“About?”
“You.”
“So you talk about me behind my back? Was it good or bad?”
He finally brings the cup to his lips, cautiously, and sips. “Just the way I like it,” he says.
“So what did Nathan say?”
He takes a long, hard look at me before he responds. “Nathan told me you were madly in love with someone else. Your high school sweetheart. Almost obsessed is how he actually put it.”
Out of all the things he could have possibly said, that was the last I expected to hear. It takes me a while to respond and I know the delay must look really bad.
“Lord,” I say finally. “Why does everyone think that? It’s not true. I was not obsessed with Cody. I was holding onto something that was never real. But that’s because of how screwed up my head was, not because I was in love.”
“How do you know?” His eyes are on me, observing and examining every reaction, every blink and every breath.
“I know.”
“But how? Because from what I understand, you suffered over him, you sacrificed your integrity to steal a few moments with him, you could not let go for years, even when you found out he was going to marry someone else.”
“Gee, Tomas, I just know. You weren’t there, I was.”
“Just tell me how you know.”
“I know because I never felt for Cody what I feel for you.” I shout the words out and I have exactly zero regrets about it.
“What you feel for me?” he repeats my words.
I nod, a sudden exhilaration filling my heart and lungs. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a few days since I came to believe I could lose everything. “Yes, that’s what I said.” My hand runs up and down his leg, tickling him.
He grabs my hand to stop me. “What do you feel for me?”
My heart’s pounding and I get baby butterflies in my stomach. He wants to hear me say it. “I love you,” I say simply, staring into his eyes. “I’m in love with you, Tomas Keller, and you don’t even have to say it back. I’m just happy to finally be able to tell you. It’s liberating.”
He says nothing. He studies my face with his hypnotizing green eyes. I have no idea what’s behind them, what thoughts go through his head.
“What?” I say, finally. “Cat got your tongue? Which one was it?”
His hands find my face, pulling me closer, so our noses touch. I think he will kiss me but then he changes his mind. His lips find my ear and his hands grip both my wrists.
“I’m just trying to decide whether I should spank you or make you come right now for being so reckless and going to the villa by yourself. What were you thinking?”
I fight to free myself from his grip but he won’t have it. Instead, he increases the pressure on my wrists.
“That’s right, little girl, I know everything. A little bird filled me in on all the details of how Irina was rescued. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Busted. “Was Nate the little bird? More like an eagle. I wanted you to recover first. I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Taylor?”
“All right, I also knew you would get mad at me. I don’t like it when you’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad,” he says, his hands returning to my face. “I know by now that nobody tells you what to do. I just get a chill at the thought that something might have happened to you and then I wouldn’t be able to show you how much I love you.”
His lips land on mine, his right arm gently wraps around my shoulders. I melt into his kiss, drifting off to a place where our souls meet and we become one—we become everything.
Our lips stay like that, every hungry swirl of his tongue in my mouth drawing warmth and happiness from my insides.
Maybe I am truly happy for the first time since I was a child. Someday I will have to tell him about the terror that stole my ability for happiness and how he was able to restore it with three simple words.
“Say it again,” I whisper when our lips part.
“I love you,” he says with the sexiest grin. “I think I fell in love with you that day in Pasadena when you told me I was annoying in a really cool way.”
“That’s all it took?” I say, laughing and kissing his cheek. “If only I knew you were that easy.”
He pulls me to his chest, kissing my neck.<3 “I’m not easy, I’m hard.”
“Okay, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Was what Nathan said about Cody part of the reason why you acted like you had no romantic interest in me for so long?”
He considers my words. “Yes, I guess it was. One of many parts. I’m not going to lie, Taylor. I’ve always known it would be best for you if I stayed away. Look at the mess that follows me. Look at what almost happened. I wasn’t sure I would be able to make a safe place for you in my life.”
“And now?”
“Now,” he says, brushing a finger against my lips, “now you are my life.”
My heart swells with a sweet ache that penetrates every cell and every pore in my body bringing forth sensations I didn’t know existed. I sit closer to him, resting my head against his shoulder. It’s getting hard to breathe in, like I’m newly born and have to learn the basics of survival all over again.
“I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop that force that was taking over me,” Tomas says in a whisper. “But I went ahead and planned to be around you every day anyway. The pull you have on me, I’ve never felt it before.”
If we’re being honest, I shouldn’t hold anything back. “Not even with your first love?”
There’s a twitch above his left eye as his mouth drops a little. “How would you even know about that?”
“I’ll tell you if you promise not to get mad at anyone.”
“This should be good,” he says. “How many people are involved?”
“In a nutshell, Jesse told Nathan who told me. You were in the ICU when he told me. We didn’t even know if you would make it.”
He nods, staring down at his hands. “How much did he tell you?”
“All of it. The amnesia, the girl you loved, your memory coming back gradually. Her moving on.”
“Far worse things happen to people every day, bright eyes. Don’t feel sorry for me. It worked out wonderfully for me in the end.”
“I could never feel sorry for you, Tomas.”
“Good,” he says, “cause that’s not how I roll.”
“I’m just so glad you are safe and here with me.” Even as I say this my eyes get watery.
