to the window. Annie listened, still tracing
the pattern, as Polly and the man talked, their voices just a distant murmur.
Don’t
open the box
. Kora’s words made Annie’s face burn. What was she going to
find—snakes? Annie glanced around. The room was empty again. No one was
at the window.

Why
not?
She lifted the
latch, using it to pull the lid up. Nothing. Just a red velvet inlay and a
little mirror on the inside of the lid. Frowning, Annie felt along the bottom
to be sure. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and then did a
double take.

As
a beautiful woman, she had always been praised for her appearance, but today
Annie didn’t recognize the reflection that stared back at her. It was the same
face, the wide, dark eyes, the pale skin, the long dark hair. Annie lifted the
box closer, incredulous. Her cheeks were rosy, her hair slightly disheveled
from the day’s wanderings, but it was more than that.

She
looked soft and open. Her lips parted in wonder. All the places where she had
been cool, sharp, or angular, seemed to have melted, softened, smoothed. She
touched her cheek, feeling the heat of the radiant flush there.
Is this what
they mean by rosy glow?

Something
had changed in her as she had continued her search for Eric. The shallow beauty
of her physical form had somehow been transformed into something deeper. There
was a radiant light that seemed to come from within, and it wasn’t just the
secret she was holding fast in her belly. There was a spark in her eyes, some
fire lit and growing there, that went beyond her physical appearance. Annie was
looking at herself, ageless, timeless, and could finally see the deep beauty
that radiated outward from deep within. She felt unsteady and closed her eyes
for a moment, fighting another wave of nausea. Her urgent search, the pain of
her own denial, the sudden gravity and weight of her life, all hit Annie with
such force that she went reeling, the world spinning around her as she dropped
the box and slid to the floor into darkness.

Chapter
Six

“Annie.”
His voice was calling her and she came out of the darkness into heaven with her
head lying in his lap, his fingers massaging her hair. She snuggled
instinctively closer.

“Eric!
I found you!”

“Yeah.
You did.” His hand moved down her neck and shoulder, massaging. “How’s your
head?”

“Deja
vu,” she murmured, opening her eyes to look up at him. She was lying on a low
cot, with her head in his lap. The nurse’s office? He was leaning back against
the wall.

“I
know.” He grinned. “I remember.”

“Do
you?” She struggled to sit and he helped her.

He
brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Yeah. I’ve only thought about it every day
since.”

“Eric,
I’m sorry. I know I promised—” she started, but his fingers and eyes went
to her lips, and then his mouth went there, too, and it was like he had moved
into her, set up house, and decided to stay. “Mmm…oh, god, Eric…are we alone?”
she gasped, glancing toward the door and sliding her hand up his thigh.

“Here?”
He grinned, glancing down to the V of her blouse. “No, we can’t…not here.
You’re incorrigible.”

“I
missed you,” she breathed, rubbing his lower lip with her finger. “And I’m so,
so sorry…”

“Annie,
don’t. I’m the one who’s sorry,” he apologized against her neck, pulling her
into his lap. “Asking you to promise something like that…”

She
smiled and breathed into his ear. “It doesn’t matter. We’re together now.”

Her
mouth met his and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight.
I
can’t believe I found him!
After months of searching, and the runaround of
the past few days, it felt like a dream. Eric’s mouth was real, though, his
tongue sending electric shivers down her spine, his hands kneading her hip and
lower back.

“I
looked for you,” she whispered against his cheek as they both gasped for
breath. “From the minute you disappeared. I was so afraid you would never want
to see me again, after I promised, and then…”

“I
couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Eric sighed, nuzzling her neck. “I know it
was foolish, crazy, even…asking you to make that promise. But when you broke
it—”

“I
should never have listened to my sisters.” Annie shook her head. “I was the
foolish one.”

“Listen
to me,” he said, cupping her face in his hands. “I need you to understand.”

Annie
searched his eyes and found that connection they’d had since the moment she met
him. She nodded, waiting for him to speak.

“That
night at the party.” Eric swallowed hard. “The reason I was in the kitchen,
under the table, in the first place…there was a woman there I’d been involved
with. She made a promise to me once, and she broke it…”

She
touched her forehead to his, shaking her head. “I don’t need an explanation,
Eric…”

“I
know it was silly.” He sighed, pulling her lips to his for a brief kiss. “But
it was on my mind…someone said something earlier that night...”

Annie
captured his lips again, wanting to feel his warmth, to reassure him. “What did
they say?”

“That
it’s a woman’s nature to break a promise.”

