I squeeze her hand, then thread our fingers together. A silent show of support.
“It’s so unfair that no one believed her. She was just tellin’ the truth, and they crucified her for it. Why she stayed I will never know.”
“It’s hard to leave family behind,” I murmur.
“Yeah, I guess.” She sniffs, and I check to make sure she’s not crying.
She’s not, but her voice is a little on the wobbly side.
“She was probably petrified and needed the practical help, anyway. Raisin’ a kid is hard work. I just hate that she had to put up with all the injustice. She was a good, kind person, and they turned her into the town pariah. They may as well have slapped a red A on her shirt. But Emmett still comes out squeaky clean. His parents made sure of that. The town royalty made sure that Mama and I were always made to feel like we were in the wrong. Like we weren’t worthy.”
“That’s bullshit.”
Annie scoffs and shakes her head. “Maybe so, but it doesn’t change perception. People like to believe the truth that suits them best. They don’t want to know the rest. And that’s why all they see when I approach a table is Violet’s bastard daughter who tried to dethrone the freaking prince of Buckland Springs!”
I tug her to a stop near a tall elm that was planted too close to the path. The concrete is being cracked and elevated by the tree’s roots. Pushing her back a step, I lean her against the trunk and duck down so I can look her in the eye. “That’s not what I saw. The first time you approached me, I saw sunshine. I saw light and beauty.” Cupping her cheeks, I run my fingers into her silky hair and whisper with a smile, “Annie, you are amazing. You are strong and fierce, and kind, and good. You helped me when you didn’t have to. You… I don’t know if you realize how rare that is. In the world I’ve come from, you are an angel. So, I don’t care what anyone in this town thinks or believes. I know that you, Annie Mae Birdman, are worth more than those idiots will ever understand.”
Her eyes glass with tears, her lips quivering into a smile.
I want to feel those lips. I want her to know how much I meant what I just said.
Slowly leaning toward her, I pause less than an inch from her mouth—waiting, hoping my silent request will be answered.
It is.
Her lips crush against mine, holding our connection for a heart-stealing beat. Then she pulls back with a ragged little whimper before diving for my mouth again.
It’s a frenzied kiss at first, like we’re trying to make up for all the times we’ve thought about this but haven’t actually done it. Her sweet sighs spur me on, her fingers fisting the back of my shirt as she tugs me a little closer. I rest my hand on the tree by her head, then wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her against me.
She feels good. Her small body pressed against mine is everything I’ve been missing in my life. That’s what it feels like anyway. The thought flutters through my brain as Annie’s tongue slips into my mouth.
The sensation heats me through to my core. She’s soft and sweet, yet hot and fiery at the same time. It’s a heady concoction that makes the world disappear.
The river goes silent, the light of the moon fades and the nighttime creatures disappear as the only thing I become conscious of is Annie’s taste, touch, smell, sound. Every sense is taken over by her.
She owns me in this moment, and it’s exactly what I want.
29
Can I Tell You a Secret?
Michael’s appreciative moans send rockets bursting through me.
His arm around my waist, his hot, pouty lips crushing against mine—it’s all I can do not to lose my mind. He feels so good, so perfect.
I brush my tongue against his, never wanting the kiss to end.
My soul soars as every tiny sensation feels like an electric current flowing through me. His long fingers splay across my lower back, then travel up my spine until they’re resting between my shoulders. I move my arms, wrapping them around his neck and rising on my tiptoes. It’s like we can’t get close enough.
When he lifts me against him and my feet leave the ground, stars scatter through the back of my mind. Wrapping my legs around him, I let out a soft giggle when he steps forward and we bump into the tree.
“Are you okay?” He pulls back long enough to check on me.
I grin, biting my lower lip before grabbing his face and pulling him in for another kiss.
I don’t know how I’m ever gonna stop. It’s like tasting chocolate for the first time. It only takes once to become thoroughly addicted.
And I am happy to be addicted to this man.
The way he looked at me when he told me I was the sun. Even the dim lighting couldn’t hide his expression. I saw it all. He meant what he said. I’m amazing. He truly believes that. And now he’s kissing me and I’m touching heaven.
For a brief moment, I wonder if this is how Mama felt when Emmett finally noticed her, but I swipe the thought away. I don’t want Michael to be like Emmett. He’s not a bad person. He didn’t deserve that bullet. I know him. He’s not a liar.
Although he kind of is, because he lied so easily to Dean.
But that was to keep himself safe!
Was it?
I pull out of the kiss.
Curse my damn mind!
Now it’s filling up with all the things I don’t want to hear, like:
Don’t fall in love with this man, Annie. He’ll be leaving soon enough, and then where will you be?
How much do you really know about the guy?
So he told you about his grandpa and the ranch, but you still don’t know why he left it, or why he ended up shot!
My throat constricts as I search his face, wishing I knew the answers but knowing deep down that he’ll never tell me.
“Are you all right?” His soft voice is so sweet and tender.
My insides are melting.
I want to kiss him again!
I want to forget these damn thoughts in my brain.
Words fail me as I gaze at his beautiful face. I brush my thumb across those pouty lips.
He grins. “That tickles.”
“I like your mouth,” I whisper, then feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment.
He chuckles and brushes his lips against mine. “I like yours too.”
Gently lowering me back to the ground, he runs the tip of his nose across my cheek, then whispers in my ear, “As much as I want to spend the night here kissing you, I should probably get you back.”
I rest my hand on his chest, appreciating the gentleman in him. Well, my mind does anyway. My body’s saying something else. Electric currents are still sparking and firing inside me, but I need to listen to common sense right now.
I may not work on a Sunday, but I still have a little brother to take care of. I still have to put on a nice dress and suffer Reverend White’s morning service before I can be set free to hang out with Michael for the day.
He threads his fingers between mine again, and I cling to his hand. The warnings that stopped me from kissing him are still trying to tug at me, but every time I glance up and catch him smiling at me, they start to fade again.
I do know this man.
My heart does.
And I want to trust him.
We reach the driveway next to the diner, our shoes crunching on the loose gravel as we amble to the back door. Before I can step inside, he pulls me to a stop and leans me back against the wall.