Exception (42 page)

“Was it just me, or was this weekend exhausting?” Taylor asked on their last night at the B&B, exiting the bathroom in his flannel drawstring pajama bottoms and white tee.

Removing her glasses, Emily looked at him, smiling. “Not just you. I’m also super tired, but it was a good weekend.”

Stopping to add some more wood to their fireplace, Taylor nodded. “Yes it was. One of the best weekends of my life, actually.” He could almost feel her looking at him and grinning. Not wanting to miss it, he turned to look at her over his shoulder. “I’m at a beautiful place with my friends. I got to walk through a maple farm today, which made me remember my childhood, and I ate cake.”

“That explains it. A weekend that ends with cake has got to be the best ever.” She snickered.

Taylor made his way to the bed where Emily was sitting and took his place next to her. “Good book?” He changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the other reasons his weekend had been so great.

She looked from the device in her hand and back up at his face. Her cheeks were a bright shade of pink. “Hot book! I don’t think even Gabe has seen as much sex in one weekend as these characters have.”

Taylor laughed out loud at her dig at his brother. “Considering my brother is a man whore, I think I’ve made the right decision for Hump Day.”

“Yes you have,” she replied giggling. “How was your visit to their maple farm?”

“It felt like home. I could almost see Nate and me, running around the woods of the lake house with the dogs.” His eyes glistened with joy at the thought of his great childhood, the only thing Emily truly envied about her best friend. “Gabe used to beg us to let him play with us, but The Brotherhood Of The Mighty Wooden Fort excluded younglings.”

Emily looked at him with wonder and giggled. “Was that what you called yourselves?”

Taylor had on the wide smile she adored. “Yes ma’am, you’re in the presence of a TBOTMWF knight.”

“That’s a long name.” Emily laughed. “Were girls allowed in the fort?”

“Not until we were fourteen,” Taylor admitted, letting out a low embarrassed laugh. “But I don’t think they went there for the brotherhood.”

Emily looked at him with that “I see” look in her eyes, making him chuckle. He scooted down the bed and lay on his side, facing her. She placed her glasses and tablet on the bedside table and lay down facing him.

Through the flickering light of the fireplace, they smiled at each other. Taylor took a lock of her hair that had fallen between them and started playing with it, rolling and unrolling the silky strands against his index finger.

“If you knew me back then, would I have been allowed in the fort?” Emily finally broke the silence, her voice taking the characteristic tone she had when sleepy.

He didn’t know if she was asking about when he was seven or fourteen, but it didn’t matter, because the answer was the same. “You’d have been welcomed there at any age,” he admitted, stroking her cheek.

The last thing Emily remembered before falling asleep was placing a soft kiss to Taylor’s palm and wishing him sweet dreams.

A loud cracking sound startled Emily. Her eyes flew open to scan the room that was now only dimly lit by the dying fire.

“It’s just the fire cracking, go back to sleep.”

She turned her head to the side to meet Taylor’s eyes. He was sitting on the bed, looking down at her and playing with a lock of her hair, as he’d done before she fell asleep. In the darkness, the brown eyes she knew so well were darker as they watched her intently.

Still a little lost to sleep, she lifted her body and sat next to him. The blankets that were covering her up to her neck, slid down her chest, pooling in her lap. “Something wrong, Tay?” Her voice was etched with concern.

His eyes moved lazily across her now exposed body, and she could see his nostrils widening as he took a deep breath. “No, I just couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind, you know?”

“I’m awake now, wanna talk about it?”

A smirk ran across Taylor’s lips as his lids fell over his darkened eyes like hoods. He shook his head at her and let out a single chuckle. “You were tired, Ems, and you haven’t slept nearly enough. Go back to sleep.”

Emily raised her brow at him in challenge. Yes, she was tired, but his mysteriousness and the look on his face took all the sleepiness away. He was clearly hiding something from her, which was very unlike him, and she desperately wanted to know what it was.

“I thought we didn’t kept secrets.” She used her best teasing voice to hide her annoyance.

He said nothing. A ghost of a smile was the only reaction to her statement. With frustration tearing down her body, she slid down the covers again and shifted to the side, turning her back to him.

One of her biggest fears was that he’d one day begin keeping things from her. She found herself becoming incredibly frustrated, and even a little mad, when she realized that day might’ve come. “Fine, but please lie down. I’m getting cold.”

He chuckled again and did as he was told. Despite the size of the bed, they were laying so close to each other that Emily could feel his breathing on the back of her head. As much as she wanted to ignore him, her body wouldn’t allow it. Every move he made, every breath he took, was dutifully noted.

Suddenly Emily felt a hand running down the length of her long hair, from root to tips. Taylor’s fingers were firm and careful. He repeated the movement a few times, his fingers grazing the naked skin of her neck and upper back every time. His fingers were warm against her chilly skin, sending little shockwaves through her.

“Is this okay, or should I stop?” Her only response was a small nod and a pleased moan, which gave him the green light to continue. “Are you mad at me for not telling you what’s on my mind?” Once again her only response was a small nod. He took a deep breath and, when he spoke again, he inputted as much honesty in his words as he could. “If knowing it is important to you, I’ll tell you.”

“Not having secrets is important to me; you know that.” Her tone was very matter of fact.

