Chapter 7

Richie smiled and purred throatily.  He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent.  He growled again as he felt Annie’s hand on him, wrapped around his hard, pulsing need.  The things she was doing to him, how she was making him feel… it was like a dream. 

“Richie?”  Annie’s gentle drawl floated through his consciousness, accompanied by the rich aroma of freshly-brewed coffee. 

“Mmmm…..” he responded, reaching a hand up to cover hers on his bare chest.  He heard her melodious chuckle.  It made him surge again with want.

“Hey, Sleepyhead.  Rise and shine.”

“Nuh uh.” Richie mumbled the argument.  He didn’t want to get up, to leave her bed.  He wanted to stay right here with her, smelling her hair, hearing her soft voice in his ear, pressing his cock into her hand…

“Richie.”  He felt her hand on his shoulder, shaking gently.  “I have to leave for work pretty soon.  You can stay here if you want…”

Richie’s sleepy brown eyes fluttered open as her words registered in his groggy brain.  “Huh?”  

Annie’s smiling face swam into focus, above his.  Wait… she was standing?  Beside the bed?  Just a second ago she had been snuggled next to him, her hand wrapped around his….

Richie’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening.  He made a panicked glance downward, hoping like hell he was covered.  He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the quilt draped over his waist, then blushed as he yanked his hand away from his groin.  Oh Christ….

“Well Good Mornin', Sunshine.  You want some coffee?”  Seeing Richie’s flush, Annie considerately kept her eyes above his waist.  She had a pretty good idea what was going on beneath that quilt, judging from his sleepy mumblings.

“Uh huh.”  Richie avoided her gaze.  “Um… I mean… Please.”

“Comin' right up.”  Annie gave him another sweet smile before retreating to the kitchen. 

When she was safely through the door Annie glanced back to see Richie sitting up on the couch, the quilt still draped over his lap.  The muscles of his lean back flexed as he scrubbed his hands over his face.  Annie let out an appreciative little sigh as she watched his movements.

When she had crept into the living room this morning she had fully expected to find Richie still asleep.  What Annie hadn’t expected was her reaction to seeing him slumbering on her couch, bare-chested and tousled with a peaceful smile curving his lips.  She had melted at the sight, stopping beside the couch to stare down at his sleeping form.

In his sleep Richie had kicked free of the quilt; it was lumped on the floor beside the couch.  He lay on his back, one arm thrown above his head on the pillow and the other hanging off the side of the sofa, his long fingers dragging the rug.  His jeans were unsnapped at the waist and half-unzipped, revealing the stripe of dark fuzz that trailed downward from his navel.  Annie felt a flush of heat as her eyes widened at the ample bulge barely concealed by his zipper. 

As if he felt her eyes on him, Richie had stirred groggily and pulled his hand up from the floor to rest on his abdomen.  Annie blushed and quickly averted her eyes from his crotch, picking up the quilt and draping it over Richie’s waist and legs.  Then with another glance at his angelic smile she had headed for the kitchen to make coffee.

Now Annie felt her heart beat a little faster as she stared at Richie, watching his muscles ripple as he stretched his arms forward.  She hastily looked away when he stood and half-turned toward her.  “Sugar and cream, right?” she called out casually.

“Huh?  Oh, yeah.”  Richie’s erection throbbed in response to her sweet voice.  Feeling the heat return to his cheeks Richie quickly turned his back to the kitchen and to Annie.  He yanked at the waistband of his jeans as he bolted for the bathroom.

Annie chuckled quietly at the light slam of the bathroom door.  She could feel Richie’s embarrassment from across the room and she didn’t want to magnify it.  After all, her own instinctive reaction to the sight of his morning hard-on had been in kind.  She was going to have to change her panties before work.

She sipped from her own cup as she carried the coffee she had prepared for Richie to the kitchen table.  Setting it next to the mason jar holding the fragrant lilac blossom, Annie quietly sat in one of the wooden chairs. She gazed out the window at the lightening sky, waiting for him.

A full five minutes later Richie emerged from the bathroom.  Annie heard him unzip and rummage around in his rucksack.  Then he appeared in the kitchen doorway, wearing a faded red t-shirt atop his jeans.

“Mornin’.”  He moved over to the table and paused by the empty chair.  “Thanks.”  Richie reached for the cup and took a sip of the sweetened coffee.

“Welcome.  Mornin’ to you too.”  Annie gestured to the seat.  “Go on, sit.  We got time to enjoy a cup before I gotta get goin’.”

Richie nodded and lowered his lanky frame into the chair, sipping again at his coffee before speaking.  “Umm…. How did you sleep?”

“Good.  You?”  Annie tipped her head toward the living room.  “Couch okay?”

“Yeah.  Great, actually.”  Richie smiled, finally meeting her gaze.  “Much better than the back seat of my piece of crap car.  Thank you.”

Annie reached across the table to squeeze Richie’s hand.  “Welcome.”  She let her hand linger on his for a moment before pulling it away.

Her touch warmed his entire body as they shared a look.  His cheeks coloring slightly, Richie again silently raised the cup to his lips.

“So, you sure you want to hang out in town?  You can come back here if you want, get some more sleep.”  Annie cocked her head to the side.  “Or if you want you can drive down to Brunswick, or up to Savannah.  There ain’t much to do in Darien.”

Richie shook his head.  “Naw, thanks. I want to help Eddie with my car, if he’ll let me.  Maybe I can help him out around the garage too, clean up or something.”  He felt a little lump form in his throat as he realized today he would have to figure out how to pay for his car repair.  He dreaded the thought of calling his parents to ask for money, but it seemed inevitable. 

