"I know, but you're just as dangerous. I have rules for myself. This..." Oksana pulled up the left side of her shirt and revealed the large Cyrillic letters that ran the height of her ribs. Annie had no clue what it said, but she was transfixed as Oksana pointed right to the K. "I got this to cover up her name. I branded myself with her name because I thought we would be together forever and she did everything in her power to make me believe that. I thought she loved me, I thought she loved my family, but she didn't. Me, we were something she was unsure about.

"After that I promised myself I wouldn't ignore warning signs anymore. Not with friends, not with my career, and I've stuck to that. I fucked up by sleeping with you, but you're not at risk of a DUI now and I'm thinking more clearly. I can't willingly walk into a relationship that starts like this, Annie. I don't want you to marry someone you're unsure about either. But I can't take a chance on someone who is showing me every sign that they aren't thinking clearly. You really think you're just going to call the wedding off and everyone's going to be all 'Oh, okay. Whatever'?"

Annie snickered and shook her head at the face Oksana made, but she had a point.

"No. I don't."

"I want something better for myself. I need someone I know I can trust. I need someone who is one hundred percent sure about me. That's not asking too much, is it?"

"No," Annie huffed indignantly.

"And can't you see how this sounds to me? You're still engaged and telling me you have feelings for me. How do I know you're not going to turn around in two months or a year and tell me you're actually straight or that you'd rather be with someone who can father your children, because that I can't do."

"That's not fair," Annie grumbled.

"Why isn't it fair? It is and you're just mad because it's not what you want to hear."

"So what if we gave this a try and you decided you didn't want me? Then what?"

"I don't know. I have to think about my grandma and I have to think about Kat."

"I want you to. I want to fit into your life. I'm not asking you to change just see if you can work me in."

"And what about your friends? You think they'll warm up to me when they find out the truth?"

"My best friend wants to meet you, actually."

"You told her?"

"Yes. I needed to talk to someone. My other friends..."

"Your other friends and your family will hate me."

"At first they might, but I don't care about what they think."

"Yeah, you say that now."

"Well, what do we do?" Because I'm falling for you even harder, Annie wanted to say. Plus, I kinda want to know if you're wearing any underwear under those spandex.

"I don't know."

Annie's ragged breath propelled her off the picnic table. She felt Oksana's eyes on her as she paced in the dirt.

"Jeff comes back in three weeks and then I think I'm ending it."

"And you hoped we'd hang out in the meantime."

Annie turned on her with a glare. Oksana glared back until Annie relented.

"What should we do about this whole workout thing?" Annie asked with a sigh.

"I need to blow off some steam so I'm going to run up to the top. You're welcome to join me. When you break things to your mother, we'll refund her for the rest of this month."

"No. I'll pay for it. Just let me know how much." Her mom really was going to kill her. "In three weeks-Jesus. In three weeks, can I call you?"

"No." Oksana straightened her shoulders and focused those beautiful dark green eyes right on Annie. "When it all blows over, when you know, not when you think, not when you're a little confused. When you know, then you call me."

"Fine."

For some reason, at that moment Oksana's ex popped into her mind. Annie said, "I don't know who she is, of course, but I'm sorry about what she-"

Oksana held up a hand, knowing exactly what Annie was about to say. She'd probably heard it so many times before. "Don't. It was a long time ago and it's over. And whatever she did is definitely not your fault. I just have to watch my own ass."

Annie just nodded slightly, not knowing what else to say.

Oksana jerked her head to the mouth of the trail. "Let's go."

They walked the first few inclines slowly, silently. Annie had more to think about than she realized. Soon their walk turned into a brisk jog and then a full-on run after they passed the observatory and a full out race to the next peak. Annie knew her feelings weren't going to change.

She'd never felt this way for Jeff. They loved each other and she cared about him deeply, but she never ached to touch him, never dreaded the idea of them spending time apart. Never once did she wish that he would call. He traveled all the time for his photography, and Annie never minded watching him go. But as they came back down the mountain, she hated the idea of Oksana walking away. It could take a fucking year for all of this wedding shit to go away, even longer to be forgiven by all the disappointed relatives and put out friends. Annie couldn't wait that long.

She looked at Oksana, dripping with sweat from the crown of her head, her own look of concentration on her face as they neared the rest area at the bottom. Annie fought the urge to wipe Oksana's brow. That touch would lead to more, and Oksana had made it clear that now was the time for less. Distracting herself with her partial clean up, she watched Oksana use the short sleeve of her shirt to do the job instead. She took a bottle of water Oksana had stashed in the trunk of her SUV. They chugged in silence and Annie smiled to herself when she realized Oksana's Tahoe was the same metallic gray as her gunmetal nipple rings.

The nipple rings you'll never see again, she reminded herself.

There was an awkward good-bye, no promise of a phone call, and Annie lumbered on weak legs over to her car. She waited and she knew there were still things unsaid or things undone that would make this time apart even more miserable.