“Fair enough.” His hands kept working through her hair and skin as he took another deep breath and moved his body just a few inches closer to hers. “I thought about how this weekend was probably the best I’ve ever had, then I thought of how beautiful you are and how lucky I am to get to spend the night in this bed with you. Then I thought about other things.”

Emily’s breath caught in her throat at his words. Before she had time to do or say anything, he closed the inches that still separated them. The heat from his body traveled through the thin fabric of her nightgown, warming her back. With careful fingers he removed the hair from the top of her shoulder and ran his index finger on top of the thin strap.

Changing directions, his finger followed the curve of her shoulder and continued down her arm. Reaching her hand, he twisted his fingers with hers. “I’ve thought about spending a night on an actual bed with you so many times since that first night. But the way you look tonight, it goes beyond my wildest dreams. You’re breathtaking, Emily, and I am now, as I’ve always been, in complete awe of you.”

Once again her breath caught. There were no words or thoughts in her mind; there was only the heavenly feel of his skin touching hers. She curved her fingers in his and bent her arm, bringing their entwined hands to her chest.

Taylor gently pressed his body against hers. She could feel every part of him, from his muscular and familiar chest and arms, to other yet unexplored parts. Soft, loving kisses rained down her shoulder and neck. His lips were cautious, as if they were asking for permission, which she gave without a second thought.

Reaching the soft skin right next to her ear, he whispered, “I’ve shared all of my secrets with you, Ems. No one in the world knows me better. I share my life and my home with you, and now we’re sharing this bed.” He delivered a soft kiss that sent the best kind of chills down her spine, and then he continued. “My body and my future, those are the last two things I have to offer, and if you want them, they’re yours.”

She took a deep breath hearing his words. There was no fear, just his warmth and his lips, and the deepest trust she’d ever felt. Realization hit her that every single thing he listed already belonged to him. She’d given him all of her secrets and he was the one person who shared in every detail of her life. In her eyes, her house hadn’t been only hers in a long time, and as for her body and future, well, she couldn’t imagine a future that didn’t include him, and she’d given him her body that first night at Old Joe’s, when he touched her and she didn’t recoil.

Emily turned to face him. He watched her with dark and hooded eyes, filled with desire and the purest love. The feelings coursing through her were too overwhelming and words evaded her. So she conveyed her message the only way she could. Leaning forward, she gently pressed her lips against his.

It was the softest of kisses, packed with emotion. “All that I have and all that I am have been yours since the day we’ve met.”

Her words were all the encouragement he needed. Letting go of her hand, he held her hip and covered her lips with his, delivering a different kind of kiss. Their first had been all softness and caution, but this one was passion and fire. Emily parted her mouth, inviting his tongue in. They explored each other’s mouths as their hands did the same to their bodies.

Repositioning himself between the thighs that eagerly opened to accommodate him, Taylor kissed her neck and the lobe of her ear as his hands ran down her body, taking enough time to feel and tease her breasts and stomach through the thin, slippery fabric. Reaching the hem of the garment, he pooled the fabric in his palms and looked at her. The message was clear, he was asking for permission, which Emily granted with a yes that was more a groan than a word.

On his knees, he moved his hands up, taking the fabric with him. His breath became more labored and his smile wider with each inch of her body that became exposed. There was no way he could hide his excitement, and no reason why he should. Seeing the desire in him made everything in her hot, blurry and wet. As the fabric passed her chest, revealing her breasts, a deep groan came from his throat, and his long fingers peeled the garment off the rest of the way, tossing it on the floor.

His lips met one of her breasts as his hand did the other. The rubbing and sucking and biting and kissing gave her an overload of pleasure, leaving her panting. With much less skillful and trembling fingers, Emily reached for his t-shirt and pulled it up, removing it from his body and throwing it to the floor.

He returned his attention to her body, alternating between pleasuring her breasts, teasing her ribs, and grazing his lips and hands across her burning belly before ascending back up again. She watched his muscles flex, wondering if she would ever see anything as perfect as the man hovering above her. Desperate for more, she ran her fingers through his hair and arched her hips closer to his. He pressed back against her, his erection pushing against the thin fabric of her panties. Both of them moaned at how good it felt.

Spreading her palms across his chest, she pushed lightly. Taylor sat back on his heels to look at her, a confused look plastered across his handsome face. “You wanna stop?”

If she had the ability to speak, which in her heated state she didn’t, her answer would have been “Hell no,” but she was beyond words. With a ghost of a smile, she lazily ran her eyes over his taut body, every single muscle toned and flexed and dotted with small beads of sweat as her hands moved down to the strings of his pajama pants.

As she pulled the bow loose the confusion in his face vanished, replaced by utter and complete joy. He made short work of the flannel and removed her lace panties almost in the same movement. For a few moments they stared at each other, completely open and vulnerable.

Emily never imagined she would ever feel comfortable being that vulnerable, but she did. Hands and lips covered her body again. He whispered words of love and praises as he moved down on her. His mouth found the most sensitive part of her and explored with a mixture of gentleness and fire that had her sucking in breaths and seeing stars. When pleasure exploded through every cell of her body, she still craved more.

Using her legs, she pushed him back up her body. Their eyes met and she saw the kid-on-Christmas-morning look she loved in his as he suggestively licked his lips, causing her to almost convulse again.

They knew each other well enough to say things without words, and as their eyes shared promises of forever, Taylor repositioned himself. With a kiss to her lips, he made himself one with her.