“I’m sure Eddie will be glad to have some help.  He gets pretty busy on Saturdays.”  Annie sipped again from her coffee cup.  “But if you change your mind, the keys will be in the truck.  Take it wherever you want.”

Richie chuckled.  “Back in Jersey you’d never hear that – ‘the keys are in the truck.’  Somebody would take it wherever they wanted… and keep it.”

Annie grinned at his bemusement.  “Well, we all trust each other around here.  Besides, if somebody saw fit to steal that ol’ truck, they’d probably need it worse than me anyway.”

Richie chortled again, shaking his head slowly.  “You don’t get worked up about much, do you?”

“What’s there to get worked up about?”  Annie shrugged and gave Richie a gentle smile.  “Life is a precious gift, Richie.  It’s too short to worry about things that don’t matter.  Time wasted worrying could be better spent caring.”

“Caring about what?”

“About people.  About helping someone in need, being a friend, giving someone comfort.”  Annie looked away from Richie, gazing out the window at the pink morning sky.  “Sometimes all anybody really needs is a kind word and someone to listen.”

Richie watched as Annabelle’s long sandy lashes fluttered slightly, blinking back the moisture that sparkled in her blue eyes.  His heart squeezed at the flash of sadness that crossed her delicate features.  He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, not knowing what to say or do.

Annie stared out the window for a long moment, then turned her gaze to Richie.  When she spoke again her voice was soft and even.  “You ready?”

With a nod Richie set down his coffee cup.  He gave Annie a gentle smile, his heart warming when she responded in kind.  “Yeah.  Let’s go.”

*****

“Hello?” Richie took a deep breath and stepped into the service station’s big open bay.  “Anybody here?”

He immediately felt like an idiot.  Of course there was somebody here.  The “Open” sign was on the unlocked door, the lights were on and there was country music playing on the radio.  Obviously Eddie’s Texaco was open for business.

“Yeah!”  Eddie’s voice boomed out from the back of the bay.  Richie swiveled his dark head toward the source of the sound and saw a door standing open, beyond it a strip of asphalt and a patch of weedy grass.  A second later a beefy frame filled the doorway as Eddie stepped back into the garage.

“Oh, hey there Richie!”  Eddie’s ruddy face split into a welcoming grin.  “You’re early.  I didn’t expect you ‘til ‘round noon.”  He wiped his hands on a greasy rag as he wandered over to where Richie stood near the roll-up doors.  “Sorry, I just opened.  Ain’t had time to track down that part for your Impala yet.”

Richie shrugged and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.  “S’Okay.  I just thought I’d come in with Annie this morning, see if I could maybe hang around, help you work on it.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow at Richie’s comment.  Yesterday he’d had little doubt Annabelle would look after their young visitor, but he was a little surprised at Richie’s candor about starting the morning with her.  “Come in with Annie this morning, huh?” he repeated, his gaze flicking past Richie and lingering on Annie’s pickup truck parked across the street.

“Yes, Sir.”  Richie shifted uncomfortably at the mechanic’s reaction, reading his expression.  “She was nice enough to let me sleep on her couch last night.  She had to work this morning, so I asked her if I could catch a ride into town.”  He swallowed hard, realizing Eddie was watching him closely as he spoke.  “Thought maybe there was something I could do here around the garage, to help you out.  Sweep up, help with customers... something." His voice trailed off as he fidgeted again, suddenly nervous under the big man’s gaze.

Eddie chuckled at Richie’s obvious discomfort.  It had been clear yesterday that the young man was flustered by Annie’s brashness.  Apparently nothing had changed during his overnight stay.  That was fine, as far as he was concerned.  Annabelle may be a grown woman now but Eddie still felt as protective of her as a Papa Bear.  He wasn’t about to stand by and let some horny young punk take advantage of her generous nature.

“Well, since you’re here, I could use a hand.  Got a couple oil changes to do, and I always have lots of traffic on Saturday.”  Eddie nodded toward the twin gas pumps outside the bay doors.  “You can pump gas, can’t you?”

Richie nodded, grinning in response to Eddie’s query.  “Yes, Sir.  I used to help out in my buddy’s Dad’s gas station back in Jersey.  I can help you with those oil changes too, or anything else you need.”

Eddie laughed at the eagerness in Richie’s tone.  “Alright, Son.  One thing at a time.  We’ll see how you do wipin’ bugs off-a windshields first, then maybe I’ll let you tinker around some.”  He winked, the weathered lines around his eyes crinkling merrily.

“Okay.”  Richie looked around.  “Until you get a customer, what do you want me to do?”

With another chuckle Eddie turned and reached for a pegboard-covered wall.  Plucking a paper-tagged key from a hook, he held it out to Richie.  “Well, for starters you can pull that yellow Oldsmobile in here and pop the hood.  While you do that I’m gonna go call my buddy Chick about your thermostat.”

Richie nodded, taking the key from Eddie’s hand.  “You got it, Boss.”  With an eager grin he headed out the roll-up door to the strip of asphalt where the yellow Olds sat next to his wounded Impala.  As he strode across the concrete Richie’s dark head turned in the direction of Tillie’s restaurant. 

Eddie noticed Richie’s glance and his gaze traveled to the plate-glass window fronting the little diner, showcasing the bustling business inside.  Through the window Eddie could see Annie delivering breakfast to patrons at the front table.  He watched as she looked up and smiled, casting a little wave toward her young houseguest.

Eddie grinned to himself as he turned for the door to the service shop’s cluttered office.  He liked this kid.  Even though he was a little shy Richie was polite, respectful, and not afraid of work.  But Eddie still intended to keep an eye on him with regard to Annabelle.  She was family, and he was just passing through.  It wouldn’t do for Richie to leave her with a broken heart.