She no longer cared that Taylor might leave her life just as abruptly as he had entered it. She knew he had been deeply wounded by Mary Ann. Perhaps he would never truly recover. But she wanted to reach out, touch and become a part of whatever was left within Taylor. And as he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the darkness of the bedroom, Katie wanted nothing more of life than this exquisite moment with him.
Taylor couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t even had to ask!
There were thirty tiny pearl buttons on her gown, and he sat, his fingers trembling, as he patiently freed each one. He never once allowed his gaze to leave hers. Katie reached up to unbutton his shirt.
“I’m shaking,” she said.
“Me, too.”
With a laugh, she cradled Taylor’s face between her hands, savoring the sandpaper quality of his evening beard. “I know it’s not out of fear.”
“Need,” he said thickly. “I need you, Katie, like I’ve never needed another woman.” The last button gave way. Taylor took her hands, kissing each palm, running his tongue across the small calluses there. “Are you protected?”
Katie nodded. “I am.” She saw his gray eyes grow stormy and he barely nodded.
Jolts of pleasure sped through Katie. Taylor released her hands, and she took a shaky breath. His fingers moved, scaldingly hot, across her collarbones, sliding the thin cotton from her shoulders and urging the sleeves from her arms.
“Beautiful,” he said hoarsely, cupping her small breasts, “you’re perfect, Katie, perfect for me…” He bent to sample the rose-pink nipples that hardened as he caressed her breasts….
Katie lay back, liquid fire radiating from throbbing nipples that begged to be captured and seduced by his knowing tongue. Each gentle tug made her moan, and instinctively she arched toward him, wanting him to join her on the bed. Her breath came in shallow gasps as Taylor reluctantly left her side. Barely raising her lashes, she watched as he undressed. Light from the living room spilled through the open door, and she marveled at the hard, unforgiving planes of his body. He was ruggedly beautiful, and she longed to run her hands over him, worship him and tell him how beautiful he was, in her eyes and heart…. Katie opened her arms to receive him. His chest was warm and hard as she ran her fingers across the expanse, the hair a soft, wiry carpet beneath her palm. Katie looked up into Taylor’s hooded eyes, her lips parting with invitation.
“I wonder if anyone has told you how beautiful you are,” she whispered faintly, her voice growing husky as he trailed his hand lightly across her thigh and hip. “My beautiful dark knight, who bears a wounded heart.” And she rose on one elbow, pressing small kisses upon his chest. A groan reverberated through him, and Katie thrilled to his response. Emboldened, she gently guided him to his back and continued to kiss him, caressing each nipple. He gripped her hard by the shoulders, his breath escaping through clenched teeth.
Suddenly Katie found herself lying beneath Taylor, staring up into stormy eyes fraught with desire, burning with fierce intensity. “I want to please you,” she murmured, running her fingers across his powerful shoulders.
“You do. Always,” he rasped. “Let me please you now, Katie. Let me show you how much you mean to me, how much you’ve given me already.”
She smiled. “Show me, beloved dark knight.” And she closed her eyes, waiting for the kiss that came seconds later. His mouth radiated sensual power, cajoling her to return the passion that inflamed her senses. As his hands followed the curve of her breasts, she arched against him, whispering his name, begging him, needing him. Taylor tore his mouth from hers, teasing her nipples with his tongue. He suckled her until she writhed with mindless pleasure beneath him. An ache, centered in her lower body, her womb contracted and turned into raw hunger. She sobbed his name as his he opened her thighs, his fingers seeking her wet entrance, sliding one finger inside her liquid center. Dazed with the onslaught of his fiery kisses and touch, lifted on a shimmering veil of exquisite need, Katie moaned as he slid two fingers inside her.
Taylor felt her so close to orgasm. His fingers slipped out of her and he moved between her thighs, easing himself inside her. She was a tight glove surrounding him, drowning him in her hot sweetness.
Her breathing was uneven, her fingers digging into his bunched shoulder muscles. He pressed further into her, feeling her grip him. Katie suddenly keened, her hips bucking against his, her back arched. He felt the tunneling, fiery liquid enclose him as she orgasmed. Sliding his hand beneath her hips, he angled her, increasing her pleasure, hearing her cry out as her body gave him the gift of her love.
