Kayla
For the rest of the day, I hid out in my room, sitting cross-legged on my bed with my laptop perched on my knees, making minimal progress on my job hunt. I’d been right—there wasn’t much need for a food and wine critic in Fosterman, although the area seemed to be growing. It appeared that food and wine tourism was beginning to take off like a lot of other cities in central California, but no immediate need for a critic. There were a few positions for editorial work on lifestyle and a couple of food magazines in the Bay Area that I sent in applications for—some I could work remotely, which meant that if I got the job, I could stay in Fosterman while Taylor and Dom worked on the house. After it sold, I could move to the Bay Area to be closer to work.
Then I checked out rental prices in the Bay Area and almost fell off my bed. How much did they want for a studio apartment? And here I’d thought New York was bad! How had I thought it would be so easy to leave my entire life in New York behind, show up in Fosterman, and start in on this whole self-discovery thing?
And holy crap, was it ever hard to focus. Especially since every twenty minutes or so, either Dom or Taylor would drop by my room to ask me questions about the house—what to keep, what to scrap. Each time they’d go, they’d give me a little hint of sexiness—a lingering stare or a mischievous smile.
Taylor was all playful grins and teasing banter. A simple wink from him was enough to build heat between my legs and make me want to toss the laptop and spread myself across the bed in invitation. Dom, with his dangerous flashes under his hooded eyelids and the way he bit his lip as he got one last look at me before closing my bedroom door made me want to call him back in and allow him to crawl over my trembling body.
As soon as they’d leave, the fantasies would start playing in my head: Dom was the teeth sinking into the sensitive skin just below my hip, and Taylor was the kisses to soothe the delicious throbbing. I wanted both.
I needed both.
No, what I needed was a freezing cold shower.
Finally, sometime after five, I finally gave up on the job search after finding little to nothing. I sighed and closed my laptop. Lying back, I let my head rest on the pillow and my eyes focus on the cracks in the ceiling above me. Who would I want to kiss first? Earlier, I’d pictured Dom kissing me in the truck, but after Taylor had carried me to my room, I couldn’t stop imagining his mouth all over me.
Ye gads—my head wouldn’t stop having sex games with Dom and Taylor.
Frustrated, I wandered into the hallway, where I found Taylor standing in the stairwell, his attention on a light fixture that was on. Dom was on his knees in the small closet that held the breaker box.
“Not that one. Try the other breaker,” Taylor said, waiting while Dom flicked through the breakers.
“Hey,” I said.
Taylor spun around. “Well, well, the princess emerges.”
I grinned, enjoying the way his gaze flicked from my face to my body and then back up again. “If I’m a princess, then you must be my loyal subject, fixing up my kingdom. What are you working on?”
“Testing the breakers. Last item for today. Then we’ll be out of here. Leave you alone.”
“Oh. Okay.” Disappointment curled inside my belly. Granted, it was late afternoon and past time for any workers to get going, but these weren’t just my workers anymore—they were now my business partners. And even better, I felt like we’d become friends. Dom emerged and came to stand next to Taylor, expectant expressions on both their faces. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, a nervous habit. I wanted something but I didn’t know how to ask.
“Need something from us?” The corners of Taylor’s smile turned up. He could tell I did, and I wasn’t going to deny it.
Luckily, Dominic spoke so I wouldn’t have to answer that loaded question. “Did you ask her?” He nudged Taylor with an elbow.
“I was about to.”
I blinked. “Ask me what?”
“We want to take you out to dinner.”
“Oh, wow, really?” A warm flush swept over me. If I said yes to dinner, would that mean I was saying yes to the...well...the other thing?
“Just dinner, Kayla,” Dom said quietly. “All you’ll have to decide on is if you want a steak or pasta.”
My heart skipped a beat. I was pretty surprised by my immediate reaction. Two days ago I’d turned down a dinner invitation from Taylor and now I was getting another chance. A lot had changed in forty-eight hours.
