HEAT
Part One
The Beach
 

“I love you”.
“I love you too”.
The couple gazed into one another’s eyes and kissed passionately.  Moving slowly towards the lavishly-covered king-sized bed in the middle of the room, they continued to gaze at each other.  Locked in a passionate embrace, they fell onto the bed.  Candles burned all around them and gave the room a soft, romantic glow.  They had waited a long, long time for this .....

“Hell!”
Annie Richards grabbed the remote control and snapped off the TV angrily.
“Why is it that every time I turn on the God-damned TV these days I get nothing but this!”
Annie was not in a good mood.  She had had a bad day.  There was a time when watching her favourite soap never failed to help her relax but nowadays it seemed to have the opposite effect.  It was all those romantic scenes, they were really getting to her.  Why the hell did there have to be so many of them, and how come they’d never bothered her before?

She sank back into the deep, luxurious cushions which covered her bed and stared up at the ceiling.  She was like a coiled spring; bored, restless, ill at ease.  Nothing felt right at the moment, nothing at all.  Burning off some of her excess energy by kicking one of the cushions on to the floor, she reached for the remote and switched the TV on again.

Ally McBeal. 
A popular, long-running TV series about a late-twenties lawyer and her desperate, never-ending search for love.
“That does it, I’m going out!”
Annie slid off the bed in a fluid, graceful movement and walked over to the full-length mirror on the other side of the room.  Surveying her reflection in the mirror, she undid her short silky robe, slipped if off her shoulders and allowed it to fall to the floor.  She had a body to die for.  That was how the dressing-room assistant at that smart place on Rodeo Drive had once described her.  The merest trace of a smile played about Annie’s full lips as she remembered that comment.  That assistant had been right, of course, Annie did have a body to die for and she looked stunning enough to tempt any man as she stood there in her deliciously provocative emerald green lacy underwear.

She turned away from the mirror sharply.  Tears were pricking at the backs of her eyes and she bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering.  Sitting on the corner of the bed, her shoulders slumped as that now-familiar pain once again pierced its way cruelly into her heart.  What’s the good of having the body of a goddess when you’ve got no-one to appreciate it?  That persistent little voice, the one that sometimes spoke inside her head, was this evening determined to make itself heard.

She stood up again quickly, keen to keep herself on the move before all those disturbingly negative thoughts set in.  Keeping busy was one way of keeping them at bay.  Opening her wardrobe, she pulled out a daringly short sleeveless dress in a striking green and cream multi-print.  She brushed her glorious head of red hair until it shone like burnished copper and then pinned it up in a sophisticated style.  Satisfied with what she saw in the mirror, she picked up her purse and went downstairs.

Cole, Olivia and Caitlin were all in the living-room playing with little Trey.  She stood at the foot of the stairs for a moment and watched them, wondering what it felt like to belong to a family, a real family that comprised mom, dad, brothers and sisters.

This wouldn’t do.  She jerked herself away and went outside.   Cole and the others were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn’t even see her leave.  Once outside, Annie took a deep breath of warm, scented evening air and began walking quickly.  Her first instinct was to head towards The Deep, a favourite haunt of hers for many years, but she shied away from there for that was where she had first met him.

Annie kept on walking and, after deciding against calling on her friend Maria Evans, made her way towards the beach.  She wasn’t in the mood for company right now.  Taking off her strappy, high-heeled sandals she walked onto the beach, enjoying the feel of the soft sand beneath her feet.  She found a quiet spot and sat down and her strikingly attractive face wore a deep frown as she cast her eyes towards the sea.

He was in her thoughts again, of course.  Jude Cavanaugh.  In fact, he was hardly ever out of her thoughts these days.  Ever since their first dramatic encounter, when he’d saved her from what could have been a nasty fate at the hands of a vicious assailant outside The Deep, Jude Cavanaugh had been in Annie Richards’ thoughts.  In her thoughts, in her heart, in her head .....  Sometimes she couldn’t deal with it, it made her crazy.  Now was one of those times.  Thoughts were spinning dizzily  around in her head as she sat quietly on the beach, the frown on her forehead a clear indication of the turmoil and uncertainty which raged within her.