After a moment she realized she hadn't heard a car pull away. There were pebbles all over the road leading in and out of the park. Even her Prius bumped and rattled when she'd pulled in. She turned around and saw Oksana's Tahoe still parked twenty or so yards away.

Selfishly, as was the way with Annie Collins, she walked toward the SUV. Oksana was around the other side, leaning her forehead against the driver's side window, her keys hanging limply in her hand.

"Sana..." She hadn't meant for her voice to sound so breathy and desperate. Dropping the "Ok" just came naturally.

Oksana turned in her direction, and the look on her face told Annie everything she'd been wanting to hear. The hesitation and the fear were there, but the yearning was too. She may have brought up some pretty valid arguments as to why they shouldn't be together, but with just that look Annie knew Oksana didn't want her to go either.

Annie stepped closer with sudden determination, their height difference exaggerated as she looked up into her sad, searching eyes. They swallowed at the same time, nervously. Annie didn't want to pressure her. She wanted Oksana to come to her at will, but there was just something about Oksana and her light cocoa skin that blushed pink, the same shade of her warm lips. Annie had to kiss her one last time before she could really say good-bye.

She watched as Oksana's tongue quickly wet her bottom lip, and she was done in. Annie's arms went around Oksana's waist, pressing the damp T-shirt into the small of her back.

"I'm all gross," Oksana breathed.

"So am I." Annie wasn't going to let a little sweat get in the way. She could feel the tight tips of Oksana's nipples and the balls of their tiny barbells through the fabric of her jacket. She needed more. Taking a slight dip of Oksana's head as her sudden consent, Annie leaned up and took those full lips with her own. Oksana didn't resist or argue.

"Annie," Oksana said one last time. "We can't." But her arms draped over Annie's shoulders and she pulled her closer.

Their kiss was slow at first, sweet and salty, and as fresh as the cool water that had just passed through both their mouths. Ignoring that they were in the middle of a public parking lot, in broad daylight, Annie savored every passing stroke, letting her hands wander along Oksana's back.

Her attention was returned with equal care and gentleness, but Oksana pushed it over into frenzy, sucking Annie's bottom lip between her own. Annie whimpered and shoved her thigh between Oksana's legs. Oksana let her weight drop and Annie caught her, grinding her leg more firmly against Oksana's scorching hot body. Her clit surged at the contact. Her pussy was already wet, but was now throbbing as they started rubbing against each other.

Somewhere in the distance she heard the single beep of the car locks. Oksana shoved away and opened the rear door.

"Get in."

Annie jumped in the backseat of the SUV, kicking her running shoes to the floor as she flopped on her back. Oksana followed, climbing over her, and closed them in the roomy cabin of the car. Green types all around town loved giving her shit for driving the monster SUV, but they could never pull this off in the backseat of Annie's Prius. She watched as Annie braced one knee on the seat and another knee on the floor. Their thighs were intertwined again, and moments later so were their lips, wrestling together in a salty-sweet push and pull, a delicious suck and tug. Suddenly she felt Annie's hands roughly palming her ass pulling her closer. Oksana groaned, glad that she'd skipped wearing underwear.

"Where's your ring?" she murmured into Annie mouth. She'd noticed the huge diamond was still missing. She sat up so Annie could unzip her jacket.

"I never put it back on," Annie replied as she threw her jacket over the front seat. Her shirt was right behind it.

Oksana followed her lead, ditching her shirt and her sports bra. "No one noticed?"

Oksana fought the urge to snap her fingers in front of Annie's face. She wasn't paying attention to a word Oksana was saying. Her eyes were focused on Oksana's nipples. Oksana leaned forward, at first pushing hard with her hips, sliding her slit harder against Annie's thigh, but keeping her tits just out of reach. She pictured her juices seeping through her spandex, and wanted to leave a mark on Annie's yoga pants, on her skin. The thought made her whimper. She had to get Annie completely naked. She had to go down on her again.

"Did they?" Oksana said, trying to bring Annie back to reality, which was just as good, if not better, than her own fantasies.

"No, they did. I just didn't care," she said, arching into the kisses Oksana laved along her neck.

"Mhmm."

"I said it was getting cleaned...You, up."

Oksana sat up and Annie went right for her nipples, cupping her breast in her hand and squeezing gently. Oksana freaked, her back going instantly rigid.

She loved how fascinated Annie was with the tiny pieces of metal. She would never know how good it felt to have a warm tongue sliding against her piercings. Annie had no idea how hard the slightest suction and the right amount of pressure could make her come. But Annie seemed to understand how to treat her sensitive nipples. Oksana had gotten the piercings on a whim. It was the day she turned eighteen and the day of her first legal tattoo. Once they healed, she became fascinated with touching them. Still nothing topped a hot mouth closing over her nipple as it puckered harder than she thought possible around the surgical steel. Oksana rocked against her as Annie adored both barbells, just as their kissing had started out. Slowly at first, so slowly Oksana could feel every small motion, Annie traced the smallest textures of her skin, the tiniest bumps and grooves and then over the metal itself.

