Chapter Six

Annalise

I stand in front of Hal's door with my heart in my hands. I knocked moments ago, but there is no answer. I almost give up and go back to my apartment, when the door opens and I'm greeted by Hal, wearing nothing but a gray towel.

He says something, but I don't quite hear it. I'm too consumed by the image standing in front of me. I look up and take all of him in. He takes my breath away. His dark hair is dripping wet. Water trickles down his brow, across his chiseled jawline. I draw in a breath as I notice water trickle from his broad chest, falling down to his abs and eventually finding solitude beneath his towel.

I bite my bottom lip.

I can't help it. There's no going back after this. I have never seen a more beautiful specimen of a man. I take a mental picture of this moment, wishing and praying that what happens next will remain with me forever.

His dark brows furrow as he looks at me, concerned. I eventually remember how to speak.

"I want to be with you, Hal, and I don"t care what happens."

Hal immediately pulls me close, covering my mouth with sweet hard kisses. He brings me into his apartment and kicks the door shut with his foot. Then his wet body pins me to the back of his door.

His mouth is on my neck again and I struggle to breathe as I'm so consumed by him. His large hands travel all over my body. I can feel his huge erection through the confines of the towel. I place my hands on his abs, inches from the towel. I so want to see what's beneath it. Before I can think, Hal picks me up and carries me to his bedroom. His kisses don't stop as he reaches behind me and unzips my emerald dress. He lets it fall to the floor and I step out of it, still wearing stilettos. I kick them off. His lips are on my body now and I feel a wetness between my legs. I'm eager to see what's beneath the towel still …

As he bends to kiss my chest, I feel the clasp of my bra come undone and his lips are on my breasts. He hungrily licks each breast and circles each nipple and areola with his tongue. It's more than I can bear.

I whisper Hal's name and stroke his head as he continues to make me groan.

I reach for his towel eager to remove it, but he takes my hands and lays them on his ripped abs. He picks me up and places me on his bed. I can still see his erection through the towel. I pull him closer to me, whilst sitting on the bed, and kiss his abs. He is a work of art. I can't bear it any longer, I need to see him. All of him. I tug at the towel and he grins at me.

"Hal. Please," I beg.

Hal stands at the end of the bed and lets the towel fall to the ground. I am in awe. He is so large and thick that I can feel my juices drenching the sheet underneath me.

He gets back on to the bed and begins kissing my feet, gently up my calves, nibbling my inner thighs until he gets to my wetness. He takes a deep breath and breathes me in.

"My God, Annalise. You are divine. Look what you do to me." I look down at his throbbing cock. He's even bigger than before. I'm eager to be with him, but I'm nervous as this is my first time. Maybe I should have mentioned this sooner?

Hal gently takes my panties and pulls them down and throws them over his shoulder. Then he spreads my legs and runs his tongue down one thigh and then the other.

I squirm as he licks and bites, teasing me. My hips involuntarily move up, desperate for him to touch me, to lick me there and to please me.

"Oh Hal, please." I beg again.

Hal happily obeys as he slips his tongue in between my legs. I throw my head back as pleasure soars through me.

I gasp as he inserts two fingers into me, thrusting in and out, his tongue teasing my clitoris.

"Annalise you're so tight." Hal beams.

I bite my bottom lip. "I want this Hal, but there's something I need to tell you."

Hal stops and listens intently.

"I've never done this before. But I'm so glad I get to do this with you."

The look on Hal's face is a mix of surprise and elation.

"Please don't stop Hal, keep going. I'm almost th …"

Hal buries his face between my legs and eats me more ferociously than before. I grab hold of his hair, holding his head in place as my orgasm takes over and I drench his entire face.

Hal comes up for air and kisses me.

"I can't believe you're a virgin," he says beaming at me. "How have you reached your mid 20s …? A goddess like you … I don't understand." Hal says, the look of disbelief written all over his face.

"I've never met anyone special enough to want to do this with. Until now. I want you Hal. So much." I reach down to feel his penis and begin stroking him there. He places his hand over my own and moves it back and forth.

"Oh God, Anna. Your hands are so soft. That feels so good."

He kisses me again, slowly at first and then passionately as I move my hand up and down the length of his huge penis. He moans into my mouth as I continue to pleasure him with my hand.

