“How do I know I won’t just be another woman added to your list to brag about?”
I swear this woman drives me mad. “Sunshine, I got news for you. You started all that last night, kissing on me and shit. If I wanted you added to the list, I would’ve fucked you right back there. You were sure giving me the vibe that you wanted it, and I can tell you right now that you would’ve liked it.”
She crosses her arms and glares at me. I’ve done it now. “How dare you. I wouldn’t have done it with you.”
“You would’ve, and you know it. I chose to stop it. But like I said earlier, you think you’ve got me all figured out. I never stood a chance with you, did I? You saw what you wanted when you met me.” I’m so sick of her games.
“You really know what to say to hurt someone, Dylan.”
“No, I think you’ve mastered that fine art, Taylor. Did you take that class at your snooty school in New York, or did you perfect that even earlier when some asshole dicked you over?”
“Stop speaking. Just stop talking to me!”
How come she can yell, but I can’t? This woman’s nuts, and I need to stay the hell away from her. I see the plow truck coming back toward us, and after I thank them, they leave. Neither of us speak the rest of the way to the cabin.
I can’t believe the size of it when I pull into the driveway, and I notice Taylor seems unaffected by it. I imagine she grew up staying in nice places like this. I regret not asking what her parents do for a living.
She starts to climb out of the SUV. I can’t stand that I’m still worrying about her. I grab her arm. “Look at me, Taylor. You have to warm your body up slowly, so when you get inside, put one of the girls clothes on and wait to take a shower. Your body needs to warm back to normal temperature first.”
“Fine,” she says, jerking her arm away.
I can’t believe I actually thought things would be different between us. I see Hannah, Cody and Brett come flying out of the cabin. After Taylor gets out of the Escalade, Hannah throws her arms around her neck.
“Oh my goodness, Taylor, you’re freezing. We have to get you inside. We’ve been worried sick about you two, so I finally called my parents early this morning, and they put in a call to get help out here.”
I see that Hannah’s crying. She probably worried herself sick all night. I know now that Taylor has a soft side, but she’s determined not to show it for some screwed up reason. Cody pats my shoulder while I get our suitcases out of the back. “Buddy, we were really starting to worry. I’m glad you two are OK.”
“Hannah paced around all night worrying about you and Taylor, but I told her we had to wait until the snow stopped,” Brett says.
I hand Cody Taylor’s stuff to carry and follow Brett and him to the cabin. “I knew we could count on our friends to come through for us. I just kept praying we didn’t freeze to death beforehand, but I’m thinking Taylor should’ve just put me out of my misery.”
“That bad, huh?” Brett asks.
I don’t answer him. I need to shut up and get Taylor out of my head. I’m standing in the great room, and it’s massive with towering ceilings. I follow Cody up the stairs that are next to it, and he shows me where my room is. I open my duffel bag and hand him a change of clothes.
“Could you throw these in the dryer for me for five minutes and bring them back up here?”
“Sure man, are you OK?”
“I’m freezing and tired. We slept in the SUV.”
I’m stretched out across the bed when Cody comes back into the room. “Cody, tell Taylor to call her parents and let them know we made it. They’re probably worrying. I have to change and lie down for a while, so I’ll talk to you later.”
“OK, can do.”
I don’t want to see or hear that woman’s voice, so I put on my warm clothes and go to bed.
Change of Heart
Taylor
As soon as I get inside, Hannah finds me an outfit before she shows me to my room. “After you change, come downstairs, and you can wrap up in a blanket by the fireplace. I was so worried about you two. Did you sleep in the car?”
“Yes, and it was freezing. I didn’t know my body could hurt this bad from the cold.” After changing and using the restroom, I go downstairs to the couch and rest in front of the fireplace.
“The three of us stayed down here all night in case you showed up, so we’re going to crash for a couple of hours. Come get me if you need me,” Hannah says.