Oksana pitched and strained, whimpered Annie's name, but this time "Anne, Anne" as she trembled above her. Beyond the contact of their legs and thighs, their bodies were barely touching. The careful sucking continued as Oksana fought through her orgasm.

Eventually, Annie let go, dropping gentle kisses across Oksana's chest, along the tattoo she surprisingly hadn't asked about yet. Oksana sighed, settling her weight back on Annie's thigh as Annie gently stroked her neck and the back of her head. Now she could feel the soaking heat between her legs spreading through the fabric of her pants. She wanted more.

Annie kissed the corner of her lips. "Did you just come?"

"Yeah," Oksana panted bashfully. The whole park had probably heard her. "I told you they were sensitive."

"No. I remember," she murmured. "That is so hot." Annie lowered her mouth again and slowly stroked over the other nipple, making Oksana arch and shudder some more. Oksana shoved her hand between their bodies, and when she started massaging Annie's pussy through her yoga pants, Annie let her nipple go and did some arching of her own.

Soon Oksana's hand slipped away and their bodies made the contact she'd been wanting all along, even through the layers of their clothes. She shifted off the edge of the seat and let Annie's pussy press flush against her. Annie cried out. Oksana nodded in numb agreement at the sensation on her clit. The cotton that separated them made them both push harder, grind more fiercely toward their finish as they panted each other's names and came together.

"Anne."

"Sana."

Oksana collapsed on Annie's chest, finally sliding both knees to the floor. Annie let her fingers trail down the smooth length of Oksana's bare back, the soothing motions bringing them both down from their highs.

"A month," Oksana breathed. "Call me in a month and we'll see how it goes." The flags, they were bright red and everywhere Oksana looked. They waved in gale force winds with every word Annie said, but something deep inside, a strong niggling in her heart told her to hold on. She couldn't let Annie disappear from her life completely. Something told her to be patient and eventually, maybe in a month those signs of caution would fade to a different color. Somehow red would morph to green.

They lay for a while on the now damp upholstery. Oksana noticed the seat belt was digging into the side of her knee, but she was too content to move. Eventually, they had to.

Suffocating in the backseat of her Tahoe was not the end Oksana had in mind. Annie agreed. They peeled themselves apart and did their best to appear decent before they climbed out and shoved back into their sneakers.

"One month?" Annie asked, the hopeful tone in her voice suggested she would settle for something in the ballpark of one week.

Oksana leaned down and kissed her. "One month." She watched Annie walk back to her car. Annie paused once, looking over her shoulder with a lustful yet forlorn look in her eye. Oksana felt like she was doing the right thing. Annie wanted to spend time with her, not just fuck her at every opportunity. Annie wanted a chance, but thankfully, she didn't argue with Oksana's terms.

As she drove out of the park, refusing to look back at the Prius that stayed behind her until she reached Sunset, Oksana knew this was going to be the longest month of her life. Or maybe it would pass too quickly, before she had enough time to really think.

When she reached the little house, she showered and ate an exotic parfait Baba had been nice enough to leave in the fridge for her. Her session with Stewart was pleasant and quick. A nice trip to another place with someone who wasn't complicated, someone who wanted her professional guidance and her trust, not a piece of her heart.

She watched a horrible TV movie with Kat and did her best to relax. Sometime after dinner though, she caved. She needed to talk to Annie. Bring the emotions and speculations down and talk to her about the possibility of what they could have. She wasn't ready for a relationship, but she needed to talk, with calm words and rational thinking, and not in public. They exchanged a few texts, and once it was confirmed that Annie had no plans Oksana asked, Can I come over?

Yes was Annie's reply.

Baba didn't ask where she was going when she snatched her keys from the counter. Something told Oksana she already knew.

Chapter Seven.

The Beginning Or the End,

Depending On Whom You Ask

Oksana climbed out of her Tahoe and took a deep breath. She adjusted her shirt and her Adidas jacket over the top of her jeans as she came around the front of her car. Annie was standing on the front steps in her pajamas.

"Hi," she said with the most adorable, dimpled grin. "Are you hungry? I have pizza."

Oksana couldn't fight her smile as she walked up the steps. "What kind?"

"Pepperoni and sausage. I have ice cream too," Annie replied, standing up on her tiptoes, lips pursed for a kiss. Oksana gave in and gently took Annie's lips with her own. She'd come to Venice to talk, not to fuck or make out, but something in Oksana's heart had already latched on to Annie, claimed her as someone worth kissing on sight.

Annie fell back on her heels and grabbed Oksana's hand. "Come inside." She followed Annie to the couch, noticing immediately that every trace of her wedding had vanished from the room. She kept her mouth shut about the missing dress and the fact that Runaway Bride was playing on Annie's TV.

They collapsed on the couch facing each other. Oksana was suddenly at a loss for words. Now what?