Annalise laughed. “No, my hair doesn’t hurt, but the weight of it hurts my head,” she explained with a twinkle in her eyes that would have shocked her friends. “When it’s been up for a long time it begins to well…weigh on me.”
“Why don’t you take it down,” he suggested firmly. “Why suffer needlessly?”
“That would hardly be proper, Mr. Wainwright,” Annalise said, gently probing the base of her skull.
“Miss Martin, at the risk of being impolite, you live and work in a saloon, something that most people would not consider acceptable. I hardly think letting your hair down could break any further rules of etiquette,” he offered kindly.
“A good point, Mr. Wainwright,” she replied, her fingers reaching into her hair and plucking out several pins. In seconds, her long dark hair was down her back and curling around her hips as she gently massaged her scalp. “Do I look frightening?” she asked with a laugh as his mouth dropped open.
Ty was momentarily speechless. Her hair hung in shimmering waves nearly to the top of her thighs and he fought the urge to take hold of her and bury his face in it. She was instantly transformed from a very sweet looking young girl, to the object of his darkest fantasies. It was incredible and stunning.
“On the contrary, Miss Martin, your hair is lovely and if you were my woman, I would insist you never cut it. In fact, I would want you to wear it down the majority of the time, at least at home.”
Annalise froze, blushing as his words evoked an intimacy she’d never given much thought to.
When she failed to respond, Ty got up and moved around the table, pulling out her chair.
“Please sit with me,” he encouraged, sensing her confusion. “I’ll try not to embarrass you further.”
“Oh, you didn’t embarrass me, Mr. Wainwright. It’s just that I never expected a man, any man, to say those kinds of words to me,” she breathed, looking up at him curiously and remaining standing.
“Why ever not?” he asked, truly surprised.
“Well, I’m hardly the sort of woman poetry is written about. I’m fully aware that I’m plain and non-descript in most ways, compared to other women.”
Ty didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Certainly, she was talking nonsense but she seemed to believe it whole-heartedly. Not one to procrastinate, he made an instant decision and instead of seating her in the chair, he sat down. In one swift movement he pulled Annalise Martin onto his lap and slipped his large hand into her silky hair. Cradling the back of her head, he held her firmly in place as his lips descended on hers with a passion that startled him. He wanted her and not in a casual way. He wanted to remove each and every scrap of her clothing and admire every inch of her. He wanted to show her how lovely and delicate she was, and that any man lucky enough to capture her heart would be blessed for all time, and most of all he wanted that man to be him.
Ty kissed her through her initial shock where she struggled briefly against his hold. He continued to kiss her until her lips parted slightly and he touched his tongue to hers, tasting her lips. He felt her arms creep up to his shoulders as though she thought to push him away, but instead she pulled him closer as a surge of satisfaction rushed through him. When she was pliant and breathless, he lifted his head.
“Let’s hear no more talk about you being in any way undesirable, Miss Martin. In fact, if I don’t return to my seat, I’m afraid I’ll frighten you and do something I’ll be ashamed of.”
Rising with her still in his arms, he bent and deposited her carefully on her chair before resuming his seat.
Annalise kept her head lowered, her hair hiding her face as she fixed her coffee in silence.
“Have I upset you, Miss Martin? Please forgive me for being so bold and forceful; I just couldn’t stand to hear you say those things when they are completely untrue.”
“Don’t apologize, I beg you, Mr. Wainwright,” she whispered. “I’ve had my first kiss,” she sighed in wonder, lightly touching her lips as she finally met his gaze, “and it was so much more than I’ve read about.”
“Your first kiss?” he asked in surprise as he swallowed with difficulty. Oh Lord, she really was an innocent. Somehow that made the kiss all the more precious to him.
“Yes,” she admitted her cheeks pink. “I find I quite like it,” she continued, picking up her cup with a broad smile.
“I’m very happy to hear that, as I intend to kiss you again and often,” he smiled back.
“Do all men kiss like you, Mr. Wainwright?” she teased, her eyes bright with challenge as she flirted for the first time in her life.
“I couldn’t answer that, Miss Martin,” he shot back with a frown, “as I’ve had no experience kissing men. However, let me say this. I don’t expect you’ll be finding out the answer to that unless you want your bottom cheeks to be as pink as your face.”
Annalise straightened up and set her cup down on her saucer with a clink. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” she gasped, her hand flying to her chest.
“I’m saying that I’m declaring for you, Miss Martin, and I expect you to behave yourself while we go through the courting process.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“To put it bluntly, I want you to be my wife at some point in the near future.” Ty was stunned at the words spilling from his mouth, but he couldn’t stop them. Somehow they felt right.
“Funny, that’s not how I imagined a marriage proposal worked. I thought the prospective groom would get down on one knee and ask me to marry him. The way you make it sound it’s an order, Mr. Wainwright,” she said accusingly, her eyes swimming with tears and disappointment.