She’d never expected to develop feelings for this man, never.  Come to think of it, she’d never really expected to develop feelings for any man, she’d thought herself incapable of it.  Feelings.  How the hell was she supposed to deal with them, what was she supposed to do?  No-one had ever told her about this, it was a new experience for her.  Everywhere she looked she saw couples.  Holding hands, kissing, linking arms, doing the kind of intimate things which in-love couples do.    Maybe coming out for a walk was a bad idea after all, perhaps she’d have been better off staying home in front of the TV.

She tried in vain to banish thoughts of Jude Cavanaugh from her head but she knew by now that she was fighting a losing battle.  Every detail of his handsome face was etched on her mind, he was the sort of man who once seen was never forgotten.  Damn him, why did he have to be so great-looking?  And if that weren’t enough, he had charisma by the bucketload and the sort of powerful, muscular body which could reduce most women to a quivering mass.  Her Aunt Bette had certainly been well-impressed.  Thank God he doesn’t realise the kind of effect he has on me, Annie thought thankfully as she sat on the golden beach, burying her toes in the warm sand.  Little did he know that every time he came near her she literally trembled with excitement.  Like the other day in his office, when he’d accidentally brushed against her.  Her heart still skipped a beat whenever she thought about how hot his body had felt as it touched against hers.

But it wasn’t just the physical effect he had on her which bothered Annie, there was far more to it than that.  Every time she looked at him an unfamiliar emotion flooded through her, an emotion which made her feel like she’d never felt before.  It was the way he looked at her too that stirred something deep within her, something ethereal and mysterious.  And she would never forget that stab of jealousy she experienced when she saw him out to dinner with Sara Cummings either, it made her want to scream to think about it. 

Wondering why she allowed her thoughts to be dominated by a man who had the power to infuriate her so, she stretched her long, slender legs out in front of her.  Although it was now past mid-evening, the sand still felt warm from its day-long drenching of hot California sun.  There’s nowhere like this on earth, Annie thought to herself as she turned her face up towards the slowly-dimming sky.  She loved living in Sunset Beach, she’d lived there all her life and she couldn’t imagine ever living anywhere else.  The waves rolled in and crashed heavily upon the shore; she looked across at the lifeguards’ tower and saw that the light was on. 

Annie relaxed a little as she breathed in the salty sea air.  Some of the tension left her body and she began to stretch backwards, lounging on her elbows.  The sun, a huge orange globe, was now sinking towards its night-time resting place, way out beyond the horizon, and soon it would be dark.  The beach was beginning to empty now as people either went about their business or else made their way back to their homes.  Annie thought about getting up and going back to the house but she was so comfortable where she was that she decided to stay a little longer.  What was there to hurry back for?  She was sick of watching Olivia and the others playing happy families and the sand upon which she was now laying was so soft, so comfortable, so inviting ..... 


*


Jude Cavanaugh sat at his desk, engrossed in a pile of complicated paperwork.  He was in his luxury office at the Liberty Corporation HQ and still had a great deal more to do before he could call it a night.  He glanced at the Rolex watch which adorned his tanned left wrist.  Nine-thirty.  Stifling a yawn, he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling for a moment.  He’d been working since seven-thirty that morning and was feeling pretty fried.  It was at times like this that he wondered if he’d taken leave of his senses when he accepted this assignment.  Not that he’d had any choice in the matter, of course, but nonetheless since he’d arrived in Sunset Beach a few months earlier his life certainly hadn’t lacked adventure.

He stood up and wandered round the office.  All the other staff had long since left for the day and the building had an eerie, empty feel to it.  Being alone there didn’t bother him, of course, for he was a man who was well able to take care of himself if the need arose.  He walked across to the window and surveyed the view.  The last few minutes of the setting sun was a striking spectacle to behold and this wasn’t the first occasion he’d taken the time to appreciate its beauty.

Beauty.  Now that was a word which really meant something to him these days.  As he watched the magnificent sun slowly disappear out of sight, he realised how much it had in common with a certain flame-haired lady of his acquaintance.  She, just like the setting sun, was fiery, bold, bright and very beautiful.  A rush of divergent feelings surged through him as the woman in question, Annie Richards, forced her way into his thoughts - again.  This always happened.  As soon as he stopped working, stopped concentrating, his thoughts would immediately switch to her.  Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to push her out of his mind.

