We ended up in the kitchen, which was teeming with delicious smells. I inhaled several times and my stomach actually growled in response.
“Hungry?” Rita asked.
“Starving,” I admitted. “I’m looking forward to a home-cooked meal.”
Rita frowned. “You don’t get home very much?”
I snuck a peek at Taylor and she grimaced. I guess she hadn’t revealed much about my background to her parents. Not that I blamed her. If my daughter dated a guy with a background like mine, I’d be furious.
My daughter? Where the hell did that thought come from? I’d never given any thought to having a family of my own before. But I’d never met a girl like Taylor before either. Taylor was definitely the type of girl you married and had kids with, if you were ever that lucky. Right now, I just felt lucky to be invited to dinner with her parents.
“No,” I replied finally. “I don’t get home very much.”
“Your mother must miss you terribly,” Rita said.
I wanted to laugh and tell her I wasn’t even sure my mom realized I had moved out but instead I just nodded. She didn’t need to be bothered with stories about my shitty family.
“Where’s Dad?” Taylor asked and I was glad that she decided to change the subject.
“He’s practicing,” Rita replied. “Where do you think?”
“Do you need any help,” Taylor offered. “Everything smells delicious.”
“Why don’t you take your friend and show him around?” Rita suggested. I didn’t like the way she said friend. I considered Taylor way more than just a friend.
Taylor grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the kitchen. “Sorry about that,” she whispered when we were out of earshot. “I didn’t tell my mom anything about your family or upbringing. I didn’t want them to have any preconceptions before they met you.”
“Thanks,” I replied. I wasn’t sure what her mom thought of me. She was obviously being polite but I didn’t get the feeling she was overly impressed with me so far.
Taylor dragged me into a room that was filled floor to ceiling with books. “This is the library.”
“Have you read all of these?” I asked amazed at the sheer volume of the collection.
“Not all of them but I’ve read a lot of them.”
I pulled Taylor close to me and whispered in her ear. “Is it bad that I get turned on by how smart you are?”
She laughed and it turned me on even more.
“I think you’d better show me the rest of the house,” I said. “Or I may have to take you right here in the library.”
She gave me a playful slap on the arm and grabbed my hand again. “Come on. Next stop is my mom’s office.”
Even though there was a Warning: Enter at Your Own Risk sign on the door, Taylor opened the door anyway and I was surprised to see a room that was completely cluttered with papers, books, and magazines strewn everywhere. It was in sharp contrast to the rest of the house, which was immaculate.
“This is where my mom spends most of her time. It’s a wreck and she doesn’t really want people to see it.”
“How many books has your mom written?” I asked. Something had to be going on in this room; it was in such as state of chaos.
She shrugged. “I don’t really keep count but I know it’s more than 30, maybe 35 or so.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of books.” Just another reason for me to be completely intimidated by Taylor’s family. I didn’t think I’d read more than 10 books in my life and her mother wrote over 30. I was farther out of my league than I thought.
Taylor pulled me out of the room and we headed down the long hallway. As we got closer to the next room, I could hear the faint sound of music. We stood outside the door but Taylor didn’t open it.
“My dad is practicing in here,” she said. “I don’t want to disturb him. It’s his practice room.”
“I don’t want to disturb him either,” I admitted.
We turned down another hallway and ended up in a large den with a huge flat screen television, couches, a pool table and what looked like a fully stocked bar. “Entertainment room,” she said as we stepped inside.
“Do you play pool?” I asked. That was something I actually had some expertise in.
Taylor laughed. “None of us plays pool. My parents got suckered into buying it when they bought the house. I don’t think the previous owner wanted to pay to have it moved.”
As I got closer to the pool table, I noticed that it was in nearly perfect condition. It didn’t look like the previous owners had used it much either. “I could teach you how to play,” I offered.
“I’m not sure I’ll be any good at it but we could give it a try,” Taylor said. “Let’s see the rest of the house first.”
“Lead the way.”
Taylor led me up a flight of stairs and there was another open area that looked like a smaller den with a smaller flat screen, a couch and a couple of desks with computers. Then we entered the largest bedroom I’d ever seen in my life.
“This is my parents’ room,” Taylor said.
The bed looked like it was straight out of a storybook, it looked like a sleigh. All of their bedroom furniture was heavy wood. It looked extremely expensive. On the side of the bedroom, there was a smaller room with a beautiful window and window seat and a sitting chair. I poked my head into her parents’ bathroom and I swear it was the size of my entire apartment. I could have fit my bed in their closet alone.
Then we went back through the small den to the other side of the stairs where there were three smaller bedrooms and another bathroom.
“This is the guest bedroom,” Taylor said. It was a nice sized room decorated in neutral colors.
The next bedroom was painted wall to ceiling in an array of various flower designs. It was different. I guessed it was Zelda’s room and I was right.
“She painted the walls and ceiling herself,” Taylor said. “My parents encouraged her to express herself artistically and this was one of the casualties.”
“It definitely looks like a Zelda creation,” I stated and Taylor laughed.
I couldn’t wait until we got to her bedroom because I needed to take her into my arms and kiss her. I needed the assurance that she was still mine.