“I just need warmth and sleep. Thanks for getting us help.” I start tearing up. I’m physically and emotionally drained.
***
I sit up when I hear a lot of noise. The cold is still cutting through me. I barely feel warmer, and my muscles are aching. Chelsea, Jasmine and Morgan give me hugs.
“We were really worried about you,” Chelsea says.
Morgan sits down and wraps her arms around me.
“We had no idea where you were since you didn’t call or text. It was scary.”
“We couldn’t get a signal, or we would’ve.”
“Did you and Dylan get along?” Jasmine asks.
“I don’t want to talk about the trip. It was traumatic, and I really thought we were going to freeze to death before morning. I’m not feeling any better, so I need to go to bed and try to get warm.” I stand up from the couch.
“We’re all going out soon to nose around town and get some groceries. We heard it might snow again,” Hannah says.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not leaving this cabin today.”
“Taylor, we completely understand. We’re starting to think you should’ve gone to the hospital. You’re obviously having trouble getting warm.”
“I’m thinking now that we should’ve, but surely we’ll be fine later today.” I go upstairs and get under the covers.
***
It’s a couple of hours later, and my body is still shivering. I’m tired, cold and confused about Dylan. I don’t want to care about him, but he’s all I can think about. Is it wrong for me to think he’ll never change his bachelor ways? I want to go home and be with my parents, sleep in my own bed and hide from the world.
The cabin’s quiet, so I’m assuming everyone’s gone. That makes me feel lonelier, so I start to cry. Maybe a shower will make me feel better and be a distraction. The water warms me, so I stay in until I’m too tired to stand up, but the second I get out, I’m cold again.
I put on a sweat suit and dry my hair some. I really think I’m having a nervous breakdown. Being stranded with Dylan has screwed up my head. I climb back in bed and weep.
Dylan
I get up and take a shower, hoping it will warm me up. Nothing’s working. I’m playing my guitar when I realize I haven’t even had a drink of water since we became stranded, so I leave my room to go to the kitchen. Passing Taylor’s bedroom, I hear her crying. What now? I stand at her door, debating whether I should reach out to her. I can’t take her crying, so I knock.
“What?”
“Taylor, it’s Dylan. Can I come in?”
“Go away.”
“I’m coming in to check on you.” I open the door and see that she’s in bed. She doesn’t roll over when I approach her. “Are you crying because of me?”
“Why are you in here? I was mean to you again.”
“Yeah, and I was pretty mean to you. I heard you crying when I walked by, so I was worried about you. What’s wrong?”
“I’m freezing, and I’m lonely. I just want to go home.”
She keeps sniffling.
“Taylor, I’m still cold, too. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get rid of this damn chill.”
She doesn’t respond. I run my hand through my hair, and I know what I’m thinking is crazy, but no matter how frustrating she is, I have feelings for her and can’t stand to hear that she’s cold and lonely.
I pull back the blankets. I’ll either be curled up next to her in a minute, or I’ll be leaving angry, but I take my chances.
/> Taylor sits up. “What are you doing, Dylan? Did you not hear me say I’m fucking cold?”
She’s such a ray of sunshine. I climb into her bed.
“Watch your mouth and scoot over.”
“No. You’re not telling me what to do, and you’re not getting in bed with me.”
“Scoot it now before I pick you up and move you. I’m going to try to get us warm again.”
She moves over and falls back while letting out a dramatic sigh. “I think you’ve lost your mind. I hardly know you, and you’re in bed with me.”
“Really? You hardly know me after last night?” I ask in a humorous tone.
“This isn’t fun—”
The second my arm wraps around her, she shuts up. I instantly feel warmer as we spoon again, her body pushing its way back to me. I smile against her hair and breathe in the tropical scent of her shampoo, fantasizing about her wearing a bikini on a beach and smiling for a change. I can’t give up on her yet. I just can’t.