Jude glanced at his watch again and yawned once more.  Realising he wasn’t going to get a whole lot more work done that night, he resolved to head away from the office and make an early start the next morning.  He paused for a second as he left the building, uncertain how to spend the remainder of the evening.  It was a beautiful, still, calm night, a night made for walking arm-in-arm with a special woman.

He decided to walk back to his hotel.  He’d still not fixed up anywhere permanent to live, he’d been too busy to think of anything but work ..... and Annie Richards.  He walked slowly, enjoying the warmth of the night air, so invigorating after a day spent in a pristine, air-conditioned office.  He toyed with the idea of calling someone to make dinner arrangements but almost immediately decided against it.  He wasn’t really in the mood for company and, besides, having sent out for something to eat earlier, he wasn’t hungry anyway.

He continued walking and soon found himself near the beach.  It really was invigorating to breath in the fresh, salt-laden sea air, it made him realise just how little time he had spent on the beach since his arrival in this little town.  What a great night for a late-night swim, he thought, smiling to himself.  An image of Annie Richards clad in a skimpy bikini rushed hotly into his mind and no matter how hard he tried not to dwell on the subject the image refused to go away.

Annie Richards, what a woman.  And she was all woman too, one hundred percent female.  Jude stepped out onto the sand, took in the view of the sea, and then continued his walk.  Annie had made an immediate impression on him, right from the first time he’d seen her outside The Deep where she’d been trying to fend off the unwanted attentions of some jerk who’d tried to pick her up in the bar.  There was a wry smile on Jude’s handsome face as he remembered that moment; little did he know then how great an effect this woman would have upon his life.

If only he could figure her out.  She was the most complicated woman he’d ever known, and Jude Cavanaugh was a man who was no stranger to women.  He’d taken his pleasures freely in the past and his stunning good looks had ensured there was a virtually never-ending supply of hot young women desperate for some attention from him and willing to do whatever it took to get it.  He didn’t regret a minute of what had gone on in the past but since he had been in Sunset Beach he had found his thoughts dwelling on one woman in particular instead of the usual several.

Annie Richards was a mass of contradictions.  Just as he thought he was getting to know her, to understand what made her tick, she’d come right out and spring a nasty surprise on him.  Like yesterday, for example, when she’d hurled a book at him.  He was beginning to wonder whether asking her to work at the office had been a smart move on his part; at times she was much more of a distraction than he’d bargained on.  Those short skirts she wore, did she have any idea of the effect she had on him?  He already knew the answer to that one.  She was one of the most knowing women he had ever met, yet somehow he sensed that she hadn’t been near a man in ages.  Why was this?  He just couldn’t figure it out. 

Jude decided that it would probably be easier to unravel the mysteries of the universe than to get Annie Richards to open up to him and if he tried too hard to understand her she’d probably screw his own head up in the process.  He continued walking along the beach, his mind still filled with thoughts of Annie.  Every time she came anywhere near him he’d had to use every ounce of his self-control to keep his hands off her.  She was the most desirable woman he’d ever met, and for Jude Cavanaugh that was saying something.  Yet for all her feminine wiles, there was a vulnerability about her, it was like she’d built a wall around herself.  She seemed to find it hard to reach out to people, it was as if she expected them not to like her or something.

Jude frowned as he recalled the way she’d reacted when he suggested to her that her marriage to Gregory Richards had not been based on love.  He had certainly touched a raw nerve, for she’d reacted to his suggestion by turning away from him sharply and making an excuse to leave the room.  He frowned as he recalled that poignant moment.  She’d been as right as rain when he next saw her, of course, and acted like nothing had happened, although he strongly suspected that she’d been crying.  That was the thing about Annie, no matter how crazy she was, how oddly she behaved, he just couldn’t stop himself from liking her.  He sometimes wondered if he was attracted to her because, unlike many of the other women with whom he had been involved, she presented him with a challenge.

But did his feelings for her stop at merely liking her?  He took a deep breath, not wanting to go down that particular avenue at the moment.  He wondered how she’d been treated by Gregory Richards for the short time she’d been married to him.  What had her life with him been like?  He wondered if she’d ever experienced love, known what it was like to love.  Perhaps she needed to be taught how to love.  He hadn’t intended his thoughts to take that particular turning but, since they had, he had to admit to himself that he’d give everything he owned for the chance to teach Annie Richards about love.  Love, romance and everything that went with it.   

