He took a long sip of wine as he studied her. She was so certain of her independence and stubborn to a fault. Convincing her to stay would not be easy. A small smile threatened. That wasn’t true. Convincing people was what he did best. It was how he made his living. It was what he was trained to do. He shook his head. Employing any of those tactics was a surefire way to send the girl running for the door. He already had Taylor in his sights. Keeping her there was the issue. That was going to require a little finesse and quite possibly some patience as well. His chest rose with a sigh. Patience could pose a definite problem.
She peered at him from above the rim of her hot chocolate. He smiled as her grey eyes took on an impish sparkle. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
“Stay with me.”
Taylor blinked. “Do what?”
“You heard me,” he said, setting his glass down. Sebastian prowled across the floor to join her on the fluffy white throw. “I want you to stay here.”
She blushed as he captured her chin and forced her gaze to his.
“I—I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“There you go thinking again,” he chided. He brushed his lips across hers in a feather light caress before leaning in to claim them in a long, slow kiss. They tasted of chocolate and marshmallows, and a more honeyed flavor that belonged solely to her. When he pulled back, she stared at him with beautiful, dazed eyes. “Don’t think, just do.”
“I…can’t,” she mumbled.
“If we went by your ideas of what was best, we never would have had our first date and we definitely wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
Her shoulders shook with a silent laugh. “You have me there, but I can’t, Sebastian. I’m just not ready. I don’t even know what this thing is or where it’s heading.”
He cupped her face gently in his hands. “What do you want it to be?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes you do. Tell me.” She shrugged, trying to lower her head and hide behind the thick veil of her hair, but he held tight. He gave a slow, reproachful shake of his head. “Look at me.”
A shaky breath pushed past her pout. “I…Jesus, are you always this intense?”
“I can be. It’s a simple question, Taylor. What do you want from me?”
She chewed the swell of her bottom lip, her brow furrowing with frustration. “I don’t know how to answer that.”
“Truthfully,” he stated. Sebastian released her face, but kept her pinned with his stare. “Where do you want this to go? What would you like the next step to be? Do you want to be with me, Taylor, or do you want to walk away?”
Her head snapped up. Finally, her gaze met his. “I want to be with you.”
Nodding, he let out the breath he’d been holding. His face eased into a smile, and reaching up, he ran his fingers across her cheek to trail through her hair. “That’s what I want, too. I’ll give you time, if that’s what you need. But it won’t be long. I’m not a patient man, and I can’t stand the thought of you alone in that neighborhood at night.”
She peered back at him with a bemused smile dangling from her lips. “I’ll be fine, Sebastian. I promise.”
“I am going to hold you to that.” Sighing, he raked a hand through his curls and pushed up onto his feet. “Come on. Let’s get you home before I change my mind.”
III.
Taylor burrowed deeper into the folds of her scarf. Winter was still technically a few weeks off, but the early December air bit clear down to her bones. Juggling the festive bags in her arms, she shivered as a forceful gale of wind swept through the downtown streets. The holiday banners and shimmering garland strung around the old-fashioned gas style lamp posts rippled and flapped with the force. She smiled, nodding to an elderly woman on her way past, her breath leaving her mouth in feathery plumes. Even the frigid cold was not enough to shake the exhaustion, and Taylor struggled to hold back another yawn. One more today and her jaw might very well come unhinged.
She giggled at the thought, wondering what Sebastian would think of her then. It had been a long couple of weeks, a whirlwind to say the least. When they weren’t working, they were together, often until the wee hours of the morning. As much as she loved being around him, the schedule was definitely starting to take its toll. Another yawn threatened, and this time she failed. Lifting the bags, Taylor fought to cover her face as her sleep deprived body caved and tears rolled over the freezing slopes of her cheek.
She collided with a solid wall of muscle without warning. Grunting, she fumbled to keep both balance and bags in check. Hands reached out and gripped her arms, preventing her from falling over at the last minute. Grateful, but embarrassed, Taylor lowered her parcels and flashed a sheepish grin.