Prolonging her orgasm, she came again, two more times before Taylor knew he was unable to control himself any longer. A groan tore from deep within him. He gritted his teeth, straining forward, feeling the burning explosion racing out of him. He held Katie tightly, afraid in his hunger that he had hurt her. Sweat rolled off his brow, trailing down the line of his clenched jaw. He was wildly aware of her feminine scent, her responsiveness, her hips moving hungrily beneath him, inviting him to share the love they had withheld from each other for too long. Afterward, Taylor kissed her damp brow, her long lashes and finally her parted lips. She tasted like wildflower honey, and he moved his hips, listening to the sigh of pleasure that rose from her slender throat.
Katie felt him still erect within her. She met and matched his mounting rhythm. She wasn’t fragile. She was a woman who loved him without reserve, and she allowed her desire to flare to life within her as she gently assaulted him with kisses meant to shatter the last of his control. Taylor’s mouth was strong and male, and she nipped and soothed his lower lip with her tongue. He quivered, and she smiled to herself, deepening the kiss, thrusting her tongue between his teeth. A shudder wound through him, and she relaxed as he gripped her hips, drawing her roughly against him. An orgasm exploded within her, uncoiling throughout Katie and she arched like a taut bow as heat melded with spark, splintering into million dancing, dappled lights across the surface of the universe he had just given her.
Moments later, Katie felt Taylor tense. A growl, fierce and low, tore through him. She moved with him, giving him pleasure as he had given pleasure to her. Taylor fell beside her, breathing heavily, his arm wrapped protectively around her, pulling her close, never letting her go. She kissed his glistening face, tasting the salt of his perspiration, feeling the spikiness of his lashes beneath her lips and the maleness of his mouth. Weakly, he opened his eyes, staring darkly up at her.
“You’re a figment of my imagination,” Taylor groaned, his hand coming to rest on her cheek. “You’ve got to be.”
Katie rested her head on his chest. His heart pounded hard beneath her ear. She smiled as his arms went around her. “Why do you say that?” she asked in a broken whisper, still panting from the orgasm.
Taylor managed a halflaugh, consumed with the languor that only good loving could bring. “You felt so damn good. I feel amazing.”
Katie laughed with him, joy surrounding her. “Flight of the unicorn,” she murmured, sliding her hand across his chest.
“Unicorn? What does the unicorn have to do with any of this?” Taylor teased, stroking her curly, ebony hair.
“Unicorns stay only if there is love given.” Katie gave Taylor a tender look and closed her eyes. “What you just gave me made me feel as if I had been flung into a universe of exploding stars. I felt so light, so wonderfully fulfilled. Just like a unicorn would…”
“That’s just one more thing I love about you, Katie,” Taylor murmured. “Your wild, unfettered imagination. To you, nothing is impossible. To me, little is possible. Or was. You’ve changed all that.” He ran his hand lightly across the curve of her delicate back, drying it with the palm of his hand. “You’re the unicorn, Katie. You’re love. Don’t you know that?”
Tears pricked her eyes. She put her hands on his chest and studied him in the darkness. “No less than you are, Taylor. Why do you think you have no love to give in return? Look at what you just gave m
e. I’ve never felt so happy. Or so complete.”
Taylor saw the glimmer of tears in her luminous eyes. “Crystal tears from sapphire eyes. Tell me, princess. Are they tears of pity for me?”
She kissed him tenderly. “I’d never pity you, Taylor. In my heart, I feel the pain you carry.” She stroked his chest where his heart lay. “I only want to dissolve some of that pain from you and replace it with good feelings.”
He framed her face with his hands, drowning in her innocent, vulnerable eyes. He was shaken by her trust in him; she gave him everything, without reserve. “I don’t feel pain anymore, Katie. Just the happiness we created.”
She sniffed, and the tears spilled down her cheeks. “That’s more than I ever dreamed of.”
Taylor kissed her longingly, wanting to absorb her completely into his heart and soul. “And you’re the one who said dreams always come true,” he murmured against her lips, “I dared to dream even beyond my limits, when it came to you and me,” she admitted in a whisper, caressing his mouth tenderly.
