by Susan Stoker
“You’re going to make a great mother.”
“Damn straight I am,” Koren said with a smile. “What’d you do after you graduated?”
“Moved out, of course,” Taco told her. “I worked for a landscape business right after I graduated. Long enough to know that wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So after I saved up enough money, I moved from Illinois down here to Texas. One of the guys I worked with at the volunteer fire department hooked me up with a friend down here. The rest is history, and here I am.”
“And you don’t talk to your parents? Do they know how amazing you are and how many lives you’re changing and saving?”
Taco shrugged. “I send them a Christmas card every year and they do the same for me.”
“Well, they’re missing out,” Koren said firmly. “It’s their loss. I can’t imagine not talking to my mom at least once a week, and I’m sure she feels the same. I know I’m not doing what they think I should be doing with my life, but they love me and would support me no matter what I wanted to do.”
“What do they think you should be doing?”
“I don’t know. Something more glamorous than working from home for an Internet travel agency, for sure. But I like it. I like making people happy and trying to solve problems if they call in the middle of their trip with an emergency. Just recently I had to help a family get home after the island they were vacationing on was directly in the path of a hurricane. It was touch and go there for a while, but I managed to get all five of them on the last flight off the island.”
Taco smiled over at her. “I bet that felt good.”
“Of course it did,” she said with a smirk. “Because I rock.” She sobered. “I know you kinda already met them, but I’m going to introduce you to my folks again. No, don’t get weird on me,” she said quickly when he wrinkled his nose. “No matter what happens with us, they’ll be your champions, Taco. They’re good people, and they’re really great at building people up rather than tearing them down. Of course, you might not want them in your life once you do get to know them. They’re kinda nosy.”
He chuckled. He’d immediately balked at the idea of getting to know her parents, but the more he thought about it, the more curious he became. Koren was down to earth, friendly, not stuck up in any way, compassionate, and a whole host of other adjectives he probably didn’t even know about yet. From what he’d seen of them at the hospital, he had a feeling they were probably awesome.
“I can’t wait to officially meet them.”
“Hey, Taco?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you tell me why you go by a nickname?”
It wasn’t something he talked about much; even his friends’ women didn’t know the story behind why he hated his real name. But this was Koren. Even though their first date hadn’t officially started yet, he was willing to try to be an open book for her.
“Every time I hear the name Hudson, I think of my father. He was always so condescending when he spoke to me. ‘Hudson,’” he mimicked, “‘You need to do better in school. How will you join my firm if you don’t? Hudson, this isn’t acceptable. Hudson, you should stay home and study instead of hanging out with those reprobates at the fire station. Hudson, if you leave this house, don’t expect me to welcome you when you come crawling back.’”
“I’m sorry,” Koren whispered, squeezing his hand.
“Thanks. Anyway…when I first moved down here, one of my roommates brought tacos home for dinner for the rest of us. We weren’t exactly swimming in cash, but they were super cheap, so he bought a lot. I ate so many, they joked about me turning into a taco. The nickname just stuck.”
“Hmmm,” she said.
“What?”
“I don’t mind the nickname. I mean, it’s the only name I’ve ever known you by, but…crud. Never mind.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant he was taking her to and parked. Then he turned to her and said, “What, Koren? You can say anything you’d like to me.”
“Fine…but remember, you insisted. I just can’t imagine being in the middle of an orgasm and crying out, ‘Oh, Taco. Right there, Taco. That feels amazing, Taco.’”
Silence filled the cab for a beat as he watched her turn bright red.
He reached over and put his hand behind her neck, turning her so she had no choice but to look at him. The position was awkward, as he hadn’t let go of her hand, but he leaned in so he had her complete attention. “My middle name is Robert. When we’re alone, you can call me Rob. In bed, out of it, if you need to send me some secret signal that all isn’t right in your world…I’m Rob. I’m not ashamed of my nickname. It’s just who I am now. But when I’m so deep inside your body that you can’t feel anything but me, when you can’t think about anything but me, you call me Rob.”
Taco knew he might be pushing his luck. This was their first date, but the second she’d mentioned sex and him in the same breath, he was a goner.
Koren licked her lips, and he felt her free hand come up and grasp the sleeve of his shirt. He loved how she did that. He didn’t think she realized she was doing it, either. Holding him tight as if she had no intention of ever letting go. It was such a refreshing change from the way his ex had always acted…as if he’d had the plague.
He pushed any and all thoughts of Jen out of his head. He was with Koren, and there wasn’t anyone else he could imagine wanting to be with. Jen wasn’t welcome here.
“Okay,” she said breathlessly.
Taco fought against his base instincts for a moment—and lost. His head lowered at the same time he put a bit of pressure on the back of her neck. But he needn’t have bothered. She tilted her chin up and met him halfway.
The second their lips touched, the same feeling of rightness he’d felt that morning when they’d kissed engulfed him again. Her tongue immediately came out and tangled with his. There was no hesitancy in her kiss. No first-date awkwardness. It was as if they’d known each other their entire lives.