Hannah
All of us carry in bags of groceries. Thank goodness the plow truck came through this morning, or we would’ve never gotten out of this place. “I guess Dylan and Taylor are still in their rooms,” I say.
Cody’s standing at the stairway. “I’m going up, so I’ll check on Dylan.”
The girls and I begin putting the groceries away, and a few minutes later, Cody walks into the kitchen.
“I went upstairs, looked around down here, and I can’t find Dylan anywhere. I mean, where else could he be? I’m sure he didn’t go outside after last night.”
“I’m going to go check on Taylor and make sure nothing’s wrong,” Jasmine says.
It seems as if she’s gone for only a minute before she flies into the kitchen, sliding along the floor in her socks. Jasmine looks cute today in her Burberry London, bright yellow skinny jeans and black sweater. Her long, black hair is shining.
“Girls, get out here. I have to tell everyone something,” she says. Chelsea, Morgan and I follow her into the great room where the guys are sitting.
“You all are going to shit.” Jasmine’s animated eyes glance to each of us. I don’t think anyone on earth enjoys gossip as much as she does.
“What’s going on?” Cody asks.
“Dylan’s under the covers and spooning with Taylor in her bed. They’re not moving, so I’m guessing they’re asleep. I couldn’t tell if they were dressed or not.”
“No way,” Cody says, sounding surprised.
“What happened to them last night?” Chelsea asks.
I glance to everyone. “We can’t tell them we know. Let’s wait and see how it plays out.”
“Maybe she got sick from getting so cold, and he’s trying to warm her up,” Chelsea says.
Matt laughs. “He’s warming her up alright. You know the sayin’, spooning leads to forking.”
Morgan punches him in the arm. “Stop it, Matt.”
“Oh, come on. Dylan wanted her the second he saw her at the hospital. If I remember correctly, he said he was going to ‘break her’. Maybe he broke through the bitch barrier.”
“You can be so insensitive,” Morgan says angrily before she goes into the kitchen. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on between Matt and Morgan, but Morgan’s been really sensitive around him lately. I’m gonna talk to her, so I follow her into the kitchen. She begins boiling water and gets tea bags out of the cabinet.
“What’s up with you and Matt? He always makes comments like that, and it’s never bothered you before.”
She lets out a heavy breath and turns to me.
“I’m losing my patience with his insensitivity. I love him, but I can’t take how closed off he is. I wish he’d pay more attention to me other than in the bedroom. I guess I’m hyper sensitive to everything he says now. I’m sorry. I need to get over it. He’s just Matt.”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. You haven’t done anything wrong. You don’t have to be what he needs and get nothing in return. Have you tried to talk to him about it?”
“I’ve tried, but he always changes the subject or gets me to have sex. That’s his response to everything. I guess that’s his way of showing his feelings, but it’s not enough for me.” She gives a terse laugh. “At least that part of our relationship is amazing.”
Morgan gazes at Matt from the kitchen as he stands in the great room. “He’s so handsome with his dark hair and eyes. He’s tall and fit, and when those jeans hang off his hips that way … geez, I still drool over him. We have so much chemistry, and I really love him.”
“Talk to him. You always do what he wants, so maybe he doesn’t realize you’re unhappy. I’m going to go see Brett.” I hug her before I leave the kitchen.
Taylor
The feel of Dylan’s hand against my stomach makes me nervous. I’m beginning to believe he’s a big softy inside. He has my back pulled snugly against his chest, and I’m finally warm, savoring every second of his touch. I’m brought out of my comforting daydream when I hear voices in the cabin.
“Dylan, wake up,” I whisper.
He moves his arm away from me, so I roll over toward him, already feeling the loss of his touch.
“What?”
“I think they’re back.”
“OK, are you feeling any better?”
“Yes, I feel somewhat normal again.”
“Me, too,” he says, stretching.
I try not stare at his toned body that’s on display. “I’m sorry for the things I said this morning. Thanks for coming in here to check on me and for warming me up.” I start to giggle. “That sounded funny.”
