The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined (35 page)

“So if Devin’s family didn’t destroy their tome, there is a high likelihood that other families didn't either,” Seth added.

Alex groaned. “Damn my family for being honorable.” His words were a little slurred and Aaron knew he wasn't serious. Honor was practically his middle name.

The waitress brought another beer for Alex and gave him a bright smile. Aaron knew how much despair his friend was in when he ignored the buxom brunette.

Aaron asked for another beer before she left. He didn't want to think about all this miserable shit right now. They'd gone out to not think about Anna. He knew he was the one who brought it up, but he couldn't help it. He cared about her and was worried about her.

Alex confused him. One minute he was “her Master” and then the next minute he was talking about her like a forlorn lover. For once, Aaron was glad of Anna's fear of Alex. It kept him from worrying about Alex stealing her away. Aaron didn't stand a chance against Alex in the dating scene.

Not that Aaron wasn't good looking or that women didn't like him. He and Alex, and Seth and Tony for that matter, had many very enjoyable nights going out and hooking up with women. Many Friday and Saturday nights had ended up at his or Alex's place with them and their dates and nakedness and sex. There were times bodies and limbs were all over the place and he didn't know who he was fucking or kissing, or who was sucking on his cock. Okay, he knew when he was fucking one of the guys versus the girls, but it didn't matter.

He wasn't gay. He wouldn't even consider himself bi. Neither would the other guys. But they were comfortable enough around each other that if the mood struck them, they weren't ashamed to enjoy themselves.

If he hadn't been dating Anna, he'd be tempted to suggest picking up some women to take them back to his place. Hell, he'd love to have Anna and enjoy her with his friends, if she wanted to. He knew she'd been with Seth and Tony. But Alex? He wasn't sure. Alex wouldn't talk about it, which was weird. Alex was generally very open about his sexual conquests and adventures.

Aaron chuckled. If he looked like Alex he'd probably be open about it too.

“Aaron?” Tony waved his hand in front of Aaron's face. “Dude, you still with us?”

Aaron blinked. “Huh?”

“You spaced and almost spilled your beer.”

Aaron looked down. “Oh, sorry.”

“Where'd ya go?” Seth asked with a laugh. “Thinking about Anna?”

Aaron sighed and took a drink. “Sex in general, but yes, Anna, too.”

“Sex and Anna kinda go together,” Tony remarked.

Aaron hated to admit it, but it was true. You couldn't really think about her without thinking about sex. She exuded sexuality, without being overt or even obvious about it. He doubted she even realized it. Her full, pink lips beckoned him to kiss her. He lost himself in her beautiful moss-green eyes every time he looked at her. She had an incredible body, almost too curvy for a ballet dancer, especially her perfect c-cup breasts that fit so nicely in his hands.

He was getting hard just thinking about her. He adjusted himself and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

He glanced around. The other guys had gone quiet as well. It wouldn't have surprised him if they were thinking about her too. She got in your head and made it difficult to
not
think about her.

Alex looked miserable. Anna was the only thing Aaron could remember that made Alex miserable every time he thought about her.

Thankfully, Tony started talking about a new gun he saw in a magazine. It lightened the mood, even though Aaron had little interests in guns.

The rest of the night Aaron managed to not think about Anna...much. He'd taken a cab home much later, as had the other guys, stumbled up to his room and fell face first into his bed. And started thinking about her. Wondering if she was okay. Worrying that she wasn't. Then worrying she was enjoying herself too much.

He'd been to a Friday evening event once, in Los Angeles. He'd gone with Alex and Travis. It was a big room with guys all over the place having sex with women. There were a few areas where it had turned into a mini orgy. The three of them had sat with Brandon, Travis' dad who was the LA Elder, on his platform. Many girls had come to them throughout the evening. They were all beautiful and very talented. Brandon was a nice guy, too. He didn't seem to have an evil streak like Devin did.

At one point, Brandon had asked Alex if he went to the Gatherings in San Francisco. Alex said no. Brandon hadn't responded, but the look on his face indicated that he wasn't overly fond of Devin. Now Aaron knew why.

Eventually Aaron drifted off into a fitful sleep, only to awaken with a hangover when the sun came up a few hours later.

God, he hoped not every Friday night/Saturday morning would be like this. He'd die of a heart attack from the worry. Was she worth it?

Yes, she was. Even if he hadn't been in love with her, which he could admit now, she deserved a friend and lover that wouldn't hurt her and that she wasn't afraid of.

By noon, he estimated he'd walked over a mile, pacing first in his room and then downstairs. His roommates laughed at him.

“You never get this worked up about a girl.” Garrett commented

“You'd be the same way if she'd looked twice at you at the party,” Aaron growled.

“She did look at me twice. Probably would have hooked up if you hadn't butted in.”

Aaron frowned, but didn't respond. He wasn't in the mood to fight. Garrett had no idea who Anna was. Let him think what he wanted. He shuddered to think of what would have happened if Garrett had been the one with Anna when Travis started asking her questions. Not that Garrett would have hurt her, he just wouldn't have understood and Anna could have gotten even more screwed up mentally.

His phone finally rang at 12:57. He knew the exact time because he'd been staring at his phone, wondering if he should try and call her.

“Anna!” he exclaimed.

“Hi, Aaron. How are you?”

Oh, her sweet voice was wonderful to hear. But she sounded tired.

“Missing you,” he started walking up to his room to get his keys in anticipation of driving to her place. “Are you okay? You sound tired.”

She sighed. “I am. It was...a long night.”

