Taylor’s breathing was ragged. “Sometimes, they choose to leave.” I knew then that she was talking about her father. And in that moment, if the man had been standing in the room, I knew there was a good chance I would have killed him. “And, other times… Other times, they have no choice. You know they fight so hard—with everything they have—not to leave you alone. But they’re torn from you anyway.”
My breaking heart shattered. Splintered for the girl who felt so alone in the world. I took a step towards her, but she held out an arm as if warding off a wild animal who wanted to tear her to shreds. “Don’t.”
I froze. “Please.” My voice was as gentle and non-threatening as I could make it. “Please, let me hold you.”
That’s when Taylor broke. As if the simple offer of human kindness and comfort was too much for her to bear. She merely collapsed, her knees knocking against the hardwood floor with a brutal sound.
I sank to the ground next to her, not waiting for voiced permission to hold her. I just wrapped my body around hers, and the second she felt my presence, she clung to me with a ferocity that stole my breath—her arms clinging to my neck, her legs encircling my waist as I knelt on the floor.
Violent sobs wracked her body, and it was all I could to do to absorb them. I held her as tightly as possible without hurting her. She needed someone who would never leave her. I could be that. I would be her friend, her constant shadow, her shoulder to cry on for as long as she wanted me. I would be more if she let me. It might not be forever, she might choose to leave, but it would be worth the pain if I could heal even a part of this precious girl’s soul.
I don’t know how long we stayed like that. My knees throbbed and my back ached, but I didn’t move a muscle. Eventually, Taylor’s tears slowed. I trailed a gentle hand up and down her spine, hoping it would encourage her to calm further.
I knew the moment she came back to herself because she tensed. I squeezed the back of her neck. “Don’t do that. Don’t freeze up on me now. Don’t shut me out. I’m honored that you let me in, even if I did kick down the door.”
Taylor exhaled a breath, and it tickled my neck. Her face was still firmly pressed there. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to know.” I pulled back to gaze into those bewitching blue-gray eyes, rimmed red from crying. She flushed and turned her head away. I placed a single finger under her chin and brought her face back towards mine. “No more hiding.”
Her throat bobbed. “Okay.” There was a moment of silence where we simply stared at one another, both of us with our walls completely down. “I don’t know what to do now,” she whispered.
“I bet you’re exhausted. How about I put you to bed?”
Taylor nodded, a light pink staining her cheeks. “I have a favor. You can totally say no if it’s too weird.”
“What is it?”
“Will you sleep with me?” Her voice wavered as if she were fighting against a new rush of tears. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
I knew how much it had cost her to say those words. To make that request. And I was fucking honored. “I’d be happy to.”
Carefully, I got to my feet with Taylor still wrapped around me like a sloth on a tree branch. I navigated around the living room furniture and finally made it to the master bedroom. Gently, I set Taylor down on the mattress. I pulled back the covers, and she quickly crawled under them. The light in the room was low, and I made quick work of shucking my shoes, pants, and button-down. I wouldn’t risk ditching my tee or boxer-briefs.
Silently, I slipped beneath the covers on the opposite side of the bed and flicked off the lamp. The light from the full moon shone through the window to highlight the apples of Taylor’s cheeks and the fairest strands of her hair. I opened my arms. “Come here.”
Instantly, she rolled into my embrace, her back to my front. I kissed the top of her head. “Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
28
Taylor
I awoke to a pink sky and strong arms surrounding me. I froze for a moment as memories from the day before assailed me. I felt as if I had lived twelve lifetimes in twenty-four hours.
One of the arms around my waist tightened, pulling me flush against a wall of muscle. A trail of tingles shot through my nerve endings and grew in intensity as I felt something harden against my backside. Instinctively, I wiggled my hips.
A growl sounded behind me. I stilled, my heart rate ratcheting up a few notches. “Be very careful, Short-stack. I’ve had your tight little body pressed up against mine all night. My restraint is about to snap.”
My brows lifted. “I thought you didn’t want this.” The image of Walker pushing me away when I kissed him had played over and over in my mind the past few weeks. I still felt an echo of the pain the action had inflicted.
Walker’s hand flexed against my hip, sending a jolt of arousal to my core. “I didn’t mean it the way you thought.” He rocked his hips against me, and I let out a little moan. “I’m very clearly attracted to you. I just knew it wasn’t the right time for us. And I wanted more than a drunken hookup from you.”
My eyes widened, and my heartbeat picked up speed. “What do you mean?”
In a flash, Walker was on top of me, hovering over my body. Not a single part of him touched me, and yet it was the hottest thing I’d ever experienced. “What I mean is—I want to explore what this thing is between us. Neither of us can know what the future will bring.” He ran his nose up the column of my throat. I trembled. “I think we should take things one day at a time, see where the road leads.”
He sucked my earlobe between his teeth. “Because I am sure as fuck exhausted from not giving in to you.” I began to pant, it was pathetic. In a matter of minutes, he’d turned me into a quivering pile of need. “What do you say, Taylor?” He rose above me again so that I was staring into those gorgeous greens of his. “Want to see how hot this fire burns?”