Sara's Promise (13 page)

"Sure." Annie picked up the small bag she'd brought along and headed for the bathroom. The master bath was a large room that held an antique, white claw foot tub and a built-in shower stall that was big enough for five people. The tile and walls were creamy white, and the fixtures were shiny brass. Soft blue rugs lay on the floor, and big, fluffy blue towels hung on the rack. Annie knew everything from the tile floor to the towels had been chosen by Sara, and she loved the way she'd decorated.

Annie quickly readied herself for bed and slipped on a large nightshirt. She didn't own lingerie so this was all she had. She looked in the large, wall mirror over the counter with the double sinks and made sure her hair looked fine.
Why am I nervous?
She'd slept in William's arms last night. How different was that from tonight
? Because tonight you will actually let him make love to you.
Annie took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom into the bedroom.

William watched Annie walk into the bedroom with her big T-shirt swaying above her knees. He smiled. "Cute."

"Sorry," she said, suddenly feeling shy. "It's what I wear to bed."

William walked up to her and tipped her head up with his hand under her chin. "No, I really mean it. You look cute." He leaned down and brushed her lips with a kiss, then headed off to the bathroom. A moment later, Annie heard the shower start up.

Left alone to wait, Annie slowly walked around the room, touching knick-knacks, looking at a pile of magazines and browsing the books that were stacked on the bottom shelf of each nightstand. She lifted a romance novel from one stack on the side of the bed she had slept in the night before and guessed it was Sara's. There were so many reminders of Sara around her, and yet, for some strange reason, the items were not threatening to her but instead comforted her. Sara had been an integral part of this home and this family, so feeling jealous or upset by her things would be ridiculous. Annie accepted that Sara would always be a part of this home, and actually didn't mind, as long as William accepted her for who she was.

Annie wandered over to the large windows that overlooked the ocean and opened one a tiny bit to hear the waves hitting the shore. The glare from the overhead lights prevented her from seeing out, so she went over to the spot where William had turned on the lights and dimmed them, then walked back to the windows. The fog had rolled in, but the full moon reflected off the water as it lazily washed to shore. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the salty air, then closed the window and walked over to the nightstand. She opened the drawer and pulled out a tube of cucumber-melon lotion. Squeezing some into her hand, she slowly began rubbing the lotion into her arms and hands.

William opened the bathroom door in time to see Annie stride purposely over to the nightstand, open it, and pull out the tube of lotion. Under the dimmed lights, with her back to him, he watched her slowly rub the lotion into her skin. His breath caught in his throat at this familiar scene. The scent of the lotion sent him back in time, remembering the thousands of times Sara had rubbed on lotion before bedtime. But this was not his Sara. This was Annie, and he forced himself to remember that as he walked up behind her and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck.

Annie jumped, startled by William's sudden touch. "I see you found the lotion," William said, his voice husky.

"Yes. Is it okay that I'm using it?" She started to turn around to face him, but he placed his hands on her arms to keep her still.

"Shhh," he whispered. Reaching for the lotion, he took the tube from her hands. "Let me." William filled his hand with lotion and rubbed it in his hands, warming it, then gently began smoothing the lotion down her arm. He caressed her hand, slowly rubbing lotion around each finger. Then he moved to her other arm, tenderly smoothing lotion all the way down and through her fingers.

Annie sighed. His hands were warm and strong, yet gentle against her skin. She felt him kiss her neck as he rubbed his hands down her arm. It was such a simple yet intimate gesture, a feeling more sensual than she could have ever imagined.

