It’s a plea I plan on answering.
I stand back, with my hand still stroking the supple skin on the underside of her heavy breast, my thumb making small circles around the nipple that just left my mouth. Taylor looks gorgeous with her head tilted back, her dark hair splaying down her arms as she leans against the desk. Those wide doe-eyes are tightly shut, her long lashes fanned across her cheeks.
Sliding my hands down the sides of her body, I lower her pants and her underwear down to her ankles before slipping her feet free. From where I kneel on the floor, I gaze up to find her pussy glistening in her liquid heat.
Unable to control myself, I sit up on my knees and place my mouth right onto her plump lips at the same time my hands grip onto the perfect globes of her ass. Her tiny moans spur me on and I plunge my tongue into her slit, tasting and sucking up her sweet nectar. She’s like that cool glass of sweet tea on a hot summer’s day that immediately quenches your thirst but has you desperate for more.
My heart lurches in my chest at the sight of her lost in our passion and I know that the timing isn’t right but I need to make a confession of my own.
“Taylor, fuck woman,” I growl as her body tightens up around me. She’s reaching her orgasm just from my mouth on her pussy. “Taylor, look at me, sweetheart,” I command, replacing my mouth with my hand as I stand before her. Her dazed eyes stare up at me in longing, wanting me to finish what I’ve started.
“I love you. One hundred percent, head over heels in fucking love with you.”
Her eyes widen in shock. She may have heard me say that I love her in passing, but she can’t escape my seriousness right now, not when I have the control over her release. Her mind fights an internal battle between wanting to focus on my words or focus on her impending relief. I chose for her, by flicking my thumb across her hot bud of nerves, sending her spiraling across the abyss of pleasure. She falls apart at my hands as I fight my own battle. Not hearing her return my sentiment in some fashion gets to me this time, and I almost want to pull away. I almost want to throw my hands in the air in frustration.
I know that she feels something for me. Taylor has had numerous opportunities to pack up and leave, even before she found out that she was pregnant. And she may lie and say that Tabitha is her reason for staying, but I know better. I know that every night that damn wall of pillows would be breached and I would find her lying on top of me in the middle of the night. Her body safely cocooned in my arms. It’s in the early morning light that it pained me to have to roll her away and replace the façade she had protected herself with.
Suddenly Taylor launches herself at me and I practically stumble back, but as she wraps her legs around my waist, her hot center pressing against my erection, I set her ass back on the edge of the desk and rock my hips against her.
This right here is why I can’t stay away. Not the sex, but the passion. The overwhelming need to be possessed by her. My mother warned me that there is always a chance that love won’t always be returned, but with Taylor, I can feel the love that she has. She just doesn’t recognize it herself.
“I want to feel you, Hunter. I need to feel you.” Taylor’s hand slips down from my shoulder and slithers down my chest until she reaches the button of my pants. She pops it free with her deft fingers and slides down the zipper revealing my boxer covered cock.
Unable to deny her request, I push down my loosened pants and tug my boxers over the hardened mast pointing toward her sweet center. Pushing her soaked panties to the side, I slide my cock across her glistening lips before plunging it into her tight sheath.
God, damn she feels so hot and wet and tight. But it’s more than that. Being connected to Taylor in this way feels like I’m part of something more, like I’ve found my home, found where I belong. I can only pray that she feels the same way.
I plunge in and out of her body, glancing down each time my cock frees itself from her grip coated in her honey. Taking one of her knees in my hand, I bend it upward and place her heel on the desk.
“Yes!” She cries out in ecstasy as my dick rubs that particular spot against her interior wall just as I slip my hand between her legs and massage her throbbing clit.
Her head thrashes wildly as I pound into her body, the jagged scar on my thigh rubbing against the edge of the desk, but I don’t feel the pain. I’m too far lost in the rapture on Taylor’s face.
Her pussy begins to tighten around my cock at the same time her leg quivers against my chest.
“You going to come, baby? Yeah, I can feel it. Your pussy is gripping me so tight. Fuck,” I bellow toward her, watching her eyes squeeze and then her body grows rigid as she quakes around me.
I work myself into a frenzy as I try to match her release and a minute later I spill my seed deep inside her. My hands grip the skin on her hips, the sweat between our bodies pooling against my fingers as they clench her. Her hair sits matted against her neck and shoulders, her cheeks flushed with a light rose color, and her lips parted as she heaves in air.
God, she’s fucking gorgeous like this. Carefree, reckless, relaxed. When Taylor is like this, after I’ve made love to her, it’s the only time I see her without the world resting on her shoulders.
As she comes into herself, she glances around the room as if she expects someone to walk in. The magic is broken. But instead of trying to pull away I’m surprised as she leans forward and rests her head against my shoulder as I slip free from her sex.
“I’m sorry, Hunter,” she apologizes and my chest aches at her confession. I know what she’s trying to tell me – that she isn’t capable of loving me or capable of trying.
I’ve never been a violent man, but right now, I want to beat the asshole that called himself her father. But that would make me no better than him.