“You know, after being in the house all day, that sounds really great. I’ll go get ready,” I said, my excitement obvious.
Taylor laughed. “Take your time, sweetheart. We’re going home to shower and change, then we’ll be back to pick you up. You don’t want to hang out with two sweaty guys.”
Like hell I didn’t.
We arranged for them to be back at my place at eight, then I dashed back to my room to scour my closet for something to wear. When I heard their truck rev, it occurred to me that I wasn’t even fazed by having two men in the house who could come and go at their will without me having to let them in or out. It was like they lived here, and I didn’t mind one little bit.
I took a shower, blow-dried my hair, and spent about twenty minutes shivering buck-naked in my bedroom, trying to pick out which dress I should wear. I settled on a knee-length dress embroidered with flowers that I’d picked up at a thrift store months before. I was pretty sure I could pass it off as formal or casual depending on where we ended up.
As I looked at myself in the mirror at a quarter to eight, I couldn’t help but smile. I was going on a date with two guys. Two friends. Two potential lovers, if I could finally wrap my head around it. Double the fun, double the pleasure. It could be an incredible adventure.
I could also be setting myself up to be hurt. With each loving caress of the cheek from Taylor and each unexpected play-slap of the ass from Dom, I was entangling myself further and further. I knew it would make leaving harder. For all of us.
But it was tough to listen to that rational voice when the image of the three of us kept occupying my mind: limbs intertwined, bodies in rhythm, breathing ragged and desperate.
I’d be rational later, I finally told myself. Tonight I wanted irrational. Tonight I wanted crazy, impossible, mind blowing.
When they knocked on my door an hour later, I carefully stepped down the stairs in my low heels, sweater in the crook of my arm. Opening the door and stepping back, I nearly fainted. “Holy shit,” I blurted out.
Taylor wore a different pair of jeans, a pressed dark blue button-down shirt, and black low boots. His shirtsleeves were rolled up casually to show off a fancy watch that looked sexy against his tanned skin and muscular forearms. His hair had been carefully gelled on top, but holy crap—that smile!
“Hello, pretty lady,” he said. “That dress looks fucking gorgeous on you. I mean—” He tapped his mouth as if remembering his manners and potty mouth. “Very gorgeous on you.”
“Thank you,” I said, shivering with excitement. “And you two…”
I looked at Dom. Tonight, he’d pulled out a sexier side of himself with his fitted gray pants and dark gray buttoned shirt, a black vest and loafers. His smile was more low-key, self-conscious, but sexy all the same. He reminded me of the real estate agent I’d met yesterday, Logan. Dom’s friend.
I froze. Dom’s friend, who had seemed more than interested in me...who’d hinted that he’d shared women with Dom before, at a time when Dom had been willing to share before that had changed. My throat tightened. Dom and Taylor were willing to share me—and even as a threesome. Was that offer limited to just the two men, or…
Was there a chance I could get it on with three guys?
Wow, now who’s being greedy, Kayla?
“You’re simply stunning, Kayla,” Dominic said, bringing me back down to earth. I had enough to evaluate—this was not the time to start fantasizing about a third man in my life.
“Thank you. You look amazing as well,” I said, then added, “You both look hot. What can I say? I’m a lucky girl.” I was tired of hiding my true feelings, and these men looked too damn fine not to tell them.
They smiled big, dimples fully showing. They escorted me to the driveway, where I didn’t see their work truck but instead noticed a deep blue, glossy car. Some kind of sports car—and a motorcycle, all fancy and full of chrome! One of them had told me the other day that they weren’t hurting for money, and I guess this was proof.
“Since you’re wearing a dress,” Dominic said, “why don’t you go with Taylor in his car? I’ll meet you there. I needed to give the bike a little exercise.” Dom strolled to his motorcycle, straddled the seat, put on his helmet, and started the rumbling engine. I admired his taut forearms. And those hands gripping those handlebars.
Oof.
