Loving You: A Cowboy Romance (Texas Hill Country Romance Book 1) (31 page)

“Oh, yeah.” Her eyes went wide. “Which one?”

“Right,” he chuckled.

“Oh. Ohhhh! She doesn’t know which one,” she said, and Cord laughed at her expression.

She burst out laughing.

The plate of cheese came and Cord poured more wine and raised the bottle to the waiter and put up a finger. The waiter nodded and was off to get another bottle.

“She wasn’t three months pregnant when she told me, just two. My dad had me go to her doctor and he told me, which is how the whole thing unraveled for her,” he said.

“Her doctor gave you information?”

“If she was naming me the father, fuck, yeah.”

They dug into the cheese and sipped wine.

“Why did you leave me, Annie?” he blurted. One of the reasons he came here was to hear the answer to that because for the life of him he didn’t know why. Not with all they had shared together.

She put down her fork and took a sip of wine.

She could answer his question with a question of her own, but that would only prolong the answer and she felt she owed Cord an answer.

“I… um… I’m not going to lie.” She paused and looked into his eyes. “My heart broke when Lisa told me that she and you were going to have a baby. Not so much because I know you were together and accidents happen, I get that, but because I found out from her. I felt that bit of information should have come from you.”

She paused, and he reached for her hand on the table near her wine glass, and threaded his fingers through hers. She looked down to them and let her gaze linger a while, she had always loved the way they held hands, and then she looked back up into his eyes.

“I felt… I feel you didn’t think me important enough to tell me and it made me feel like what we had wasn’t real. That I was just a summer fling to you.”

“Aw, Annie.”

“I only had three weeks left and you never asked me to stay.” Her eyes welled up and she sniffled. “I also thought the best thing I could do for you and your baby was to move on, so-”

“You never brought it up either, but I was going to talk to you about it when I got back from Sacramento. Then the morning I leave for Sacramento, Lisa and her dad come by with the news. My fucking world came crashing down. I wanted to tell you but I needed to tell you in person. I needed to gauge your reaction for fear of losing you.”

He let go of her hand, sat back and snorted. “How ironic. I lost you anyway."

He drained his wine glass as the waiter was walking over with the new bottle, and upon seeing Cord drain his glass, refilled it.

“Merci,” Cord said. Then he locked eyes with Annie. “It’s the only word I know.” He snickered.

She smiled.

A bus boy came and cleared the table and the waiter came back with their entrees. All the while, they didn’t take their eyes off each other.

“Bon Apppetit,” the waiter said.

“Merci,” Annie replied, breaking the eye contact with Cord.

Cord nodded to the waiter.

After dinner, while Cord was paying the bill, Annie was trying the best she could in French, to thank the waiter, very much for the fresh grilled vegetables. She didn’t order them and they were not on the bill.

“Vous estes les bienvieus jolie dame.” (You’re welcome, pretty lady).

They stood and Cord helped her on with her sweater again.

Once outside Annie felt a chill as the night air was much cooler now. Cord put his arm around her shoulders and they walked away from the restaurant. They strolled to the Champs Elysees.

As they got near his hotel he wanted to ask her to come up and spend the night with him, but he didn’t know if that would offend her so he said nothing and they walked right passed it. He didn’t know where they were walking to. He was content just to be with her. He’d walk the whole night if he had to.

They walked, he realized soon after, to her townhouse. She stepped on the first step and turned to him. They were now equal height. She took a chance and reached in with her head as she kept eye contact. She brushed his lips softly with hers and when he opened his mouth slowly; she sucked in his essence which didn’t go unnoticed.

He snaked his tongue into her mouth and was rewarded when her tongue touched his. He moaned at the feel of her and brought a hand up to cup the back of her head and held her mouth to his. He took a step up and angled his head to deepen the kiss.

She pulled away first, breathless. They stared at each other, breathing heavy.

“Invite me up, Annie. I don’t want to be apart from you one more night,” he said imploringly.

She slowly smiled. “Would you like to come up?” she asked, and he picked her up and carried her up the stairs to her front door, grinning.

“Here’s where you’ll need to put me down so I can get my key out and open the door,” she said laughing.

He put her down only to let her open the door. He picked her up again and closed the door with his foot. She locked it from his arms.

“Bedroom?” he asked.

“Bedroom,” she said.

They undressed each other so quickly and as soon as he sunk into her warmth, they slowed down.

“Oh, fucking home,” he groaned out. For the first time in two months he felt complete, whole again.

Neither of them wanted to rush this. He moved in and out of her in a slow sensual manner, his hands on either side of her head, as he locked onto her eyes.

Her hands were lightly roaming his body, delighting in the feel of him. God, she missed him so much. She wrapped her legs tight around his waist and lifted her hips as she was getting close to coming.

Staring into his beautiful green eyes, albeit they were darker now, she started to shed tears. He angled his head to the side.

“You okay?” he whispered.

“Yes. Happy tears,” she managed to say.