When he felt his dick stir, Taco pulled back. As much as he wanted her, he didn’t want to rush into things. Which was new for him since his last relationship. Previously, he’d never felt a desire to hold back when it came to his needs. But with Koren, he wanted to savor every small milestone. Including their first date.
“Ready?” he asked softly.
“Ready,” she confirmed.
Squeezing the back of her neck lightly, he dropped his hand. His sleeve pulled a bit when he sat back, and Taco smiled.
“Sorry,” Koren said a little ruefully, as she smoothed the fabric.
A sense of déjà vu hit him. Yes, she’d done the same thing that morning with his T-shirt, but it was more than that. It felt like a deeper memory, somehow.
Taco had never considered himself fanciful. He was a take-it-as-it-comes kind of man. But with the vision of her in his kitchen, cooking for him and their kids, and now this, he couldn’t dismiss the signs the universe was sending him.
To cover up the feeling of rightness filling him, he said, “Come on, Kor. Let’s get something to eat.”
And with that, they climbed out of the truck and headed for the Mexican restaurant.
Two hours later, Koren’s stomach hurt from laughing and her face was sore from smiling so much. Taco was a charming and funny dinner companion. They’d been seated in a booth and he’d taken the seat across from her. She’d ordered a strawberry margarita but he’d stuck to iced tea, since he was driving. They’d talked about everything from her brothers and their wives, to the funniest calls he’d been on.
The time had passed by in a blink, and she definitely didn’t want the night to end. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been this relaxed with a guy. She felt this comfortable ease around Vicky and Sue, but never a man.
“You want another?” Taco asked, nodding at her empty glass.
She shook her head. She wasn’t much of a drinker and she was already a bit tipsy from the one drink she’d had. It was
a big glass, but still.
“You want anything else to eat?”
“I think between the two of us, they’re more than ready to see us go,” she teased. “If you’re Taco, then I must be ‘Chips and Salsa.’”
He chuckled and leaned his arms on the table. “You can’t know how refreshing it is to be with a woman who isn’t afraid to eat what she wants.”
Koren rolled her eyes. “See, guys say that, but then when they’ve been together for a while, he starts with little comments… ‘Are you sure you need a second helping? Maybe you don’t need dessert.’ Then before you know it, he’s making salads for dinner and leaving pamphlets around the house for Weight Watchers.”
“Not me,” Taco said adamantly. “I won’t lie, I want my woman to be healthy so she lives a nice long life. But eating chips and salsa on occasion doesn’t mean you need to go on a diet. Regardless, I think you’re just about perfect, Koren.”
She blushed, but forged on. “So you’re saying that you wouldn’t want someone like her on your arm?” She indicated a slender woman standing at the bar. A man had his arm around her and they were clearly in love.
Taco didn’t turn his head. “No.”
“You didn’t even look,” Koren protested.
“I don’t need to. Because whoever’s standing there, she isn’t you.”
It was a good answer. A really good answer.
“Come on,” Taco said abruptly. “There’s something I want to show you.”
Koren eyed him with raised brows. “Is this where you take me back to the truck, park in a secluded spot, and tell me what you want to show me is in your pants?”
He burst out laughing. “No.” He stood next to the booth with his hand outstretched.
Scooching over, Koren took it and let him help her stand. “Okay, but I’m reserving the right to smack your face indignantly and tell you that I’m not that kind of girl if you do.”
“Noted,” Taco said with another chuckle.
She walked a little ahead of him to the door and when his hand rested on the small of her back, she couldn’t help but remember the way it had felt when he’d had it there earlier this morning. When he’d used it to hold her against him as he’d kissed her.
It was safe to say she enjoyed Taco’s hands on her, and if he wanted to show her what was in his pants, she probably definitely wouldn’t smack him.
He kept his hand on her back as they made their way through the parking lot to his truck. He opened the passenger door for her, and she was more than aware of his eyes on her as she climbed into the seat.
“Are you looking at my ass?” she asked sassily when she was seated.
“Yup.”
She blinked. “You’re supposed to say, ‘Uh-uh, no way.’”
“Why would I say that when I was? I mean, you’ve got one hell of an ass, Koren.” Then he winked at her and slammed the door.
She tried to hide her smile as he walked around the truck, but knew she hadn’t managed it when he got back in and said, “And you like me looking at your butt. As much as you like looking at mine. Don’t think I didn’t notice where your eyes were when I went to the restroom.”
She couldn’t deny it. Taco in a pair of jeans was definitely stare worthy. And she’d wanted to claw the eyes out of the other women in the restaurant who’d noticed as well.
“No comeback?” he asked as he started the engine.
Koren shook her head and pantomimed zipping her mouth shut.
Taco grinned and concentrated on the road. They drove for about twenty minutes in an easy silence. Koren was glad Taco didn’t feel the need to talk incessantly. She didn’t mind being alone with her thoughts, and there were a lot of times she didn’t bother turning on the TV or radio at home, preferring the silence to unnecessary noise.