I sighed and followed Taylor. He opened the door for me and I slid into a tanned leather passenger seat. Inside smelled like aftershave, and come to think of it, that’s what was different about Taylor—he’d shaved. Smooth and sexy. All for me.
Man, this was going to be a fabulous night.
Dinner was simply wonderful.
They took me to a Peruvian-Japanese restaurant serving fusion cuisine, and I couldn’t have had a better time. It was more like three friends out for a night of fun than a date between us, though occasionally, either Dom or Taylor would toss flirty comments my way. I’d volley them back, especially after my second glass of wine. At one point, Taylor touched my knee when he asked what I thought about some renovation they wanted to do to the sun room, but I almost couldn’t focus on the conversation because of how surreal it all felt. I only knew his hand felt solid, real, and safe on my knee.
I wanted it there. I wanted it everywhere.
I felt like the center of attention, and it seemed like everyone in the restaurant knew it, too.
“So, Kayla.” Dom turned his eyes on me and I marveled how they could be so dark and yet so soft and warm at the same time. “Have you had any luck with the job hunt?”
I told them about how difficult it had been to find something that interested me, which led to me talking about what always held my interest—baking. “You already know how much I love baking, though,” I laughed. “I’m more than a little obsessed with it. At least you guys seem to appreciate it.”
Taylor nodded. “Right. You said your ex didn’t appreciate it. Can you believe that?” He looked at Dom.
Dom scowled. “Your ex sounds like an asshole.”
I laughed. “Well, he cheated on me, so I’m not going to disagree. Plus…”
“Plus what?” Taylor asked.
“My ex, Grant, would make me feel guilty for eating what I baked. He had an image of me that rounded curves on my hips didn’t fit. So I stopped baking for a while. Stopped doing what I loved. Stopped being me.”
“Kayla, first of all, you’re beautiful and sexy as you are. And second, screw that guy.” Dom’s voice was harsh and full of protection. “You should always be yourself.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever really known who I was,” I said, surprised that I was being so open and honest with two guys I still barely knew, despite how close I felt to them. These were admissions I’d never shared with anyone. “I feel like I’ve always been trying to figure out where I fit in and I’ve been pretending to be whoever I needed to be to fit in there.”
They both listened like my words were the only sound in the entire restaurant, like they needed to catch every syllable just to survive.
“And well, I’m starting to think I’ve had it backward. I need to figure out who I am, who I want to be, and then finding where I belong will all fall into place.”
Tentatively, I reached out, placing one of my hands on Dom’s and one on Taylor’s. “The thing is…I’ve only known you a few days, but you’re helping me figure out who I am. Who I want to be. And I can’t thank you enough for that.”
In perfect synch, they each turned their hands to entwine their fingers with mine.
“You’re finding out who you are all on your own, Kayla,” Taylor said.
“Right. We just get the honor of witnessing it. And it’s a damn beautiful sight,” Dom said.
After a great meal and several glasses of wine, we walked outside. I enjoyed the evening breeze and the happy full feeling in my tummy after a delicious meal. We slowly made our way to the parking lot, and when Taylor hung back a moment to check something on his phone, Dom suddenly pulled me in for a hug. Having his warm, scrumptious body pressed against mine felt so good, I almost swooned.
My arms wrapped around him, and I enjoyed the embrace.
“You know back in the restaurant,” he whispered, “that moment when you were talking about finding yourself, finding what you want for yourself?”
I shifted my head so I could see his dark eyes that gazed down at me softly. “Yes?”
“I think you’re very brave,” he continued, and I sensed him growing embarrassed at his vulnerability. “And, well, I think I haven’t been that brave in a long time.”
I started to protest, but he shook his head.
“No, no, it’s true,” he insisted. “But you make me want to be.”
We stared into each other’s eyes and I knew he could see me. I wondered if someday he would let me see him, the real Dom.
Kissing my cheek lightly, he said, “I’m gonna take off.”
“You are?” I asked, surprised that he’d be leaving so abruptly after our intimate moment together.
