Love's Taming(79)

“Baby, this is not yelling. This is me wanting to know what the hell got in my woman’s head that made her go out looking for an apartment building on a dimly lit street in the dark?”

Annie darted around him and stomped up the stairs, yelling over her shoulder, “Why don’t you just ask my shadow, Jobe? He can tell you what I was doing. Oh yeah, that’s right. He already did!”

Shane was coming up the stairs behind her when the door almost slammed in his face. Barely catching it with his hand he shoved it open, making sure she wasn’t standing in the way.

“Babe, we are not through discussin’ this,” he said following her into the kitchen.

“Shane. Hello? This isn’t a discussion. This is you yelling at me like some kind of wild man and I don’t like it. I also don’t like the feeling that you have someone tattling on me! If you want to have a discussion, then let’s discuss. You know… ‘Hi honey, how was your day? Anything interesting happen?’ Not getting in my face in the driveway!”

Shane stood in the doorway of the kitchen watching Annie stalk around, grabbing pots and pans and slamming cabinet doors. Her eyes snapping, cheeks flushed. Her copper hair had escaped the pony-tail and was waving about her face as she marched from one side of the kitchen to the other.

He dropped his head and stared at his feet for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Wild man. If she only knew how wild I used to be. I gave orders and men jumped. Sometimes I only had to give a look and people would follow. I did things…not going there. That wild life is over. Done.

He looked back up, his chest tight with emotions. “Sunshine,” he said gently.

At that endearment Annie stopped her mini-tantrum at the sink and slowly turned toward him. Her green eyes met his pale blue ones and her anger faded. In front of her was not the beast from a few minutes ago, but her man. Calm. Tame.

“I’m tryin’ here, Annie. Yeah, Jobe called and told me what had happened and I lost it, babe. All I could see was innocent you wandering down a dark city street, few street lights, gettin’ ready to go into an apartment building that you didn’t know anything about.” As he spoke, he slowly walked over to her until her could wrap his arms around, pulling her in to his chest.

“Honey, it was not dark when I started out. Carl’s apartment that he shares with his mom right now is only about four blocks from the clinic. I was just going to run there and leave his forgotten wallet. He met me coming down the street, heading back to the clinic because he realized he left it. We chatted a few minutes and then I was going to walk back to the clinic.”

He stood and held her tightly, one hand wrapped around her middle and the other holding the back of her head protectively. Of course, she had been doin’ something nice for someone. Pure, fuckin’ sunshine.

“I confess,” she added, “that it got dark very quickly and I didn’t realize how many street lights were not working. I was scared when Jobe approached…”

“He scared you? He didn’t identify himself?” Shane’s voice raised again.

Leaning her head back, she raised her eyebrows as she looked into his face. “Shane, don’t be silly. Of course he identified himself.”

Sighing, he pulled her back. “You’re right. Jobe knows how to handle his job. And babe, his job right now is you when I can’t be there.”

Snuggling in tighter, she said, “Isn’t this better? Discussing this?”

“Baby, you gotta cut me some slack. I’m workin’ on it…tryin’ to pull back. Tryin’ to learn how to take care of what is mine in a way that is tamer than I am used to. But Sunshine, don’t ever forget, you are my woman. And. I. Take. Care. Of. What. Is. Mine.”

He leaned down and captured her mouth in his, the kiss immediately hard and wet. He breathed her in as though his life depended on it.

Dinner forgotten, they barely made it to the bedroom before they began stripping their clothes off. Falling onto the bed Annie opened herself up to him as he knelt between her legs, kissing the inside of her thighs until she was squirming in want.

Pressing her down with one hand on her stomach, he smiled up at her as he dove in to the hidden treasure, lapping her slick folds. Sliding his hand up toward her breast, he rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger while thrusting his tongue inside. Feeling her lose control he sucked on her clit, eliciting a scream from her as her orgasm pulsated throughout. Lapping the juices, he then slowly kissed his way up her stomach, over her breasts giving each one attention, until he finally made it to her lips.