When he pulled down a dirt road, she looked over at him. “So you are going to pull the down-your-pants trick?” she asked, feigning disappointment.
“Nope. But I’ll warn you, Crash is the one who’s the expert at awesome dates. Make Adeline tell you about their first date sometime. It was epic.”
“Can’t you tell me?” Koren asked.
“Nope. Especially not right now. You’ll be all disappointed in what we’re doing and you’ll wonder why I can’t be as awesome as Crash.”
“That’s not what I’m thinking,” Koren said softly.
They bounced their way down the road and eventually came to a stop. “We’re here,” he announced.
“Where’s here?”
But Taco merely smiled and got out of the truck.
Koren got out on her side and Taco was there immediately with a steadying hand. She would’ve told him that she was fine, but with the rocky ground and the drink she’d had, she was happy for the assistance.
He walked her down a rough path and just when she was about to ask where in the world they were going, she gasped.
Somehow they’d gone up in elevation and she hadn’t even noticed. They were on a small hill, and the lights of downtown San Antonio shone brightly in the distance.
“Look up,” Taco said softly.
She did. Wavering on her feet, she shot out a hand to grab on to something, which was stupid because they were in the middle of nowhere, but Taco didn’t let her down. He took a step closer and got behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and clasped them together over her stomach.
She was surrounded by him, and it felt amazing. She closed her eyes and soaked in the feeling.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked softly.
“Uh-huh,” she said absently.
Taco chuckled and she felt it rumble against her back. “You aren’t even looking,” he chastised.
Koren opened her eyes and gazed upward. The stars twinkled above their heads, looking bright in the darkness of their surroundings.
“I found this place one night when I was just driving around, bored. I couldn’t sleep and I thought I’d turn around. I saw the little path and got curious. I’m guessing teenagers use this place as a make-out spot or something, but I’ve never seen anyone else here. It’s not exactly the Marfa lights, but I thought you might like to experience it with me.”
Koren had heard about the Marfa lights. They were out in west Texas, and most people thought they were UFOs or something else unexplainable. She’d never really felt the need to go see them, and standing here with Taco felt ten times better.
She crossed her arms and grabbed hold of the sleeves of his shirt. They stood like that for a long time. Neither spoke, just absorbing the moment.
Eventually, Koren shivered.
“Cold?” Taco asked, his warm breath wafting over her ear, sending another shiver through her. “I didn’t think it was that chilly out. I’m sorry,” he apologized and loosened his arms around her.
Koren refused to let go of his sleeves. “I’m fine. I always get cold after I eat. Something about the blood going to my stomach to digest the food. And there’s a lot of chips and salsa to digest tonight,” she quipped.
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her again. She could feel him against her back. A solid strength that she had a feeling would protect her from anything and everything. It was an odd thought to have on a first date. But she couldn’t deny how she felt. Part of it was probably because of how they’d connected at her car wreck. But most of it was just him.
Without giving it much thought, Koren let go of his sleeves and turned in his arms. Before he could ask what was wrong, she’d snuggled back into him. Her hands gripped his shirt at his back and her head rested on his shoulder. Her flip-flops gave her another two inches in height, just enough to be almost eye-to-eye with him.
“Koren?” he asked, his hands coming to rest on her hips.
“I’m okay,” she said. “I’m just enjoying being here with you.”
“Ditto.”
After a moment, Koren decided to do what she’d been thinking about since before dinner. She moved her hand up behind Taco’s neck, as he see
med to like to do to her, and touched her lips to his.
She licked his bottom lip. He opened immediately, and she swept her tongue inside. He tasted like the tea he’d drank right before they left the restaurant.
And she wanted more. Needed more.
Going up on her tiptoes, she pressed her body to his and gripped both his neck and the shirt at his back with tight fingers.
But instead of kissing her harder, he pulled back a fraction. His lips brushing against hers as he spoke. “I’m not going anywhere, Kor. Easy.”
She didn’t want easy. She wanted him as out of control as she felt.
“Shut up and kiss me,” she ground out.
And then he was.
If she thought their earlier kisses were hot, they were nothing compared to the way he took her mouth just then.
He didn’t just kiss her…he made love to her mouth, using his lips and tongue to mimic the act. Koren had never been taken as thoroughly as she was right then. It was a claiming. One she was more than happy to acquiesce to.
When he pulled back, he rested his forehead on hers. They were both breathing hard. One of his hands had slipped under the waistband of her jeans and she could feel his fingers against the crack of her ass. He’d wrapped the other around her back to anchor her to him.
The hand at his neck had dropped to grasp his biceps and the other one was under his shirt—and she had a feeling that she’d left fingernail marks on his back. But she wasn’t sorry. Couldn’t be, because it was obvious he wasn’t.
“God, your hands feel so good,” were the first words he said after he’d disengaged from her.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked quietly.
“Never. Knowing you want me so bad that you can’t hold on tightly enough is a hell of a turn on.”
Koren bit her lip, not sure how to respond to that.
