Love's Taming(14)

He couldn’t remember the last time he kissed a woman, certainly not like this. Before Annie, his last fuck had been pounding into some junkie, a woman who worked for a supplier. She wasn’t too hard to look at, but she’d been a job. Part of the job. Part of dealing the drugs that kept coming.

But Annie. She was no fuck. Looking down at her face as she leaned her head back and screamed his name as the orgasm ripped through her, he knew that no matter what else happened, she was no fuck. Thrusting a few more times was all it took and he pushed through his release, his neck straining. Collapsing on top of her but quickly rolling to the side, he gathered her in his arms, cradling her gently. Listening to their breathing as it slowly regulated, he saw her looking at him. Those gorgeous green eyes, staring into his darkness. With trust. I am so fucked. Don’t know how, but I gotta protect her. He tried to convince himself that he would protect her for his job, but he knew as that thought flitted through his mind that it was shit. Clean. Pure. The one. I gotta protect her from everything. Trying to figure out how was killing him.

Annie looked up into his dark eyes, wishing she could tell what he was thinking. This time she felt no guilt. This time she felt no embarrassment. If a few stolen minutes with Stoney was all she would get, she wanted them. Reaching her hand to cup his face, she pulled him down for a soft kiss.

Looking down at the still sleeping Sarge, she asked Stoney, “Do you want to come upstairs? You could have your sandwich there.” Her eyes raised to his face, knowing that she couldn’t keep the hope out of them.

Stoney, realizing that he just fucked her on the floor, was almost overcome with disgust. Knowing that he should get the hell out of her clinic and her life, he also knew he was never going to do that. “Yeah, baby. I’d like that,” he answered softly. Getting to his feet while adjusting his pants, he assisted her up from the floor.

Annie pulled her bra cups back into place and scooped her t-shirt, panties, and yoga pants off of the floor. She noticed Stoney picking up the tray while she quickly dressed. Smiling up at his face, she turned and walked to the door leading to her apartment. “Come on up,” she said as she disappeared through the doorway.

Stoney hesitated for only a second. Fucked up timing was all that he could think, but he followed her anyway.





Chapter 5





After they both had eaten, Annie and Stoney settled into comfortable positions on her sofa. Tucking her feet up under her, she twisted her body so that she could see him at the other end. At the moment, he was looking down at his rough-worn hands rubbing Boo’s fur and she wondered what was going through his mind.

“What are you thinking, Stoney?” she asked softly.

He lifted his face to hers. “Honestly?” he asked. When she nodded, he answered, “Glad I’m here, but kinda’ pissed you’d bring a strange man up to your apartment, doc. You’re too trusting and this ain’t the smart play.”

Annie’s eyes narrowed at his words. “Are you saying I’m dumb?” her voice not hiding her irritation.

“Just sayin’ you don’t know anything about me, yet you bring me up here where anything dangerous could happen. You do that often?” His dark eyes held hers until she looked away.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out. “I want to be angry about what you just said, but I can’t. You’re right.” Turning her gaze back to him, she continued. “I don’t bring men here. Ever. But I think…I mean…I just feel that I can trust you.”

Right then, another cat strolled into the room, weaving its body around Stoney’s legs.

“Damn, doc. How many strays do you pick up?”

Laughing, she scooped up the cat and rubbed its ears. “It’s hard not to care for a stranded animal. They just want to be loved.”

“Is that how you see me and Sarge? Are we strays to you?”

Shrugging, Annie answered honestly. “Kind of. You needed my help. I couldn’t turn you away.”

His eyebrows raised. “Help is one thing, baby. What we did went way beyond help.”

Annie’s blush returned as she buried her face in the cat’s fur. Looking back at him, she replied, “You probably won’t believe this, but I’ve never done that before. I’ve never slept with a man I just met. I’ve never been someone’s one-night stand.”

Stoney leaned over, closing the distance between them, saying, “Baby, you don’t gotta convince me. Men can tell these things and believe me, there is nothing fake about you at all. You are pure sunshine.”

Smiling, she set her cat on the floor, then leaned back into the sofa cushions. “So what do you do? I mean, I kind of thought you might be homeless when you showed up in the alley, but homeless men don’t leave five hundred dollars for vet expenses.”