Taylor’s room looked exactly as I expected. It looked like a room fit for a princess. It was done up all in various shades of pink and the bed had a canopy. I made sure to close her door behind us and I pulled her close so there was no space between our bodies. I wanted so badly to feel the heat of her body pressed to mine.
I think I caught her a little off guard when I thrust my tongue into her mouth but she quickly responded and deepened the kiss.
When I grabbed her ass and pulled her even closer, I could feel my dick get hard. God, I wanted to rip her clothes off and fuck her on that canopy bed. There was a glint in her eye and I got the feeling that she was thinking exactly the same thing.
“Do you know how badly I want you right now?” I whispered in her ear.
“Yes,” she replied breathlessly. “But my mom will look for us if we don’t return to the kitchen soon.”
I sighed then shoved my hands in my pants pocket in an effort to get my dick under control.
Taylor leaned up and whispered in my ear. “Later,” she said. “I promise.”
I gave her a little smile. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
She gave me a sexy little grin in return. “I have every intention of keeping that promise.”
And I could feel my dick come right back to life again. Later could not come soon enough.
When we got back down stairs, Zelda burst through the front door like a tornado. A tall lanky guy followed. I was surprised to see he was wearing a white silk sweat suit. It looked like something out of a bad music video from the 1990s. Zelda looked just as strange in a black cat suit and black pumps.
“Were the two of you at rehearsal?” Taylor asked clearly as a result of what they were wearing.
>
Zelda rolled her eyes. “It’s Thanksgiving. We didn’t have rehearsal.”
Taylor looked uncomfortable but it didn’t seem to faze Zelda or her date one bit.
Rita came to the door and she had a huge smile on her face. “Zelda, dear,” she said as she hugged her oldest daughter. Then she looked at the lanky guy and said, “Robyn, it’s great to see you again. I’m so glad you could join us for dinner.” Then she gave silk sweat suit guy a big hug. If only I had gotten that kind of a greeting, I wouldn’t feel like such a fucking intruder. Or maybe imposter was a better word. Whatever the word, I clearly didn’t belong and everyone seemed to sense it but Taylor.
And what kind of name was Robyn anyway? It sounded like a chick’s name but it didn’t seem to bother the dude one bit. We were talking about a guy wearing a white silk sweat suit, though. Clearly he was very comfortable in his own skin. I kind of envied that.
“Your dad should be finishing up soon,” Rita said to the girls. “Why don’t you take the boys into the dining room and have a seat. I’ll start bringing out some wine and appetizers.”
“Are you sure you don’t need any help, Mom?” Taylor volunteered.
“If you insist,” her mom replied.
Taylor leaned up and whispered in my ear. “Will you be okay for a few minutes?”
I nodded. “Sure, go help your mom.”
After Taylor made her way into the kitchen, Zelda locked her arm under my elbow and then grabbed Robyn’s elbow with her other arm. “Would you look at me? I’ve got a gorgeous guy on either arm. I could be the luckiest girl on the planet.”
Zelda was definitely dramatic. She and her sister were complete opposites not just physically but also their personalities. It was hard for me to believe they came from the same parents. But what did I know? I never had any siblings so who the hell knows if they’d be like me or not. The closest thing I had to a brother was Runt and I sure as hell didn’t want people saying we were anything alike.
The dining room table was elaborately decorated with fine china and silverware. I hoped to God I wasn’t a klutz and didn’t break anything.
Zelda and Robyn sat together at the far end of the table and I took a seat closer to the door. It didn’t hurt to be by the door in case I had to make a quick escape. The longer I was in Taylor’s family’s house the more I was convinced I didn’t belong here.
“So, how long have you two been dating?” I asked trying to make conversation.
Robyn looked at me like I was crazy and Zelda laughed. “We’re not dating,” Zelda replied as if dating was a dirty word. “We’re just fuck buddies.”
I nearly choked. That wasn’t what I was expecting her to say at all. I wanted to ask her if her mom knew that but I didn’t want to cause any trouble. I had enough to deal with just trying to get everyone to like me, or at least tolerate me.
“Zelda said you’re a hockey player?” Robyn asked.
I nodded. Maybe there was at least one person at the table who knew something about the sport—or at least sports in general.
“Have you been to a game?” I asked hopefully.
“Yeah,” he replied. “But I was pretty wasted so I don’t remember much. It seemed cool though.”
Zelda turned to Robyn and said, “Did I tell you I went to a game?”
Robyn’s eyes went wide. “No way!”
“With Taylor. Kian gave us tickets.”
Robyn turned to me and said, “Dude, you must have a way with women because this girl hates sports. She hates sports almost as much as she hates monogamy.”
I choked again. I’d never heard of a girl hating monogamy. I knew plenty of guys who liked to play the field and not be tied down—most of the hockey team was like that—but I thought most girls wanted commitment—a ring and a date and all that crap.
Again, I had to wonder what her parents thought of her lifestyle. Her mom seemed so straight-laced. Or maybe they didn’t really know what their oldest daughter was up to.
I breathed a sigh of relief when Taylor came back carrying an opened bottle of red wine.