Without turning, Annie slowly raised her arms, an invitation to William to slip her nightshirt off over her head. He accepted. She wore nothing underneath except for a tiny pair of lace panties. She felt William's T-shirt brush against the skin on her back as he squeezed more lotion into his hands and leaned over her to place the tube on the nightstand. He reached around her with both hands, slowly smoothing the lotion over her flat stomach, up the curve of her waist, then, ever so gently, over her full breasts, cupping and caressing them tenderly. His hands roved over her upper chest and one hand ran gently up to caress her neck, making her spine tingle with delight. He gently massaged her up and down her body, rubbing lotion from her shoulders, down her arms, across her stomach and again up across her breasts. Her breath quickened as he brought her to sensual heights of pure delight. Slowly, he trailed kisses from her neck down to her shoulder, all the while caressing her with his hands. Annie closed her eyes and leaned her head back against him, allowing him to reach the hollow of her neck with his lips. Her desire grew so intense, she could no longer control her strong urge to touch him.

Annie turned in William's arms and gently tugged his T-shirt up. William responded by shedding the shirt and the pajama bottoms he wore. Their bodies met and molded together, skin touching skin. His hands wandered up and down her back as he kissed her lips, along the jaw line, and down her neck, increasing her heated desire. He dipped down and gently brought one nipple into his mouth, making Annie gasp with delight. She ran her hands down his strong back and up over his tight stomach, reveling in the feel of his skin against hers. Never had a man touched her this way. Never had she felt such heated desire for any man.

"I want you so much," William whispered in her ear.

"I want you, too," Annie responded, needing the sweet release that only he could give.

William lifted her easily and laid her on the bed, then slipped up over her, leaning down to place kisses from her mouth all the way down to the place he knew would bring her the most pleasure. Only after she'd cried out in sweet ecstasy did he finally allow his own release of desire.

Chapter Eleven

Annie floated up higher than she'd ever been before, her fingertips nearly touching the silky colors above her. Maybe she'd finally be allowed to float among the colors and feel the warmth of the golden light on her face. Maybe this time she would finally be able to stay in this heavenly place. A shadowy figure floated down from the ribbons of colors and came within inches of Annie. She no longer feared this other being so close beside her. She felt only love and kindness emanating from the womanly form. The woman looked into Annie's eyes, her eyes the exact same blue-green color as Annie's. Reaching out, the figure curled her arms around Annie in a friendly embrace, and Annie accepted it, circling her own arms around the figure. "It's you," the woman whispered lyrically into Annie's ear. "You're the one."

Annie awoke with a start, her heart pounding. At first, she was confused about her surroundings, looking about the sunlit room a moment before remembering she was in William's bedroom, and his arms embraced her. Slowly, Annie relaxed and snuggled closer to William, feeling warm and safe in his strong arms.

The dream was changing, evolving, and Annie didn't understand why. For years she'd dreamt the same dream, with glimpses of William's face being the only changing difference. But now the woman had appeared.
"You're the one,"
the dream woman had said. Annie wondered what that meant or if it meant anything at all.

Annie thought about the previous night and a smile touched her lips. Making love with William had been a wonderful surprise. He had been gentle, yet filled with passion, arousing a desire in her she had never known existed. They had made the sweetest love she'd ever experienced, yet the word 'love' had never been exchanged between them. Did she love William? Or was desire all she felt. Annie wasn't sure, but she knew that being with William made her feel whole in a way she'd never felt before, and that was enough for now.

William stirred and pulled Annie closer. After a moment, he spoke in a sleepy voice, "Did you sleep well?"

Annie snuggled in closer. "Perfectly."

He reached out and brushed the hair away from Annie's neck, then moved closer and kissed her softly on the nape. Leaning up on his elbow, he glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside her. "It's after eleven, too late for breakfast. We can go to Cherise's coffeehouse, and I'll buy you lunch."

Annie smiled and nodded. "That sounds wonderful. I'm famished."

As William sat up in bed, he spied the tube of lotion that sat on the nightstand beside Annie. He smiled, remembering last night, then a confused expression crossed his face.

Annie noticed the change in him. "What's the matter?"

"I was just wondering. Last night, I saw you walk straight over to the nightstand and pull out the lotion, as if you knew exactly where it was. But how could you know there was lotion in the drawer?"