“Yeah. Been a long day. Taylor will take you home.” He pulled back, and for a second I thought he would kiss me, but instead he wrapped his hands around my face. “I had a great time, Kayla. Thank you for letting us take you out.”
“Thank you for taking me out. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”
He smiled then moved to his bike and straddled it. He threw on his helmet, looking sexy as fuck before revving the engine and taking off.
I wanted him so badly and was still shaky from the near-kiss encounter when Taylor stepped up and tugged on my pinky finger. “Ready to head home?” he asked.
Not really. The night was young and I wanted to spend it with both of them, but only Taylor was here, so I focused on getting to know him and only him. “Let’s go,” I said.
We climbed into his car and chatted easily on the way home. The closer we got to my house, however, the quieter I became. It wasn’t so much nerves as anticipation.
I knew something was going to happen between us once we got back to the house. I was just a little confused why Dom had seemingly stepped aside to let Taylor have first dibs, so to speak. Was it because of what happened with Laura? For all his macho broodiness, did he really doubt that I could want him every bit as much as I wanted Taylor? If that was the case, I was going to have to disabuse him of that notion, and very soon. But right now, Dom wasn’t here.
I looked at Taylor.
He deserved my focus and attention right now. Every bit as much as I wanted his focus and attention on me.
Taylor pulled to a halt inside my driveway and turned off the car. I glanced up at Tabitha’s house—my house—quiet and dark, sitting there in the night like a promise waiting to be fulfilled. Taylor turned in his seat to face me.
I wasn’t sure who leaned in first, but it didn’t matter at this point.
His hand slipped behind my neck, pulling me in, his warm tongue filling my mouth, and I felt something akin to a wave of relief. How long had I been waiting for one of them to kiss me like this? Why had I waited so long to figure out what I wanted?
I let out a little moan against his lips, and his hand slid over my leg, up my thigh, gripping me, holding me, touching me. I couldn’t get enough of him—of Taylor Riggs kissing me, making me want him.
I wasn’t sure how long we were in his car, in the dark, outside my house, making out like a couple of teenagers. His hands explored my body, appreciating the thickness of my hips, legs, and breasts. When I pressed my hand against his chest, I felt his heart pick up pace under my fingers.
Eventually, he drew back, breath coming fast, eyes darkened. “We don’t have to rush this,” he murmured. “No expectations, no pressure, remember? Dom and I really did just want to take you out to dinner.”
I grinned widely. “So are you saying it wouldn’t faze you at all to walk away from me now?”
“Fuck no. It would be difficult as hell.” Taking my hand, he brought it to his crotch, and I could feel just how difficult it would actually be. He was so big. So hard for me. I rubbed him lightly, and he groaned.
“So maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to give me space,” I said.
He caught my wrist, stopping my caresses but keeping my hand pressed against him. “I’ll always give you what you need, Kayla, even if that’s for me to walk away.”
“Well, I don’t want or need you to walk away.”
“You sure?”
It felt like a lifetime since I’d actually wanted someone as badly as this, since someone had wanted and desired me in the way that he did. And the intensity of my desire was making me a little drunk. “I’m sure. I want you, Taylor. Please.”
In seconds, he’d helped me out of the car and had me scooped up in his arms, making me giggle as I leaned up against his chest and inhaled his scent. It was so quiet out here at this time of night, so easy to pretend that we were the only two people in the entire world out underneath the amazing stars.
He kicked the door open, which made me gasp. For one stupid moment, I’d forgotten how rotted the damn thing was, but then I laughed out loud.
“I’m fixing it tomorrow, anyway,” he said, shutting it behind him with his boot.
All I wanted was him, this night, this moment, this instant.
He set me down and made his way up the stairs, tugging me behind him. Once we got to my room, he said, “I’ve wanted to do this to you from the first moment I laid eyes on you.” His voice was low and growly, making my heart pound and my panties go wet.