He smiled that smile she loved so much and he kissed away her tears as he continued pumping inside her.

Finding his way to her mouth he kissed her deep and hard as they picked up the rhythm of their joining. It became frenzied and they each had an explosive orgasm that was felt deeper than ever before.

Both of them wanted to but neither of them said I love you for fear the other wouldn’t say it back.

And as always, through the night they woke up and Cord took her again and that time it was reversed. Usually they fucked hard first then slowly made love, because they made love slowly the first time, they fucked hard the second time.

Annie just got off the phone with her mom when Cord came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. She was already dressed and he was getting dressed. She had to be in work and he was going back to his hotel.

“Can I take you around to see some of the wonderful sights of Paris?”

“Don’t you have to work?”

“I just told my mom I was leaving around noon today. She was okay with it as I haven’t taken any time off since I started working here. She was so thrilled, she told me to take the whole day or two, but I have some orders that need filling.”

“Then yeah. You want me to meet you at the bakery around noon?”

“Sure. Oh, and she told me to tell you your hide is safe after I told her we went to dinner last night and I ate like a pig.” She chuckled and so did he.

****

It was almost noon. Annie was just finishing cleaning up the kitchen when she heard the bell on the front door ring. She threw her dish towel down and ran out to the front.

“Hey. You’re early,” she said as she came out smiling. Her smile faded when she saw Jean Luc instead of Cord.

“Bonjour, Annie,” he said, smiling.

“Hi, Jean Luc,” she said.

“You’re not practicing your French, Annie. Your mama will not be pleased,” he said in a thick French accent.

“Why are you here, Jean Luc?” she asked, choosing to ignore his comment.

“I have come to take you to lunch, yeah?”

“No.”

“Aw, but of course, you need to eat,” he said as he grabbed her by the arm. “I am getting tired of this little game you play, Annie,” he whispered in her ear as he squeezed her arm.

Theresa had walked in the back and there were no customers so no one saw him rough her up.

Cord saw a guy manhandle Annie from the street and he flew through the door.

“Get the fuck away from her,” Cord said.

Jean Luc was startled and dropped his hold on her.

She flew into Cord’s chest.

“But, who are you?” Jean Luc asked in that thick French accent.

“I’m the guy who’s gonna fuck you up if you ever touch Annie again,” Cord said and Annie saw his jaw ticking away.

“Annie, who is this American?” Jean Luc asked, with such disdain.

Annie looked up into Cord’s eyes and smiled, then turned to Jean Luc. “This American is my man. Now, get the hell out of here before I have him throw you out,” she said.

Jean Luc looked from him to her, appalled at the way she spoke to him.

“Fou, odieux Américain,” Jean Luc spat as he stormed out.

“You got that right, buddy!” Cord yelled to him. “What’d he say?” he asked Annie all irritated and Annie just cracked up laughing.

“Crazy, obnoxious American,” she answered, still laughing.

He grinned. “Got that right,” he said again laughing, and she gently grabbed his face in her hands and brought his mouth down to hers for a kiss.

She yelled to Theresa that she was leaving and as she put on her sweater, Theresa came back out front and said, “Au revoir.”             

“So, what do you want to see first?” Annie asked Cord, “The Louve, Notre Dame or how about the Eiffel Tower?”

“Those all sound good but I think I’d like to check out the Museum of Eroticism,” he said.

Annie giggled.

“What? I read about it in all the brochures and literature I have back at the hotel.” He was grinning.

“So, no to the Mona Lisa and yes to the pussy? Do I have that right?” she asked clearly amused.

“Always.” He laughed.

“I’m in.”

While walking around the museum, they couldn’t help but laugh at some of the art they saw. Cord watched her tilt her head to the side while looking at one piece. He laughed at her expression.

“That looks like it will hurt,” she said.

He chuckled. “Who was that guy in the bakery?”

“Jean Luc?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s the son of one of Adrien’s business partners. He and my mom set me up with him. I didn’t want to but my mom pushed me. She said it would help get over you.”

“Oh,” he said, swallowing hard.

She smiled at him. “I hated him on sight. We got as far as sitting down and ordering dinner when he said something stupid and I walked out. He’s been bothering me for another chance ever since.”

“What did he say to you?”

“He said he couldn’t wait for the end of the night so he could take me home and fuck me.”

“I seem to remember me saying something like that to you once. You didn’t get angry and walk out.”

“He’s not you,” she simply said, looking up into his eyes.             

“If, I had known, he wouldn’t have left the bakery on two legs.”

She saw he was livid. Time to change the subject.

“So, tell me about what’s going on at home,” she said.

There was something in the way she said that. Was she calling Texas home? He sure hoped so.

“What do you want to know?”

“Um, how is Storm?”

“Man, I love that horse. I’m guiding him with just my knees now,” he said and now it was his turn to glance sideways at a piece of art.

“That’s hot,” he said looking at a Pactra Werla.

The male figure was standing, holding up a woman above him with his mouth on her sex.