Jude continued walking for several minutes more, but as he was about to call it a night and head back to his hotel room, his thoughts were interrupted by a commotion off to the west of the pier.  Immediately alert, he strained his ears.  He distinctly heard the sound of a woman’s voice and it sounded as though she was in trouble.  Realising that someone could have a problem, Jude started to run in the direction of the shouting.


*


Annie woke up with a start.  She hadn’t intended to fall asleep on the beach.  Her stomach lurched as soon as she opened her eyes, for leaning over her was the menacing figure of a rough-looking, unshaven man with a mean glint in his eyes.
“Hey, pretty lady, how about havin’ some fun?”
Annie almost wretched as the stench of the man’s drink-sodden breath caught her full in the face.  She was immediately alert and realised that she was in a whole lot of trouble.
“Leave me alone, you creep!” she responded, attempting to strike the man across the face.
“That’s no way to treat a guy who’s about to show you a good time, little lady”, came the leering reply.  He reached forward and snatched at the front of Annie’s dress.  She tried to wriggle out of his reach but he was too quick for her.  Grasping her by her shoulders, he pushed her back down onto the sand and tried to heave himself on top of her. 
“Damn you, go to hell!” she cried, lashing out with fists which simply weren’t reaching their target.
“Hey, you’re a proper little wildcat, aren’t you?” said the man mockingly, his eyes glinting.  “This is going to be fun!”
A rush of panic gripped her as she fought desperately to throw the brute off her.  Grasping in vain all around her for something to strike him with but finding nothing, she realised there was only one thing she could do.  Using all the strength she could muster, she kicked him in the groin with her right foot.  Although the strangulated grunt confirmed to Annie that her foot had met with its target, she had not been able to generate as much force as she needed to disable him for long enough to break free from his clutches. 
“Bitch!” he hissed through clenched teeth.  He pushed her down again but this time he was much rougher. 

“I don’t think you should speak to the lady like that”.
Before Annie knew what was happening, her attacker was suddenly dragged off her.  As relief began to spread through her, she strained her eyes against the darkness to try to make out what was going on.  Blinking in disbelief, Annie watched as her attacker received a stinging blow to his chin and then an extremely well-aimed kick to the small of his back, the severity of which was sufficient to cause him to crumple to the ground in painful, whimpering defeat.  Annie’s heart lurched - there was only one person she knew who could deliver a kick like that. 

Jude Cavanaugh jerked his conquered foe to his feet and shoved him roughly in the chest.
“Beat it!” he commanded, with a steely glint in his eyes.  The hapless wreck didn’t wait around to be told again and limped warily off into the darkness.  Jude then turned his attention to the woman.  His eyes widened in amazement, for somehow in that murky darkness he made out a familiar flash of red.  Ragged emotion engulfed him as realisation dawned and in a trice he was down on the sand beside the woman and taking her in his arms.
“Annie!”
“Jude!”
He enfolded her in his arms and held her tightly.  His thoughts were a jumbled mass of confusion as he clasped her against him.  Pushing aside for the moment any questions he might have about why she was down here on the beach alone after dark, he concerned himself with uttering a silent word of thanks that he’d arrived on the scene just in time.

Annie was trembling, and this was not solely due to the unpleasantness of the situation which she had just endured.  She had woken up to the fact that she now miraculously found herself somewhere that she had subconsciously longed to be on countless occasions - enveloped in the strong, protective arms of Jude Cavanaugh.  Given the secret feelings which she harboured for this man, it was small wonder that she trembled so violently.

Jude continued to hold her and Annie made no attempt to disengage herself.  On the contrary, she found herself melting against his hard body and pressing even closer to him.  She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes.  It was a very rare thing indeed for her to admit to any kind of weakness but at that moment he was her rescuer, her protector and she had never felt so safe.  It was as if she knew that for as long as she remained in his arms nothing and no-one could ever hurt her again. 

Jude slowly began to remove his arms from around Annie and she was instantaneously aware of a bitter flash of disappointment.  She didn’t want him to let go of her.  She desperately needed him to keep his arms around her and to hold her tight.
“It’s OK”, he murmured gently, somehow seeming to sense her reluctance to be parted from him.  She needn’t have worried.  He was only disengaging himself from her temporarily whilst he took off his jacket.  He placed it around her shoulders and their eyes met for the first time that evening. 