“Baby, I never meant to hide this story from you. I would have told you eventually.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I tell him. “People keep secrets all the time. They hide their lovers and they hide their weaknesses. It’s what makes us human. I have a painful secret, too.”
He looks at me raising an eyebrow. “A secret, angel?”
“From the time when I was still a child. I will tell you when I get the courage.”
“You weren’t—”
He doesn’t finish his sentence but I know what he’s thinking. “No, I wasn’t abused,” I say. “It’s not that at all.”
“Good,” he says, pulling me closer, arms around me. “You can tell me when you’re good and ready.”
“It’s a silly thing really. Maybe telling you will set me free from the painful memories.”
“Some things hurt,” Tomas says, kissing the little freckles on my shoulder exposed by my strappy tank top, “but you can’t let them define you.”
I smile at him. “Do you know everything?”
“I know I’ve missed your body,” he says, cupping my breast, his hot breath on my shoulder.
I slap his hand away. “You can’t have sex in here, you irritating man. Look at all the needles and the wires that are glued on you.”
“These are just a precaution now,” he says. “I can remove them.” His hand goes straight for the needle in his vein.
“You’re not removing that IV yourself,” I say, pa
nicking.
There’s a glimmer of pure evil in his eyes. “I won’t if you do as I say.”
“We’re not having sex and that’s final,” I say, trying to throw him my most evil glare.
“I need to taste you, that’s all,” he says, hungry greed in his voice. “I need to taste your juices and feel you quiver on my tongue as you come.”
Son of a bitch. How’s a girl supposed to stay good with words like that being thrown at her? “You’re so crude,” I say, pulling his earlobe. “We’ll have to remedy that.”
“Please, baby. I’m dying here.” His hand gets under my skirt, finding the elastic band of my panties.
“You’re being released tomorrow,” I remind him, weakly. “This can wait.”
“Tomorrow might never come, sweetheart. Let me moisten that little slick flower right here, right now. Let me make you so wild with passion, you forget everything.”
“It’s not possible,” I say, running out of retreats. “A machine will blip, a nurse will come running.” All my strength abandons me as his fingers stroke my inner thighs gently, lighting a tingle fire on my skin.
He winks. “Everything’s possible.” He lies on his back, gently rolling me on top of him. “On your hands and knees,” he says flipping me around, “and bring that tiny pussy to my lips.”
I blush from head to toe as I realize what he wants me to do. “What if anyone walks in?”
“Well, then, it’ll be their lucky day. Your ass is like heaven. Those doctors will have a memory they won’t soon forget.”
“You’re deluded, thinking everyone’s attracted to your girl.”
“Shut up and do it.”
“No,” I say. And then I give up. “All right, but you better make it quick.”
I do as he says, excitement and fear making my heart pound faster and harder. He immediately lifts my skirt over my hips and pulls my panties down, throwing the blanket over my lower body to cover my exposed bottom
, yanking my hips closer to his face.
As soon as his tongue starts exploring my oversensitive flesh, I lose all common sense. “Oh god, I missed you,” I say in a loud whisper.
“Shush,” he says, “Not so loud.”
I writhe and I pant under his velvety tongue as he goes straight for the kill, catching my aching nub in his mouth and pushing against it, licking it, owning my body. It doesn’t take long before the entire universe explodes around me, lightning spiraling up and down my belly.
My knees and arms tremble so intensely, I just let my body collapse on top of him. My cheek touches something hard inside his pajama pants. Iron-hard and warm and ready to jump out.
“Was that fast enough?” he says, chuckling.
I know he didn’t ask for it, but I slide my hand under his waistband anyway, taking his hot cock out. I feel the muscles in his stomach and thighs go rigid immediately as if in complete shock. Before he has a chance to say anything, I take him in my mouth. I can only hope the intensity won’t kill him.
Licking and sucking the head, I take his hardness in a little at a time. He gasps so loud, arching his body, I worry I’ve caused him terrible discomfort. I look back, worried. “Did I hurt you?” I say.
“Fuck, baby, no. Since you started it, go ahead and finish it. Suck my cock rough, angel. Make me feel alive again.”
I oblige happily because there’s nothing in this world I want more than to give him everything he needs. I increase the speed to wicked levels and make him swell and surge and beg until…
He explodes with shivers and trembles in my mouth, guttural sounds escaping his lips. I know that he belongs to me as much as I belong to him.
***
It’s almost noon when Tomas is finally handed his medical records and signs the release form so that he can leave the hospital with us. Jesse wheels him all the way to the parking lot where Nathan is waiting for us with the rented car.
“Where’s Grace?” I say, looking around the parking lot.
“She went back to the hotel,” Nathan says. There’s this weird expression on him that usually means he’s holding something back.
“Don’t you think he’s hiding something?” I ask Tomas as he rises to his feet to get in the car.
“What’s up, Henley?” he asks Nathan.
Nathan steals a glance at Jesse who just shrugs. “Okay, here’s the thing,” Nate says. “That chick Sophia showed up at the hotel this morning. She’s with Grace. She says she wants to talk to you.”
“Are you serious?” I say, flabbergasted.
