chapter 8
Trista
I was jolted awake when I heard a light slam of what sounded like the front door. It was probably Emma, off to work. My face contorted when a migraine gave me immediate whiplash.
I managed to spring my eyes open and found myself looking at Taylor’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his face looking a little tired. His hazel eyes scanned my face.
“Migraine, it just came out of nowhere,” I mumbled and started to close my eyes again. I didn’t want to keep looking at him. The feeling of shame, guilt and embarrassment of what took place last night came back with a vengeance.
“I’ll get you some pain killers, be right back,” he rasped out, the deep timbre of his voice bothered me. I could hear him slide out of bed before he quietly left the room. I suppose I drifted back to sleep because I was a little disoriented when Taylor caressed my arm. I blinked a few times, until there’s enough moisture in my eyes. Taylor had two blue pills in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other. I half sat-up, without looking at him, I silently took the pills and orange juice. Once I washed everything down my throat, I humbly thanked him.
“Go back to sleep. I get up early and Bass should be up soon. I’ll be out on the patio if you need anything.” Taylor still looked serious, not a smile anywhere this morning. I hardly blamed him after my idiocy last night.
Once the effects of the pills vanquished my monster migraine, I retuned to sleep. My body simply couldn’t get enough of it.
***
“Knock-knock, the witch is back.” Lindsey called out after she opened the door.
Dear Almighty, I forgot that she had a tendency of waking up people. Emma complained about it for much of the past year. It was one of the reasons why Amber and I didn’t want to dorm with her.
“F*ck, Lindsey!” I grumbled when I felt her get on the bed, and start to jump on it like a damn, little girl having the time of her life.
“Oh, come on, granny! You missed lunch already! We gotta go and seek out Greek McHotties!” Lindsey screamed at me, laughing in between sentences. One didn’t need to see how happy she was. Yeah, and to think I almost came close last night… Taylor was right. I felt like the selfish, evil bitch he accused me of being, I truly did.
Lindsey was smiling down on me when she saw me sit up, obviously giving in to her mad tricks. “Give me fifteen,” I mumbled, weary and sleepy.
She jumped out of the bed and landed perfectly on the floor. “Fifteen, got it! Let the countdown begin. Tick-tock!” Lindsey called out before she closed the door after her.
Knowing how she was, she really would time me. Crazy woman, but I love her no less for it.
Instead of fifteen, I was done in ten minutes. I wasn’t really up to putting any make-up on, so after I showered and lathered some lotion on, I was good to go.
I was thankful when Taylor acted normal, as if he didn’t save my life last night. Yet, he still unnerved me somehow.
Lindsey and Taylor agreed that they would love to take the ferry to get to the other island, instead of the small planes they have around. I really couldn’t care less about any of the transportation, so I just followed their lead.
I was surprised when I found the ferry ride was actually relaxing. I half listened to Taylor and Lindsey looking over the travel guide for Ios, planning places to check out once we were there.
We arrived on Ios right about sundown and checked in at a three-bedroom villa that overlooked the sea. On the way to the hotel, we saw crowds of people our age enjoying their drinks and lounging around the beach. “God, I’m crazy excited!!!” Lindsey couldn’t contain her joy when she spotted a few hot men.
Yeah, this was going to be a great night. Fight it, Taylor had said last night. Yep, I would fight it, MY WAY.
I was barely getting my things out of my luggage when I heard a knock on the door. “The men aren’t going to disappear, you know. Give me half an hour then I will be set to go.”
When the door opened, I was startled to see Taylor instead of the more expected, Lindsey. “I’m attracted to breasts, so no, men aren’t my thing.” He gave me a knee-buckling kind of smile.
Holy f*ck, this guy was hot. I mean, I knew he was. But now, I’m really noticing it, blatantly noticing it, BIG TIME.
I bit my lip and looked away, hating that my body was reacting to him. Could this be Hero Syndrome? God, I hope not. That would be humiliating to like someone who saw you at your lowest. “Did you want something?” I asked, still not looking at him.
He strode forward and sat comfortably on my bed. He cleared his throat, and I could feel his heated gaze on me, but I didn’t budge to meet it. “How are you? I’ve been meaning to ask, but I never really got the chance to.”
Ah, shit-cakes. “I’m still reeling, I guess. You don’t have to worry about that again, though.” I looked up and finally met his probing gaze. “It was a random thing. I assure you, it never crossed my mind before.”
Taylor got up and silently strode before me. “That may be, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Who knows how many impulsive, deadly endeavors there may be?”