Annie thought back to last night and realized he was right. She'd done it so automatically, she hadn't really thought about it at the time. "I'm not sure," she finally said, looking straight at William. "I just guessed." Annie didn't believe that was true, but she had no idea what the real answer was.

"Hmm," was all William said, then he smiled mischievously. "Well, it really doesn't matter. We made good use of it."

They both laughed, then Annie stepped out of bed, grabbed her nightshirt off the floor and slipped it on. "Do you mind if I take a shower first? I could really use one."

William stared at her appreciatively, enjoying the view of her body before she covered it. "Only if you let me join you," he said. She started walking toward the bathroom, then turned and raised her brows in a come hither fashion. That was all the incentive he needed to jump out of bed and follow her in.

It was one o'clock in the afternoon by the time Annie and William were seated in a booth at Cottage Coffee. Their shower had taken much longer than they'd anticipated, but neither of them complained. They sat by the window with the sun shining in brightly and drank their coffee as they waited for their sandwiches. William had texted Sam to ask if he'd like to join them for lunch, but he replied that he and his friends were already on the golf course and would eat at the club afterward.

"Seems like I never see Sam anymore," William said, reading his son's text. "He's either at school, golfing, or with friends these days."

"I suppose that's to be expected at his age," Annie said. "Especially since he'll be leaving for college this fall. He must want to spend time with the friends he's leaving behind."

"Ugh, don't even remind me. I have a graduation party to plan, college dorm room supplies to buy, then I'll be all alone in that big house. It's too much to think about."

Annie chuckled. "Empty nest syndrome? I thought that only happened to moms."

"I guess not," William said with a grin. "Sam and I are pretty close. I'll miss having him around." William looked up, an idea buzzing in his head. "Does Cherise cater parties? I need to think about food for Sam's graduation open house."

Annie shook her head. "As far as I know, she doesn't cater for parties. However, I do know that she occasionally supplies baked goods like cookies, brownies, or cupcakes for parties. If you're looking for some delicious desserts, she's your gal."

"That might be a good idea. I'll need a cake, too, but I can order that from the bakery. I'm just lost when it comes to this stuff. I've never put a party together before."

The counter girl brought their sandwiches, and they began eating. Between bites, Annie asked, "Didn't you plan Sandy's graduation party a few years ago?"

"No, I lucked out. My mother and Sandy planned it. For the first couple of years after Sara died, my mother and father came up to visit often, and she offered to plan Sandy's party. They're both getting older now and don't travel as much, so I hate asking her to do it this time."

"Oh, where do your parent's live?" Annie asked. She'd never heard him speak of his parent's before.

"Down in San Francisco. It's not far, but it's a long drive for them. My dad had a heart attack a couple of years ago, and it slowed him down. He's doing fine, but he doesn't like to take long drives in the car anymore, so when they do come up, they fly."

Annie nodded, thinking how nice it was that his parents were still alive, and the kids still had grandparents. "What about Sara's parents? Where do they live?"

William sat silent for a moment, making Annie wonder if she shouldn't have asked about them. Finally, he answered, his voice solemn. "We haven't seen them since the funeral," he said. "They never really liked me, and they blamed me for Sara's death, so they stay away."

Annie sat back in her seat, stunned. "Why in the world didn't they like you? You'd think they would have been happy their daughter married such a hardworking man who took care of her."

"That's not how they saw it. Sara's parents are very down-to-earth, artsy type folks. They live in a small town in upstate New York, where there's a whole community of artists. When Sara came west to go to school for art, they were very pleased. But then she met me and didn't finish college. That upset her parents. Even though we had a good life, they thought she'd thrown away her chance of becoming an artist by marrying me and having children. They only visited once, and they didn't like the house or the way we lived. It was too upper crust for their taste. Sara's mother accused her of selling out for money instead of living for her art. It was all very sad, really. They didn't even care about getting to know their grandchildren."