“They have wedding cake on the menu,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows. We were at one of my mother’s favorite restaurants in Wylie. It was cute and homey and they had a great menu.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Taylor said, not looking up from the menu. I’d made sure they had several salads and other items that she could choose from.
“I’m totally ordering it and you’re gonna help me eat it,” I said. She glared at me over her menu. But she knew it was true. If there was a cake, Taylor was going to eat it. She was predictable that way.
The waiter came back and I ordered a burger and Taylor got soup and a salad. We sipped on real sweet tea and talked about this and that.
“Your accent is really noticeable right now,” Taylor said, squeezing some more lemon into her tea.
“Is it?” I hadn’t heard my voice changing, but Taylor was so used to me not using it that she must have been hyper aware.
“Do you like it?” I asked, knowing the answer. Her cheeks flushed.
“You could say that.”
Hell yeah. I was going to lay it on thick tonight and see where it got me. I had the feeling a naked Taylor would definitely be the result. Although, tomorrow we were getting her a pair of cowboy boots.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she said and it took me a second to realize that she was talking to me.
“Huh?”
“Why are you looking at me as if I’m a piece of cake and you want to devour me?” Under the table, her hand slid up my leg and I jolted, my knee crashing against the table and rattling the glasses. A few people near us gave me a look, but then went back to their meals.
I leaned closer to Taylor so we wouldn’t be overheard.
“I was thinking about you wearing a pair of cowboy boots and nothing else,” I said in a low voice, and watched in satisfaction as she shivered a little and swallowed.
“I think we might be able to arrange that,” she said to me, just as our waiter arrived with our food. I cleared my throat and Taylor took her hand off my leg.
We ate quickly and Taylor didn’t even comment when I ordered the wedding cake with two forks for dessert. The cake was delicious, but there was something else I wanted in my mouth a lot more. I paid the check and we hurried out. Apparently someone was just as eager as I was.
“I know I’ve heard stories about people having sex while driving, but that seems like a terrible idea on the highway,” Taylor said as we slid into the car and I pulled out of the parking lot. “If not for the possibility of ending up in fiery crash, I would be in your lap right now.”
I clenched the steering wheel so hard I thought I was going to snap it in half. Somehow we made it back to the hotel without damaging the rental car, ourselves or breaking any laws, but it was close.
“Come on, come on,” I growled at the elevator that was slower than hell.
“Anxious, are we?” Taylor said, getting on her tiptoes to speak in my ear as she slid one hand down the front of my jeans. I bit back every single curse I ever knew and sighed in relief when the doors opened. I was about to corner Taylor when another couple got in the elevator with us. I clenched my fists.
Longest elevator ride ever. I thought I was going to die. As soon as the doors opened on our floor, I grabbed Taylor, threw her over my shoulder, ignored her protests and stormed down the hall to our room.
I had to fumble for a second with the swipe key, but I got it on the second try. Before she could take a breath, I threw her on the bed and dived on top of her.
“Eager, Mr. Zaccadelli?” She had no idea.
“Yes, Miss Caldwell,” I groaned as I hauled her shirt over her head, almost ripping it in the process. As quick as I could I had the rest of her undressed and waiting for me.
“It is completely unfair that I’m naked and you’re not. What happened to equality?” she said, pouting at me. I started to take my shirt off, but she smacked at my hands and refused to let me do it.
“There you are,” she said once she’d yanked my pants and boxers down and I’d kicked them off my feet. I was about to push her back so I could kiss her, but she put her mouth on me and my brain exploded. I forgot my name, I forgot everything except that Taylor Elizabeth Caldwell was licking my dick.
She seemed intent on taking me all the way, but I put my hands on her head and pulled her away with a little pop that nearly made me blow right then.
“I think I’d rather be inside you,” I said with a smile. She got off her knees in one smooth motion and pulled me back onto the bed with her. I loved the fact that since she was on the pill we didn’t have to have anything between us.
I kissed her slowly, melding her tongue with mine. I licked and tasted my way down her luscious body, so amazed that she was here and she was mine. When I got to the apex between her thighs, I moved down to the edge of the bed and then pulled her so her legs were hanging over my shoulders. I imagined she was wearing cowboy boots as I kissed her in a way that made her arch up off the bed and moan.
Our neighbors on the other side of the wall were going to get quite a performance because Taylor definitely wasn’t being quiet. Especially when I made her come, one, two, three times before I moved back up onto the bed and slide inside her.
We moaned in unison and I leaned down to kiss her before I flipped both of us so she was on top. Watching Taylor move up and down on me, taking her pleasure from me, was the height of my fucking life. She came quickly and then, so did I.
Panting, she leaned down and kissed me.
“Guess we didn’t last very long,” she said.
“Well, there’s always time for round two. And three,” I said and she grinned.
We made it to round four before we both decided we were too tired and hungry to continue.
“Room service?” I said, groping for the menu that I’d set on the bedside table.
“Room service,” Taylor said, giving me a tired thumbs up.
