Anchor Line (41 page)

 
              Not one to show nervousness much, before he left he checked his appearance in the mirror several times. His khaki pants ironed, his burgundy button down shirt on and rolled up the sleeves to three quarter length to accommodate the spring weather and showed his year round tan. Not to mention the new tattoos that he had on his arms. The color in his shirt set off his dark brown hair and equally hazel eyes. He decided on his black Doc Martin’s shoes. He looked down at his watch for the twentieth time as he took off out of his apartment and drove to the train station. Sitting in his SUV for a few minutes, he watched every person exiting the main building. Then decided it was close enough to when she would be arriving, so he got out of his SUV and stood in the middle of the walkway outside facing the main doors. He had studied her pictures for the past year and a half, and would know it was her when he saw her. He didn’t have to wait that long.

 
           If Conrad Renner knew anything, he knew that the shapely woman coming out of the farthest arch of the train station was Addie. She looked refreshed and sexy he thought. Her long curly brown hair was spilling down her back. When the slight wind caught it, it fanned out behind her. Her sunglasses were pushed up on top of her head keeping her hair from her eyes in the late afternoon sun. She was looking very Italian he thought. Clearly, the four days in Florence with her cousins did her a world of good. She looked first out ahead of her, then quickly to her left, then behind her clearly looking for him. A family was walking in front of Conrad, and as soon as they moved past, his eyes connected with hers. Taking his hands out of his pockets, he started a steady walk up to her. His eyes were fixed on her like she was his prey. He pushed his Oakley sunglasses up on his head.

 
           Addie stepped out into the sun from the shade of the train station. She didn't want to impede her vision with her sunglasses so she kept them on top of her head. She looked out ahead of her at the Italian town, still in awe of the beauty of Italy. She looked at the people in the parking lot, and then swung her head to her left. She saw a few people milling about, and glanced back at the train station seeing that she had come out of the right place.  There was a family with an unruly child that caught her attention and when they passed by, she saw him.

 
             
Holy shit!

 
              How could she have missed him? He seemed broader than even the last time she was with him. His dark brown hair still mussed just perfectly. Just his physical appearance alone commanded attention. He was walking toward her. Addie tried to play it cool like Conrad, but couldn't. She grabbed her bags a little tighter and started the short distance between them to meet him.

 
            Two feet from him she dropped her bags and purse and practically jumped into his arms. Her face tucked into his neck, her arms around his neck tightly. Conrad's arms encircled her waist and his cheek rested on top of her head. He picked her up and swung her around in a circle before putting her down on her feet still not letting go. He hugged her so tightly she felt she couldn't breathe but she didn't care. Addie stood on her toes just to hug him. After a few moments Conrad let her down on both feet and kissed her soundly. When she responded back in kind, his kiss went wild, his tongue delved into her mouth tasting her, teasing her over and over. Addie followed his lead and kissed him just as wildly, her fingers digging into his shoulders and finally sliding up into his hair to try and hold his mouth to hers. After several minutes they pulled apart gently, breathing heavy.

 
             "Finally." Addie whispered smiling, her hands now on his shoulders, his forehead resting against hers.

 
             "What?" Conrad laughed looking in her eyes.

 
             "Finally." She said louder.

 
             "I heard you the first time." Conrad said squeezing her to him and pressed his lips to hers for a quick kiss. "Let’s get your stuff. Hungry?"

 
             "Famished." She answered. "They didn’t sell too much on the train."

 
              "How about sandwiches, they are filling but not super heavy on the stomach." Conrad suggested, handing Addie her purse and picked up her bags.

 
              "Sounds great." Addie agreed.

 
            Conrad took her hand and they walked to his SUV. He put her bags in the back as she jumped in the front. Conrad asked about her visit in Florence with her cousins. They kept conversation light until they arrived at a little sandwich shop where Conrad got out and ran around the SUV to open the door for Addie. He offered his hand to her as if she was getting out of a horse drawn carriage. It gave him the opportunity to pull her arms around him so that he could kiss her again. He kept her hand in his and they walked in the little sandwich shop. Conrad stood beside her with his arm possessively around her the whole long time they were in the sandwich shop. Once they got their order, he took her outside to sit along the tables with umbrellas that were outside on the sidewalk and sat down. When the sun began to set, the little twinkle lights that were wrapped around the poles of the umbrellas turned on, giving them some light. They ate and talked and teased like the past year was more like a few days ago. They were so comfortable together. Even after they finished Conrad went in to get a few glasses of wine, and they stayed sitting and talking and people watching sipping wine.

 
            After a few hours Conrad suggested they get back to the apartment so that Addie could get a shower and relax. As Conrad drove through Vicenza, Addie was amazed at how the town lit up at night. Parking, Conrad grabbed her bags and led her up to the third floor to his apartment. He opened the door and swept Addie inside and showed her around. The main room was the living room and dining room. Conrad had his huge leather sofa taking up a big part of the living room, and across from it, an equally huge flat screen TV with several components that looked like you needed a college degree to use. His pub table and chairs covered the part of the room closest to the front door.

            In the middle of the main wall of the living room was a doorway to the kitchen. It was a nice little 'u' shaped kitchen with a stove, fridge and lots of cabinet space, a window overlooking the town above the sink and a door to a small patio. There was space enough for a little cafe table and two chairs that the previous owner had left there. He ushered her to a door off the far side of the living room into the bedroom.