“I’m not a nutcase, not even close to suicidal. That was a one-off incident. One I won’t be attempting again, I promise.” I pressed my lips together, trying to gain some composure, maybe a little bit of dignity, too.
His moss green-eyes drilled into mine, causing my breath to hitch. Time stood still, I felt bereft and perplexed at the same time. Although, most of all, I felt exposed to this man that I barely knew.
“I’m still watching you, Trista. Think of it like I’m your own personal guardian angel; a dark one.” His scrutinizing gaze roved over me one more time. “We’ll see you in thirty then.” Taylor left my room after parting with those words.
It took me a few more seconds until I let out a long breath. My fingers clenched on the rim of my opened luggage, speechless. What the hell just happened? Was that a promise or f*cking sexual tension? I was beyond disconcerted, but I pushed myself to get ready and show Taylor how his actions— and his soul-impaling-eyes—had no effect at all.
We dined on a taverna that had tiny chairs and tables on the shore. I’ve traveled to a lot of countries, but I don’t think there is another place on earth like Greece. It truly was a jewel. The beauty, the cuisine, the people and the history of the country, it was all imbedded everywhere you go. You just don’t feel it, you experience it. It seeps into you, like a mating of souls. You knew you’d never be the same after that kind of experience.
After the simple, and yet very commendable dinner, we went to an outdoor club that was packed with tourists, just like us. “Woot woot! European McHotties in the house!” Lindsey danced her way in, checking out men here and there. Her signature tight-hugging dress contoured her fabulous figure. Lindsey was stunning, beauty and brains, kick-ass, stunning.
Taylor, like a true gentleman, guided both of us girls to a table. Once we were all seated, I excused myself to go to the bathroom.
“What you do want to drink? We’ll order it for you.” Taylor threw me a question before I left the table.
I waved my hand like the question was irrelevant. “I’ll drink whatever you guys are having. It’s no biggie.” Call me a coward, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him squarely when he talked directly to me. He simply made me feel… odd.
Tonight, he wore white chinos, a white dress shirt with sleeves that were folded and pushed up on his elbows, and light brown Armani loafers. He looked like the model that he was, sexy and oozing some astronomic sex, appeal. It did not help that he unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt to reveal his muscular perfection underneath it. Yes, I was now seeing everything he did, and not in the angry way that I had the night before. I took note how he liked to bite his thumb when he found something amusing, but was trying to withhold his laughter, or the way he didn’t really care how his wavy hair goes about. Messy, swept back, partially tamed or hung loosely around his eyes, he still looked gorgeous.
The bathroom excuse was a way for me to regroup my thoughts and tame my betraying body’s reaction to the man. I comforted myself that it was simply a Hero Syndrome. I mean, what else could it be? I sure wasn’t into him the first time I met him.
My heart hadn’t changed much, though. It still bore Harry’s name, like a curse or fate, across it. I gave up trying to nitpick why I felt the way I did when it came to him. It was what it was, I was not going to deny it, or even try to understand it. Matters of the heart were a mercurial subject to sort and ponder through—especially at a club, in Greece of all places. It was one thing the brains and the whizzes did not have an answer to—stupid hearts, stupid love. There were simply no explanations out there that could provide answers precisely why that was. That’s why it’s all feeling and not thinking.
Once I was finished using the bathroom, I came out and weaved through the throng of swaying people, dancing to the beats of Tiësto’s Traffic, one of my all-time faves. I halted when a hot looking woman pulled me with a small pressure on my arm. “Let’s dance! Dance with me.” Her accented tone was heavy. Spanish, perhaps?
In return, I gave her an approving smile. Sure, I could do this. I could dance for a bit.
She guided me towards a few steps that screamed VIP only. We joined a table that had a barely-aged-teen, looking all smug and pimpin’ it. The young man looked like he was probably about seventeen or so. He surrounded himself with six women, plus me and the accented woman who had grabbed me.
It didn’t take long for us to start dancing to the beat. Before I knew it, we were dancing right in front of the young kid. He was clapping like an idiot, his eyes greedy, checking me out. It was stupid, but this kid made me crack-up. He just looked too confident and too smug for his age. The effect was hilarious.
When the music ended, I said goodbye to the woman who hadn’t given her name, but we both smiled at each other in an understanding that it was great fun to dance with each other for a bit. “Wait! Dance more, for me.” The boy-kid asked, his accent obviously Greek.
“You’re a naughty kid. I already danced and you watched. You got the full viewing.” I spun around and went towards his table that had a variety of alcoholic drinks. I picked up the Rosé bottle and saluted it at him. “See you around.” I gave him another smile before leaving.