He paused, keys in hand. “You want some company for the afternoon?”

She didn't answer at first and he started getting anxious. “Yes. I'd like that.”

He pushed his feet into his shoes and ran back down the stairs. “I'm heading to my car right now,” he said. “I'll see you soon.”

“Okay. I can't wait.”

“Me too.”

Aaron drove with a happy heart. When he was at a stoplight, he dictated a text message to Alex:
Heard from Anna. She's fine and I'm heading over now.

A few minutes later, he received a text back from Alex:
Thanks

Aaron laughed at his friend’s apparent nonchalance. He would bet anything he'd been waiting for Aaron's text with as much anxiety as Aaron had been waiting for Anna's call.

Fifteen minutes later, he knocked on Anna's apartment door. When she opened it, he grabbed her and hugged her tight, making her giggle. He picked her up, closed the door with his foot and carried her to her couch, holding her in his lap.

He nuzzled her hair. It smelled delicious. “I missed you.”

Anna turned to him and kissed him. “I missed you, too,” she said, cupping his cheek and looking deeply into his eyes. She looked tired and maybe sad. He wanted to ask, but knew she didn't like talking about the things that involved Devin.

*****

Anna felt at peace. Real peace. There was a semblance of peace when she was with Devin and he wasn't angry at her, or anyone else for that matter. Being with Aaron, however, was an entirely different feeling.

She snuggled close to him and he tightened his arms around her. She was glad he didn't ask details about what had happened the night before. How could she tell him about what had happened to Jenna?

Oh, how could she have enjoyed watching Jenna get hurt? The more she thought about it, the more it didn't make any sense to her.

Why would watching her best friend get hurt and humiliated turn her on? The thought of what Ian did to her, the pain he'd caused her, right now made her nauseous. But last night it had aroused her. How could that be?

She hoped Jenna was okay. She'd forgotten to contact Ian and was hesitant now because she didn't want Aaron to know. 'Course, he'd probably find out on Monday.

She buried her face in his chest. What a mess! She wanted to stop thinking about it.

“How was your evening?” she asked, playing with a button on his shirt.

“Long.” Aaron chuckled. “It involved a lot of alcohol.”

Anna looked up at him with a frown. “What did you do?”

“Went to Barney's with Alex, Seth and Tony.”

Anna cringed at Alex's name. “What's Barney's?”

“A bar that we go to a lot. It's not overly crowded, but there's enough people to keep things interesting.”

She smiled. “Did you pick up any women?”

Aaron coughed and looked at her. “Anna! No, of course not. Why would I do that?”

Anna blinked in shock. “Well, I mean, I was busy and you went out with your friends. You guys are all good looking....” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.

The idea of Aaron being with another woman made her uncomfortable, but she couldn't blame him. She was, after all, not available to him last night.

“Anna, I don't want anyone but you.” He stroked her cheek and kissed her. It started soft and gentle and became more passionate.

Aaron cupped her breast. “I missed you,” he murmured against her neck.

“I missed you too,” she said, kissing him soundly, then she stood up and led him to her room.

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

Anna opened her eyes to see Aaron looking at her with a sweet smile on his face. She smiled back.

They’d been dating for two weeks; the happiest two weeks that Anna could remember. Aaron was so nice, so sweet, so considerate. This freedom thing that Alex had talked about was wonderful.

Aaron started back dancing all day last week, so they hadn’t had as much time together as previously, but the time they did have together was precious to her.

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Hi.” He leaned forward and kissed her gently. “I like waking up with you.”

“Me, too.” She grinned and then suddenly gasped. “It’s Monday!”

Aaron chuckled. “You just remembered?”

Anna shrugged. “I was thinking about how happy you’ve made me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

Today the Summer Intensives began. She and Aaron would both be dancing all day. They'd be in the same building; different floors, but they’d still be able to see each other during the day.

Anna couldn’t wait to start dancing full-time again, but she felt nervous, too. She hadn't danced so much since her parents died.

Aaron followed Anna into the shower and pressed her back against the wall. He buried himself deep in her body and they both groaned as they fucked, slow and hard.

“God, this feels good,” Aaron murmured in her ear. “I'm going to do it to you again after we get back tonight.”

She grinned and leaned the back of her head against the tiles of the shower.

“Uh, huh,” she breathed.

He was so deep and it felt so good. His fingers pressed into her ass cheeks as he moved in and out.

He continued thrusting into her. They'd had so much sex the last few days she was surprised she wasn't sore, but making love to Aaron was different than other men. He never hurt her, was never rough. He never even went for her ass. He just...loved her with his body. And she did her best to make him as happy as she could. At one point he’d said he thought he would die from so much pleasure.

They moved together, the pace quickening until they both exploded against each other, crying out into each other's mouth as they kissed.

He continued kissing her as he lifted her off him. “Mmm, maybe we can sneak away at lunchtime.”

Anna smiled at the thought. Finding a private spot at the studio wasn't difficult. She loved the idea of sneaking off and being together.

They finished showering, then dressed for class. Anna felt like she was floating as she pulled on her tights and leotard. She’d never, ever imagined that she'd be this happy again.

Sad thoughts threatened at the fringes of her mind, but she pushed them away. The only way she’d be able to survive would be by keeping her life segmented; enjoy the happy parts, deal with the not so pleasant parts later.

She gathered up her things, including her new
pointe
shoes. She kissed them with delight before putting them in her bag.

Aaron's laughter made her jump and she looked up at him, face flushed.

He pulled her to her feet and kissed her deeply. “I think that was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. I'm so happy for you, hon.”