Suddenly the air began to crackle with pent-up, supercharged tension;  it was as if a magic spell had been cast.  Mesmerised by the passion - his passion for her - which darkened Jude’s grey eyes, Annie’s parted lips left him in no doubt that she longed for him every bit as much as he wanted her.  Slowly and gently, he began to unpin her hair and as the silky, burnished locks fell about her shoulders he started to stroke it.  He had longed to run his fingers through her hair since the very first minute he set eyes on her.  Annie quivered as he stroked the soft skin of her neck and at that minute she knew that the deep, burning hunger which raged within her could remain unsatisfied for no longer.  She wanted him so much that it hurt.  The nearness of his face to hers was exciting her to madness.

Burning with passion for the beautiful woman he held in his arms, Jude knew that the point of no return had almost arrived.  But somewhere amidst the torrents of physical and emotional longing which surged through him a nagging doubt emerged.  Ought he to be making love to Annie right now, taking advantage of her whilst she was in such a vulnerable state and when only minutes ago she had very nearly become the victim of an attack?  Wouldn’t that be a totally contemptible thing to do?
“Annie, this isn’t right”, he murmured, allowing his face to rub against hers, this exquisite physical sensation and the softness of her skin intensifying his already throbbing desire for her.  “Not here, not now .....”
He knew almost before he had said those words that all thoughts of the attacker had been vanquished from her mind.  The glimmer of disappointment in her blue eyes was enough to tell him what he needed to know.

Annie had long since secretly found Jude’s lips irresistible and now she was going to get to feel what it was like to be kissed by them.  When his mouth closed hotly on hers it was a sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced.  There was kissing and there was this.  She opened her lips hungrily, desperate for greater physical intimacy with him.  As their tongues entwined Annie felt as though an electric shock had ripped through her.  Their kiss went on ... and on ... and on.  Both of them had craved this for so long.  All at once their mutual longing exploded into searing, burning passion, the kind of passion which demanded nothing less than full consummation. 

The fuse had been well and truly lit.  Seconds later they were tearing at each other’s clothes.  Their scorching desire intensified as garments were swiftly strewn across the sand, the sand which was to form the hotbed of their desire.  Words were unnecessary as they both instinctively understood the other’s urgent, desperate need for immediate satisfaction.  Annie offered no resistance whatsoever as Jude guided her down on the sand and pushed her legs apart.  She was already deliciously wet and more than ready to be penetrated. 

He thrust into her so hard and with such urgency that Annie gasped out loud, thrilling to the incredible sensation of at last feeling him inside her.  She wrapped her legs around him with a fierce hunger, arching her back as pleasure ripped through her. Even in her wildest dreams she couldn’t have imagined it would be as wonderful as this.  They writhed in the warm sand, locked together in their passionate embrace and oblivious to everything but each other.  Jude and Annie had harboured passionate feelings for each other for what seemed like an eternity and neither of them were disappointed when they experienced what they had craved so desperately.  When the final moment came,  the experience was so awesome and intense that it left them both completely and utterly breathless.

They lay in each other’s arms, still locked together, neither of them wanting to break the bond of closeness which had formed between them.  In a far corner of her spinning mind, Annie slowly became aware of the pounding of the waves upon the shore.  This was the first time that she had been aware of anything other than Jude and his closeness to her.  He gently withdrew from her and shifted his weight off her but they continued to hold each other close, luxuriating in the warm, intimate mist of exquisite contentment which had enveloped them.

For the first time in her entire life Annie wanted nothing but what she had right there and right now.  Propping himself up on one elbow, Jude gazed down at her happy, smiling face and stroked it tenderly with a gentle finger.  Kissing her lips softly, he asked her if she had any regrets.
“No”, she answered immediately in a sensual, throaty voice, and he believed her.  A hot ray of happiness jolted through him as he realised that she had feelings for him, real feelings, not just the desire to have sex with him.  Just as he had feelings for her, feelings which went well beyond the mere physical.  Not that that was any way to describe what they had both shared, no way. 

