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Her eyes hung heavy.  Her brain pushed away the logic of turning tail and running.  She didn’t want to.  There was no denying what her body wanted at that precise moment and she silently despised herself for it.  She closed her eyes and felt his body inch closer, then reach for her.  Eager to respond, she placed her hands on his hips, her thumbs touching the bare flesh above his waistband.  Her body flooded with an overwhelming desire.

She felt his face slide against her cheek, his mouth stopping beside her ear.  “What do you think your boyfriend would have to say about you being in here kissing me?” he whispered.

“I’m not kissing you,” she responded.

His lips slid back across her cheek and stopped, hovering over her mouth.

She could feel the quick bursts of his breath burning her skin.

“No, but you want to,” he smiled with smugness.

When she heard his words she slowly opened her eyes.  He was still playing the same painful game.  Her desire was quickly replaced with contempt.  Inside her anger began to rise.  If he wanted games, then games he would get, she thought.

She grazed her lips over his.  “Don’t be so sure of that,” she answered, pressing her body closer to him.  “Why don’t you give it a try and see what happens.”

She sensed his movement forward and tipped her head away from his descending mouth.  “But be forewarned, Michael.  My knee is dangerously close to your groin and I’m not afraid to use it.  As for my hands on your hips, I put them there for leverage.”

His mouth was over hers again, so close her body began to ache, but she held her ground.

“You’re bluffing.  You wouldn’t do that to me,” he answered softly.

She raised her eyebrows.  “Are you sure about that?” she smiled.

He separated himself from her and took two steps back.  A cocky grin adorned his face.

Her hands balled into tight fists.  “I think you should leave now, Michael.”  Hard as she tried, she could not stop the waves of uncontrollable trembling from rocking her body.

He smiled at her in a way that said he knew he had finally gotten to her and penetrated the protective shell she had built to save herself from him.  Waves of fury tightened every muscle in her body.  If the girls hadn’t been sleeping, she would have initiated another argument.  Instead, she let him leave to celebrate his silent victory by himself.  She slumped against the wall of girl’s bedroom and cursed him for re-entering her life.

She took Jay to her bed that night but couldn’t follow through with making love with him.  Her heart simply wasn’t in it.  Her thoughts were consumed with Michael and the rage he continued to fill her with.  She laid in Jay’s arms and listened to the soft thump of his heart.

“Annie, am I the only one in this relationship?” he asked, a hurtful tone in his voice.  “Every time I feel I’m getting closer to you, I sense you pulling away, trying to put more space between us.”

She rolled over onto her back and rubbed at her eyes.  “I’m sorry.  I was thinking about Angel’s temperature.  She’s never had one before and I guess I’m a bit worried she’s coming down with something,” she lied.

Jay slid out of bed and began dressing.  “See how she feels in the morning then call her doctor,” he answered, unsatisfied with her answer.

“Yes, I will.”

He sat on the edge of the bed while he slid on his boots.  “How long do you expect him to be on the island?”

“Who?” “Come on, Annie.  You know who I’m talking about.”

“I wish I knew the answer to that question, but I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Look.  I know at one point you two had something pretty intense, so I wouldn’t blame you if there were still some residual feelings.  I only ask that you be honest with me about it, and I’ll step aside.  You know I’m crazy about you, but I won’t share you with him.”

“How could you even suggest such a thing?  My feelings for Michael died a long time ago!”

Jay smiled at her.  “You know how I feel about you so I won’t bring it up again.  All I’m asking for is honesty.  That’s it.”  He kissed her on the mouth and quietly left the cottage.

For the next several days Annie kept her distance from Michael.  While he played and cared for the girls, she remained out of sight.  The only time she spoke to him was if he spoke to her first.  She became an invisible observer, carefully scrutinizing his every move and the way he interacted with his children.

“I think they’re ready,” Michael announced to her at the end of the week.

Annie lifted her head from the pages of the Sandra Brown novel she was reading and studied his face.  “To spend time at your place?”

He shifted his weight from foot to foot and nodded his head.  “I was wondering if you could bring them by tomorrow for the day.  If things go well, I’d like to keep them over night.  If that’s okay with you?”

Annie shut her book.  “Okay.  What time tomorrow?”

“Why don’t you come by after they wake up from their morning naps.”

“All right, I will.”

He gave her directions and then stood nervously by the door as if he had something else on his mind.

“Is there a problem?” she asked curtly.

“I guess not.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Annie pulled into his driveway the next day at noon with reluctance.  The idea of taking her children to his house unnerved her.  It was as if she were relenting to something unsaid between them.  But they were his children too.  She sighed heavily as she removed the keys from the ignition.

The house was much like her own in styling, but had two stories to it.  Weathered Cape Cod shingles covered the sides, with hunter green shutters framing each window.  A small grassy garden area with seasonal wildflowers adorned the front of the house that faced the street and a wrap-around porch overlooked the ocean and the beach in the back.  The house location was just off the main road leading into Vineyard Haven.  It was a quiet side street, with neighbors living close-by on either side.  Annie’s head swirled with concerns about privacy and safety for the girls.  Then again, part of her was looking for any excuse not to like the place.

She proceeded to the back deck with Angel clinging to one hip, while Sammi toddled slowly beside her.  Michael waited on the top step with a wide grin and his hands dug deeply into the front pockets of his pants.  He was dressed in his standard t-shirt that clung shamelessly tight to his wide chest and a pair of faded blue jeans.  He wore no belt, his feet were bare, and his hair uncombed and wild.  Annie’s breath caught dry in her throat.  Instantly, her heart began to pound a little faster.

“Here, let me take her,” he insisted, pulling Angel from Annie’s arms.  “Come on in, I’ll show you around.”

His voice was soft and velvety, which caused every hair folicle on her head to stand at attention.  Again, she silently cursed his existence.

Annie followed him into an informal living room.  As he walked, her eyes drifted down the length of his spine and settled onto his butt.  Then she scolded herself for taking notice and abruptly turned away, dropping the diaper bag onto a near-by couch.

“So what do you think?” he asked, excitedly.

“It reminds me of the beach house.”