Complete in our naked state, I reach my hand up and hold her head against me. Surprisingly it’s not me needing the comfort, but her. She seems so disappointed in herself and as much as I want to beg and plead for her to give us a shot, I can’t push her before she’s ready.
And though time may not be on our side, it’s all I have.
We stay like this for a few minutes, Taylor not even caring that my cum is probably dripping down her leg, but it’s the closest we’ve been together like this since our sham began.
My phone buzzes in my pants and I reluctantly pull away from Taylor and reach down to check the message
Aiden: Sorry man, got tied up fixing a broken drainage pipe from the gutter for irrigation. Can you cover my next client? It’s just a simple brush cut.
Me: Sure.
“Hey, I need to go cover Aiden’s next client. Why don’t you go get cleaned up and head on home? I can close up.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’re missing Tabitha anyway.”
Taylor laughs as she shakes her head in revelry. “You’re right, I am. Thanks, Hunter.”
I realize that she’s thanking me for not pressuring her, but I don’t point it out. Instead, I nod as I go grab the equipment and load up my truck for this afternoon’s job as she grabs her clothes and heads toward the restroom.
Outside I toss a few extra supplies into the bed of the vehicle and grab the keys to the trailer so I can hitch it to the back of the truck. Just as I finish attaching the two together, a small red coupe pulls into the parking lot. Usually, we only get clients stopping by when they’ve requested a landscape design and as far as I know there isn’t anything on the calendar.
But the moment the woman with the long blonde hair steps out of the vehicle I recognize who it is and my welcoming smile turns to a frown. I can’t help but notice how good she looks in her form-fitting shirt and painted on jeans, but she lacks the curves I’ve begun to love on Taylor. And as she steps closer, I see that she’s wearing far more makeup than Taylor who opts for a more natural look. Another thing that I prefer.
“Hey, Hunter.”
“Hi, Kelli. Can I help you with something?” I ask her as I secure the
back door to the trailer and lock it in place.
“Oh, no. I just remembered the logo on your shirt the other day and I was hoping that I could catch you.”
“Well, here I am.”
“Do you maybe want to grab a drink or something? Reminisce and catch up on old times?”
I’ve never been someone able to turn down a friend for drinks, and though Kelli and I have a history and I’d like to hear what she’s been up to, I’m not sure it would go over well with my cousins if they found out I went to dinner with her. They know our history.
“Oh,” I hear her gasp as she looks over my shoulder. I turn to see what’s captured her attention and I find Taylor walking toward her car with her bag slung across her body. “I’m too late, aren’t I?” Kelli states putting two and two together. Not that having a pregnant employee should automatically mean that the child is mine.
“Was that your intention?”
“Honestly, I’m not really sure. Are you happy?”
I think about it for a moment and it doesn’t take long for me to come to the conclusion that I am happy. Happy with Taylor. Happy with Tabitha. Happy with the baby on the way. Happy with my life. There isn’t anything that I would change. And isn’t that a revelation.
Smiling down at her I watch her expression falter just a bit but she quickly covers it up as I nod.
“I wish you all the best, Hunter.” Leaning up onto her toes, she presses a kiss to my cheek and I try my damnedest to feel anything, but the spark we had in high school is long since gone. “You deserve it.”
“Thanks, Kelli. I’m headed off to a site. I’ll see you later.”
I watch her saunter back over to her car at the same time that Taylor pulls out of the parking lot, her tires practically squealing as she guns the engine and rockets onto the road.
“Shit.”
If things hadn’t already been awkward, they just took a turn for the worst if Taylor misconstrued my meeting with Kelli.
As I get in the truck, I make an emergency call to someone I’m hoping will help me out.
“Hey, Elle? Do you think you could give Taylor a call and check in with her in a little while?”
“Sure,” she says on the other line. “Any particular reason why?”
“Well, the excitement of finding out the baby’s gender was sort of dwarfed by my ex stopping by and acting very familiar.”
“Oh! What are you having?”
“Elle,” I admonish.
“Sorry. Yes, I could see how Taylor may think the worst. I’ve never met someone so determined to be unloved. But I’ll check on her for you.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“I’ll take you up on that, Uncle Hunter,” she laughs as she ends the call
Luckily the job is an easy one and I spend about two hours mowing a field and trimming some weeds, nothing out of the ordinary, which stinks. I was hoping to have something distract me from my thoughts about Taylor and, unfortunately, Kelli.
Not that I would ever go back to my ex, but seeing her again has me considering the best path for me. Just as Taylor has brought up before.
Should we force ourselves to be a family?
Does a baby make a difference?
Why does she keep pushing me away?
Does she love me?
The questions ebb and flow through my brain the entire time I sit on the lawn mower. Enough to drive a man mentally insane. So when I finish the project, I immediately call my cousins and see if they’re available to meet at a local sports bar.
Both have to confer with their wives because, let’s face it, those women make the rules in our family.
Jackson is a little more hesitant to join me than Cooper, and I have a feeling that it’s due to Elle’s blossoming friendship with Taylor. But family always comes first.
I consider driving back to the house to change before meeting with the guys, but then I think again. They won’t care that I smell like a mix of cut grass and weed killer.