I collapsed on my bed and he came down next to me, kissing me deeply and slipping his hand between my legs, cupping my pussy through my panties and making me sigh with relief. His hand was so strong, fingers so warm against me, I could hardly take it. Yes, I wanted to say, wanted to tell him that I’d thought about it too long.
But I couldn’t speak.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close as he deftly inched my underwear down my legs until I was bare to him. I parted my legs and hooked them around him, grinding against him, feeling the hardness of his cock again. Aside from taking my hand and pressing it against him earlier, he’d been the perfect gentleman. I liked that he had a little dirty in him, too. I needed that dirty—dirty combined with good-boy charm. It was what had defined him for me when we first met. That mischievous spark in his personality.
He kissed down my neck, and his warm breath in the cold of the house made me shudder with need. I pushed myself against him, hungry for more, and he understood what I needed. He pressed his fingers against my clit, holding them there for a second, letting me get used to the feel and pressure. Pulling back, he looked into my eyes, and for a moment, I felt as though I was paralyzed by the way he watched me. I could only lie there, holding on to him for dear life, as though he were the only thing keeping me connected to the real world.
And maybe he was.
He began to move his fingers slowly. I mashed my lips together and lost myself to the rhythm. Slowly, torturing me, he moved his fingers, his caresses considerate and sweet, in no rush at all. I tried to remember the last time someone had touched me like this and came up completely blank. My other boyfriends had always gone at me like they were hurrying to get me there already and wanted nothing more than for me to just be ready for them to fuck.
But Taylor touched me as though he’d be happy doing nothing but that all night long. I loved the way he moved his hand against me, his fingers tracing slow, soft circles over my clit, before he slid them a little lower down and dipped the tip of one inside of me. My mouth dropped open as he slipped his finger all the way in, his thumb twisting around to caress me as he did so.
“Oh, god,” I breathed, and he leaned down to kiss me again.
I couldn’t tell what was turning me on more—his deep kisses or his touch—or the combination of both. It was a recipe for my undoing. The sensations, from his hand between my legs and his mouth on mine, were flooding my body with feeling I didn’t know what to do with.
I lifted my hips to rock back and forth against him, building up a pace against his hand and letting him push that finger deep inside me. No matter how good it felt, all it was doing was making me needier for more and more Taylor. I pressed my lips boldly against his neck and grinned to myself when I heard his sharp intake of breath.
So it wasn’t just me feeling this deep need.
“Jesus,” Taylor growled, his voice low and lush. We kissed again and stayed like that for a long while, him teasing me with the promise of his fingers inside of me, until I felt my toes curl and my muscles tense. I realized I was getting close.
“Oh…” I groaned, tipping my head back.
He gripped my hair in his hand and bared his teeth against my neck and I came, hard, my body wracked with pleasure as I convulsed beneath him. I wasn’t sure if I even made any noise—my brain was too filled up with the shock of how good it felt—but when my ears tuned back in and my mind returned to normal, I could hear his breath coming quick and heavy, faster than before.
“I need to be inside you,” he murmured against my ear, letting his teeth drag briefly over my earlobe. His words drew another moan of pleasure out of me, and I knew I was helpless to stop this. Not that I wanted to. Briefly, I remembered that fantasy I’d had when I’d first seen their images on their web site—both of them in this bed, touching me and caressing me and fucking me, and I felt another surge of arousal build.
“Fuck me,” I begged him, and he didn’t need telling twice. He dipped into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a condom. I couldn’t help but giggle—had it really been that obvious where this night was going when he was getting ready? It didn’t have to be obvious, I chastised myself. Just enough that he was ready.
“Stand up,” he ordered firmly.
I quickly did as I was told, and his hands reached down, tugged up at my dress and lifted it over my head. Unbidden, Grant’s words about my body suddenly surfaced, and I ducked under the covers.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he chuckled, taking off his shirt. Finally, I saw his bare chest, exactly as I’d pictured it. So smooth and rippling with toned muscle. When he stood and dropped his jeans, I could’ve had my second orgasm right then, but I watched with fascination as he climbed between the covers with me.