Nathan nods. “I can call Grace and tell her to send her away. You don’t have to see that looney woman if you don’t want to.”
“No,” Tomas says. “I’m curious to hear what she has to say.” He turns to me. “Is that okay?”
“Yes, it’s fine.” It really is fine. Sophia cannot touch me anymore. There’s nothing she can do to us now.
Grace waits in the hotel lobby with Sophia who stands up as soon as we step through the door. She’s dressed casually, but has heavy makeup on her face, making her look older.
We stay like this for a while, just staring at each other.
“Do you want us to go?” Grace says to me.
“It’s up to Sophia,” I say.
Sophia glances at Tomas. “I’m glad you are okay,” she says. “And I’m sorry.”
Tomas nods. “You should be.”
Sophia turns to me now. “I wanted you to know that nothing ever happened with Tomas and me.”
“We know this much,” I say. “It’s good to see you have some remorse though. There may be hope for you.”
“If there’s anything I can do to make it up,” Sophia says, staring at Tomas.
Tomas stays silent, examining her face.
“You can start by telling us why you went to all that trouble,” Jesse says.
Sophia studies Jesse for a second, no doubt thrown off by his resemblance to Tomas. “Okay,” she says. “Adrian put me up to it. I swear at first I didn’t know it was on De Luca’s orders.”
“This was De Luca’s idea?” I say, confused.
Sophia nods. “They were planning to blackmail Tomas. They were going to have me accuse him of rape. Some pictures that you didn’t see… they were violent.”
“Why would you agree to that? I thought you liked Tomas,” I ask.
“I told you, at first I was told it was a game.”
“Did they pay you?” Jesse says.
Sophia goes pale. “Yes. Later, when I found out,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do. Those people leave you no options.”
“We can’t argue with that,” Grace says.
Sophia takes a step closer to me, taking my hand. “Those pictures were never meant for you, Taylor. De Luca never cared if you saw them. Adrian wanted you to see them. It was his idea.”
I can’t believe I fell for all that. I can’t believe I allowed Adrian to manipulate me like that.
Sophia turns to Tomas now. “That day at the yacht, Adrian put something in your drink. I think that’s why you can’t remember how we took you to the hotel and took pictures of you.”
“You roofied him?” I say, shocked as my suspicions are confirmed.
Sophia shrugs. “I don’t know,” she says. “Tomas, I’m sorry. Nothing really happened. You were passed out. I’m not a whore.”
Tomas takes her hand and shakes it. “We all fuck up,” he says. “Don’t throw your life away.” With that he walks away toward the elevator.
Sophia stares at his back for two seconds, sadness taking over her face.
“You did like him, didn’t you?” I say to her.
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” she says. “Take care, all of you.”
I watch her supple body go through the glass door as she exits to the street. If she’s lucky, she’ll find a little redemption and maybe if she keeps her heart pure enough, a little love in the world.
***
At the airport, Grace gets worried. It’s tim
e to go through the security check but Nathan is nowhere to be seen. He said he had to take care of something at the last minute and that he’d meet us here at nine but it’s nine thirty and there’s no sign of him.
“Should I try calling again?” Grace says, getting more nervous with every passing minute.
“Give him another ten minutes,” Tomas says. “We can wait.”
“There he is,” Jesse says, pointing at Nathan who’s approaching us with two young women at his side. Amelia and Irina.
I never thought I’d see those two again. I thought they’d have already left for Ukraine.
“We had to thank you,” Amelia says, her gorgeous face beaming with happiness and enthusiasm.
She throws her hands around Tomas’s neck, kissing his cheek. “Thank you for saving us,” she says with her heavy accent. “You didn’t have to, but you did. You are a brave man.”
Tomas pulls her off him to look at her. “Anytime, kiddo,” he says. “Glad to see you both doing well.”
Amelia smiles and then she hugs me. “Irina is like in love with you,” she says. “You’re all she talks about. She thinks you are famous hero. Thank you so much, Taylor.”
“Oh, boy,” I say, feeling the tears welling in my eyes. “Helping Irina was the best thing I ever did in my life. It was my honor.”
Irina takes my hand. I squeeze her hand and stroke her hair.
“Here,” she says, handing me a cigarette.
I take the cigarette, glancing at Amelia for an explanation.
“She wouldn’t let anyone touch it,” Amelia says. “She wanted to give it back to you.”
The cigarette I took from the goon and passed on to Irina. All of a sudden, I can’t control my laughter.
“That’s too cute,” I say. “Thank you, Irina.”
“We’ll let you go,” Amelia says. “Nathan said you are boarding. Have a safe trip. You will be in our prayers always.”
Seconds after they leave, Irina comes back running. “Don’t smoke that,” she tells me. “You should know that smoking is very, very bad for you.”
As the plane takes off, I squeeze Tomas’s hand, bringing it to my lips. The healed skin on his knuckles is soft and smells of green tea and aloe soap. I’m looking out the window at the land I’m leaving behind, the beautiful land of ancient monuments and poetry, the magical land of gods and goddesses, the sun-splashed land of sparkling islands and the blue Aegean Sea.
Magnificent Ruin (Everlasting Series Book 2) Page 20