“Fuuuuucccckkkkk,” Hunter said under his breath as I modeled my first pair of cowboy boots for him at the Boot Barn. It was literally called that. Boots were not cheap, but these ones were brown and turquoise and cute as hell.
“You like?” I asked, striking a pose. It was so warm today, I’d had to wear a tank top and shorts again and I was still dying. I definitely wasn’t made to live here.
“You could say that,” he said, finally looking at my face. Mmmm, that look in his eyes was predatory and possessive and I was still weak from the night before. It was nice to know that we could still go multiple rounds and be left wanting more.
“It’s missing something,” he said, stroking his chin where his stubble was coming in. I shivered, remembering how it felt on the insides of my thighs.
Hunter walked toward me and plunked a cowboy hat on my head.
“There. Now you’re perfect.” I tipped the hat back so he could kiss me.
“Aren’t you going to get some?” I asked and then pestered him until he found a black on black pair that he liked and fit well.
“Next time we come, I think we should hit Austin. It’s a super cool city and I think you’d really like it,” he said as we sat down to lunch at a small café that catered to vegans and vegetarians. Another thing I loved was that Hunter never made me feel guilty for being a vegetarian. He never rolled his eyes when I asked for a substitution, and he always made sure that the place we ended up going would have something for me to eat.
“Next time?” I asked, picking up my veggie sandwich.
“Next time,” he said with a smile as he cut a piece of chicken.
The next few days were spent shopping and eating and taking pictures and having sex. A lot of sex. We were both horny as hell for some reason, so we took every chance we got to get naked.
It was almost ridiculous.
“Are you happy?” Hunter asked after our plane had taken off for our trip home.
“Yes. Are you?” He was a little more tan from our hours walking around in the Texas sun, but I’d been sure to s
lather on the sunblock so my skin hadn’t changed at all.
“I am. And I feel…” he trailed off, looking for the right word. “I feel calmer? More at peace.” That made me so happy I wanted to cry. This trip had definitely been a good idea.
“No regrets?” I said.
“No regrets.”
We didn’t roll in to Yellowfield House until two in the morning and I was so tired I could barely get out of the car. But all the lights were on in the house and when we walked in it was like it was early evening instead of the middle of the night. Everyone was up and chatting while playing Cards Against Humanity at the dining table.
“Welcome home!” Renee cheered, getting up to hug us both.
“We were only gone for a few days,” I said as she clutched me tight.
“Doesn’t matter. We still missed you.” Everyone lined up to hug us and then we were shoved into chairs and handed cups of tea and snacks.
“How was it?” Mase asked.
I was beyond tired, but they had all stayed up and waited for us, so we could stick it out a little bit longer.
“You want to go first?” I said, looking at Hunter.
“Sure, Missy.”
I ended up falling asleep at the table while Hunter gave the summary of the trip. Next thing I knew, I was waking up and the sun was out.
“Oh God,” I said, rolling over. My back hurt from being crunched in a terrible airplane seat for hours.
“Everything okay?” Hunter said from his position next to me in bed. He had my e-reader out and looked fresh as a daisy. Bastard.
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a plane instead of riding in one,” I said and my voice came out as a croak.
“Aw, poor Missy. Do you want me to get you something?” He set the e-reader aside and looked down at me with concern.
“Maybe some tea with honey? And probably some aspirin. Shit.” I rested back against the pillows and sort of fell asleep again until Hunter brought me the tea, along with a croissant and some fruit.
“You take such good care of me,” I said, taking the tea and sipping it. The hot liquid was heaven on my dry throat.
“I like taking care of you. I never thought I would want to do something like that. Thought it would tie me down,” he said, shaking his head. “Clearly, I was an idiot as well as an asshole.”
I snorted.
“Yeah, you were both, but then, I punched you when we first met, so we were both not on our best behavior.” He laughed and got back into bed with me.
“You ready to go back to class?” I made a face.
“No. I was hoping I could go a few more hours without thinking about it, but I guess not.” Hunter didn’t look sorry for bringing it up.
I spent most of the day loafing on the living room couch reading as everyone else got stuff done. Hunter had more energy than I did, so he was on laundry duty, bless him.
“Was he really okay?” Mase came to ask while Hunter was upstairs folding.
“Yeah, he really was.” Mase sat down next to me with a sigh of relief. He’d called during the trip and I’d told him about the visit to Hunter’s mother’s grave.
“I think it was good for him. Not closure, exactly, but it gave him some peace.” Mase nodded.
“That’s really good. Mom and Dad were really concerned when he said he was going back, but they were relieved when he said he was taking you. I never thought I would see him be able to go back there. Really, Taylor. It’s amazing.” He was acting like I had done all the work when really it was all Hunter.
“He’s stronger than he knows,” I said, and then we had to shut up because Hunter came back downstairs.
“You were talking about me, weren’t you?” he said with a smirk.
“Not everything is about you, asshole,” I said, winking at Mase so Hunter couldn’t see.
“Oh, I think everything is about me for you, Missy,” he said, hopping over the back of the couch and planting himself next to me.