“It was my pleasure, chick. I’m sorry, too. I like you, Taylor, and I don’t want to argue.” He places his hand on my hip and leans over, planting a kiss on my cheek before he gets out of bed. It feels like something he’d do if I was his girlfriend.
“Oh, have you had anything to eat or drink? I haven’t even had a drink of water since last night.”
“No,” I reply.
“You should go downstairs to get something, and I hope you’ll be social today,” he says with a frown before he goes out the door.
I think he’s now unsure if he can trust me due to the cruel things I said this morning, and I can’t blame him. I want to trust him, too, but first we have to be able to get along for an extended period of time. I guess we’ll know by the end of this trip.
Partial Truths
Dylan
All my friends are hanging out in the great room when I get downstairs. “Back already, huh? I ask.
“Uh, yeah. We figured we’d hang around here today since you two aren’t feeling well,” Cody replies.
He seems nervous. I bet he figured out where I’ve been. “I feel a lot better now, but it took forever to warm up. Taylor said she’s finally feeling better, too. I was really worried about her throughout the night. She was showing early signs of hypothermia, but she finally came out of it. I should have made her go to the ER when the plow truck showed up.”
“Sounds like your night sucked, man,” Austin says.
“It was memorable. I’ll say that.” They’re all staring at me. Yep, they know I’ve been in Taylor’s room. “Please tell me you have food,” I say, walking to the kitchen. As soon as I make it there, I hear Taylor’s voice.
“Are you feeling better?” Jasmine asks her.
“Yes, finally. Thanks for asking.” Taylor walks into the kitchen, which is large and open. You can see into it from the great room and dining room. I fix a glass of water and hand it to her, gazing at her as she drinks it. I can feel our friends staring at us from the great room, and I can’t help but smirk.
I don’t have any more of a clue than they do as to what’s going on between Taylor and me, but I find it funny knowing how curious they are. All I do know is I like her—a lot, and I can’t stop wanting to take care of her.
“We had lunch while we were out, but we bought plenty of food, so eat whatever you want,” Hannah says.
&n
bsp; “Dylan, we’re going to play pool so come find us when you’re finished,” Austin adds as he and the guys leave the great room.
Taylor and I fix sandwiches and chips on a plate and sit at a small table that has four chairs. There’s a long wooden table in the dining room, and from the look of it, it seats a ton of people. We never speak during lunch, but even in silence, I’m enjoying her company.
I have to lower my head to hide my humor when I think about us getting along better in silence. It’s like when we sleep together. I guess it’s not funny. I want more than anything not to fight with this difficult woman. I finish first and get up from the table. Taylor and I exchange smiles before I go find my buddies.
Taylor
Dylan left me alone in the kitchen. I’m not surprised we didn’t speak during lunch. I’m sure he’s just as confused about what lies ahead, and he probably doesn’t want the guys making a big deal out of us getting along. It’s never been a secret that we don’t. I finish eating and sit with my friends.
“Taylor, we can’t help but see that you and Dylan are getting along better,” Hannah says.
“For the moment. It seems to vary hour to hour, but I guess you could say it’s better.”
“He was telling us before you came down how worried he was about you,” Chelsea says.
“He said that? I got us into that mess. He insisted on staying in a hotel, but I convinced him to keep driving, so he was really upset when we became stranded. You have no idea how bad it got, and he tried so hard to keep me warm. I was shocked at his behavior.”
“I told you they are all great guys, and any one of them would do anything to protect any one of us girls,” Hannah says.
Morgan chuckles. “I know it’s hard to believe sometimes, but even Matt would.”
“They’re manlier than the guys we went to private school with. If someone was shooting at those guys, they would’ve put us in front of them to take the bullet, but I see these guys are different. It’s weird to think we’re older and around men now, not boys,” I say.
Dylan and Taylor (Soul Mates 101 Series) Page 4