I was about to say that one of us wasn’t completely naked when he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me again. “Listen. Don’t ever hide from me. You’re fucking gorgeous, Kayla.”
And then he let out a groan as he ran his hand over my bare hip and up my waist, coming to a stop on my breast. Squeezing, he pushed it into his mouth and sucked so hard, I cried out loud.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” I gasped.
His sucking turned to licking and biting my nipple softly, reining in his deepest urges.
I pulled at his boxers. “I think these need to go.” I remarked, biting my lip.
“Point taken,” he murmured, kneeling on the bed to slide down his boxers.
It was dark in the room, but from his silhouette, I could tell that Taylor Riggs was an endowed man. He quickly tore open the condom and sheathed himself, then rolled on top of me and kissed me once more. I couldn’t get enough of the taste of him, of how good he felt on top of me, and I parted my legs eagerly and drew him in toward my body.
His cock pressed up against the entrance to my pussy, and I knew then it was going to be the biggest challenge I’d ever had. Thank god I was so incredibly wet. Slowly, he eased himself inside.
I groaned. He felt better than I ever could have expected. The feeling was…it was something more than simply the physical pleasure of it, something that ran darker and deeper than that. He wasn’t just fucking me—he was fulfilling me, owning me. He moved his mouth over mine softly as he pushed himself up to the hilt in my pussy, and I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on committing this moment to memory.
He began to move, slowly at first, as though letting me get used to the full sensation of him inside of me, but I wrapped my legs around him and drew him in deeper. I wanted him to go further. I wanted to let him know that he didn’t need to treat me with kid gloves. I may have taken a while to warm up, but now I was ready. Now, I was his match.
He read my intentions easily and at once, and soon enough we had built up a pace, him moving hard into me as I pushed my hips back up to meet him every time. Neither of us said a word—neither of us had to. Everything we needed to say was spoken with our bodies, in the way we seemed to fit together like a pair of jigsaw puzzle pieces.
I focused on the sound of our breathing, mingling together in the quietness and the darkness of the air around us, and allowed my mind to turn to mush as I gave over to the pleasure that being with Taylor was giving me. He moved his hands all over my body as he fucked me, as though taking me all in, as though this is what he’d been thinking about the whole time he’d been working on the house.
For a moment, I imagined if Dominic were here, how this would be with both of them fucking me, one cock in my pussy and one in my mouth, and I nearly came to the brink again.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” Taylor moaned in my ear, bringing me back to this moment and this man. I flushed at the realization that thinking about Dominic had been getting me hotter than ever. I was close again, the motion of Taylor’s cock in my pussy enough to get my toes curling and my body hungry and horny and fucking desperate to come.
“Fuck,” he moaned again.
I loved the way he spoke to me when he was inside me, like he couldn’t believe how good this was either, like I was his woman and he’d finally come home. I knew Taylor had a confident way about him, but never in a million years had I expected anything like this. I rocked my hips rapidly back against him, and suddenly I felt my pussy flex around his cock as I came for a second time.
“Oh, shit.” He growled once more, and moments later he came to a standstill inside me and held himself there, cock twitching, and I could tell by the sudden breath that he let out that he had just come as well.
For a long moment Taylor didn’t move, holding himself still, as though, like me, he was allowing himself some time to reconnect to reality. And then, eventually, almost reluctantly, he pulled himself out of me and quickly disposed of the condom.
He flopped down on the bed and I pulled the covers up and over both of us. However hot that had been, it was still cold in the house at night. He reached over and pulled me against his chest, and as soon as I was in his arms once more I forgot all about the chill in the air. What a solid, amazing chest to lay my head on. I could fall asleep and dream against it all night.
“Mmm.” He nuzzled his face into my hair.
I closed my eyes and comforted myself with the sound of his slow, steady heartbeat. “That was really good,” I finally managed, blurting the words out like an awkward teenager.
