Free The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced by Marissa Honeycutt Page B

danced
beautifully.” Isaak’s cheeks reddened slightly, which made Anna
blush. “Really, Anna. It’s okay.” He smiled at her. “If you two
dance like that tonight…you’ll be the talk of the town. Now, go
home and rest.”
    Anna nodded and went to her bag, avoiding the
looks of the other dancers who had stayed to watch.
    Travis knelt down next to her to gather his
things. “Do you know how hard it is to dance with a hard-on, Anna?”
he whispered.
    She turned to apologize and saw him grinning
at her. “I’m so sorry, Travis. I don’t know what happened.”
    “The magic of an Elder-Mistress.” He shrugged
and grinned. “I don't mind…too much. But it does make me really
horny.”
    Anna shrugged. “I could probably help you out
with that,” she said without thinking about it. And then she did
think about it and the distraction sounded nice.
    He looked at her, shocked. “Anna….”
    “Sex helps me feel better.”
    He stared at her. “Anna, you’re grieving. I
don’t want you to regret anything.”
    Tears filled her eyes. “If Devin came to my
place tonight he wouldn’t care if I were grieving or not. He’d have
sex with me anyways. And I think you’d be a bit nicer than
him.”
    “Does he suck in the sack?”
    Anna grimaced. “Not if he doesn’t want
to.”
    Isaak walked up at that moment. “Anna, has
the family decided when the funeral will be?”
    Anna nodded. “They were going to try for
Friday.”
    Isaak nodded thoughtfully. “You should go. If
you want to dance in the matinee, just promise me you’ll have a
good warm up on your own.”
    “I do want to dance, Isaak,” she said, tears
in her eyes. “Do you think that’s okay?”
    He nodded. “I know you and I know your
reasons, Anna. You don’t have to justify yourself to me. If anyone
says anything, I will defend your decision.”
    She gave him a small smile and hugged him.
“Thanks.”
    “Go rest. I’ll see you tonight.”

Chapter Fourteen
    Anna collapsed on her bed upon returning to
her apartment after rehearsal. Dancing had helped her feel better.
At least for a while. Jenna and Aaron were getting Jenna’s things
from her dad’s house and would be here soon.
    Anna had gone home to rest, but rest eluded
her. She lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. The relief that
she had felt while dancing trickled out of her body like a leaking
pipe, only to be replaced by the pain of Ben’s loss. She turned on
her side and sobbed until she fell asleep.
    Voices in the hallway woke her later. It was
Jenna and Aaron. Matt, too. She rolled off her bed and walked out
of her room. Jenna sat in the midst of dozens of boxes while Aaron
and Matt leaned against the wall, talking.
    They smiled at her when she walked in.
    “How are you doing, Matt?” she asked with a
weak smile.
    He shrugged. “Okay. My parents are here.
Katherine and Ben’s sisters are working on packing up Ben’s things.
They wanted to see you if you woke up in time.”
    Anna bit her lip. She didn’t want to go back
down to that apartment, but she didn’t want to be rude either. She
nodded and reluctantly made her way to Ben’s apartment.
    She knocked on the door and a moment later,
Katherine opened it. Her eyes were red and puffy. She smiled and
hugged Anna, pulling her into the apartment.
    “Hey, sweetheart. How ya doing?”
    “Okay,” Anna answered. “Depends on the
moment.”
    Katherine nodded. “I understand. I found
something I wanted to give you.” She took Anna’s hand and led her
to Ben’s bedroom.
    Anna froze at the entrance. She didn’t want
to go in. Didn’t want to see his things being packed up into
boxes.
    Katherine pulled her inside and she saw
Marcia and Ruth packing up his clothes. All his suits. He had
looked so handsome in them. Tears welled in Anna’s eyes.
    “Here,” Katherine said, handing her the ring
box.
    Anna stared at it as if it was a snake.
    “He was going to ask you to marry him,”
Katherine said in a cracked voice. “At