Boy-kid bunched up his fingers and kissed them with his lips. “Goodbye, beautiful.” He was obviously drunk already.
I waved him another goodbye, walking with purpose, seeking Lindsey and Taylor. I was surprised when I found the two talking, drinks in hand. Lindsey looked up when she found me walking towards them. “Hey! Where have you been? You look flushed.” Her eyes took in my state. “Where did you get the Rosé?”
I pointed towards the opposite side of the room, and smiled at them. “I took the champagne after I gave that Small Big Pimpin’ Kid a mini-lap dance.”
Taylor’s reaction was a Kodak moment. “Cheers!” I nodded at him before I took a long gulp of the mighty fine bubbles, straight up from the bottle.
“What!? I would’ve loved to have seen that! What a bummer!” Lindsey looked like I just told her that she couldn’t have margaritas any more. I gave her a big, goofy grin.
“Mi scusi, I’m Eliza and this is Mia. We’re from Roma. We were wondering if you were that Armani ad underwear model? Taylor, sí?” Two awed, giddy teenage girls eyed Taylor like he was edible. Lindsey and I both looked at each other, then at Taylor.
The man in question stood up and shook their hands. “I am that Taylor. It’s nice to meet you Eliza and Mia from Rome.”
The girl , who introduced herself as Eliza , gushed and turned tomato red when she got up up close and personal to Taylor. She ordered Mia to take pictures of the two of them together.
Taylor was an Armani underwear model? Holy sexy man! I needed to Google that, like right now! Lindsey moved closer to me and whispered in my ear. “Did you think he modeled for like The Dollar Store or something?” Lindsey nudged me. She could easily see through my reaction.
I flicked my hair to the other side, not caring that Taylor was engrossed talking to his fans now. “Want to put your Greek plan in action?” I asked the grinning Lindsey.
“F*ck, yeah! It took you long enough. It’s time to rock those tittays of yours woman!” Lindsey gave me a wink. Her brown eyes sparkled wickedly with amusement.
Ever since my breasts developed to full C-cups, she’d always teased me about it. I mean, they’re pretty decent, but since I’m petite, they look somewhat huge on me, and much more pronounced when I wear a tight top, like tonight.
She held her hand out and guided us through the throng of people dancing. She stopped when we were squashed in the middle of those people, who were lost in the groove of the music. Reggae Techno blared through the speakers. We started dancing like no one was watching us. I danced and drank from my bottle, having not a care in the world.
After ten minutes of dancing, two British men came to join us. I barely glanced at Lindsey because the Brit looked like Josh Duhamel, but with a British accent. Talk about loaded ammunition! I was sold. “James,” he whispered in my ear, his hands holding my hips possessively. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, or how disarming his looks were, but I was melting in his arms. James could be my cure —t . T he cure for my reaction to Taylor , , not Harry. There was no cure for the kind of hangover that Harry had produced.
“Trista,” I whispered against his cheek. I shivered deliciously when my cheek made contact to the light stubble he had on his jaw. Could I melt some more, please? I clung on to him as we danced together. I liked how he didn’t really push himself on me, or feel me up like other men would. His hands stayed put on my hips, planted firmly. I finished off my champagne to the very last drop.
“Here, let me dispose of it.” James took the bottle, tossed it away and was back in a flash, looking too irresistible and without much restraint; I pulled him close and kissed him. As my kisses deepened, it earned me a satisfied moan from him. In under a minute, James weaved us through the crowd, half kissing as we went along. We both made a sighing sound once we were against a wall, somewhat hidden, close to where our table was, but I couldn’t be bothered to check if Taylor was there or not. He was the last thing I needed to see when I was getting my freak on.
James didn’t hold back kissing me this time. I pressed my body against him, matching his fevered kisses, his hands wandering. One cupped my breast, the other holding my ass in place, pushing it against his raging hard-on. Yes! I silently screamed in my head. Make me forget. Even just for a little while. I just want to forget about it all.
Then I heard his laugh somewhere. My eyes snapped open, searching to find where it originated from, still lip-locked with James. My eyes scanned the crowd, stopping almost right across from me. Taylor was talking to a woman, whose features I couldn’t see because she was facing him, so close to him. In fact, she looked like she was about to begin kissing him. I was sure she’s just waiting for the right moment. I loudly gasped against James’s lips when he grinded his hips against mine.