“Really?” she asked, once again tilting her head to the side. “Which part, the hair that looks like spaghetti or those red nipples?” she asked giggling. “Probably better off seeing Venus of Milo’s tits at the Louve, you know,” she added still laughing.

He looked to her and grinned, shaking his head. “No, what he’s doing to her is hot.” Then he reached in and gave her a quick kiss on her lips.

“You’re nuts,” he said, taking her hand and they walked to another display.

“Jake is looking to buy his own Bed and Breakfast. He’s just trying to raise some more capital. He needs about one hundred thousand dollars.”

“Oh, yeah, Calista briefly mentioned that.”

“You know, he’ll probably be looking for someone to run his kitchen,” he glanced her way for a reaction.

“Oh…..”

“You getting hot? I’m getting hot,” he said excitedly.

She laughed at him.

He pulled her into him and planted little kisses on the side of her head as his hands roamed over her ass. He squeezed her into his hard-on.

She looked around and while there was no one in that area, she did see a camera in the corner of the room.

“Uh, Cord,” she said, trying to free herself.

“Hmm. Yeah, baby?”

“We’re being watched,” she said and he jumped back about three feet and she laughed at his silly expression.

He gave her a dubious look as he didn’t see anyone and she pointed to the camera. He grabbed her hand and continued to walk around.

“Did you ever buy another Camaro?”

“No, not yet. I have the insurance money in the bank, well, most of it. I used some of it.”

“Oh, on what? Why is it in just about every old oriental picture, does it look like the woman has black teeth around her pussy?” she asked, sounding surprised.

“I think that’s supposed to be hair,” he said, chuckling.

“Oh. Ever see an Asian woman’s pussy?” Her eyebrows rose up and down in a funny fashion. “Are they that hairy?”

He stopped and looked at her and shook his head and laughed.

“Only in a porno once, but she was shaved hairless. Did I just answer your asinine question?” he asked, grinning wide.

“Hey, I had to know,” she said giggling.

“Yeah, huh,” he said, thinking about how much he missed her giggles.

“Well, some of it to fund this trip.”
And some on something I hope you’ll want.

“What?”

“To answer your first question, I used some of the insurance money to fund my way here.”

“Oh.”

They walked through all five floors and when they left, Cord was so worked up, he kept trying to get her into any ally they came across, but she wouldn’t give in, as much as she wanted to.

They sat at a little bakery and had a small bite to eat.

“What do you want to see now?” she asked.

“You, naked and under me,” he said, looking at her intensely.

“Let’s go home,” she said.

After spending the rest of the afternoon in her bed, they decided to head back to Cord’s hotel so he could change clothes to go out for a nice dinner.

Annie had already changed into a red v neck sweater dress with black lace top, thigh highs, not noticeable, so it didn’t look slutty but she sure felt it and she knew Cord would like it later, and black high heel shoe boots. It was a little warmer than the night before so she opted not to take a jacket.

He changed into a pair of black slacks with a lavender fitted shirt and he opted for black shoes instead of boots.

They wound up eating a nice meal at one of the restaurants at the hotel.

“How’s the Eiffel Tower at night?” he asked her as they sat at the bar in the hotel. He was drinking a beer, while she had some fruity drink.

“I don’t know. I heard it was beautiful.”

“You haven’t gone there yet?”

“Once, but it was during the day with my mom and Adrien.”

“Let’s go check it out.”

“It’s very touristy, you know.”

“How can you be in Paris and not experience that?”

“Okay.”

Just walking up to the tower alone offered a breathtaking view, with all its twinkling lights.

After waiting about an hour, they finally got into the elevator and switched to a smaller one on the second floor to take them to the third floor.

It was crowded and Cord held her tight in front of him, her back to his front.

Cord took her hand when they got out and they walked to the edge to see the view of the lights of Paris. It was a sight to behold. They leaned up against the fence with his arm around her shoulders staring out at the vista before them.

“I can’t believe you and I are at the Eiffel fucking Tower in Paris, together,” he said in awe.

“I know.” She giggled at the way he said it. “It seems surreal. Look at that view, it’s breathtaking. Isn’t it?” she said.

She felt Cord remove his arm. She didn’t think much of it. When he didn’t answer her, she looked to him. But he wasn’t there. She turned around to look for him and something caught her attention toward the floor. She lowered her eyes and there was Cord, on one knee, with a little black box opened to show a diamond ring.

“You are breathtaking,” he said. “Annie, I love you, and I can’t live without you. Will you be my wife?” He breathed deep because he was so nervous.

She put her hand to her opened mouth and looked at him with wide eyes.

She felt like time stopped and consequently so did he, but for a different reason. What if she said no?

“Yes,” she said, “Yes, yes,” she repeated and flung herself into his arms and kissed him. They didn’t even hear the applauds that erupted around them.

She moved back as she felt him get up and he took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. She looked at it sparkling and then she gazed into his eyes.

“I love you, Cord.”

“I know, I love you too, baby.”