Twenty minutes later, I pull into a chain sports bar and knock the remaining grass from my shirt and pants as I step from the vehicle.
I walk inside the bar, the wood-paneled walls doing very little to absorb the smell of smoke and vibration from the surround sound. Like the movie Spinal Tap, all of the speakers seemed to be turned to eleven, it is almost deafening.
Looking around the dining space, I don’t see the guys, but I wave off the hostess and head toward the bar. I find my cousins perched on barstools with a chilled beer glass in hand and I move to stand behind them, slapping each of their shoulders in greeting as I take the empty seat next to Cooper.
“Tall Allagash White, please.” I motion to the bartender as she drops a napkin in front of me.
She walks away with a nod and returns just a minute later with a cold tall glass of my favorite brew. Taking a sip, I turn toward my cousins.
“Thanks for meeting me. I needed a night out.”
“Sure thing.” “Anytime.” Both of them answer in unison.
“Any particular reason we’re meeting? Or just boys night out like old times, before wives and families,” Jackson asks.
“Well, as much as I’d like to say that it’s just to see you guys, I’d be lying. I needed a reason to stop thinking about how I screwed up with Taylor and maybe get some advice on how to fix it.”
Shaking his head as he looks down at the bar, Cooper says, “Man, I didn’t know I was signing up for some emotional shit. I went through enough with Sara.”
“Well, good, then you’ll have some advice.”
“Asshole.”
“I know.”
I take a sip of the cool liquid, letting it travel down my throat until I give them the gist of what transpired in the company parking lot.
Jackson huffs a gust of air after he downs his beer and flags down the bartender for a refill. “Man, Kelli came back and expected everything to go back to the way that they were in high school?”
“I mean, I don’t know if that’s what she was expecting, but she seemed awfully eager to patch things up.”
“You told her ‘No,’ right?” Cooper chimes in requesting a refill of his own.
“I did. Though at first, I almost considered what would happen if I took what she offered. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love Taylor, but she doesn’t seem to be budging at all. Do I sit by the wayside hoping that she’ll throw me a bone one day or settle for someone that I used to be happy with?”
“I wish I could answer that for you, cuz,” Jackson states with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m going to sound like Elle, but what does your heart tell you?”
“Isn’t that the question?” I sigh as I flag down the bartender for a refill and a dinner plate since I haven’t eaten yet. “With Kelli, obviously we have a really fucked up history. But with Taylor, man, I never get tired of seeing her. She’s the best part of my day, but, Lord, that woman has a wall so high and thick around herself that it would take a team of hundreds to attempt to tear it down.
“Every time that I think I’m getting close, she pushes me away. I’m not sure how much longer I can stand the rejection.”
“Are you still having sex? I mean, I get that she’s pregnant and all, but are you?”
“Why?”
“Because at least she’s craving that kind of intimacy with you.”
“Or I could just be her boy toy. I mean, I barely know anything about her. She keeps me just out of her range, just at fingertip length.”
“I get it, man. Elle and Sara were the same. The girls skittish of relationships make it all worth it.”
A sultry voice from over my shoulder draws our attention away from the conversation. Behind us, a trio of women wearing skin tight version of the same dress with their assets on display look us over hungrily.
“Hi. My friends and I were hoping we could get you boys to buy us a drink.”
“Sorry, not interested,” Jackson says politely before turning his back to the women. They look expecta
ntly at Cooper and me.
“Married,” Cooper points out showing off the gold band on his finger.
“How about you, handsome?” she directs toward me. “The three of us could show you a really good time,” she purrs, leaning close enough that she can reach out and skim her fingers down my arm.
“Not married, but not interested. Sorry.”
“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to convince you?”
“No, ma’am. But I’m sure that you’ll find someone wanting to take you up on your offer. Have a good night.” I join my cousins and turn my back to the women and finish my drink, smirking as I hear them huff as they stomp away, most likely perplexed at the turn of events.
“Well, I can’t say that I expected to see you turn them down. Taylor really does have you by the balls, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah. Shit, I need to go home and make sure everything is okay. Thanks for the talk guys, I got your drinks and enjoy my dinner.”
“Thanks, man.”
Tossing two twenties onto the bar, I hurriedly make my way back to my truck and rev the engine to life, then rush back to the woman that’s captured my attention for a long time.
It’s time that we settle this mess that we’re in, and we’re doing it tonight.
Chapter Fourteen – Taylor
MY MIND HAS BEEN racing since I got home a few hours ago. Elle stopped by to try to talk me off the cliff as I packed up bags with clothes for myself and for Tabitha. Seeing Hunter laughing and looking too carelessly happy with the blonde knockout in the parking lot, I realized that I hadn’t seen him smile like that before.
I was holding him back from all of the happiness he deserves.
Elle was able to pull me away from packing all of my belongings that I’ve accumulated in the past few months and she suggested I call Kerry. We’ve communicated in email, but she’s always tied up or working.
I sit on the bed with the phone in my hand, bags packed just waiting for me to take them to my piece of shit car. A car that can barely squeeze myself and Tabitha in its seats. I don’t always trust it to get us somewhere safely.
Stolen Hearts (The Stolen Series Book 3) Page 14
