Micah moves away from the window, following Allie toward the doorway, as Taylor says to him, “I’m so sorry you had to be here for all of…that.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Micah says softly to her. “This situation is out of control for all of us.” I see the concern on his face as he approaches me and clasps my shoulder. “Good luck with all this.”
I nod, opening the door for them.
Micah exits first and just before Allie does, she mouths to me, “Take care of her.”
Always, I want to say. Instead, I shut the door behind Allie.
“Well, now that we’re alone…” Taylor rises from the couch, her glare fierce. “Anything you’d like to say to me?”
“Not particularly,” I admit, keeping my distance for now. “Especially considering the look on your face suggests you want to gut me.” She narrows her eyes, telling me that my answer isn’t the right one. “I won’t apologize for protecting you.”
She huffs and crosses her arms. “I told you—”
“Shawn is here, Taylor,” I interject softly. “He came here to find you. I respected you by not digging any deeper than I had to. I also respected you by not putting a tail on you. But if you think for a second I will allow the man who hit you to walk around this city without having eyes on him, you clearly do not know me well.”
In a single breath, the tension leaves her face, exhaustion replacing the hardness. She shakes her head, running her hands over her face. “God, this whole situation is so fucked up. I can’t believe I had to explain all this to my parents. I can’t believe the tabloids are printing all these stories about you, your friends, and about me.”
I hear the strain and worry in her voice. I hear the sound of a woman who has gone through way too much. And what bothers me the most is that when she lowers her hands, I see she wants to cry but can’t, having no more tears to shed.
Something breaks open inside me. I’m walking toward her without even thinking about it. That look, that strain, I can’t fucking stand it. Then I’m there, slamming her against the wall and kissing her until there’s no pain seeping from her mouth and all that’s left are her breathy moans.
Chapter 13
Taylor
I’m tingling from head to toe when I feel Darius’s warm mouth on mine. A small part of me is telling me this is wrong. I’m too emotional, too vulnerable, too raw. But the stronger part of me needs him so badly I can’t stop him as he begins stripping off my blouse and then my bra, leaving my skirt in place, never once taking his eyes off mine. Because in all the confusion, all the unknown, there’s him. Strong. Solid. Sexy as hell.
“You’re going to stop thinking about all this,” he tells me sternly. “No more worries, Taylor.” He leans in, pressing his strong body against mine and whispers in my ear, “I’m going to fuck them right out of you, until all that’s left is a smile on your gorgeous face.”
I’m trembling. I can’t help it. That’s what he does to me. All that power. All that confidence. His voice. His commanding eyes. The passion he exudes. I’m so wet for him and he hasn’t even touched me.
“You’re going to let go. Relax.” He steps back, keeping his eyes locked on mine, and begins removing his shirt. Button by button, he determinedly removes the white fabric from his body, until it flutters to the floor. “You’re thinking only of me, my touch, my body.” His voice lowers, becoming throatier and softer. “That’s what I want from you, Taylor. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” I breathe, hardly able to get the words out. God, my stomach clenches at the sight of his body. Ripple after ripple, I’m in awe of his body. I don’t think I won’t ever not be. From his strong, wide shoulders to his broad chest to the V of his waist to his tanned smooth skin, he’s so hot.
I watch his eyes flare as he sees how much I want him, and then I’m not looking at him anymore. His mouth is sealed on mine, and his hands are fisted in my hair, pulling on the strands tight. Heat pools low in my body, making my sex feel heavy with need, achy for his touch. He sweeps me away with his soft lips and skillful tongue, bringing me to a place beyond reality. A place I never want to come back from. A high so beautiful it can’t be real. But then, somehow, he’s taking me even higher. He kisses my neck, my puckered nipples, my stomach.
I’m so turned on, so hot for him when he backs away, roughly grabbing my wrists and pulling me toward the kitchen table. I don’t fear the rough hold; I relish the dominant grip. He’s both gentle and firm, and it’s exactly what I need. I don’t want to make decisions. I want him to make them. I don’t want to think. I want to feel.
Once we reach the glass table, he releases my wrists and pushes down on my back. My breasts squish against the cool glass, and I’m staring out the window at the view of Union Square as his breathing deepens in masculine need and urgency.
“Grab your forearms behind your back for me and keep them there,” he orders.
I awkwardly reach for my arms behind my back, when he boldly lifts my skirt over my hips and yanks my panties down. “Yes…stay right there like that,” he groans, rubbing my bottom, squeezing my butt cheeks in the harsh way he does. “Fuck, you’re so sexy…so damn gorgeous…”
I hear him unbuckle his belt and hear the swoosh of fabric brushing against skin as he lowers his pants. I hear the wrapper of the condom opening, but I cannot move. All I can do is wait there for him to choose when and how to take me. His hand is pinning my head to the table, when he kicks my legs open, and I can’t stop the gasp of surprise that shoots from my mouth when he enters me.
Clearly, today, Darius will not be denied what he wants.
He thrusts his hips quickly, in and out, until a breathy moan spills from my mouth, and I feel myself growing wet enough to accommodate him. His hard body is pressing against me. His fingers are tightening in my hair and I cringe against the pull, but the power of him over my body brings more and more pleasure, until I am soaking wet for him. He’s moving faster and harder now, giving me what I need, exactly how I want it. And I moan loudly for him to know how much I love his roughness, encouraging him to let himself go and use me in any way he needs.
Then I can’t stop moaning. It’s nothing I can control. It’s something I’ve never been able to control. He knows how to awaken me, how to make me feel so alive, and all I can ever do is surrender to his desires. I moan again, but it quickly turns into a gasp as I’m roughly turned in his arms.
Facing him now, I shiver at the darkness in his eyes, the intensity of his soul, when he thrusts both his hands into my hair and pulls us down to the floor. He lowers onto his knees, pulling me onto his lap. He places one hand behind him to support us, keeping the other tangled in my hair, locking my gaze on him, not allowing me to look anywhere else.
“Come on, baby, fuck me.” He waits until I slide down onto his cock before he speaks again. “That’s it. That’s perfect.”