“You should be careful. If your head gets any bigger you might not be able to walk.” I rubbed the top of his head, which was prickly because he’d cut his hair this morning. Sometimes I wondered what he’d look like if he let it grow longer, but I’d never ask him to grow it for me if he didn’t want to.
“You love my big head.” I narrowed my eyes. “You love it so much you’re gonna marry it.”
There it was again. I’d been thinking about marriage a lot, especially since we’d visited his mother’s grave. I’d almost felt guilty that he was opening himself up to me while I was being so reluctant about getting married.
I just couldn’t get over my hang-ups. Maybe I should make an appointment with a counselor and talk things out. I just couldn’t tell if what I was feeling was normal, or if I was being crazy.
“Yeah, I am,” I said and hoped he would change the subject. I didn’t want to fight about it. We’d had such a good trip and I wanted to ride that goodness for a while.
Of course, life had a way of slapping you in the face and I got slapped. Big time.
Something was up with Taylor. We’d been back from our trip for three weeks and she was… different. There wasn’t any other way to describe it. She was tired all the time. I’d never known her to be a big nap taker and she was crashing whenever she came back from classes. It was a struggle to get her up in the morning.
I’d also never known her to be so scatterbrained. She lost her car keys, her notes, her phone, her e-reader.
“Are you sure you’re not sick?” I asked.
“With what? Forgetful brain disease?” She didn’t like me talking about it and I wasn’t sure if I should mention it to anyone. I didn’t know what to do, so finally one night when Taylor had gone up to bed early, I cornered Renee. There was definitely something to be said about having a nurse in the house.
“Hey, so something is up with Taylor and I wanted to get your professional opinion.” She didn’t have that dazed look she got when she was studying and she wasn’t fighting with Paul currently so I figured I was safe asking.
Her bright blue eyes narrowed a little.
“I’m not sure I should be talking to you about her without her knowing, Hunter.” Uh oh. I’d crossed one of those lines I hadn’t known I was crossing until I was over it. Shit.
“It’s nothing, forget it,” I said, putting my hands up and backing away. Renee could be intense and I didn’t want to be the target of her wrath.
“Uh huh,” she said, crossing her arms, her eyes still narrowed. I got away as quick as I could and made a note never to do that again.
I was woken early the next morning by Taylor wrenching herself out of my arms and running to the bathroom where she hurled in the toilet. It took me a second to figure out what was happening and to run to her side to hold back her hair. As soon as she was done, I handed her a glass of water and then her toothbrush.
“Are you okay?” I asked as she swished the water around her mouth and spat in the sink.
“It just came on so sudden. Woke me up. I must have eaten something bad.” She grabbed the toothpaste and vigorously brushed her teeth, but she wouldn’t look me in the eye. Something was going on and we needed to sit down and talk about it. As soon as she was done with her teeth, she pushed me aside and got back into bed.
“Are you sure? Because you’ve been a little off since we got back and it’s starting to freak me out, Taylor.” She opened her eyes as I sat in bed, propped up by the headboard.
“Just tired. Maybe I picked something up there. I don’t know. I just want to go back to sleep, okay?” She closed her eyes again, effectively ending the conversation. I knew I shouldn’t take that for an answer, but she did look tired and I didn’t want to be an asshole. So I let her go back to sleep and vowed that if anything else weird happened, I’d confront her about it.
But then something happened and I didn’t have to.
“How you doing?” Renee asked me over and over. It was driving me crazy. She’d never been this concerned ab
out my health before. I mean, she’d been the one who had saved my ass when I had that UTI not long ago, but this was excessive.
“I’m fine,” I said each and every time because she was getting a little creepy about the whole thing. Why was everyone so concerned about me all of a sudden? Sure, I was really tired and didn’t feel good a lot, but I figured it was just a bug I’d picked up in Texas. Probably something from the stupid airplane. Those things were flying germ incubators.
I thought things were getting better until I woke up early in the morning and started puking. The second morning in a row that I got sick, Hunter put his foot down and told me that I needed to go to the doctor. He was completely oblivious about what could be wrong with me and I wanted to keep him that way as long as possible.
I promised him that I would head to the clinic that afternoon, but I called Renee in a panic instead.
“I need you,” I said and she dropped everything to meet me in the parking lot.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on?” she asked, but I was pretty sure she knew exactly what was happening. Renee wasn’t stupid and neither was I.
“I think…” I couldn’t say the words out loud. Renee gave me a sad smile and pulled me into a hug. I didn’t know I was crying until she pulled back and started wiping the tears from my face.
“Hey, it’s okay. We’re gonna get you a few tests and we’ll go from there, okay? Take a deep breath for me, sweetheart.” Renee had her calming nurse’s voice on and it did help a little. I was shaking a little, so she shoved me into her car and drove me to a nearby pharmacy. She didn’t even ask me before she stopped the car, told me she would be right back and to sit tight.
While she was gone, I stared out of the windshield and tried not to let my thoughts gallop ahead of the situation. I failed.