They remained where they were for a while, kissing and stroking each other, marvelling at the sense of oneness which had enveloped them.  Neither of them wished to break the spell but eventually Jude, concerned that Annie’s attacker may return, gently encouraged her to move.  It was all very well fighting off one bad guy but even he, with his sensational and deadly Martial Arts skills, would find it difficult to protect Annie if the guy returned with ten of his friends. 

Annie didn’t want to move.  Laying there in the sand, her body still thrilling to the wonderful experience she and Jude had just shared, she was in a state of perfect bliss.  She was warm and contented and could have stayed there with him all night.  Jude held her close and continued to stroke her hair, which by now had fallen into glorious disarray.  He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering when they’d get to do this again.  Not being able to make love with Annie again was something he couldn’t even bear to contemplate.

At last Annie stopped clinging to him.  Holding his face between her slender hands, she said:
“Once again you’re my knight in shining armour, Mr. Cavanaugh”, and then she kissed him.
“Oh, you seemed to be doing a pretty good job yourself”, he responded, taking her hand in his.
“You mean the kick I gave him?” she asked, her eyes gleaming.
“Best way to bring a man down”, smiled Jude, and once again they kissed.  Their post-lovemaking kisses were slow, gentle and intimate. 
Annie’s blue eyes filled with renewed longing. “But I can think of far better things to do with that area of your anatomy”, she continued, her voice laden with sensual promise.  “And if you’d like to follow me home and stay the night, I could show you just what I have in mind”.
A shadow flickered across Jude’s face.  Right now, he’d have given everything he owned to be able to spend the night with Annie, to make love with her over and over again and then to hold her whilst she slept.
“I can’t”, he said.
Annie, who was surprised by his response, looked at him quizzically.
“What do you mean, you can’t?” she asked, trying to dispel the misgivings and uncertainty which had suddenly flared up.
“I just can’t”, he responded.  “I have business to attend to”.
“Business, in the middle of the night?” said Annie, this time making no secret of her bitter disappointment.
“You wouldn’t understand”, said Jude, reaching across the sand for the clothes which had earlier been so hurriedly strewn.
“You’re dead right I don’t understand!” she said, this time in a much raised voice.  “And what’s more I don’t want to understand - as if I care anyway!”
She turned away from him hurriedly, determined not to let him see the hot tears which were threatening to fall from her eyes.
“Annie, listen, it’s not what you think”, began Jude, seriously disturbed at her reaction to his insistence that he could not go home with her.  “I really do have something important to do, something that can’t wait”.
He tried to take hold of her arms but she pulled angrily away from him.
“I said I don’t care”, she said frostily, “Why the hell should I want to spend the night with you anyway?” 

Jude looked at her, feeling as though his heart would break.  She had looked so happy and so trusting just now and it grieved him to hurt her so much.  Neither of them spoke as they silently found their clothes and got dressed.  The leaden atmosphere which had descended over them was thick enough to cut with a knife.  Suddenly all the joy had vanished out of Annie’s life, just like water from a hot tub as it gushed down the plug-hole. 

“Are you ready to leave?” Jude asked, stuffing his tie into the pocket of his now very crumpled jacket.  He wished he could say something to Annie to assure her that what had just happened between them had been really special for him. 
Annie didn’t answer.  She seemed to be looking for something in the sand.  She took a deep breath.
“I think I lost my panties”, she said at last.  There was the vaguest hint of irony in her voice as she spoke.
Jude looked at her, marvelling at how such an exciting, sexy woman could suddenly turn into an insecure, vulnerable little girl.  He ached with every fibre of his being to reach out to her and to be with her again but he knew enough about her to realise that right now she would not listen to anything he had to say.
“I think you might just have to say goodbye to them”, he responded, making a gesture with his hand towards the sand.  This beach is a pretty big place and who knows where they may have ended up?”
Annie bit her lip and said nothing.  Jude’s refusal to spend the night with her had unnerved her.  She was wearing a very short dress with no panties but the only thought on Jude’s mind appeared to be to get rid of her as soon as humanly possible.
“Come on, I’ll walk you home”, he said decisively, and his words did absolutely nothing to rid her of her earlier misgivings.

She fell into step beside him and although she allowed him to place his arm around her shoulders she made no attempt to reciprocate his gesture of affection.  They hardly uttered a word as they made their way silently back to the Richards mansion, the house which Annie shared with Olivia Richards and her daughter, son-in-law and baby Trey.  Annie unlocked the door and stepped inside.  Jude, who longed to put things right with her before saying good night, didn’t get the chance.  No sooner had Annie stepped inside than she slammed the door abruptly in his face.