He laughed and stroked my hair. “Kayla?”
I sighed and stirred against him. “Yeah?”
“Can I ask you something?” Taylor asked.
I mumbled a sleepy sure.
“Have you ever loved someone?”
This question acted like five shots of espresso and a thousand alarm clocks. I held myself perfectly still, like I was suddenly cuddling with a wild animal who might bolt at any unexpected movement.
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I thought I loved the guy I dated in high school. We tried to do the long distance thing when we graduated, but we drifted and neither of us tried to stop it, so, I don’t know, maybe I never did love him.”
I could feel the tension in Taylor’s chest.
“And my ex and I, Grant, told each other we loved each other after dating for a few months,” I continued. “But I question now whether I said that because he did or if I actually felt those feelings.” At Taylor’s nod, I shrugged and added, “So, I guess the short answer is that I don’t know.”
Taylor was silent for a moment and I wondered if the conversation was over. But then he spoke, quietly, hesitantly. “I’m worried that I can’t.”
I frowned. “Can’t what?”
He shifted uncomfortably and readjusted me in his arms. He held me tighter. “I’m worried I’m not capable of loving.”
I almost laughed, but stopped when I caught sight of his face and saw he was serious. He bit at his lip and creases of worry lined his forehead.
“You know Laura, the real estate agent whose card I gave you?” He waited until I nodded, then he plunged on. “When we were in college, Laura was more than a roommate—she was my girlfriend. Our girlfriend. But in the end… she loved me,” he said. “I could see it clear as day in her eyes. I knew she loved me and I just…I just couldn’t feel it back. I tried for a while. I really, really tried. But I couldn’t. I should have. And I couldn’t.”
I rubbed circles across his chest. “You can’t force love,” I whispered.
Taylor lifted my chin with a finger so my eyes fell onto his. “But maybe it’s me,” he said. “Maybe I’m… missing something.”
I smiled. “I think it’s quite the opposite.”
Taylor frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I think you have a strong, pure, powerful love inside of you. You know what love is and you know what love isn’t. And you’re not afraid to wait for it,” I explained. “I was so worried with forcing it to please the other person that I’m not sure I even know what it is anymore. But you do, Taylor, and you’ll find it. I just know it.”
He kissed my forehead and ran his fingers through my hair.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
I felt him exhale, like a great pressure had been removed from his chest. “For what?” I asked softly.
“Just...thank you.”
We laid together in peaceful silence before Taylor whispered, “Mind if I stay over?”
I lifted my head and looked at him. “But won’t Dom…”
“I’m pretty sure he’s going to guess what happened anyway,” he consoled me, and then plastered a cocky grin on his face. “By the smile on your face tomorrow, at least.”
“Hey, you,” I teased, landing a playful slap on his chest. “Don’t get too cocky. I’m still the one in charge here.”
“Sure, sure,” he chuckled. “And I’m your loyal subject, my Queen.”
I smiled. “That’s better.”
“And the Queen is hotter than fuck, by the way.” He grinned.
“Taylor, are you sure?”
“Kayla…” He turned on his side and stroked my cheek. “Dom and I entered into this knowing what it took. Why do you think he left early? We know when to give each other space.”
“I understand, but it worries me, that maybe he gave us space a little too easily. Like…maybe he thought it was a foregone conclusion that we’d be together first. Not that I’m sorry I was with you,” I said quickly, not wanting to hurt his feelings. God, was I messing things up already?
Taylor sighed. “I hear you, believe me. I wondered the same thing. All I can say is, Dom’s a big boy. He knows what he wants. What he needs. He wants and needs you. If he wasn’t okay with letting us have tonight, he would have made that clear.”
“I guess…”
“It’s alright, sweetheart. I love that you’re looking out for all of us here. You just need to trust that we’re looking out for you, too.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “I believe you. And I’m fine with you staying over.”
He pulled me against his side and I snuggled into him. And when I fell asleep, it was with a smile on my face.