“I’m so sorry!” Her awkward smile turned to one of genuine surprise and she half gasped, half laughed as she gaped at the familiar face. The bright blue eyes, rusty auburn hair, and square chiseled features were ones she knew all too well. Her heart swelled at the sight of her childhood friend.
“Taylor McAvay, is that you?”
She burst into a full laugh and nodded. “Daryl West! How are you? I haven’t seen you since graduation.”
He grinned and rubbed the back of his head, his broad shoulders rolling with a lazy shrug. “Eh, you know. School and football are keeping me busy. Same old story, different day.”
She giggled. “How do you like it up there? I hear things can get pretty wild in college.”
“It’s great!” he said, laughing. “You should totally head upstate and visit sometime. I could give you the good old campus tour.”
“Yeah,” Taylor said, nodding. She tilted her head and grinned. “I’d like that.”
“You should have been there, too. I mean, that was always the plan growing up. We’d graduate, get the hell out of dodge, go to the same college, and end up being rich and successful members of society.”
She blew out an exaggerated sigh. “I know, but it didn’t really work out that way for me. Uncle Roy’s health is questionable at best, and someone really needs to stay behind and keep an eye on Bryce. That boy might be grown, but he’s still as wild as ever.”
Daryl nodded. “He always was. You look great, Tay. You really do. We should grab some lunch. We have a lot of catching up to do, and I would love to hear what you’ve been up to lately.”
Taylor blushed as her stomach released a low, painful rumble as if on cue. She glanced down in surprise, her shoulders shaking at Daryl’s boisterous laugh. Several midafternoon shoppers paused to look their way. Her color deepened as she offered them a sheepish smirk and shrugged, smiling up at him. He hadn’t changed at all. His shoulders were a little wider than she remembered, and his build a little thicker, but he was still the same sweet, down-to-earth guy.
“Yeah, okay,” she said, nodding. “That sounds great. Just let me stick these bags in the tru--”
The words died on her lips as a car squealed around the corner. Her eyes widened as the sleek black sedan barreled down the street and jumped the curb of the sidewalk. She staggered back, almost falling in her haste to escape as the squat tires barked to a stop inches away from her booted feet. Daryl shouldere
d his way in front of her, his broad body stiff and bracing for a fight when the driver’s side door swung open. Rearing up on her tiptoes, she peered over her friend, her eyebrows knitting upon seeing Josh.
He marched toward them quickly, and her heart sank when she realized he hadn’t even taken the time to shut the door. A million scenarios played through her mind, none of them pleasant. Had something happened? Was Sebastian okay? She swallowed, the lump in her throat growing tighter with each step he took. Determination stamped the rugged planes of his face, as well as his quick, angry stride.
“You,” he growled, jerking his head at Daryl. “Get out of the way.”
“I’m not going anywhere, buddy,” the linebacker argued, folding his arms and widening his stance.
Josh sighed and snapped his fingers, pointing at Taylor. “Get in the goddamn car.”
Fear and confusion battled for control. He leveled her with a fierce glare that left no room to argue, and the aggressive glint in his blue eyes was nothing short of terrifying. Taylor took an uncertain step back. Her breath left her in a shaky exhale; her blood roared in her ears as her mind scrambled, searching for the cause of his displeasure. She hadn’t said anything about that day in the woods, not even to Bryce, and they had no secrets between them.
Josh’s face hardened. Her legs threatened to crumble as his lethal gaze bore into her. He sprung without warning, his sturdy six-foot-one frame unfurling with an unnatural amount of speed. She gave a petrified squall as his hand locked around her upper arm and he hauled her out from behind the shelter of Daryl’s body. The packages tumbled to the sidewalk. She watched in horror as the myriad of gifts she’d spent the afternoon purchasing spilled across the broken concrete, some of them bouncing clear out into the street. Fighting to pry herself loose, Taylor stumbled while the deep boom of her friend’s voice thundered in her ears.