As soon as she was alone, Annie’s resolute demeanour crumbled.  Grateful that all the other occupants of the house had long since taken to their beds, she flew hurriedly up the stairs and disappeared into the sanctuary of her own bedroom.  Alone at last, the tears fell unchecked from their blue hiding place.  Her slender body wracked with violent, uncontrolled emotion, Annie cried.

When at last her emotion was spent, she raised her head and looked all around her.  She had not even switched on the light as she entered her bedroom but had just flung herself onto the thickly-carpeted floor at the side of her bed.  She dragged herself to her feet and switched on one of the small table lamps.  Walking slowly over to the mirror she gasped, for she barely recognised herself.  She’d expected her hair to look a fright after her tumble on the beach but this was far, far worse than she could have imagined.  But it was the flush to her normally palish skin which was the most striking change to her features, she looked as though something significant had really happened to her.  Then she realised something else.

Sand.  For the first time since she’d arrived home she noticed it.  Grains which clung to the sticky wetness between her legs and also to her inner thighs.  She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  Well, you can tell that I’ve had a good time, she thought wryly, and immediately found herself choking back more tears.  She closed her eyes for a second as she relived those heavenly moments of her liaison with Jude.  The event was so fresh in her mind that she could still feel him inside her and the way they had writhed together in the warm sand, her pliable, yielding body against his hard strength.  How incredible it had been to feel the weight on him on top of her and to open herself to him, nothing had ever felt so good, so right, to her, nothing.  But what was the point of letting herself dwell on such pleasures when she would probably never experience them again? 

Annie turned away from the mirror, she’d seen enough of her own reflection for now.  Jude had made it abundantly clear to her that once was enough for him, his haste to get away from her had been almost indecent.  How dare he, she thought angrily, what the hell does he take me for?  He’d invented a ridiculous story about having business to attend to when all he really wanted was to get away from her.  He’d got what he wanted, no doubt, and couldn’t be bothered to stick around for any longer than was necessary.  Well, damn him, thought Annie angrily, hoping that the sand was getting under his skin too.

He’s just like every other man I’ve ever met, she thought furiously, they love me and leave me.   They all did that to her, every last one of them.  No-one ever wanted to spend the night with her or have breakfast with her the next morning.  All they’d ever wanted to do was screw her and then discard her.  But this was a whole new ball game for Annie and she knew it.  She was too smart to deny that she had developed feelings for Jude Cavanaugh, feelings which had began to bloom from the very first day he had kick-boxed his way into her life.  She’d found it tough to deal with those feelings before tonight, and now that this had happened between them she knew it would be even tougher.  Her first instinct was not to go to the office tomorrow but she knew that running away would solve nothing.  She still had her pride and she was damned if she was going to allow Mr. Blond and Arrogant Jude Cavanaugh to rob her of that.  Whatever lay ahead, she would find a way to brazen it out. 

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she forced herself not to think of what might have been but to smile instead.  She stood up and took off her dress, deciding that what she needed right now was a shower to wash away all that unwanted sand.  She was about to ditch the dress in the laundry basket but then a plan began to form in her mind.  I’ll show you, Jude Cavanaugh, I’ll show you.  Annie made a silent promise to herself before she managed to snatch a couple of hours sleep.



*


Jude was a troubled man as he walked back to the Sunset Beach Hilton.  This wasn’t supposed to happen, he kept thinking, hating himself for the way things had been left between himself and Annie.    He’d never meant to hurt her like this, not in a million years, and despite the indifferent attitude she’d displayed he knew that he had.  Even though the two of them had just shared an incredibly intimate experience, he was no closer to knowing what made Annie tick than he had been before.

He looked grim and resolute as he unlocked the door to his hotel room and went inside.  Throwing his jacket onto a chair, he stood still for a moment, reliving the moments he had spent with Annie.  Sinking wearily into an armchair, he rubbed his eyes and then took up the telephone.  He had several long-distance calls to make, including one to Washington.


***************



CLICK HERE to read “HEAT” Part Two
 

Annie’s Heaven Web site, February 2000

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