She
smiled. “Who told you that?”

“My
mother.” Eric gave her a sheepish grin.

“Why
doesn’t that surprise me?” Annie laughed and wiggled in his lap. “Let’s make a
pact…no more listening to family, ever.”

“It’s
a deal,” he agreed, kissing his way over her cheek, down her ear. His hand had
pulled her blouse up in the back, so he could stroke the creamy skin of her
lower back. “How should we seal it? With a kiss?”

His
mouth found hers again, and Annie groaned as his tongue probed between her
lips.

“I’ve
got a better idea,” she murmured, sliding a hand between them. She cupped the
bulge in his jeans, surprised to find him hard and ready. Rubbing her palm
there, eager, she whispered, “Let’s live dangerously.”

He
groaned as her hand created friction between them. “Annie!” His voice sounded
pained.

She
lifted her eyes to his, biting her lip. “Yes, Eric?” She continued to rub her
hand over his erection, watching the change on his face.

“Remember
what I said before?” He swallowed hard, licking his lips and staring at the
front of her blouse, the exposed tops of her breasts. “About not having
sex…here?”

“Mmm-hmm,”
she murmured, working his zipper down.

“I
take it back.” He pressed her down onto the cot with his mouth, the weight of
him like a relief. Annie gasped and then moaned, feeling how hard he was
against her thigh, pressing through his jeans. Eric pulled her blouse fully out
of her skirt, groping underneath it as his tongue met hers.

“Wait,”
she gasped as he thrust against her, rocking her body against the cot. “Maybe
we should check? Lock the door?”

“Now
you’re worried?” he chuckled, tugging her skirt up with one hand, seeking her
heat. “What happened to living dangerously?”

When
his fingers moved her panties aside and probed her wetness, she forgot about
everything and gave in to exactly what she had wanted in the first place. He
was wild, like an animal, biting at her neck, growling, moving his hand between
her legs. His eagerness and intensity were making her crazy with lust.

Annie
wiggled out from under him and sank to her knees beside the cot. Eric rolled
and lifted his hips for her as she unzipped his jeans and pulled at them,
freeing his cock. It was red and swollen and the tip was already wet. He didn’t
give her a minute to consider—he forced himself into her mouth with a
groan, grabbing a handful of her hair and thrusting. She was just as eager to
be used as he was to use her. She gagged and sucked him by turns, letting him
fuck her mouth again and again as she reached under her skirt, thrusting her
panties aside to play with herself.

Annie
saw him glancing at the door, knowing that at any moment, anyone could walk
through and discover them. She knew she should care—she just didn’t.
Being with Eric was the only thing she could think about, and that wasn’t so
much thinking as it was some primal instinct. There didn’t seem to be much
thinking going on in her brain anymore at all.

“Hey,
hey,” he warned, and she slowed a little, looking up and meeting his eyes.

He
pulled her to him and kissed her, sucking at her tongue. His hands moved over
her as if he were inspecting her for ripeness. He tugged and twisted at her
nipples as he kissed her, making her gasp and writhe in his grip. His fingers
explored the soft curves of her body, like he was trying to remember her with
his hands. Sliding her skirt up her thighs, he cupped and kneaded the flesh of
her ass, and his cock pressed between her legs, demanding its due. His hands
were on her, all over her, shoving her skirt up high around her waist. He
yanked at her black, mesh panties, moving only to slide them off and then
seeking her wetness again.

Annie
arched her back, rocking against his probing fingers as they kissed. Her hands
ran through his hair, her tongue meeting his. She could hear someone’s voice on
the other side of the door and she realized anyone could walk in and find them
here. The thought was blackly exciting. Annie watched with glazed eyes as he
slid down between her legs.

“God,
I’ve missed this,” he whispered as his tongue slipped between her lips to find
her clit, working the fleshy folds back until it was revealed to him. His arms
slipped easily under her thighs, lifting her more fully to his mouth. She slid
her hands over her breasts, cupping, squeezing. She slowly rubbed her nipples
through her blouse with her palms, feeling the sensation intensify.

“Yes!”
Annie could feel that gentle tug beginning in her lower belly. “Yes, yes!” Her
words made him moan against her pussy, the sound reverberating through her
whole body as his tongue quickened. His finger slid down her slit and then in,
his tongue concentrating just where she wanted it, where she needed it. The
slow movement of his fingers—one, then two, then three, pumping inside of
her—sent her teetering closer to the edge. His rhythm followed her
breathing, faster and faster still, his other hand slipping between her bottom
and the cot. His palm pressed against her lower back, steadying and guiding
her.

