It was all a playful joke: in reality, the two paintings looked nearly identical, except for a few minor differences.
We were still laughing and teasing each other about the paintings when Taylor pulled into the driveway at Derek’s house. All the lights were off—everyone was asleep.
Taylor turned the car off, but didn’t make any move to leave. “I had a ton of fun tonight, Clara.”
“Me too.”
“Having two firemen boyfriends isn’t so bad, huh?”
I started to make a joke about how lucky I was, then decided to take the conversation in another direction. “Do youreallywant to share me?”
“After all the fun we just had, why do you think I don’t?” he asked.
“That means you want to hang out with me, and date me. It doesn’t mean you also want to share me with Jordan, and maybe Derek. I bet you only agreed to share me because Jordan asked me out first, and now sharing me is the only way you can go out with me at all.”
Taylor frowned. “No.”
I turned toward him and poked him in the arm. “Admit it. Ifyouhad asked me out first, and just the two of us were dating, would you then agree to share me with your two colleagues?”
He got a faraway expression on his face. “Hmm. Good point. Truthfully? I don’t know how I would feel if things had shaken out that way.” He twisted to face me in the seat. “But I’m not interested in hypotheticals and what-ifs. I’m glad we’re here now. Even if it’s happening in this weird, totally crazy way.”
“Which part is crazier?” I asked. “The baby-watching part, or the sharing me part?”
“Both!”
We laughed, and drifted toward each other in the car. His hand slid up along my cheek, pulling my face toward his before taking me in a soft kiss.
I melted against him, and he pushed into my kiss deeper. Taylor’s tongue peeked out to lick at mine, first tentatively, but with growing confidence and lust. Our mouths churned hungrily against each other in the car.
I thought Jordan was a great kisser, but Taylor was on another level. His lips were heady and addictive, and swallowed the soft, mewling sounds I began to make.
I want him, I realized. I wanted him badly. And I could feel the same desire mirrored back at me. Taylor didn’t just want to give me a polite goodnight kiss, or a longer make out session in the car.
He wantedallof me, a burning need that I could sense in his lips and tongue and chest.
“Do you want to go inside?” I asked, out of breath.
“More than anything in the world,” he breathed. His eyes seemed bluer than normal in the moonlight as he glanced at the house. “But…”
“Oh, right,” I realized. “The walls are thin. If you can hear Jordan snoring in the room next door, then they can hear…”
“It’s not that.” He closed his eyes for a moment, collecting himself.
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve… never done it before. Have sex, I mean.”
I gasped. “You’re avirgin?”
20
Clara
I looked him up and down. Taylor was only twenty-two, but he was gorgeous. High cheekbones, and an oval-shaped face with piercing-blue eyes. Not to mention his body, lean and strong and totally ripped. Taylor was a freakingsnack.
How had someone this perfect never had sex before?
For a moment, he looked hurt. “I shouldn’t have said anything…”