He lies down next to me and places his hand between my legs. He finds my clit straight away and starts rubbing it, dipping in and out of me. He knows how to touch me so well.

"Oh Hal … I can"t wait … I need you right now!"

"Yes, Ma"am," he says, then places himself between my legs. We kiss one another gently as he begins to place his cock inside of me. He holds my hands in place.

"Tell me if you want to stop," he says as he begins to rock gently inside of me. He's so tender and loving, yet so big.

I moan into his mouth as his powerful erection enters deep inside of me. We build up momentum together, rocking back and forth, kissing each other tenderly. I can feel his body on my clitoris, rubbing it gently.

The momentum starts to build as he begins pounding me harder than before, sending pleasurable shock waves down my spine. "Oh Hal you"re so hard."

I grab his buttocks and he slams harder into my wetness. I wrap my legs around his waist.

I feel a familiar sensation in my body and know I'm about to explode all over again. Hal knows it too.

"You're so wet, Anna! Cum for me baby. I love seeing you cum."

At his words, a hard climax rocks my entire body as I completely melt underneath Hal. Hal watches me intently. He thrusts faster and faster as his own orgasm rocks through his body and into mine, letting out a satisfied loud groan.

He lies down next to me and holds me close. I wrap my arms around him and bask in the afterglow of our love making.

A few hours later, I wake up next to Hal, our bodies still intertwined. I watch Hal's bare chest rising and falling as he sleeps peacefully. I wonder if he's dreaming. He looks even more handsome but there is also a sweet gentleness in his face. I just know, deep down to my very core, that he is the one. I so badly want him, I yearn for him and can't imagine being with anyone else. I want to love him for the rest of my life. No matter the obstacle.

The fact that he is willing to fight for me gives me hope. I have no idea how we're going to navigate telling my family, but as long as I have him by my side, somehow I just know everything will be fine.

He opens his eyes and smiles. "Hey, beautiful."

"It"s nice watching you sleep," I whisper.

"Really," he says, pulling me closer. How I love being in his arms.

"What time is it?"

Hal stretches towards a Rolex on his side table. "It"s 1:30am. Do you need to go to work tomorrow?"

"No."

"Then stay here with me." He turns his head and looks at me. "I want you so much, Anna. I want you to be mine. I mean officially mine. Mrs. Annalise Wilson-Torres."

"Hal … don"t you think we should …"

"Slow down? I get it. But I"m just telling you what I want, Anna. I want you and I"m not going to let anything come in the way of that."

I reach up to touch his beautiful face. "Kiss me, Hal Torres."

He kisses me passionately. I love the way my body eagerly responds to him, as though I belong with him.

***

Over the next few days, Hal and I spend our evenings together. It's been total bliss. I have never been happier. Hal has asked me to move in with him, but I've refused. For now. It isn't the right time; I don"t want to leave my apartment or be a distraction. Hal's work is extremely important to him, and so is mine. There is also a small part of me that wants to maintain a semblance of independence. I love it when he spends the night at my place or I at his.

I drive to the hospital listening to the radio. ‘All of Me' by John Legend comes on. It immediately brings back memories of our first dance. And first kiss. I turn the volume up, reminiscing about that first passionate night together. That night changed everything for me. For the better.

I arrive at the hospital twenty minutes later and walk past Dr Monroe's office, to get to my desk. She is the leading clinical psychologist in the country and I'm so glad that I have this opportunity to intern with her. She is an amazing psychologist and, incidentally, knows Hal personally. The kind of circles Hal ran in was more than enough to make him strut about like a peacock. But there is no ounce of arrogance about him, like Tasha had made me believe. If only she could see him the way I did, she would know that all her prejudices were wrong.

As I arrive at my desk, I hear my phone ringing, interrupting my happy thoughts. I pick it up and look at the screen. I immediately feel nauseous, as if someone had just walked in to tell me of committing a hideous crime.

It's Tasha.

She"s never called me this early before.

"Hey, Sis. What"s up?" My heart begins to race as I try to sound as normal as possible. I don't want her to know about me and Hal. Not yet at least. But keeping secrets has never been my strong suit.

"I"m great. I"ve been meaning to call, but I've been so busy with work, and I've had a lot of things on my mind."