 
   She walked through the door and saw his huge king size bed that he had centered under a big window. The black bedding looked crisp and clean. He had a soft fuzzy cream colored blanket thrown at the bottom of the bed. A dresser to the left of the bed, he turned the light on that sat on his night table and set her bags down in front of the dresser. He took her hand and walked her over to the bathroom off the bedroom. He hit the light in the bathroom and pulled her into his arms for another passionate kiss lasting several very long minutes. When he let her go, he turned around and handed her a grey towel and turned on the water for her.

 
              "You stink like a train." He said teasing, when Addie went to lunge at him laughing herself, Conrad shut the door.

 
            Addie shook her head looking around the bathroom, amazed that it was so large for a one bedroom apartment. Conrad had decorated it with black and grey towels with a long black rug that stretched from the toilet on the far wall to the door. He had a small grey rug in front of the separate shower where he had turned on the water for her. Addie realized that she needed her toiletry bag and when she went to reach for the door handle to go out and get it, the door opened and Conrad's arm thrust through the small opening holding the bag in his hand.

 
            Addie smiled taking the bag. "Thanks."

 
            "That's what I’m here for." He answered.

 
              Addie winked as Conrad closed the door.

 
            Undressing quickly, she dug in her toiletry bag to pull out her shampoo and soap. Stepping into the shower, she let the water hit her tired body. Not wanting to be away from Conrad since she was finally with him alone in his apartment, she showered quickly. After toweling off, she pulled her hair back in a clip and put lotion on her face, brushed her teeth and wrapped herself in the towel. She padded out to the bedroom and saw that Conrad had left one of his t-shirts on the edge of the bed and a pair of her yoga pants. He unpacked her bag and had all of her clothes either hung up in the wardrobe or in the dresser where he conveniently left the drawer partially open to show her.  Her shoes were lined up under the bed closest to the bathroom. She smiled as she put her yoga pants and his t-shirt on. Hanging up her wet towel and gathering her capri’s and sweater when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked like a little girl wearing daddy's shirt. She chuckled as she went back out into the bedroom and decided to at least put her bra back on.

 
            Opening the bedroom door, Conrad immediately looked up from the movie rack by the TV. He had changed into a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt himself. He smiled that big smile she loved to see.

 
             "Nice." He said looking her up and down. "Thought we'd chill with a movie. I figure you need to relax. Unless you want to go to bed?"

 
              "Nah, I’m tired, but I’m wound up. A movie would be great." Addie said as she walked over and curled up on the end of the sofa as Conrad put in one of her favorite Bourne movies and sauntered toward the sofa, putting the remote on the sofa table.

 
              "Oh no." He told her as he reached for her legs and slid them the length of the sofa. "I've waited this long. We're gonna lay on the sofa long ways like we always do."

 
            Addie didn't even argue. She sat up letting Conrad lie against the back of the sofa, then she stretched out in front of him. He held one of the two throw pillows out for her to put her head on, and as she lay down. Conrad pulled the clip from her damp hair and tossed it on the table. Then he pushed her hair over her shoulder and slid his hand around her waist to slide her tightly up against his body, wanting to feel every inch of her against him. She tucked her legs in between his and reached behind her to rest her hand on Conrad's hip as they watched the movie.

 
            Conrad knew when Addie was dozing by the sound of her deep even breathing, and then again when she caught herself dozing, because she'd wiggle closer to Conrad making him moan.

 
             "Sugar, you keep doing that and you are going to awaken the beast. And I’m really trying to be a gentleman and let you rest." He nuzzled Addie's neck making her squeal.

 
              "Okay, okay." She conceded. "I'll be good. How long was I asleep?"

 
              "Almost the whole movie. So, ‘bout two hours. The movie's almost done."

 
              "Geez, I must have been tired. I'm gonna run to the bathroom." Addie got up and immediately felt chilly. "Did you get me some tea bags?"

 
              "Yes I did. They are up in the cabinet next to the coffee. Want me to put some hot water on for you?"

 
             "Nah, I think I’ll warm back up when I come back and lie down." Addie kissed Conrad slowly and softly. "I'll be right back." She ran off to the bathroom
.
　

 
         
 
Doing her business, she came out of the bathroom walked toward the living room stopping immediately in the doorway when she heard Conrad on the phone.  He hadn’t noticed that she was standing there.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

            "Nah, I'm good hun." He said. "I'm actually gonna stay in tonight and watch a movie." He paused. "Thanks for the offer but I’m just gonna go to bed early. How bout I call you in a couple of weeks? We can put something together then. How's that?" He paused. "You can scene with someone else in the meantime. I don't care." He said annoyed.

 
           Addie put a hand up to her mouth. Her stomach sunk in. She knew she wasn’t his girlfriend. They weren’t exclusive. She always told herself that he was having sex with other women. Just because she was here, why would he stop talking to them?

 
            Addie started to walk in the room when Conrad looked up for a moment to see she was done, he rushed to wrap up his call.

 
            "Okay, have a great night. I'll call you soon." He talked into the phone not giving room for a response. He never once took his eyes off Addie as she walked farther into the living room but didn’t come back to the sofa.