He inhaled her feminine fragrance, content to lie with her on top of him, their mouths touching. “Keep dreaming for both of us, then, Katie. Because I’m beyond anything I’d ever imagined for us. And believe me, I imagined plenty.”
She smiled and nuzzled his jaw, content. “The flight of the unicorn infuses you with love. And then it laps outward like waves on an ever-widening cosmic ocean,” she murmured. “That’s what we shared, my beautiful dark knight with the soul of poet and the heart of a unicorn.” Her lashes drooped closed and in moments, Katie spiraled into a dream world of brilliant colors—with Taylor at her side.
Taylor jerked awake. It was still dark. His heart was beating hard, as though he were in danger. What had wakened him? Worried, he glanced at Katie who slept soundly at his side, her arm across his belly. He lay still, realizing he was drenched in cold sweat. Why? He switched his attention to his ears. Had a sound jarred him out of sleep? Only the faint hum of the clock on his nightstand could be heard. He twisted his head to look at it: 2:00 a.m.
Must have been a bad dream, Taylor thought, relaxing. He drew Katie closer and pulled up the sheet to cover them. She snuggled next to him, and he smiled, a ribbon of happiness threading through him, dissolving the fear he had felt earlier. Still…he lay for a long time, just listening. Could the intruder be back? Was he trying to jimmy the downstairs lock? Had he sneaked up the stairs to force the lock on the apartment door? All manner of ugly possibilities haunted him. Were the intruder and her caller one and the same man? He didn’t know and the fear and frustration ate at Taylor. Why couldn’t the police pin down that damn caller? Partly because he never stayed on the phone long enough to be traced.
The longer he stayed awake, the harder Taylor found it to focus on the problem. Katie was in his arms; she was his, and the knowledge made him feel whole. He was needed and wanted. And Taylor had to laugh at himself, because he had always thought himself so self-sufficient. With Katie, every day was a living miracle. Instead of the sullen fights with Mary Ann, he had Katie’s effervescent self, her goofy yet endearing moods, the unique way in which she saw the world. It made him feel like living once again. He turned to kiss her forehead, inhaling her special lilac scent. “I love you,” he told her softly, and the darkness surrounding them absorbed his words.
The phone was ringing. Taylor mumbled an oath. Katie stirred. Faint sunlight lanced through the sheer green panels that hung over the bed. She didn’t want to leave Taylor’s arms. But the phone wouldn’t quit ringing, and finally Katie forced open her eyes and threw off the sheet.
“Damn reporters,” Taylor growled.
“I’ll get it,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. What time was it? Only six-thirty in the morning? They could have had another hour of sleep! Katie stumbled out into the living room.
“Hello?” she said, her voice sleepy.
“Three days and you’re dead.”
Katie froze. The phone line clicked and then began to hum. It was the same man. Before, he had only threatened. Now he was setting a deadline. A chill knifed through Katie; her hands went clammy.
“Katie?” Taylor called. “Who is it?”
Three days and you’re dead.
“Katie?” Taylor staggered out of bed, sensing something was wrong. He brushed the hair from his brow and moved into the living room. His brain was barely functioning; instinct took over. She stood with her back to him, the phone in her hand. In four strides he was at her side.
“The threatening caller?” he demanded thickly, taking the phone from her and replacing the receiver. Her fingers were icy, and he spun her around. Taylor was unprepared for the naked fear in her expression.
“What did he say? Katie? Talk to me.”
“H-he said I had three days, and then I’d die,” she choked out, blindly moving into his arms.
He wanted to curse. But that wouldn’t help Katie as she trembled in his embrace. “Was it the same man?”
“Yes. Taylor, he’s so evil. I—I could feel his hatred over the phone. Why does he hate me so much? I don’t understand….”
“I don’t, either, princess. Come on, let’s get some clothes on. Will you make me some coffee so I can wake up?”
“Yes.”
Taylor squeezed her and kissed her tousled hair. “I’m going down to the police station. There’s no excuse for their inaction. Why haven’t they found that jerk by now? This is the first time he’s threatened something that specific. Or that sinister.” Taylor tried to minimize his own fear, to mask his anger. There was no need to upset Katie any more than she already was. The flow of adrenaline had dispelled his grogginess, and Taylor made a mental list of things to do today. He’d call Dean Gerus and tell him that until this crisis was resolved and Katie’s pursuer was caught, he was on leave from his job. The editor in chief might fire him, but Taylor didn’t give a damn at this point. If the cops wouldn’t give Katie the help she deserved, he damn well would provide it.