"Is that code talk for ‘I've met a hot new guy'?"

"Uhh … maybe." I don't want to lie completely. Maybe just a white lie?

"Yay!" Tasha squeals. "Well, don"t make me beg for the details! Tell me everything. I want to hear everything. What's he like? What's his name?"

Now what do I do? If I don"t tell her now, she"s bound to find out later anyway. I know Hal is prepared to fight for us but I want to break the news in a better way. Perhaps I should tell her. It will be easier the sooner she finds out. And I guess she should find out from me instead of someone else.

"Tasha, don"t get all crazy alright?"

"What do you mean? Wait … oh my gosh! Don"t tell me you"re dating a Hollywood star?! Wow!"

"He"s not a Hollywood star, Tasha."

"Um … okay … is he a tech guru or some young billionaire who recently inherited a fortune?"

"You could say that … Ok, Tasha, remember when we were talking about Hal and I said …"

"What? Why have you brought him into this conversation …?" I hear the penny drop, and then, "You can't be serious. Hal Torres? You"re dating Hal Torres?!"

"Don"t freak out Tasha. We …"

"Are you out of your freaking mind? You"re dating the one person I specifically told you to stay away from?"

Something bursts inside my head and I suddenly see red. "Hold on Tasha. I"m not a 13-year-old that you can boss around anymore. I'm a grown woman! Just tell me what it is that you hate about him so much. You have never actually given me any tangible detail or evidence. You just say he's some evil bastard, but it doesn't add up. Not even slightly. Well, he"s not. I know him and he"s a wonderful person and we love each other."

The silence on the other end is deafening. Tasha's probably trying not to scream her lungs out at me. But I'm done playing the sweet obedient younger sister who does everything she was asked. I love Hal and he is nothing like she painted.

"Annalise, I don"t know what he's told you but let's get one thing straight. Hal is not the right man for you. He never has been and never will be. No one will ever accept what you both think you have. No one. Have you lost your mind?"

"I don"t care what anyone thinks. Hal and I are going to be together."

Tasha hangs up the phone.

I look at my phone for a few seconds and break down in tears. I love Hal but I don't want to cause any further rift between our families. It's crazy enough that he's my sister"s stepson.

Maybe we're wrong to think we could be happy when we'll hurt too many people. Maybe Tasha's right. And perhaps we're just simply dreaming that things could change.

I wipe my tears and strengthen my resolve. The thought of turning my back on everything that has happened over the last few weeks was excruciating, but it was best for all of us.

I grab my keys and run out of the office, past all my coworkers. I bump into Bertha in the lobby.

"Whoa. Where are you going in such a hurry, Anna?"

How could I explain that everything I loved was about to fall apart?

"I have to leave California, Dr."

"Wait what? Did something happen in Connecticut? Did something happen with Hal?"

Dr Bertha is the only other person in California who knows about me and Hal. She"d also encouraged me to give him a chance.

Tears blind me. "I just have to leave."

"Wait. I don"t know what"s going on but you need to take a deep breath and think before you make any sudden decisions. Why don"t you go to a hotel first and see how you feel in the morning? You can always give me a call later, if you need to talk."

I nod and race to my car. I drive as fast as I can, hoping that I don't get stopped for speeding. Tears flow freely as I think about the beautiful memories Hal and I have created in the last few days.

I get to the building and look around for Hal's car. But it's nowhere to be seen. He must be at work. It's better this way.

I enter the building and elevator. As soon as I get to the top floor, I walk over to his penthouse, unlock it with the key he gave me, and take one last look around. Everything was so dear to me. I shake my head and focus on the task at hand. I take out a pen and paper and scribble a brief message to Hal, trying to articulate as much as I can.

I leave it on the credenza in the foyer where I'm sure he will see it. I lock his door and walk across the hall and into my own apartment. I pack as fast as I can, then head off to the Blue Bell Hotel.

I book a room and head to the elevator. Once I get to my room, I collapse to the floor in tears. I feel like my heart is breaking. Since the beginning, I had a feeling that this was never going to work. But there is no way I am going back to Connecticut. If my family insists on keeping Hal and I apart then they will never see me again.

It"s best for everyone.

I close my eyes and press my face to the pillow trying to stop the pain.