Page 94 of Dreams
Panting, he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers. She breathed him in, felt his body still pressed tight, and knew one thing for sure. She certainly wasn’t cold anymore.
* * *
Josh studied Taylor’s eyes and found that he couldn’t read them. Frustrated, he took a step back and blew out a long breath. Usually, everything Taylor felt was evident on her face, but she was guarding herself carefully. Protecting herself. From what? Him?
He should be mad, pissed as hell, unforgivably harsh. With her kiss still lingering on his lips, he wasn’t thinking straight. She’d left him. Ran when things got real. Despite the anger seething inside of him, all he’d wanted over the last week was to see her. To kiss her. For her to tell him that everything was going to be okay.
She reached a hand up to touch her lips and her shield dropped. Suddenly she was his Taylor again. The girl who felt everything, even while she was trying to feel nothing. The girl who was so unsure of herself, but still had this unbelievably sexy confidence. She’d come to an incredibly elegant wedding looking like she was just headed to class. And he loved that about her.
As the emotions came rushing back, so did his insane ability to look into her eyes and know what was happening in her head. They widened as he took a step forward. She was terrified, but not of him. Of what she’d done.
And it made him love her even more.
“Taylor,” he said finally.
She put a hand on his chest to stop his advance. “No,” she said. “Don’t use your ‘I’m Josh walker, sexy man-meat and all around good dude’ voice on me. I can’t take it.”
His shoulders shook with laughter and she glared at him, the light over their heads making her eyes shine behind her glasses. He couldn’t help himself, reaching forward to tuck her hair behind her ear. He needed to touch her. She swatted his hand away.
“Yell at me,” she ordered.
“No.” He narrowed his eyes in challenge.
“Tell me you hate me.”
“Can’t do that.”
“Say that I’m the worst human being on the face of the earth.”
“You’re not.”
She sagged against the wall, a tiny sob releasing into the night.
“Please, Josh.” Her voice grew small. “What I did was horrible. I am horrible.”
“I don’t believe that.” When another sob escaped her, he crossed the small distance between them and gathered her into his arms.
“I left.”
“I know.” He laughed softly. “I was there. It hurt.”
“And now I’m the one falling apart when your life has just been turned upside-down. How can you even stand to be around me right now?”
He shrugged.
“You’re seriously not mad?”
“No. Okay, maybe I was. I wanted to cut you out of my life. You have no idea the awful things I’ve thought about you this past week. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to hate you.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back to keep her warm.
“Why not?” She looked up at him, no more tears in her eyes.
Now or never, dude,he thought to himself as he looked at her. He always believed there were moments in life when you know exactly what to say or do, compared to the rest of the time when you’re just blundering along.
This was one of those moments. He knew he’d forgive her for anything.
“Because I love you.” He said it so softly, he was surprised she could even hear him. He’d never said it before, but the words felt natural on his tongue.
Taylor twisted around in his arms so she could see him more clearly.