Over coffee in the kitchen, Taylor told her, “You don’t go anywhere without me, Katie. Understand? I want you to stay in this apartment with the door locked until I return. If you need me, I’ll be at the police station.”
Shakily, Katie rubbed her aching temple, unable to control the stress headache that had blossomed shortly after the threatening call. She had pulled on her lavender dress and gone through the motions of making coffee. She looked up at him. “How could everything be so beautiful one second and a nightmare the next?”
Taylor throat tightened. He set his mug on the drain board and went over to her. He slid his arms around her. “It’s going to be okay, Katie,” he assured her, holding her tight against him. He pressed a line of kisses along her jaw until he found her warm and willing lips; he drowned in her sweetness. Taylor wanted to protect her, tell her how much he loved her. But that would have to wait until this crisis passed. “I want to say so many things to you, Katie,” he whispered. “I wanted to wake up this morning and love you all over again, this time slow and sweet.”
Katie nuzzled his jaw, needing his strength more than ever before. The words, ‘I love you,’ nearly found their way to her lips, but Katie had resolved the evening before, not to saddle Taylor with such feelings. He was still healing from the past. He didn’t need any added pressure right now. She could wait, because in her heart she knew that if it was right, they would say those words to each other one day.
“Are you giving me a rain check?” she teased; but her attempt at humor was lame. Katie saw the concern in Taylor’s narrowed eyes. She knew she couldn’t protect herself from the threat issued by the caller. It wasn’t because she was a woman; it was simply that her life experience had not prepared her for such an event. Taylor had lived with the violent side of life for a long time. He knew how criminals operated, far better than she….
“You’ve got it.” He kissed her once more, hard and swift. “I’ll be back in an hour at the latest. Call Maud and let her open the bookstore for you. Wh
en I get back, you can go down and take over—unless the police want to talk to you. Okay?”
Glumly, Katie agreed.
“Now, look, Sergeant Johnson, I don’t want any more runarounds. What about this situation with Katie Riordan?”
The sergeant, a man well into his fifties who wore a bulldog expression on his florid face, set his jaw. “And I told you before, Mr. Grant, the telephone company hasn’t been able to trace those calls.”
Taylor glared down at the overweight officer behind the desk. Typical small town cop, he thought angrily. He’d like to throw the squat, dumpy little man into a certain corner of the South Bronx for a week and see how he held up there. “The caller still hasn’t stayed on the line long enough to get a trace?” he guessed, keeping a tight rein on his escalating anger.
“He’s using throwaway cell phones.” Johnson shoved a record of all the calls toward him. “You were in crime reporting, Grant. You know we can’t zero in on whoever’s doing it without a specific phone number to target. This guy’s smart.”
Taylor looked grudgingly through the data. The sergeant was right. “What about suspects? Surely you’ve got a profile on any crazies who stir up trouble here in Rio Conchos?”
Johnson shrugged his rounded shoulders. “Look, Grant, we’re not going to put in extra man-hours at the taxpayers’ expense. Not for some bookstore owner getting lousy crank calls.”
Taylor stepped menacingly forward. “Now, you listen here, Johnson. Katie Riordan pays her taxes to this city, just like everybody else. And she deserves your concern and protection.” Uttering a violent oath, Taylor slammed his hand down on the desk.
“We ARE working on it,” Johnson sputtered, shocked by the reporter’s unexpected attack.
“Someone wants to murder Katie Riordan. That’s a hell of a lot more important, Johnson.” Taylor punched his finger toward the policeman.
“I said we’re working on it.”
“All right, Sergeant. If you won’t help, then I’ll demand access to police records and I’ll find some suspects. And when I do, I’m going to track them down myself. And then your people are going to check them out.” Taylor smiled savagely, his eyes glittering slits. “It’s my right as a citizen to protect Katie, since you refuse to do your job. Believe me, when I get done with you and this two-bit department that calls itself a police station, the whole country is going to know how you operate.”
A Chance Encounter Page 14