“I’m
so close!” Annie cried. “Oh god, yes, make me come!” She knew it was imminent.
She could feel it beginning, and she let the first pulsing heat fill her core.
“Now! Now!” She lifted her hips and squeezed her nipples hard, feeling the
cascade of her juices running down her behind. He grunted, holding her tight,
his mouth steady and still licking. His fingers were buried so deep that she
could feel her muscles tightening around them as the sensation swelled,
crested, and then broke, rippling outward through her entire body. He held her
close, rubbing his wet face against her thighs, kissing, licking, nibbling.

His
tongue sought to find her clit again, but she covered it with her hand.

“Ohhh
wait,” she gasped. “Too sensitive.”

He
chuckled and they stayed that way for a moment as Annie’s breath slowed, her
fingers in his hair. His tongue continued to tease her as her whimpers began to
turn to moans. She gasped as he parted her flesh with his fingers, easing his
way up and down her folds with his soft, wet tongue, feeling herself giving in
to him again.

He
teased her, probing around the tender hole of her pussy, sinking his tongue in
and scooping out more of her juices. He lapped at her, burying his whole face
against her mound as her lips parted and gave way to pink, slick flesh.

“Ohhh
yes!” Annie reached between her thighs and parted her lips, showing him,
pointing the way. He nudged her fingers aside with his tongue, beginning to
lick her clit back and forth, round and round. His mouth was fastened over her
pussy, licking and sucking her tiny clit as her thighs trembled in his hands.
The muscles there were taut and quivering, and Annie arched against him.

“So
close,” she murmured, her body just beginning to tense as it sailed over that
delicious edge. “Oh god, baby, make me come again!” Eric licked faster as Annie
found her release, the soft shudder and shake of her making him moan against
her mound. Her juices flowed like water down his chin and cheeks and he
swallowed her greedily.

Annie
gasped as she pulled his head back and leaned forward to kiss him, tasting
herself in his mouth as their tongues touched. Her hand reached down to find
him, thick and hard. He groaned against her mouth when she squeezed, teasing
the head with her thumb.

“I
want you in my mouth,” she murmured, jerking insistently on his cock.

“Again?”
he gasped as she tugged him to stand in front of her. She fondled his balls and
kissed the tip of him. Annie leaned back on the cot, grasping and squeezing his
slick length.

“Come
up here,” she insisted. She pulled her shirt off, unhooking her bra to expose
her breasts to him. He straddled her belly and Annie bit her lip, looking up at
him. Just seeing him sitting up there, his balls resting on her ribcage, his
cock rising up out of a thick patch of hair, pre-cum trailing down the shaft in
tiny rivulets, made her clit, still hiding in its sheath, begin to pulse again.
He had a beautiful cock that tilted slightly and endearingly to the right when
it was this hard, making her want to follow it and capture it with her mouth.

She
licked her palm, letting her saliva and his pre-cum mix as she slid her hand
down the shaft. She could see and feel every swell along his cock, every vein,
the leaking tip, the throbbing shaft. She could feel more than hear the deep
sounds he made in his throat as she slowly stroked him, easing the skin over
the tip and using her fingers in a circle to tease the ridge. His head fell
back, his eyes closed, his arms simply hung limp at his side, as if he were
nothing but his cock in that moment.

“Oh
Annie!” he moaned. She rewarded the sound of her name in his mouth with deeper,
longer strokes. His eyes flew open and he looked down at her. She cupped his
balls lightly, rubbing them in her hands, and he gasped, “Yes!” His hands found
her breasts, thumbing her nipples. His eyes were closed as he squeezed and
massaged her breasts, making her moan softly.

“Up
here.” She pulled gently on his cock, urging him higher. “I want your cock
between my breasts.”

He
groaned, his eyes darkening. She licked her palm again, getting him wetter
still, and pressed him between her breasts. Her pale flesh wrapped around his
red, swollen cock was mouthwatering, just the tip of him appearing through her
cleavage. He started moving between them and she reached her tongue out for the
head with every thrust.

“Ah,
god!” He groaned as she stretched for more of his pre-cum on her tongue.

“Pinch
my nipples,” she urged. He did, hard, squeezing her breasts together around his
cock. Suddenly, he slowed, biting his lip and shaking his head. Annie could
tell that he was getting close and she reached her tongue for his cock again.

“Not
yet,” he murmured, his cock in his hand now, squeezing and breathing hard.