Forget Taylor and his lady brunette. I commanded my mind to focus on the kiss because it was getting extremely hot and loaded. I tilted my head back when James sought my neck, kissing it. My front teeth sunk into my bottom lip when James gave my left breast a hard squeeze.
That weird feeling of being watched caught my attention. My eyes connected to Taylor’s. He looked observant, but at the same time, guarded and challenging. I broke eye contact when James parted from the crook of my neck. He placed his cheek against my own, as he tried to level his breathing. It was not a great wonder to me since I knew how tortured he was. The hardness of him poked me, sending warmth and excitement all over me.
“I apologize if I’m being too aggressive. You have completely broken down any self-control I had left.” James bluntly admitted, while his hands freely roamed, skimming my physique.
“Take me to your room,” I said looking up at him. I haven’t been with anyone since Harry. For the first time in my life, I hadn’t declined when the doctor offered birth control like I usually did. There was never going to be a next time. I was going to be extra careful from now on. A broken condom was simply not reliable, note taken.
James seemed taken aback by my blatant invitation. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured.” He genuinely sounded like he meant it, but my mind was made up. It was best to get on with it.
If I was to be a prisoner of my dark conscience, indulging in sexual urges was a small consolation. It was the only thing that was left for me to enjoy. Well, I hoped I would, at least.
“Yes, I’m sure.” I leveled my eyes at him so he could see how serious I was. James bent over and kissed me one more time before he ushered us towards the exit door. James took hold of my hand, leading me away from the club.
“Excuse me, but you’re leaving with my woman.” That stopped us walking; the voice of Taylor was quite close behind us.
James spun around, pissed off. “I have spent the last hour with her, kissing her. From where I’m standing, she’s with me.”
Taylor sent me a murderous glare before he looked back to James. “We had a misunderstanding. Trista did that to make me jealous. Well, mission accomplished. That doesn’t change the fact that she’s mine. So, if you don’t mind, could you kindly take your hands off what’s mine and scurry off?”
Mortified didn’t even come close to what I was feeling at the moment. My cheeks suffused with blatant embarrassment when James gave me an accusing glare. “Bloody f*cking hell, women! I would rue the day!” He shouted as he started to walk away from us.
I gently pushed his chest, angry and frustrated. “What are you now? Cock Nazi? It’s none of your business, Taylor. What the hell! That was uncalled for.”
“It was for your own good. You’re obviously drunk. I didn’t want you to regret it the next day. Especially after yesterday, I couldn’t risk it. I had to stop you from making that error.” Taylor slipped his hands inside his pockets while he regarded my reaction.
True, I was drunk, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a damn clue about what was about to happen. Heck, I initiated it. “There were never going to be regrets, Taylor. I asked him to take me back to his room. I wanted to have sex with him. I knew what I wanted and I just went after it. I wasn’t a drunk damsel in distress that needed saving from you.”
His eyes flicked from my head to my feet, and back up again. “Why? Last night, you told me you were so f*cking in love with Harry. F*cking another man is a stupid solution to that, Trista.” Taylor frowned at me.
An irritated laugh came from me. “This wasn’t about love. Maybe I just like sex. Have you considered that?”
“Let’s go back to the villa. You need to rest. You look tired.” Taylor placed a hand behind my back and pushed me forward. “I spoke to Lindsey earlier. She’s with a bunch of girls from New York. She also has her cellphone with her, so we can reach her anytime. Now, let’s get a move on.”
The short fifteen minute walk was silent. The fact that I was hyper-aware of his movements, his breathing and his smell, dampened my mood even more. The fact that his hand never left the warmth of my back, didn’t help at all.
When we got to our villa, he refused to leave my room just as he had the night before. After his quick shower in his own bathroom, he came back to mine and sought the opposite side of the bed.
After ten minutes or so in bed, his phone started ringing. After a few rings, it died. The sheets made a crisp sound as he moved, reaching for it. “I wish I could put this on silent, but Lindsey might call.” His considerate, protective nature stretched to Lindsey as well, though, that nature didn’t seem to be as bad as it was towards me.
I was a tad intrigued. “Who called you?” When my eyes made a quick pass to his face, I saw his frown. Okay, now I was f*cking curious.
He stretched out and placed his hands behind his head. “My ex, Megan. She might call again, so I apologize ahead of time.”
His honest revelation surprised me. Most men wouldn’t be too quick to respond about something like that. Most of them deny their pasts and cover up other women in their lives, but not Taylor. In that one moment he showed me that he’s straightforward as hell. I was a bit ticked off. Why? I wasn’t sure, but it bothered me to know that he’s talking to his ex. Of course pretty boy was attractive, and I’m sure he had tons of women at his beck and call, however, I didn’t want to see him that way. To me, he was just Taylor—the guy I just recently had met—who saved me and infuriated me.