“I hope you like Shiraz,” she said as she poured wine into both of our wine glasses.
I couldn’t say I ever had Shiraz or any other wine for that matter. I mostly stuck with beer and the occasional tequila shot. Taylor poured wine into Zelda and Robyn’s glasses then she lifted her own in a toast.
The three of us raised our glasses with her. “To taking risks and finding happiness.”
We all clinked glasses and I waited for everyone to take a sip before I tried it. The wine was not as sweet as I expected, which was a good thing, but it definitely wasn’t beer. I at least felt like I could drink it and not have to embarrass myself.
Taylor took the seat next to me and I noticed she pushed it closer to me so that she could hook her arm underneath mine. Then she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks for being here,” she whispered. “I know it’s not easy for you.”
I wanted to say not easy was an understatement. I felt like I was dying and I hadn’t even met her dad yet. I wasn’t sure how he’d react to the guy banging his youngest daughter.
It didn’t take me long to find out.
Taylor’s dad was an imposing presence when he entered the room. I could see where Zelda got her height from. I don’t know why I had assumed that a cello player would be short but Taylor’s dad wasn’t. He was easily my height but thin and all legs. If he liked sports, he probably could have done well as a basketball player.
He eyed me with the skepticism I was expecting. Then he put out an uneasy hand for me to shake. “Glad you could make it for dinner, Kyle.”
My hand froze in midair and I wasn’t sure what to do. He thought I was a completely different guy. I slowly put my hand back down on the table.
Taylor’s eyes were wide with embarrassment. “Dad, this is Kian,” she hissed.
He looked stunned then confusion overtook his face. “I thought your friend’s name was Kyle.”
“Dad, this is Kian. He’s my boyfriend.”
It took a moment for this to register on Mr. Thompson’s face. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.” His tone wasn’t angry maybe confused and a bit hurt.
“Dad,” Taylor said. She waited for her father to look at her. “That’s why I’m telling you now.”
I felt about two inches tall and like I wanted to crawl under the table. I wasn’t sure why Taylor hadn’t told her dad about me so I didn’t know whether to be hurt or pissed off.
Mr. Thompson grabbed the wine bottle from the end of the table and poured himself a glass. Then he downed the entire thing in one big gulp. I didn’t know much about wine but I was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to drink it like a shot.
As if on cue, Rita entered the dining room carrying a platter of finger foods. She placed the tray in the middle of the table then placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “Why don’t you sit down, Ted,” Rita suggested.
He turned to his wife. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
She frowned. “Tell you about what?”
He pointed his finger between me and Taylor. “This.”
Both Zelda and Robyn were helping themselves to the cheese and crackers that were on the tray that Rita brought in and they stuffed their faces as they watched the show that was about to take place.
Rita rubbed her husband’s back in what seemed like an attempt to calm him down. “There’s nothing to tell.”
I didn’t know which was worse, Ted’s overreaction to my being there or Rita’s complete dismissal of me as nothing.
Taylor’s hand gripped my arm like a vice and I could feel her entire body tense. This was obviously not the reaction she was expecting either.
“How long has this been going on?” When Ted looked at Taylor, I could see rage building in his eyes.
“A couple of months,” Taylor said quietly.
“Months!” her dad yelled. “And you’re just getting around to telling me n
ow?”
“I didn’t want you to worry,” Taylor’s voice was so small I barely recognized it.
“Too late,” Ted boomed. “I am worried. After everything you’ve been through. I don’t want you to get hurt again.” When Ted’s eyes turned to Taylor, they were flaring with anger.
“You have no reason to worry, Dad,” Taylor pleaded. “Kian is not going to hurt me.”
Now Ted directed his rage at me “How do you know that?”
“I just do,” Taylor stated as if it was fact. I was glad she had confidence in me but her dad clearly wasn’t buying it. Half of me readied myself in case he kicked me out.
“Please sit down so we can eat,” Rita pleaded. She tried to push her husband into his chair at the head of the table but it was like he was frozen in place.
Ted poured what remained in the bottle of wine into his glass and gulped it. Then he took in a deep breath and sat down but his eyes were still fixed on me. He gave me a look like I was going to rape his daughter right there at the dinner table.
Rita quickly exited the dining room and returned with another bottle of opened wine. She poured her husband a generous glass and then asked if anyone else wanted some even though our glasses were still all full. We all declined and she sat the wine bottle down next to Ted.
I was glad to see that he only took a sip this time instead of gulping the wine. He didn’t strike me as a drunk. I had a lot of experience with those and this guy definitely didn’t fit the profile. He was too put together. Too in control. He just seemed to be reacting to the stress by drinking a little too much.
No one said anything for a few moments. The only sound was of Robyn stuffing his face with cheese and crackers. He had already eaten half of the tray.
“I didn’t eat breakfast,” he said casually when he caught me looking at him.
Then I turned my attention back to Ted, who was still glaring at me.
“So, do you go to school with Taylor?” he asked.
I could feel Taylor’s entire body tense again and I braced myself for the inevitable explosion of emotion when he found out I was a hockey player.
Fire on Ice (Fire on Ice Series) Page 16