“Were you guys in love?” I whispered, staring at the ceiling, like him.
“For a couple of years, we were, but somewhere along the way, things fell apart. We agreed that breaking up was the best thing for both of us. She started calling three months after, that was six months ago.” Taylor sounded like his thoughts were so far away, like he was remembering his relationship with Megan and their love.
What would it be like to fall for someone who could freely love you back? To have them openly declare their love and affection. To be able to openly show people how much you care for each other?
A one-woman kind of man.
“If she asked you to give it another go, would you go back?” I wondered out loud.
He took a good minute or two to consider my question. “I’m not going to lie and say that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind. Our relationship was great. Megan and I understood each other. We’re both competitive in nature, and we both thrived on it. I guess we were good together, but somewhere down the line, we drifted apart.”
Why did it feel like I was being poked each time he mentioned her name?
My prodding about his past didn’t ease my curiosity. In fact, it got worse. I was imagining all sorts of things in my head. When his phone rang again, breaking the silence in the room, I reached out above his body for the phone. “Hello?” I answered the call.
“Trista!” Taylor hissed behind me. His hot body almost touching my back, but he was careful not to touch me.
Nah uh, he messed with my night with James earlier. It was my time to mess with his.
“Can I speak to Taylor?” a soft, angelic voice came on the other end, a tad shaky.
Taylor tried to grab the phone from my ear, but I out maneuvered him and slapped his hand away. “Taylor is unavailable at the moment. Can I take a message?” I sounded flirty and buoyant. Possibly because I was still drunk , , o o r maybe because I was having a blast making Taylor squirm—in any case I sure was having a terrific time.
Instead of answering my question, Megan went straight for an interrogation of her own. “Are you his girlfriend?”
Taylor was behind my back trying to steal his phone from my tight hold, but I managed to move away from him and tried to crawl using my elbows. His hands were too quick, though. He swiftly grabbed my ankles, pulling them towards him. With will and might, I tried to kick his hands off except I somehow ended up being rolled over on my back. Looking away from him, I focused on the call. “Taylor and I aren’t like that. We’re just f*ck buddies, you know,” I wickedly said, breathless.
Megan gasped at my crude retort. She hung up a second after that. Oh, boo! I wanted to toy with Taylor some more, but Megan cut it short. “Here, she hung up on me. Megan sounds lovely by the way. I could just picture her as ladylike and very proper.”
I handed him his phone back, but I stiffened in the midst of it. I was frozen on the f*cking spot when I caught his eyes staring sharply at my slightly, parted legs. I swallowed nervously, my throat suddenly dry at the dark intensity of his hungry, devouring gaze. I felt utterly clueless what to do next. I couldn’t even summon enough energy to close my parted thighs. It was as if his eyes had the power of holding them in place while they simultaneously showed me how badly he wanted me.
“Why aren’t you wearing any underwear?” Taylor was finally able to rasp out, his voice decadently heavy with desire, eyes still glued on my exposed, bare genitalia.
“I never wear any when I’m sleeping,” I whispered before I urged my body to move. I counted from one to ten and willed my body to do so. When it finally did, I was still shaken. Shaken from my response to him, but most of all, shaken from the desire I heard in his voice. Taylor and I can’t happen. That’s that. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to flash you. I wasn’t trying to seduce you, in case you’d think otherwise.”
“Right, I forgot, I’m not your type. Of course you wouldn’t be seducing men like me. It never crossed my mind that you would.” Taylor gave me a curt nod and removes himself back to the side of the bed he had been inhabiting before we got interrupted by Megan.
Once we quieted, I couldn’t leave the subject alone. “You sound mad. Is that because you wanted me?”
Taylor hissed again. “Any man with a dick would be turned on at a close-up of a vagina. It was just a normal reaction for any hot-blooded male. You shouldn’t dwell on it.”
His stupid tone irked me to pieces. “Good to know. Sex with you would be a damn snore anyway. So, don’t even toy with the idea.” I declared before rolling on my side. I waited for his reply, but it never came.
In fact, Taylor was silent. I wondered if he was asleep, but my pride wouldn’t let me check if he was or not.
I fell asleep listening to his breathing. The last thought I had was him, and that look he had earlier. The one where his gaze told me how much he wanted to f*ck the living shit out of me.